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Tex claims that ruling the aliens would win the war. Church, however, refuses to believe her, and begins broadcasting on an open channel to prevent O'Malley from jumping into Tex. As Tex kills the last remaining Wyoming, O'Malley accidentally infects Simmons. Tex knocks Simmons out, and follows O'Malley into Caboose's mind. Church approaches the Reds and warns them to disable the ship so that O'Malley can't escape, before entering Caboose as well.

Inside Caboose's mind, Church finds Tex and O'Malley negotiating their deal to rule the aliens. Church emerges from Caboose's head to find that Tex has taken the sword, while Junior and the other alien have boarded the ship.

Operatives from Project Freelancer launch an investigation at Outpost 17-B after the Red and Blue teams stationed there are all mysteriously killed. Agent Washington, who had been introduced in the miniseries Recovery One and is revealed as having survived being shot in the back, expresses his thoughts to the Freelancer Counselor that the same entity that attacked him is behind the attacks at Valhalla. The Counselor tells Washington that he suspects that the "Meta" has now acquired the Omega AI (O'Malley). He tasks Washington with getting help from soldiers that have experience fighting Omega at the AI's last known location: Blood Gulch.

As boredom sets in for the Reds, Sarge and Simmons suspect that since they are inside Command, they can access all data relating to the Red and Blue soldiers, leading Sarge to come up with the idea to "erase the Blues." In the AI vault, Washington explains everything to Church: during the Great War the human race was in danger of losing, and Project Freelancer was one of many projects created to win the conflict. The Director subjected the Alpha AI to stressful scenarios, causing it to fragment, and each fragment, representing a personality trait, was turned into the different AIs given to the Freelancers. Alpha was unable to keep its memories intact, which is what led to Epsilon's creation, representing Alpha's memories. After being implanted with it, Washington knew what was done to Alpha through flashes from Epsilon, but never told his superiors.

The Reds and Blues attempt to flee the base in their vehicles while Washington attempts to finish Project Freelancer by activating the EMP. The Meta follows him inside the facility as he predicted. Washington heads towards the terminal allowing him access to the failsafe and suddenly the Counselor and Director speak and attempt to stop him. The Meta arrives, being revealed as Freelancer Agent Maine, who is attempting to gain the trust of Project Freelancer so he can meet the Alpha AI, a promise made by the Director, and shoots Washington. Washington, answering Maine's question of where the Alpha is, reveals Church, who jumps inside the Meta's head, maintaining that the EMP will not kill him because he believes he is a ghost. Washington activates the EMP. The Reds' Warthog is disabled by the pulse, but Caboose manages to save Epsilon from the EMP wave by driving his vehicle off a cliff.

Simmons and Tex begin working together to sort through personnel files, only to be roadblocked by the director's files being restricted and no record for either Tex or Church. However, Tex does pull up another Freelancer base not far from their location. As she sets off to check out the weaponry, F.I.L.S.S. asks Church to make a journal update as the Director used to. Church has the entries transferred to him and deleted from the database, an act observed by Sarge before sending Grif to aid Simmons with supplies.

Washington is interrogated by Tex about the director's location, but she is then attacked by the Meta and captured using the storage unit. Washington asks the Meta for the memory unit, but the Meta attaches it to his own armor, allowing him to cloak. The Reds and Blues suddenly arrive in ship, which they crash. The Reds and Blues regroup with Church and Wash, and then discuss how to free Tex from the memory unit, which is lying in the snow nearby. Washington gives orders, sending Tucker and Caboose to look for tools and Red Team to look for a power source for the memory unit.

Washington's attacks against the Meta are ineffectual. The other teams push the Meta off a cliff to his death. With the capture unit close to shutting down, Epsilon prepares to enter it to find Tex. The unit fails before Church and Tex can emerge.

Within the Epsilon Unit, Epsilon Church's internal monologue is repeatedly interrupted by Tucker, who keeps calling him up to the cliff. There Caboose and Tucker are waiting to spy on the Reds, who are making modifications to their jeep. As the Blues argue about what the modifications are the Reds fire a rocket from the Warthog at them, where Church hears Donut giving orders. Church becomes frustrated about how events are not occurring correctly.

An unnamed agent in blue armor arrives to help South and North. North is wounded while protecting South from enemy fire. The unnamed agent helps the twins to escape.

Church makes his way back to Blue Base where Caboose heads in the base and calls Command, who has sent out a special forces member to the Blues. As Simmons requests Donut to help with the construction of Lopez, Grif and Donut begin to revert to the personalities of their real selves, causing an earthquake.

Washington and Connecticut return from a failed mission. Though Washington tries to cheer up "Connie", she says that the Director is trying to incite rivalries between the Freelancers through the ranking system. As Connie leaves, she asks Washington to call her "C.T."

Lopez notices that the earthquakes are getting more frequent, and tries to warn the Red Team that they are in danger, but is not understood. Simmons, jealous at the attention Lopez is receiving from the Reds, storms off to prove to Red Team that he can be charismatic. Church explains they are experiencing a form a recursion within the Epsilon unit, where the computer tries many different iterations of the same scenario to find a solution. They are interrupted by a thrown grenade.

York is gravely injured. The Director arrives, berates the Freelancers, and responds to Washington's claim that Maine and Wyoming weren't following protocol by saying the enemy will also not follow protocol on the battlefield. Carolina watches Tex being helped up by a trio of black-uniformed men, and sees Tex's shoulder spark.

Simmons finds himself chained up by Lopez, who is now disguised as him to get access to the equipment he needs to investigate the earthquakes. Simmons mistakenly believes that Lopez is trying to replace him to become popular. Lopez fools Sarge and Grif into granting him permission to use their equipment. A curious Donut investigates what the disguised Lopez is up to, while the real Simmons breaks free from his bonds and leaves to confront Lopez.

At Blood Gulch, Tex tells Church to pick a member of the Red team and kill him. However, due to both his inaccuracy with the sniper rifle and his constant attempts to stall Tex, she takes Church's sniper rifle and shoots Lopez, still disguised as Simmons. As the Reds deliver a eulogy, Simmons arrives explaining the switch.

In Blood Gulch, Church pleads with Tex not to leave. The Reds discover that the planet has become unstable and will collapse, leading Sarge to propose a plan to drill to the core and set off a bomb to fix it.

Tex reveals that she is aware that Church is really Epsilon and that she is also unaware of the Director's reasons for bringing her back as an AI.

Grif insults the Blue Team to make them mad enough for them to send a bomb to the Red Base for Sarge's plan. He eventually succeeds and Tex builds Andy the bomb.

More earthquakes rock Blood Gulch, and fails to explode. The Blues get Sheila running and try to use her to get out of Blood Gulch before the cataclysm. Church decides to stay and tells them that if they find Washington to tell him that "memory is the key". Tex decides to stay behind with Church and both she and Church stand together to watch the end of the world.

At Blue Base Church explains to Tex that he figured out what the Director and Alpha could not. Tex was a by-product of the Director's longing to see Allison again. Church tells Tex, "I forget you," finally allowing her to leave his memories and move on. At peace, Church tells the world to do its worst, but he is rescued from the memory unit.

In the past, Carolina is seen looking over the updated rankings, as she is dropped to second behind Tex. The Director approaches her and tells her that things are going to change and he needs her to do "a great many things", some of which might be questionable. Carolina agrees.

In the past, York infiltrates an Insurrectionist facility in space. After he triggers an alarm, the Director decides on more direct measures and fires on the facility from the ship Mother of Invention, causing York to be dragged out into space.

C.T. is revealed to be working with the Insurrection. They discuss an artifact that the Insurrection has discovered. At the hangar, South reports that the Insurrectionist leader was not found and Carolina says they will look for him in a scrapyard.

The Reds and Blues stop at Zanzibar. Washington and Carolina debate whether the Reds and Blues will be of use.

In the past, North introduces his new AI, Theta, to York, Washington and South. York uses his AI, Delta, to help Theta with its shyness. The Director arrives, to prepare a test for Theta and North, and reminds Delta that protocol prevents direct interaction between AIs. Theta's performance in the test impresses Washington and York.

Carolina looks for clues to the location of the Director with Washington, and tries to shoot Tucker and Church after they eavesdrop. The Reds plan on abandoning the mission and returning home, but change their minds once Washington tells them that due to their past actions, they are likely now criminals wanted by the UNSC.

In the present, Washington reports to Carolina that he has found nothing in the facility. They decide to move on to the ruins in the desert where Washington found C.T.'s helmet. The Blues discuss Epsilon's memories, and his difficulty determining which of his personalities they come from.

The Reds and Blues arrive at the desert, where Carolina and Wash search for C.T's remains. The Blues recall the events that happened in Recreation as well as what they are up to here.

In the present, The Reds and Blues have a meeting about Carolina's secrecy and motives, as they believe she cannot be trusted. The group decides to find out more about Carolina's motives and plans by inserting Church into her Mongoose.

Washington and Carolina approach where Washington saw C.T.'s helmet, wondering how C.T. ended up there. Carolina then tells him what happened back at the Longshore Shipyards.

C.T. and the Insurrection Leader plan to escape the facility, but C.T. tries to tell him that the Freelancers might help them if they were told the whole story from their point of view. Tex and Carolina storm the bunker. C.T. attempts to convince them of the Director's crimes, but the two will have none of it. The four fight before Tex fatally wounds C.T. The Leader drags C.T. into an escape pod. Before dying, C.T. gives him a card detailing the Director's crimes, and the Leader puts on her helmet, revealing that the C.T. the Reds and Blues encountered has been the Leader.

Washington and Carolina study the data they salvaged . Tucker recognizes data on an artifact, and Caboose admits that he had lost the artifact shortly after it was damaged when Church transferred to a new body. Carolina decides to go off alone to visit an abandoned fortress on a nearby island, taking the Mongoose in which Epsilon was installed into with her.

Carolina arrives at the abandoned island fortress where York was killed during the events of Out of Mind. Church reveals himself and asks Carolina what her motivations are and why she can't trust the Reds and Blues. Church and Carolina begin to bond, and Church agrees to analyze the Director's diary logs for any information.

After returning to Vahalla, Church, Carolina, and Washington decide to go inspect the crashed Pelican where Tex's previous body is, forbidding the rest from going along. Tucker angrily confronts Church over how close he and Carolina seem to have become. The Reds decide to go find and repair Lopez so they can get a numerical advantage against the Blues. Caboose rushes off to the Blue Base, leaving Tucker all by himself.

In the present, as Caboose gives Tucker a tour of their new base, Church, Carolina, and Washington examine the Pelican wreck. Church downloads himself into the Pelican's computer to see if he can obtain any information from Sheila.

The Director arrives, angry that an unauthorized match is taking place. Seeing that Texas is involved, he shouts "No, Allison!". The other agents with AIs collapse as they AIs also scream. On the training floor, Omega implores Texas to "end" Carolina, but she holds back, and instead knocks Carolina unconscious, telling her it is for her own good.

In the present, Carolina tells the Red and Blue teams that they are leaving, much to their dismay. Sarge and Simmons return, telling Grif about how Donut is still alive and living with Doc and Lopez. Church asks Carolina to talk privately with him.

At Valhalla, Grif and Simmons debate hunting the Director, as unlike the Freelancers, they have no personal vendetta against the Director. Sarge believes killing the Director will not make things better. Carolina notices Tex's dog tags from the Pelican and find that it is actually C.T.'s. Church notices it has some data stored in it and searches it at Carolina's request.

In the past, Tex investigates the dog tags and finds a message from C.T. directly to her stating that she has left behind a copy of the data she took about the Director's misdeeds and sent this to her. Tex becomes incensed upon discovering that she is the AI unit Beta. Meanwhile, Washington has gone through surgery and just as Epsilon is implanted in him, severe hallucinations of Allison start to occur sending Wash into extreme pain and unconsciousness. Eventually he is sedated and sent to recovery.

After Washington regains consciousness following the botched implantation of Epsilon, North explains that the incident made all future AI projects be cancelled, with the existing AIs due to be confiscated by the Director. Carolina angrily protests against the idea of having her AIs taken. Tex has reportedly gone rogue, but North is skeptical. Elsewhere in the base, Tex breaks into a secure vault with York's help, telling him that there's someone she needs to see. Maine is prepares for battle as the Meta.

After breaking into the Mother of Invention, Tex begins making her way to the labs, finding South along the way, with North confronting his sister to let Tex go through. York assists Tex by hacking into the ship's systems. The Director orders Carolina to stop Tex. York asks Carolina to let go of her rivalry with Tex and flee Project Freelancer with him, but Carolina refuses and defeats York. While fighting Tex, the Mother of Invention goes out of control and crash lands, ejecting Carolina from the ship and knocking her out.

Tex finds Alpha and tries to convince him to leave with her. However, Alpha does not remember Tex and is reluctant to leave the ship. Disappointed that Alpha does not remember her, Tex has a short chat with him before logging out of the system.

With the Red and Blue teams refusing to help them, Church and Carolina decide to try to find the Director themselves. They arrive at the Freelancer facility and are able to find FILSS, who mentions that the Director had entered the facility years ago but has not left since.

Meanwhile, in Valhalla, the Red and Blue Teams are continuing their "war", with the Reds attempting to negotiate with the Blues to get their flag back by giving up their stuff, leading to an argument between Washington and Grif once the Meta's Brute Shot, which Grif had kept as a trophy, is brought in. Doc asks the teams whether they really are okay with letting Church leave by himself, noting that their past adventures had changed them for the better. Realizing this, the Reds and Blues decide to go after Church. Washington attempts to stop them, saying they are being too reckless facing almost impossible odds, to which Sarge points out that being stupid and reckless helped them get things done even against the more competent Freelancers, who lacked the one thing the Red and Blue Teams have: a team they could count on. Wash agrees, and when he points out Carolina and Church have a head start, a trio of UNSC Hornet gunships arrives to arrest them, unknowingly proving Wash's theory that he and the Reds and Blues are indeed wanted criminals. The Reds and Blues hijack the Hornets, strand the UNSC soldiers at Valhalla and fly off to find Church and Carolina.

Carolina charges at the robots and attacks, using her skill and weaponry to her full advantage. However she and Church are eventually overwhelmed by the intensity of the fight, leading Carolina to break down, lamenting that she can't and never will beat Tex. As the robots close in for the kill, Donut suddenly destroys them with several plasma grenades and Wash helps Carolina to her feet. She is surprised to see that the Reds and Blues have returned, and Wash reminds her that "they're not so bad once you get to know them." When Church tells them he thought that this isn't the Reds and Blues' fight, Sarge replies that they couldn't resist taking on a mission with overwhelming odds with little to no chance of success. Church and Tucker then exchange some words of thanks and apology. However, the robots begin to regroup, and are ready for another round. Her morale restored, Carolina tells the teams to 'lock and load'. The former Freelancers and the Reds and Blues work as a team and lay waste to the majority of the robots, but are slowly being overwhelmed. Wash tells Church to find the real Tex so he can shut down the army.

Church enters the data storage unit where Tex is being kept. He finds her in a similar predicament to what Alpha was in many years ago; Tex has been so broken down that she doesn't even recognize him or have any remembrance of her own name. Church reminds her of their relationship and comforts her, telling her to rest, which Tex wearily, but happily complies to. Church says goodbye, to which Tex recalls that she has always hated goodbyes, which Church replies that he knows why.

Church and Carolina find the Director in a room with FILSS watching a video file of Allison leaving to join the military again. The Director repeatedly says that he needs more time to bring Allison back and that he's close, but Church ignores it and calls him off on all of the actions the Director has to answer for, such as what he done to him, Carolina, Wash, Tex and all the others he hurt all just to bring back a shadow, and he has to pay for all. Carolina looks at the Director in disappointment as he looks back at her, showing that they both have the same eye color. Realizing killing the Director won't solve anything nor heal past wounds, Carolina tells Church to leave, but he claims that they came all this way to kill the Director, though Carolina reminds him that they both need to let it go. She also says that the past doesn't define a person for who he or she is, but that it's a starting point to what they will become. After leaving a pistol for the Director at his request, Carolina kisses him on the forehead and leaves, just as the Director says to her "You were my greatest creation." As Church leaves, the Director orders FILSS to delete all files dealing with Project Freelancer, including FILSS, except the video of Allison and to shut down every Project Freelancer facility, including the one he is in. FILSS warns him that doing so will shut off the life support system in the facility, though the Director insists. Before shutting down, FILSS asks him if Project Freelancer was a success. He says no but claims he came very close, and as the Director and FILSS say their goodbyes to each other, the door to the room lowers down, sealing the Director in.

Outside the facility, Church and Carolina acknowledge that the journey is over. They thank each other for showing the other a different side of themselves after all they've been through. Carolina then asks Church about where the Reds and Blues will go now, as Church answers that there's one place they haven't been to yet the Reds and Blues can call home.

In the past at Freelancer Command, the Director and the Counselor discuss where to hide the Alpha. The Counselor points out that the Alpha will need a security detail, someone they can trust, so he nominates Agent Florida, who turns out to be Captain Flowers. The Director mentions they will need a cover story for Flowers' "disappearance", as the Counselor has the state of Florida break into several pieces on a computer screen behind them. Then the Director points out that they will need a place to put the Alpha where no one will be able to think to look for it, and the Counselor says he believes he knows such a place.

Caboose has finally finished fixing an unseen item in a cavern. Meanwhile, Wash and Tucker are still trying to fix the communications tower. The Reds soon arrive and try to offer assistance, though Wash refuses, even turning down Lopez 2.0. Lopez 2.0 sees the problem with the dish and goes to fix it, causing the dish to finally come online. Wash sends out a mayday call, hoping to be rescued. The mayday is eventually answered by none other than Donut, surprising everyone. Sarge has Donut write down the coordinates of where they last were, as the Reds and Blues have no idea of exactly where they are. Soon after the dish goes offline again, the Reds and Blues begin celebrating for the eventual rescue, but Wash warns them that it might take days before then. Caboose finally joins the others, and excitedly introduces them to "Freckles", an A.I.-controlled Mantis, which leaves everyone speechless.

Tucker and Kimball privately talk about the civil war and why Felix is in it. Kimball reveals that Felix had been fighting in the war before she became an officer and that she's the fourth leader of the New Republic, as her predecessors were all killed. Tucker asks Kimball what makes her think Felix, being a mercenary, won't just end up leaving with his money, and Kimball reveals Felix isn't just fighting for money - he has a common enemy with the New Republic; Locus. Kimball explains that Felix and Locus were once partners in the UNSC during the Great War and saw some of the worst of the fighting. They never got along and were always competitive, but they were willing to work together to survive. After the war, neither one could stand civilian life, so they became mercenaries and were hired by the New Republic and FAC respectively to fight for them in the civil war. Kimball says that the civil war may finally show who is the better soldier between Felix and Locus. Kimball reminds Tucker that everyone has their own reasons of being in the civil war. She also reminds him that the five-day limit of saving the captured Reds and Blues is almost up and that he and the others need to make the most of it.

At the New Republic HQ, Tucker informs Caboose, Grif and Simmons that they are leaving to rescue the captured Reds and Blues. Tucker tells the guys that they are going alone without the help of their squad, fearing they might get killed. The guys have concerns, but Tucker reminds them of the past adventures they went through and managed to survive them by just winging it. Tucker already has taken the data he took from the FAC from Kimball's office that he and the guys will follow to the FAC compound where the captured Reds and Blues are. The guys eventually agree, steal two warthogs and leave the Rebel Base. Felix, Kimball, Bitters, Smith, Palomo and Jensen find a recording of the Reds and Blues stating they have already left.

At the New Republic HQ, Smith, Bitters, Palomo and Jensen talk about the Reds and Blues leaving them behind. Smith tells them that Kimball has denied a search and rescue mission. Bitters believes that the guys never really cared about them though Palomo believes that they may come back. Felix arrives and tells them that they shouldn't be too hard on the Reds and Blues, as they did what they thought was best. But Felix tells the lieutenants that he's still going to beat them up when he finds them.

The episode takes place a few weeks earlier before Thin Ice back at Crash Site Bravo, when Sarge, Donut and Wash are captured by the FAC. Locus reminds Wash he gave them a choice to surrender and they instead chose to fight, which he admires. Wash goes unconscious from his injuries and suffers flashbacks from his time as a Recovery agent, such as being given a mission to find and kill South in Reconstruction and shooting Donut and Lopez in Recreation. At a FAC base, Sarge, Donut and Wash are handcuffed with Sarge insulting the Feds. A high-ranking officer arrives and instead of questioning them, he apologizes and orders a guard to un-cuff them and return their weapons, which confuses Sarge, Donut and Wash. Wash, angry about the conflict he and the others went through, holds the officer at gunpoint but the officer faints.

The guys head outside still confused about the situation. The officer, introducing himself as General Donald Doyle, questions the guys on how much they really know about the New Republic. Doyle gives more backstory on Chorus' history, revealing that the New Republic aren't looking to free Chorus, but to dominate it. Doyle admits that times have been hard on Chorus, but despite being cut off from the UNSC the FAC were able to keep the peace, until the New Republic emerged with bombings and riots which Doyle considers acts of terrorism. Doyle then says that he ordered Locus and his men to confirm the location of the Reds and Blues and bring them to him as soon as possible, but admits that he should have been more specific on how Locus should have completed the mission. Doyle admits to the guys that he has very little military training and was actually a personal secretary to a brigadier general, but the FAC's previous military leaders either left or have died during the civil war, leaving him in charge of the FAC. Doyle tells the guys that escaping Chorus is impossible now, but promises them that if they help the FAC defeat the "terrorists" and rescue the other Reds and Blues, they'll be free to leave Chorus. The guys, feeling uneasy about the situation, agree to join the FAC.

Continuing from Thin Ice, the now reunited Reds and Blues discuss about the New Republic and the FAC, seeing as both sides are in dire situations and are not guilt-free of their actions during the civil war. Wash suggests that if they can get Doyle and Kimball to meet and come to an understanding, then the civil war will end and they can get to leave Chorus and go home. Simmons points out to the guys that the FAC base's alarm isn't sounding off anymore. When the Reds and Blues head outside, a battle apparently had taken place but no soldiers are around. A FAC soldier radios through a warthog that he and the others are under attack by unknown enemy contacts. Sarge, Donut and Lopez take a rocket warthog to establish a perimeter. A FAC soldier runs to Sarge and informs him that the New Republic isn't attacking, but he is disintegrated before he could reveal who is. The FAC soldiers are all massacred, though Doctor Grey is still alive. After escaping an exploding warthog, the Reds and Blues are held at gunpoint by Locus and his squad, who are revealed to have killed the FAC soldiers. Felix suddenly arrives and saves Wash from Locus' sniper shot.

After Doctor Grey tends to Carolina's leg wound, she and Church tell the Reds and Blues that they've picked up a transmission between mercenaries selling Project Freelancer equipment, they left to investigate (This explains their no-show during Season 11). Church and Carolina reveal that Control's mercenaries have obtained Project Freelancer weapons and equipment and are mass-producing them and improving them to the point where some of the equipment don't need A.I. assistance. Simmons points out the UNSC confiscated the equipment after Project Freelancer was defeated, but Carolina reveals that the equipment was put on the Reds and Blues' ship. She also says the ship conveniently crash-landed on a war-torn planet in need of war supplies, implying that Control had the mercenaries sabotage the ship to crash on Chorus (A flashback shows Simmons updating the ship's computer that may have caused the crash, but he and the other Reds and Blues are not responsible). Tucker reminds the group that they need to warn the FAC and New Republic about the mercenaries' true plans. With Locus, Felix and the mercenaries infiltrating both the FAC and New Republic and watching Doyle and Kimball closely, Carolina says that they can't trust anyone and can't warn the respective sides yet, as they need more information on the mercenaries. Church and Carolina finish by stating that the mercenaries have plans for different scenarios, and that regardless of what it is, they're going to finish what they've started.

At the New Republic HQ, Felix tries to comfort Kimball over the Reds and Blue's "death". Felix attempts to convince Kimball to lead the Rebels into a final confrontation with the FAC at the planet capital Armonia where they are holding a rally for a final push. Using the Reds and Blue's sacrifice as inspiration for the Rebels, Kimball eventually agrees with Felix and begins making preparations.

At concurrent times at their respective headquarters, Doyle and Kimball give the FAC and New Republic speeches about the impending final conflict for Chorus. At Armonia, Locus informs Doyle that the New Republic has sent Felix out on a mission, and Locus is going to find him, causing Doyle to panic as he wants Locus to stay by his side. Locus assures Doyle that he'll come back to "take care" of him after he deals with Felix.

Still in radio contact with the Reds and Blues, Locus and Felix, stationed at the radio jammer the Reds and Blues have coordinates to, informs them that the FAC and New Republic are converging at Armonia, where the ensuing battle will leave no survivors. Believing the Reds and Blues have failed in saving Chorus, Locus and Felix reveal that Control is willing to give the Reds and Blues a chance to save themselves with a deal: if they return to Crash Site Bravo, there will be a ship waiting there that will take the Reds and Blues off Chorus and send them home. The Reds and Blues are not convinced, but Locus has them see a transport he mentioned beforehand leaving the fuel station. Locus and Felix inform the Reds and Blues that if they decide to leave there is one condition: they are to never tell anyone what happened on Chorus, as Control will know if they say anything. Before ending radio contact, Locus informs the Reds and Blues that they have an hour to accept the deal, and if they refuse, the mercenaries will find and kill them.

Meanwhile, the New Republic infiltrates Armonia as Palomo, Smith, Bitters and Jensen lead a group of rebels into the city. Unbeknownst to them are cloaked mercenaries watching them, who are ordered to ensure that no one leaves the city alive.

Back at the abandoned gas station, the Reds and Blues contemplate the deal from Control. Church tells the Reds and Blues that they all have three options:

Option A: The Reds and Blues go to a remote location and stay low for a while until they can find enough information on Control and the mercenaries to bring them down. However, they will not be able to prevent the FAC and the New Republic from destroying each other.

Option B: Based on if Locus and Felix are telling the truth, they all accept the deal and return to Crash Site Bravo and take the transport home. If anyone asks, they stole the transport and escaped Chorus before the FAC and New Republic destroyed each other.

Option C: The Reds and Blues teleport to the radio jammer, fight off the mercenaries and the defenses, shut down the jammer, and then reveal to the FAC and New Republic the mercenaries' true plans. But, the mercenaries defending the jammer are equipped with stolen Project Freelancer equipment and armed with advanced alien weapons, meaning that most of the Reds and Blues won't survive. Even if they do somehow manage to shut down the jammer in time, they would have to convince the FAC and New Republic that the "dead" people are alive and telling the truth.

Despite the options, Wash has a fourth option: he, Church and Carolina do Option A while the Reds and Blues do Option B. The Reds and Blues are reluctant to leave Chorus behind, but Doctor Grey reminds them that the civil war is not their responsibility as they already accomplished their goals and suggests they take the opportunity to leave.

At the radio jammer, Locus radios to a team at Crash Site Bravo if the Reds and Blues have arrived as the one-hour deadline is near. The team reports that the Reds and Blues haven't arrived. Felix, noticing something odd, asks Locus how many mercenaries are with them, with Locus replying four while the rest are at Armonia. Felix exposes the fifth "mercenary" who is Carolina in disguise. Wash tries to get the jump on Felix, but he gets jumped on by Locus instead. Holding Wash and Carolina captive, Locus and Felix have the mercenaries look for the Reds and Blues when Caboose accidentally fires his assault rifle. Felix asks Wash and Carolina what they and the Reds and Blues would have been able to do here. Wash replies not much, and tells Locus and Felix that they forgot to take in account the genius (Doctor Grey) and the dog (Freckles). As he says this, two mercenaries search a cave but are caught off guard when Caboose's assault rifle, controlled by Freckles, kills one of the mercenaries and the fight between the mercenaries and the Reds and Blues begin. The Reds and Blues manage to take out the remaining mercenaries while Wash and Carolina fight Locus and Felix. Locus knocks Carolina out and then takes on Wash while Felix then takes on Tucker.

Meanwhile back in Armonia, Kimball and Doyle stare each other down, accusing each other of killing the Reds and Blues in cold blood. To instigate the battle, a mercenary uses a sniper rifle to kill one of the Rebels in Kimball's squad, beginning the battle for Chorus between the FAC and the New Republic.

Back at the radio jammer, Wash searches for a cloaked Locus, who questions Wash's reasons for fighting and states that he was once a real soldier. Wash on the other hand states that he was a different person then and questions why Locus differentiates a soldier and a human being. Locus explains that a soldier does not question his orders and simply does what is expected of him, but Wash criticizes Locus for hiding behind his "soldier" ideology instead of owning up to his past actions. This results in Locus tackling Wash.

Meanwhile, Tucker faces off with Felix. Felix reveals that he was able to convince Kimball and the New Republic that the Reds and Blues died heroically and launch an attack on Armonia, which he says he gave a performance of lifetime. Felix then states how he, Locus and the mercenaries had been playing the people of Chorus for years to further their goals. Felix then realizes that the Reds and Caboose are trying to jump him and uses a sticky detonator to incapacitate them, and stabs Tucker. Felix continues by saying that the only reason the Reds and Blues were alive up to this point was so that they can be used to speed up the Chorus Civil War, as Control believes that the idiocy and incompetence of the Reds and Blues will rack up more deaths for the armies and would later then have the Reds and Blues killed. Felix ends by saying that if he is stronger and faster than anyone then he has the right to kill them.

Tucker, wounded, is able to reveal Church to Felix who becomes confused. Tucker reminds Felix that as an A.I., Church can help him run his equipment, more specifically his helmet cam. At this point it's revealed that Tucker had been recording Felix this whole time. In response, the Reds, Caboose, Doctor Grey and Carolina recover and disable the radio jammer. Church sends the recorded video to Armonia, where Kimball, Doyle, the FAC and the New Republic watch the video of Felix's monologue exposing the mercenaries' involvement in the Chorus Civil War.

At the New Republic HQ, Palomo dramatically tells his comrades about how he looked after Tucker while he was hurt, after the Feds and Rebels rescued the Reds and Blues from the radio jammer station. Tucker, having healed from his wounds, interrupts Palomo and explains what really happened. Following this, Tucker, Simmons, Caboose, and Grif thank Jensen, Palomo, Bitters, and Smith for rescuing them, though Grif explains that they never intended to be rescued and saved them strictly for selfish reasons. In response, the recruits thank the four captains as well. Meanwhile, Kimball and Doyle, after agreeing to a truce, discuss moving the New Republic to Armonia, though Doyle is reluctant. The two then thank Washington, Sarge, Donut, and Lopez for their help, but Wash tells them to thank Tucker, as he was the one who formulated the entire plan. When Doyle asks the four if he can do anything for them, Sarge requests for a rank higher than Captain. In accordance to his request, Doyle promotes Sarge to Colonel, with the latter gloating it to Grif. Near the cavern lake, Church finally manages to decrypt the crashed ship's manifest, with help from Delta, and proceeds to process it. After he finishes, he reveals to Carolina that Charon Industries, a large corporation specializing in cryogenics, technology, and weaponry, owned many of the equipment on the ship. He then explains that Project Freelancer stole certain pieces of equipment from Charon’s private security force, mainly known to the Freelancers as the Resistance (Also known as the Insurrection), and the company and UNSC have been working closely together. Suddenly, Church soon demands to speak to Dr. Grey, in order to gain all known radio frequencies used by the mercenaries that the crew captured.

Meanwhile, Control scolds Locus and Felix for their failure and decides that, due to their operation being in jeopardy, they will go to war against the Reds, Blues and the Chorus armies. Suddenly, the Reds and Blues interrupt their transmission and acknowledge Control’s true identity: Malcom Hargrove, CEO of Charon Industries and the Chairman of the UNSC Oversight Subcommittee. The Reds and Blues then confidently inform the Chairman and the mercenaries that they, the FAC, and the New Republic will join forces and accept his declaration of war, finishing that they are not going anywhere.

A UNSC ship called the Tartarus stumbles upon a lone Pelican, and the ship's crew try to communicate with it. After the Pelican sends flashes of light to signify help, the crew on the Tartarus allow the ship to land in their docking bay, so they can assist it. When the crew approach the Pelican, weapons at the ready, they discover the ship's "sole" passenger: Felix. Felix quickly gets along with the Tartarus' crew, and asks them about their current situation. The crew explain that they're transporting criminals for the UNSC, and the ship's captain, Mayers, jokes that nobody gives a "rat's ass" about them. Felix, however, says that he's interested and proceeds to attack the crew members, causing Mayers to activate the ship's alarm. Unfortunately, Locus, accompanied by other mercenaries, de-cloak from the Pelican and raid the ship. After killing all of the ship's crew, along with their Captain, Locus and Felix make their way to the intercom, and inform the prisoners of their war situation on Chorus. Locus and Felix then explain that they are looking for people to recruit in their ranks and, in exchange, will get a large profit from it. Felix asks that if anyone is interested, to grasp their cell bars in solidarity. While some prisoners agree to join them, others refuse. Regardless, Felix opens the cells' airblock doors, purging several prisoners out into deep space. Felix and Locus remain unharmed with the use of their grav boots. After Felix closes the doors, Locus congratulates the remaining prisoners on being "hired".

Upon returning to the ship's main control bridge, a mercenary informs Locus and Felix of a prisoner, who saved himself from being purged by tying his bedsheets to his cell bars, wishing to speak with them. Locus and Felix agree to see the said prisoner, which turns out to be Aiden Price, the former Counselor of Project Freelancer. The Counselor tells Locus and Felix that he knows specific details about the Freelancers that they will find useful, such as Wash and Carolina's weaknesses. Skeptical at first, Locus and Felix agree to have Price join their ranks and the latter leads them to another prisoner that has history with Project Freelancer; a prisoner that he believes will be of good use.

In Downtown Armonia, Grif is greeted by several Feds and Rebels, much to his annoyance. He then encounters Matthews, who thanks him for saving the armies back at Radio Jammer Station 1C, for the 57th time, angering Grif. Grif then asks Matthews about Kimball's whereabouts, in which the latter tells him that she's at the Armory. Grif makes his way there. They find Simmons, Lopez, and Donut at the armory; Simmons and Donut argue with a Fed soldier regarding his heavy machine gun turret, as well as his armor color. Grif approaches them and asks them about Kimball's whereabouts. Donut explains that she was last seen in the training room, so Grif takes off to the training room, leaving Donut, Simmons and Lopez to continue arguing with the heavily armed soldier. At the Armonia Training Facility, Wash instructs newly promoted lieutenant Palomo, Smith, Bitters and Jensen during a target practice session. Grif interrupts the training, and asks Wash where Kimball is. Wash, in turn, brings up Grif's absence during training, and when the latter remorselessly admits that he wasn't present, Wash punishes the lieutenants for Grif's actions. Regardless, Wash informs Grif that Kimball is in a meeting with Doyle at the War Room, causing Grif to rush over there. At the War Room, Kimball and Doyle argue over the Feds' overuse of ammunition, due to them preferring to use Assault Rifles over DMRs. Grif interrupts them and complains about why he isn't allowed to have second helpings in the mess hall. Doyle explains to him that it is because since the two armies have joined forces, there have been current food shortages, but this quickly leads into an argument between him and Kimball. Grif continues to try to explain his case, but Kimball, annoyed, forces Grif out and places him on dish duty. After the two calm down, Doyle informs Kimball of their men's most recent assault.

At Charon Research Complex 2C, a Fed approaches Carolina and Epsilon and informs them of their recovery of a domed energy shield. Carolina applauds the Fed and suggests they begin running some tests with it. Epsilon, however, states that they should instead focus on the floating tower, in which the Fed clarifies that it is actually a temple created by ancient aliens. Surprised by this, Epsilon and Carolina question the Fed on the temple, in which the latter explains that many of Chorus' inhabitants see these alien-structures as commonplace, with them being used as tourist attractions. After Carolina tells the Fed to go secure the Freelancer equipment, Epsilon expresses his concerns about the temple despite how the residents of Chorus see it. Carolina then proposes they get help from someone who is an expert on the planet's alien technology: Dr. Grey. Dr. Grey is teleported to the research complex and explains, rather quickly, that the temple emerged from the ground after the UNSC pulled out but hasn't shown any activity since. After Tucker and Sarge enter the scene, Carolina orders Dr. Grey to study Charon's research while she and Epsilon take care of some armor upgrades.

Tucker, Caboose, Sarge and Grey arrive at a Charon excavation site located near the entrance of the floating temple. The group approaches the site to find it deserted. Grey has Tucker, Caboose and Sarge keep watch while she investigates the temple. Caboose and Sarge stand watch on top of the site's base, while Tucker is with Grey as she is translating ancient alien language. When Tucker pulls out his plasma sword, a holographic projection lights up with a symbol over the door. Tucker carefully approaches it and when a projection of an alien suddenly appears, he swings his sword at it in shock and unintentionally activates the dormant temple, which gives off a bright purple light that can be seen by the Chorus soldiers at the captured Charon complex.

While this has been going on, Grif and Simmons had returned to Armonia with the captured weapons. As Grif leaves to continue his laziness, he is confronted by the lieutenants and a mob of Chorus soldiers, who tell Grif that since he has been absent from training, Wash has been making them run an abundance of laps. Grif tries to leave but the mob attacks and beat him up. Meanwhile, Donut is playing with an old alien rifle that was with the captured weapons in the armory with Simmons looking on. As the events of the temple happened, the rifle instantly activates and starts randomly shooting, causing destruction and chaos in the armory. Lopez arrives shortly after the destruction ends, and says he is not cleaning the mess up.

Inside a tractor beam tower at Crash Site Alpha, the Counselor assures Felix and Locus that the prisoner they picked up, who calls himself Sharkface, will be useful to them. Suddenly, the tower shuts down and a space pirate informs Felix and Locus that all of their weapons and equipment have suddenly exploded. Just then, a red light appears behind the two mercenaries.

Meanwhile, Doyle, Kimball, Wash and the Reds contact the group at Charon Research Complex 2C, who inform them of the activation of the alien tower. Grey reveals that all of the alien weapons and temples on Chorus weren't broken, they were just deactivated. Confused about how they did it, Tucker explains how his quest with the Alien (from Season 3 of The Blood Gulch Chronicles) and the revelation of his sword being a key caused the tower to activate, and ends his story by showing a picture of Junior on a fifth grade basketball team, confusing Doyle. After Wash gets everyone back on track, Carolina points out that because their Charon weaponry exploded, the space pirates most likely had the same experience with their weapons, giving them the advantage in numbers and weaponry. Kimball then states that while they've had small victories in the past few weeks, they still can't make contact with the UNSC due to the pirates' tractor beams and radio jammers. As a result, Kimball suggests they take down the tractor beams at Crash Site Alpha, but Wash and Doyle explain that the beams will be heavily guarded and won't be taken down easily. Regardless, Kimball argues that they must make some kind of move now while the pirates are down, prompting Tucker to bring up the map that the tower revealed.

Tucker suggests they follow the coordinates and investigate where it leads and what is there but Kimball argues against it. Wash adds that the pirates will be able to track and follow them there, but Epsilon and Carolina state that they can't let whatever the coordinates lead to fall into Charon's hand. As a result, Doyle proposes they divide and conquer, with the Blues, Dr. Grey and Carolina following the coordinates and Kimball leading an attack with the Reds, Wash and the Chorus armies to Crash Site Alpha. All the while, Doyle, Donut and Lopez will stay and guard Armonia.

At Armonia, the Chorus armies prepare for their assault on Crash Site Alpha. Kimball approaches two Feds and orders them to line up their warthog with the others, but the two tell her that she must fill out a vehicle request form for them to do so. Wash steps in and reiterates Kimball's exact orders to the Feds, which the two respectfully follow without question. As Kimball expresses her dislike for the Feds Wash advises that she should have faith in them and they may do the same to her. Suddenly, Jensen passes by in a Warthog and crashes it, somehow causing a large pile up of vehicles (She was going five miles per hour).

Meanwhile, the Blues, Dr. Grey and Carolina make a pit stop at an uncharted area on Chorus in order to refuel their warthogs. Carolina suggests that she and Church test out their enhancements while they wait, but Church advises her to loosen up, not wanting her to outwork herself. After the others finish refueling, Tucker makes a sexual joke and says his signature "Bow chicka bow wow!" catchphrase, but is interrupted by Carolina, who says it too in an attempt to loosen up. This, unfortunately, only causes the situation to grow awkward.

The space pirates arrive at the alien installation displayed on the map. Locus and Felix meet one of their scientists, who explains that the device they found there is some sort of gateway. He also states that there seems to be a sort of strong energy coming from the Beam. When asked if it could be weaponized, the scientist explains that it can not, for its power could be too great. Nearby texts reveal that the gateway will only allow someone who is judged to be a "true warrior" through. When the scientist is unable to explain the consequences for failing, Felix pushes one of his soldiers into the gateway to test it out. Meanwhile, Sharkface is approached by the Counselor while armoring up for his mission: to kill Agents Washington and Carolina. The Counselor attempts to evaluate his psychology and go over the mission briefing, but Sharkface is dismissive of him. But, he reveals that he has had a past encounter with the two Agents stating that they 'dropped a building' on him, 'killing all his friends'. He then asks the Counselor how he ended up on the Tartarus, and the latter reluctantly reveals that he was betrayed by people he trusted, and upon further prodding, admits that he would kill them if it would allow him to repair his life.

Back at the alien installation, the soldier returns from the gateway and claims to have had visions of "everyone he ever wronged". The scientist checks him over and states that he is physically healthy, despite his scares. Felix is annoyed at the potential visions he would experience, stating that meeting everyone he ever wronged would take weeks. However, Locus decides to personally attempt the test since the group is short on time. Reluctantly, Felix agrees and goes with him, telling him not to 'cry if he loses'. In the gateway, Locus' equipment malfunctions. While attempting to contact Felix, he is questioned by an ominous voice, questioning who he is. Before he could respond, he is immediately ambushed by a group of UNSC soldiers who believe he is a monster and cannot understand his attempts to communicate.

The Reds, Wash and the Chorus armies arrive at the Desert Refueling Station in order to refuel their vehicles. Wash approaches the Reds and updates them on the status of the Blues, Dr. Grey and Carolina detailing their discovery of a large jungle temple emitting energy into the sky. Wash then expresses his admiration for the Reds for their decision to fight with the Chorus armies, and recollects on their past experiences together. Seeing through his sentimentality, Grif and Simmons realize that Wash believes they are going to die on the mission, but Wash denies this. Wash then asks what unit they're in, in which Sarge states that he's volunteered them for the front lines, which shocks Grif and Simmons. Wash suggests that they look on the bright side, but miserably fails to follow up on what the bright side is.

Meanwhile, at the jungle temple, Dr. Grey informs the Blues and Carolina the temple's rules after deciphering them. Tucker suggests that he fits the bill of being a true warrior simply because he possesses the sword. The others go along with it and allow Tucker to enter. However, Tucker is quickly forced out after entry and tells the others that he saw multiple illusions of Felix and Locus,while on the other side, who all quickly overwhelmed him. As a result, Carolina decides to enter the portal herself. Upon entry, Carolina immediately loses contact with Epsilon and is soon spoken to by an alien voice, the same that spoke with Locus before, who questions her on who she is. Carolina states that she is his true warrior but an illusion of Tex appears and states otherwise, shocking Carolina. Suddenly, the rest of the Freelancers appear behind Carolina. After Carolina returns from the portal, Epsilon, having only seen static after entering, questions her on what she saw, but Carolina refuses to discuss it. As a result, the group decide to send Caboose through, believing his strength and "empty head" may correspond with the instructions.

As Kimball and the Chorus force make their way to Crash Site Alpha, one of her soldiers informs her about the away team's discovery of Santa. Upon hearing this news, Kimball and the entire force halt in their tracks.

At the Jungle Temple, Santa explains to the Away Team about his creators and the treasures they've scattered throughout the galaxy, with Chorus containing some of the most valuable. He states that Tucker activated the “Temple of Arms” (which activates all alien weapons on Chorus) back at the excavation site, prompting Tucker to ask why he deactivated it afterward. In response, Santa reveals that not long ago a group of meddlers gained partial control of the tractor beams and used them to manipulate the planet’s gravitational field. This reveals that Locus, Felix, and their band of Space Pirates were truly responsible for the Red's and Blue's shipwreck from Season 11. He then adds that he deactivated the Temple of Arms because Tucker did not respond in the voice of his people and needed to bring him to the Jungle Temple due to protocol for further testing. Dr. Grey then questions why he tested them if Tucker already had a key, in which Santa reveals that the key of Chorus, located in a temple in the east mountains had not yet been obtained and had to make sure that the presence of two keys was not an error. Carolina and Epsilon then ask Santa about the other temples on Chorus. Upon listing them out that include Weather Manipulation, Bountiful Harvest, Interior Decorating and Procreation (increasing one's sexual drive), Santa describes the Temple of Communication, which has the power to transfer a signal to any desired communication device in the galaxy and is capable of ripping through the Space Pirates' radio jammers "without question". This excites the group, now knowing they can radio for help.

Because of this, the group decide to cease Kimball’s assault and head for the Temple of Communication. Before they leave, Santa informs them of the 'Purge', which has the ability to exterminate all sentient life on Chorus upon activation by a key in case the Chorus inhabitants are deemed not worthy of receiving his Creator's gifts. After Epsilon asks for its location Santa displays the coordinates for him and reveals that he updates all of the temples with these maps. Unfortunately, Church gets a bad feeling, and a band of Space Pirates, after listening in on their conversation, ambush the group. Luckily, Carolina activates her Domed Energy Shield and saves her teammates, before the pirates could shoot them down. Sharkface then appears and orders his men, once the shield fails, to kill everyone except Carolina, so that he can kill her himself. He then leaves for the east mountains to get the key, but not before thanking them for the information and revealing that the space pirates are waiting for their friends at Alpha.

Meanwhile, at Alpha, the Reds and Chorus force arrives and begin their assault on the space pirates. However, the Tartarus soon emerges from the sky and hovers over them, with countless Space Pirates jumping out of it, quickly outnumbering them. Felix then briefly radios Kimball, reminding her he was her right-hand man and knew about this attack, much to her anger. Before Kimball could scold Felix, he mutes her. Immediately after, Sharkface contacts Locus and Felix and informs them about the Purge and the location of the key that can activate it, stating that he is on his way there now. Felix decides to go after it with Sharkface while Locus stays at Alpha. Before leaving, Felix tells Locus to kill Kimball quick if he gets the chance, since she and Felix were friends after all.

With the battle raging at Crash Site Alpha, two Feds, one of which is injured, call for a medic. The Rebel Medic rushes over to assist them but quickly becomes confused after the injured Fed explains that his "lap" was shot, as well as his "tummy". As the Reds drive past, Sarge pitches a strategy to overcome the enemy, by creating a slow motion car crash. Not fond of the plan, however, Grif and Simmons suggest they regroup with Wash. Eventually, the assault team are overwhelmed by Charon fire, forcing them to take cover inside the ship. Simmons comes up with a plan to create a large smokescreen by using the ship’s engine in order to escape. The lieutenants agree to help him, though Bitters warns him that sniper fire is coming from out of nowhere in that area, in which Wash states that he’ll take care of it.

Meanwhile, at the Jungle Temple, the away team continue to take refuge inside Carolina’s domed energy shield while the space pirates prepare to open fire. Carolina tells Epsilon to prep her Speed Boost but he tells her that it won’t work. With Santa being unable to assist them and the shield running out of power, Dr. Grey orders Freckles to run command “Aimbot” and proceeds to hop through the portal. After the shield lowers, Freckles, in response to Grey’s command, rapidly fires at the four pirates and kills them. After Grey returns from the portal, the team is contacted by friendly forces, who inform them that a Pelican is en route to their position. Confused, Carolina explains that Doyle was supposed to send troops to the east mountains first, in which the soldier assures her that he did.

Meanwhile, Felix, accompanied by a few pirates, unites with Sharkface at an East Mountain Range and the two make their way to the Temple of the Key. Felix enters the temple but finds no trace of the key, with Santa telling him that the key has already been claimed. It is then revealed that the recipient of the key is Doyle, who was dropped off by Lopez and Donut via Pelican. Lopez informs Doyle that they’ll have to land farther away from his position because the temple is interfering with their controls, though Doyle doesn’t understand him. Despite this, Doyle is forced to hide after the pirates begin searching for him. The away team finally arrives at the Temple of the Key, where Carolina radios Doyle inquiring about his location. Doyle, unfortunately, gives a vague answer, due to the fact that Felix is searching for him nearby.

Somewhere out in the eastern mountain range, Carolina catches up to a fleeing Sharkface and the two quickly engage in battle. Carolina initially bests Sharkface but the latter gets up and disarms Carolina of her weapons. Meanwhile, at Crash Site Alpha, a Fed and a Rebel fight over a section of cover until the Rebel is killed by a cloaked Locus. Locus is then informed by one of his men that enemy reinforcements are nearby, though Locus shows no sign of worry as he acknowledges his assurance that the Chorus armies will be dead before their help arrives. Suddenly, Washington speaks to Locus via open channel radio and gets him to give away his position by causing him to shoot at his empty helmet, which Wash raises by using his battle rifle. Upon seeing the sniper's vapor trail, the lieutenants fire at Locus and force him to take cover. Jensen then gives Kimball and the Reds the okay to release the smokescreen, which they do, shrouding the battlefield in black smoke. After the Reds kill numerous Space Pirates by executing a slow-motion car crash, they, along with the rest of the assault team, escape Alpha. Wash then radios Locus again and reveals that he knew the latter was watching him while he was with the Federal Army and decided to watch him too. He then adds that he is the real soldier while Locus is simply a killer, before logging off. In response, Locus demands a vehicle.

Back at the east mountains, Doc/O'Malley continues to throttle Tucker in maniacal anger while Caboose explains their relationship with Doc to Dr. Grey. After Grey knocks Doc/O'Malley off of Tucker the group is confronted by two pirates. Luckily, Donut and Lopez arrive and kill the pirates. The two then join Tucker and Caboose in finding Doyle, while Grey stays behind to look after Doc.

Meanwhile, Carolina and Sharkface continue their brawl, both being equally matched. As both exhibit impressive moves and fighting tactics, Carolina dislocates Sharkface's shoulder. However, Sharkface quickly fastens it back in place and begins to outmatch Carolina, nearly burning her face off with a flamethrower installed right into his armor. After Carolina breaks free from his grasp she finally realizes who Sharkface is and proceeds to attack. She manages to knock him down onto a frozen lake but Sharkface cracks it open, causing him to fall through into a tunnel, though he grabs Carolina with a grappling hook and drags her down as well. As the two slide their way out of the tunnel, Carolina demands Epsilon activate all of her armor enhancements, though the latter shows worry. Although Epsilon helps Carolina use her bubble shield, Adaptive Camouflage, and Speed Boost against Sharkface, the latter still outdoes her. Feeling overwhelmed, Carolina tells Epsilon to run her healing unit but the latter states that it's too much for him to handle, though she refuses to give up. Sharkface then uses his flamethrowers, combined with a self-made explosion via two frag grenades, to propel himself towards Carolina, forcing her to flee.

With the Great Key of Chorus in his possession, Doyle flees towards a large cliff as Felix pursues him. When Felix corners him, Doyle threatens to drop the "sword" down into the chasm below, though Felix doesn't believe he has the courage to do it. As Felix slowly approaches Doyle, demanding that he hand over the sword, Doyle gives in and turns the sword off. However, rather than hand it over to Felix, Doyle tosses the sword high into the air, prompting Felix to lunge for it before it falls down the cliff. As Doyle leaps to the opposite side he spots Tucker, Caboose, Donut, and Lopez approaching and warns them that Felix now has the sword. Upon seeing Felix, the crew fire at him, but the latter takes cover behind his Hardlight Shield and holsters the key onto his thigh. After some quick banter, Felix hitches a ride with Locus when the latter arrives in a Falcon and the two make their escape. Doyle worries over what the pirates will do now that they have the sword but Tucker explains to him that the sword will be useless to the pirates since Doyle is still alive. When Caboose questions Epsilon's whereabouts, Epsilon is shown sitting on Carolina's chest, both being revealed to have survived the fall. He says to himself "She is going to be so pissed off when she wakes up."

Inside the Armonia hospital, Donut brings Doc up to speed on the events that have happened on Chorus since his disappearance, specifying Felix's betrayal, the truce between the Federal Army and New Republic, and their current plans to contact Earth of Charon Industries' involvement in the Chorus Civil War. Despite this, Doc becomes furious at the fact that nobody questioned his absence between now and then and grows maniacal like Omega. Upon hearing the sudden change in his tone of voice, Dr. Grey quickly displays interest in Doc's split personality and attempts to conduct electroshock therapy on him, prompting the latter to flee. After Grey and Donut chase after him, Carolina informs Epsilon that they need to talk. Elsewhere, the other Reds and Blues minus Wash attempt to get Palomo and a Fed to socialize peacefully, though the two continue to show acrimony towards each other. Because of this, the crew allow the two to leave. Grif then suggests that they should lie to both Doyle and Kimball by specifying that the other wants to apologize over a dinner, but the others disagree. Sarge then indicates that they must find a neutral party to do the job, just as Doc passes by while being chased by Dr. Grey and Donut.

Meanwhile, at the city limits, Carolina questions Epsilon about his sudden disappearance during her fight with Sharkface. Epsilon tries to avoid the question at first but Carolina demands an answer from him. In response, Epsilon explains that although he is not failing, he has his limits and cannot run multiple armor enhancements by himself, due to the fact that he is only an A.I. fragment. While Carolina apologizes to Epsilon for pushing him too far, she acknowledges that his inability to run multiple enhancements can't be used as an excuse, as they must use any advantage they can in order to defeat the Space Pirates. Because of this, Epsilon warns Carolina not to follow in the Meta's footsteps, as his ambition to gain as much power as possible led to his downfall. Offended and hurt, Carolina reveals to Epsilon that she saw her fellow Freelancers die while inside the portal at the Jungle Temple. In addition, she also saw the Blood Gulch Crew die soon after, and fearfully states that she doesn't want to lose another family. Doyle soon appears and consoles Carolina, stating that he knows what it's like to be afraid. He then states that "Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it." though incorrectly states that the quote is from William Shakespeare (The quote is actually from Mark Twain). Despite Doyle's mistake, Epsilon and Carolina acknowledge their liking to the quote. Church hopes that the Space Pirates are having problems too.

At Armonia, Doc agrees to help the Reds and Blues get Kimball and Doyle to cooperate, in an attempt to recuperate their relationship, forgiving them for not noticing his absence. Wash soon approaches the crew and warns them that the Federal Army is establishing a perimeter around the city after the New Republic threatened to leave. In order to prevent another civil war from breaking out between the two armies, the crew help Doc hold an "honest and down-to-earth" counseling session between Kimball and Doyle inside the war room. When the two leaders are reluctant to participate, however, Doc gives them an example of how the session will play out by role-playing with Grif; Doc as Grif and Grif vice versa. However, Doc, in the personality of O'Malley, insults Grif and his family while role-playing as him, saddening Grif and Sarge thinking it's great.

Meanwhile, Price, stationed inside the Tartarus, questions Locus on why he wishes to know more about the Meta, in which Locus replies that any information about their enemy is beneficial to their success. After Price agrees to help him, Locus asks how the Meta was killed by the Reds and Blues. Price explains that while Maine withstood many lethal injuries that would normally kill a man, the puncture wounds in his armor, caused by Tucker's sword, caused him to die of asphyxiation by drowning. Already aware of this, Locus questions why the Meta was unable to prevent his own demise despite having an advantage, in which Price explains that the Blood Gulch Crew had something the Freelancers never did: the capability to trust each other. However, Price notes that if the Reds and Blues fought the Meta while he still possessed his A.I., events could've played out differently. When Locus asks why, Price reminds him that Agent Maine and the Meta are two different psyches, in which the Meta was the result of Sigma manipulating Maine. He then explains that after the A.I. fragments were destroyed, the Meta psyche was too, leaving Maine a broken shell of a man who uncontrollably continued to follow Sigma's goal. After Locus asks how Maine was before he became the Meta, Price describes that Maine was a brute who displayed no qualms in following orders because he knew that, at his core, he was a soldier whose actions served the greater good. Locus then argues that a soldier's actions should be nothing more than a result of following orders, though Price states that those traits make one a slave. When Locus asks if the Meta was at his best when guided by Sigma's goal of perfection, Price rectifies him saying that the Meta's goal was to be human, not a weapon.

Upon hearing this, Locus asks no more questions. Price then notes Locus' change in behavior after his trip through the gateway at the Jungle Temple, with Price noting that the temple shows those who enter the gateway their greatest fear, though Locus denies this. As Price continues to pry he asks Locus if he wants to know what Felix is afraid of most, catching Locus off-guard. Suddenly, Felix appears and informs Locus that he is needed with the rest of the team, prompting Locus to join his comrades. Felix then approaches the Counselor, sarcastically complementing his work on Sharkface. Felix then intentionally wonders what will happen if Sharkface found out the Counselor used to work for Project Freelancer before logging off.

As a firefight ensues between the Space Pirates and Chorus armies throughout the streets of Armonia, the Reds and Blues contemplate on what they should do to survive the attack. While Sarge suggests they fight back, Epsilon proposes another idea, stating that the city is a deathtrap, but not for them. Meanwhile, at the Armonia hospital, the Space Pirates attack and kill two Feds who were attempting to protect Dr. Grey. Fortunately, the attacking pirates are taken out by Palomo, Smith, Bitters and Jensen who inform Grey that they are evacuating the capital. Surprised, Grey asks why, in which the four explain that because the pirates discharged all of their men inside the city, they will be able to take them all out by detonating the city's nuclear reactor.

In the streets, Doyle and the Reds and Blues reach the Armory and contact Carolina of their progress. Carolina, alongside Epsilon, Wash and Kimball, informs them to board the Pelican stationed there while they make their way to the reactor's manual overload through the underground maintenance tunnels. As they move forward they suddenly encounter Sharkface. Running out of time, Carolina agrees to stay and face him alone only if he allows Wash and Kimball to leave safely. Sharkface, in response, complies to this but states that he'll come after Wash when he kills Carolina.

At the Armory, the Reds and Blues gather weapons and supplies to bring onto the Pelican, with Doc, in the personality of O'Malley, arming himself with a rocket launcher. Donut then alerts them of more mercenaries approaching, prompting Sarge to radio Grif on the status of the Pelican. Grif tells Sarge that he is having trouble getting the aircraft's engine to start and soon realizes that Lopez is trapped inside, who yells at Grif in anger because he was repairing the Pelican when Grif came. After Grif tells the others of this, Freckles alerts the group that the pirates are getting closer, prompting everyone to hide. The pirates then arrive to the Armory, and unfortunately, the Red's and Blue's are quickly discovered because of their poor hiding spots. As the mercs prepare to open fire, Doc/O'Malley eliminates them with his rocket launcher. With more pirates approaching, the crew decide to hold down the Armory until Lopez is released from the Pelican.

The Space Pirates continue firing upon the armory in order to get to Tucker and Doyle, but are unable to get inside due to the Blood Gulch Crew's combined firepower. As the crew fend off the pirates, Simmons informs them that he has successfully removed Lopez from the Pelican, prompting them to retreat to the garage to board the ship. However, Doyle decides to stay behind, explaining that the pirates will simply follow them once they leave on the Pelican, destroying their chances of killing them all in the city. So, in order to keep the mercenaries inside Armonia, Doyle flees on a Mongoose, inciting the pirates to chase after him and letting the Reds and Blues escape.

As the Reds and Blues fly away on the Pelican in order to get Tucker to safety, the latter informs Wash and Kimball of Doyle’s actions. Angered, Wash and Kimball contact Doyle and question his plan. Doyle tells them that he is the only thing keeping Charon inside the city and asks how long it will take for them to reach the reactor. Wash, in response, tells Doyle that he is unsure as Epsilon is not with them to guide them through the tunnels. Because of this, Doyle decides to go and set off the reactor himself, telling the two that he will meet them at the extraction point once he is done. Wash and Kimball then move towards the surface to assist Carolina.

Meanwhile, Carolina and Sharkface brawl inside the monorail. However, unlike their last battle, Carolina is shown to be more focused, dodging several of Sharkface's attacks and even managing to outmatch him. When Sharkface attempts to attack her with his grappling hook, Carolina dodges it, with the hook attaching to a door. As the monorail reaches the LZ, Carolina pulls the hook's wire and launches the door it's connected to straight at Sharkface, throwing him out onto the street below. After Carolina jumps out of the monorail, she and Sharkface are left exhausted. As Wash and Kimball arrive to aid Carolina, the latter tells Sharkface that he has lost. Sharkface, however, refuses to accept this and declares that as long as he is alive he will continue to hunt them down until they're all dead. As a result, Wash and Kimball swiftly execute Sharkface.

Wash then contacts the Reds and informs them that they have made it to the extraction point. The Reds, in response, inform Wash that they have safely dropped off the Blues and are heading to the LZ now. Kimball then radios Doyle and asks him if he's ready, in which the latter states that he is almost finished. Suddenly, a space pirate corners Doyle and fires at him, but Doyle ducks and manages to kill the pirate. Unfortunately, the mercenary's bullets destroy the reactor controls, making it impossible for Doyle to overload the reactor remotely. With no other option, Doyle equips himself with a Sticky Detonator left behind by the dead pirate and informs Kimball, Wash, and Carolina that he will have to detonate the reactor's core himself. Concerned, Kimball volunteers to help Doyle, but Doyle denies her request, finalizing his decision to risk his own life in order to protect them, just like she would have done. As the Reds arrive at the extraction point, Kimball, distressed, warns Doyle that if Felix isn't in the city he will be placing the sword right into his hands. Doyle, in response, expresses his confidence that she will be able to stop Felix if he isn't. As Carolina and Wash get Kimball inside the ship, Doyle reaches the reactor's core and sticks a sticky grenade onto it, just as the pirates make their way towards him. With the grenade set to explode in less than a minute, Doyle demands that Kimball and the others leave the city quickly, though Kimball pleads for Doyle to stop. Doyle then says his final goodbyes to Kimball by telling her that Chorus still needs her, and to make sure that the people she leaves behind will be able to carry on without her, before signing off. As Kimball finally boards the Pelican, she and the others fly out of the city.

After successfully deploying Carolina’s bubble shield, and in turn saving the Reds, Wash and Kimball from the nuclear blast, Epsilon briefly cycles through his memories of Theta, Delta, and Omega, before awakening at Crash Site Bravo in front of a relieved Blood Gulch Crew. Carolina informs Epsilon that the Feds and Rebels are scattered across the planet as a result of Armonia's destruction, with several soldiers mourning at Bravo. She then expresses her concern for Kimball, as the Feds blame her for Doyle’s death. Wash then approaches the two and explains to Epsilon that Felix and Locus survived the nuclear blast.

Meanwhile, it is revealed that Locus and Felix have regrouped at the Jungle Temple, with the Great Key now fully functional for Felix. As the two approach Santa in preparation to activate the Purge, Felix asks him if they will be safe from the Purge’s effects. Santa, drearily, assures him that those residing inside the Temple of the Purge will be spared. While Felix exhibits his joy of the news Locus expresses his concern about the safety of the space pirates guarding the communication temple. Felix tries to persuade Locus to simply let them die, but Locus insinuates his disagreement, saying that some of them are former partners. In response, Felix explains that their comrades’ trust in them does not allow them immunity and states that survival is a privilege that must be earned. A space pirate then radios the two and informs them that Control would like to speak to them about the loss of Armonia’s artifacts. Felix decides to go speak with the Chairman himself and wonders if the latter would be interested in an alien A.I. After Felix leaves, Santa expresses his growing skepticism of him actually being a true warrior. Locus then asks Santa on what Felix saw after he passed through the portal and what he is afraid of. Santa tells Locus that the answer is obvious, before disappearing to prepare for the Purge.

Back at Bravo, the Blood Gulch Crew finalize their plan. Knowing that Locus will be with Felix, Carolina and Wash agree to go on “defense” (preventing Felix and Locus from activating The Purge) while the Reds and Blues go on “offense” (They along with the Chorus armies assaulting the Communications Temple). However, the Reds and Doc bring up the fact that they are low on ammo and the armies are still not working together, in which Kimball, who approaches the crew, suggests that she talk to them. While concerned, the crew allow her to speak with the armies.

Felix and Locus arrive at the Purge but are suddenly shocked to discover Wash, Epsilon, and Carolina standing in their path. Wash attempts to talk them out of activating the temple as it will kill both the people of Chorus as well as their own men. Though Locus ponders over this, Felix convinces him that they must follow their orders.

Meanwhile, the rest of the space pirates are shown guarding the Communication Temple, until one of them spots Kimball nearby. Kimball quickly kills the pirate with an alien rifle and is soon accompanied by numerous Feds and Rebels, all armed with alien weaponry. As the pirates open fire, Kimball orders the combined armies to attack, which they proudly do. Finally united as one, the Feds and Rebels quickly lay waste to several of the remaining pirates, with the Reds and Blues, armed with an alien tank, assisting in the assault. Now under heavy fire, the pirates send a distress call to Felix, Locus, and the Counselor, who is aboard the Tartarus, explaining that the armies have obtained several alien armaments.

Running out of time, Felix and Locus fire at Wash and Carolina, who proceed to take cover. When Locus manages to disarm Carolina, Wash, in turn, lobs a grenade into the air to distract Locus. When Locus shoots the grenade, Wash shoots and disables Locus' Sniper rifle, forcing the two mercs to restrategize. As a result, the two charge towards the Freelancers, with Felix using his Hardlight Shield as cover while Locus jumps onto a hovering platform, in order to reach the temple's back entrance. Using her grappling hook, Carolina pursues Locus and the two engage in combat. All the while, Wash engages Felix, with Felix attempting to kill Wash with his daggers. After Wash dodges Felix's attacks, however, Felix pulls out his sword.

Meanwhile, on board the Tartarus, the Counselor suggests to the pirates on the bridge that they abandon the mission. Informed by Felix that Price might turn on them, the Space Pirate partnered with Price attempts to kill him as a result but notices that his pistol is missing. Price, having stolen the latter's pistol, kills the merc and forces the pilot to fly the ship away from Chorus. Back at the Purge, Felix fights off Wash and rushes towards the temple. After Wash warns Carolina, the latter catches Felix with her grappling hook and proceeds to reel him in. However, as Felix is dragged off the side of the pathway he grabs Wash and threatens to drop the latter if Carolina drops him. As a result, Carolina pulls the two onto the bottom of the hovering platform she and Locus are on.

The battle between the Chorus armies and space pirates rages on at the Communication Temple, with the former army beginning to overwhelm the latter. As the pirates are forced to fall back, Kimball and the Reds and Blues move forward towards the entrance of the temple. Tucker soon joins them, accompanied with Wash, Epsilon and Carolina, who inform the crew of the destruction of the Purge as well as the deaths of Felix and Locus. Epsilon then notifies them of a teleporter inside the temple that leads to the control room. Just then, a Mantis operated by the space pirates begins killing several Chorus soldiers. Because of this, Carolina gives Epsilon to Tucker and allows the Reds and Blues to go to the control room while she and Wash stay and fight outside with the Chorus armies. After the Reds and Blues pass through the teleporter they arrive at the control room and are greeted by Santa. As Santa begins preparing the temple for activation, he then mentions that there may be a small problem. When Tucker asks Santa what that may be, he disappears in time for the crew to discover Felix flying towards them in a Falcon. As the crew scatter, the Falcon crashes down at the control room. Felix, along with an exhausted Locus, readies himself to fight the Reds and Blues. As he tries to force Locus to join him, the latter explains that, with the Tartarus destroyed and their numbers low, their mission has failed. However, Felix furiously tells him that he is not doing this for the mission or Hargrove but for himself and leaves to find the crew.

Outside the temple, Wash is contacted by Tucker, who informs him that Felix and Locus are alive and are inside the control room. Being unable to help them, Wash tells Tucker that he and the others will have to deal with them alone, but expresses his confidence that they will come out successful, with the exception of Doc disagreeing. As Felix searches for the crew, Locus struggles to keep up with him and soon collapses. Santa reveals himself to him and asks why he is doing what he’s doing, but Locus repeatedly replies that he doesn’t know. When Santa asks Locus if he would like to know something Locus requests to know what Felix is afraid of. Santa, in response, tells Locus that Felix is afraid of him. Meanwhile, Felix calls out to Tucker in fury until the latter confronts him. After a brief Sword fight, Felix knocks Tucker to the ground, until the other Reds and Blues intervene and attack Felix, quickly overpowering him. When Felix becomes surrounded, Locus approaches the crew, but does not harm them. Instead he gives up his weapon and tells Felix that he is not a soldier, but a monster like him. Felix pleads Locus to rethink what he’s doing but Locus disregards him. As a result, Felix attacks everyone but quickly gets a sticky grenade caught on his hardlight shield, fired by Simmons. Tucker then throws a frag grenade towards Felix, which blasts him over the edge of the control room and sends him plummeting to his death.

The Chairman releases numerous Mantis droids around the Comms. Temple and begins annihilating both Chorus troopers and Space Pirates left and right, saying if he is going down then he is taking them all with him. With Wash, Carolina, Kimball, and the rest of the Feds and Rebels forced to take cover, the Reds and Blues contemplate a way to shut down the robots. Epsilon states that they must reach the Staff of Charon in order to override the Mantises' controls. So, in order to get inside the ship, the crew board Locus and Felix's damaged Falcon and fly it towards the Staff of Charon. After successfully getting inside, the crew search around the ship's engine room for the override controls, and soon discover F.I.L.S.S. F.I.L.S.S. explains that she was recovered by Hargrove and was illegally reassigned to work under him. When Epsilon pleads for her to shut down the Mantises, F.I.L.S.S., despite the action violating Hargrove's orders, gladly agrees to help, due to her deep dislike for the Chairman. Unfortunately, Hargrove stops F.I.L.S.S. from deactivating the droids and sends his own forces to attack the crew, prompting them to flee. As Hargrove's forces corner the crew, F.I.L.S.S. uses the ship's blast doors to protect them. She then directs the Reds and Blues to the location of the terminal containing the override controls: the Chairman's trophy room.

As casualties build up outside the temple, the Reds and Blues hurry to the Chairman's trophy room. Upon reaching it, Tucker and Epsilon enter the room while the other Reds and Blues stand guard outside. Epsilon quickly becomes angered upon seeing Tex's cracked visor and orders F.I.L.S.S. to bring up the terminal to the Mantis controls, which she does. As Epsilon gets to work on overriding the controls, Hargrove, speaking to the two from the ship's bridge, admonishes that the crew will not leave the ship alive. Tucker, however, remains unfazed and shuts down the Mantises after Epsilon finishes overriding the controls. After the Mantises all shut down outside, the Feds and Rebels rejoice.

Back in the trophy room, the Reds and Blues rush in and seal themselves inside as Hargrove's forces close in. Epsilon contacts Carolina demanding an extraction, in which Carolina states that they will fire up a Pelican to pick them up in a few minutes. Unfortunately, Hargrove's forces immediately begin welding through the door, shortening the crew's time to make their escape. As a result, the Reds and Blues bravely prepare themselves for the oncoming attack, with Grif arming himself with his Brute shot, Lopez, Doc, and Donut barricading the door, and Simmons attempting to start up the Monitor. Tucker, concerned, asks Epsilon if they can win, but the latter explains that they still need one more piece. Having discovered it while overriding the Mantis controls, Epsilon has F.I.L.S.S. release the Meta's modified suit and asks Tucker to put it on. After Tucker dons the suit, he changes the color to his regular aqua. Hargove's forces prepare to breach into the room with blowtorches. In response, the Blood Gulch Crew say their goodbyes to one another and ready themselves for the impending attack. Epsilon then states that out of everyone he's met he hates the crew the least, in which Tucker responds saying that he'll see him on the other side. Suddenly, time slows down, with Epsilon assuring that he will not make it back. Epsilon-Delta soon appears and asks Epsilon if he really wants to go through with this, in which Epsilon ensures that he does. Epsilon then begins a recording and says his final goodbyes to the Reds and Blues before dematerializing for good:

Grif, Simmons, and Church team up to rescue the other members of their teams. However it goes south and Church flies out of the prison strapped to a rocket. It's revealed that it was a simulation as Epsilon Church grows frustrated reliving the simulations. Another copy of Epsilon Church shows up, reminding him what they were getting into when they sealed themselves in the Epsilon Unit to find Tex. A new simulation starts in Blood Gulch, setting up the events of Season 9.

Everyone is shocked to see their friend Church. Loco, dying from his injuries, tells Caboose that he has little time to say goodbye. Tucker tells Caboose to grab Church from the other side of the portal. Caboose refuses, saying Church belongs there and just says his final goodbye to his friend. The machine begins to fire its primary weapon as Dylan inserts VIC into the device. VIC sacrifices himself to shut down the machine, which vanishes. Temple is then knocked out by Tucker under Carolina's wishes. The Reds and Blues then head outside of the facility to find the Chorus lieutenants along with Sister, who was on Chorus for business. They tell the Reds and Blues that Wash was dropped by someone on Chorus, and is recovering under Dr. Grey's supervision. Dylan submits her story, explaining that after spending time with the Reds and Blues, they definitely do not possess the qualities typically associated with heroes. However, it is their friendship with each other and their determination to fight through any challenge that makes them heroic.

At a film convention, Dylan Andrews hosts a panel featuring Sister that advertises a film adaptation based on the stories of the Reds and Blues when she is attacked by a figure resembling the Meta demanding to know the location of the real Reds and Blues, killing her when she reveals she doesn't know. At an undisclosed location, the remaining members of the Reds and Blues consisting of Caboose, Sarge, Grif and Simmons recover a series of interactive messages left behind by Epsilon in Caboose's helmet prior to his death that Lopez discovered. In these messages, Epsilon reveals that after he fragmented himself to power Tucker's armour during the battle on Malcolm Hargrove's ship, the A.I fragments began to take over Tucker and turn him into the Meta in an attempt for them to become human, similar to the original A.I's plans. However with one A.I missing, that being Epsilon, they remain incomplete in the process. With their memories of the fragmentation gone, the A.I's believe Epsilon to still be alive in possession of Caboose and are hunting him down. This new Meta is not only powered by the A.I's, but also has the intelligence and resources of Charon Industries and their old nemesis Felix, Tucker's intermittent knowledge of the Reds and Blues and their strategies and has Tucker's sword, making him into The Great Destroyer the alien prophecy foretold, who would destroy all of humanity, rather than the aliens themselves like was previously believed. Before his death, Epsilon ran multiple simulations to come up with a way to save the Reds and Blues (resulting in the events depicted in The Shisno Trilogy and Zero) before coming up with a definitive plan to stop the Meta. Seeing all this, the Reds initially refuse to get involved, hoping the Meta will target only Caboose and leave them alone, but ultimately decide to help when they realise they have a better chance of living by helping Caboose. Meanwhile, Tucker attempts to resist the A.I's attempts to convert him into the Meta but is forced into compliance when the fragments of Sigma and Gamma force his brain into a decade's worth of simulated torture.

Washington, who was seriously injured during the Charon Battle, recovers in a hospital under the care of Dr. Grey. He receives visits from Doc, who unofficially assists him in psychological recovery. Dr. Grey also briefly mentions that Donut became an admiral. Washington sees a news report on the recent strings of the Meta's attacks and attempts to leave the hospital but he is caught. When he claims he and Doc have witnessed the Meta has returned, he is deemed insane and locked back into his ward.

Through Sheila, the Reds and Blues contact former UNSC pilot, Four Seven Niner, who went into hiding after Project Freelancer was shut down, who transports them to the decommissioned Staff of Charon airship where they hope to obtain the recovery unit that was left onboard during the battle, so they can capture the A.I's inside it and destroy them. Upon arrival, they are attacked by the Meta. The Meta steals the recovery unit before they can use it and overwhelms them with his strength, capturing Caboose and forcing The Reds to retreat. Having a change of heart, Sarge returns to the fight to save Caboose. However, as they retreat to the airship, Sarge is fatally stabbed to death by the Meta. As Sarge dies, he promotes Simmons to leader of the Reds, saying that he has been ready to be a leader for a long time now and handing his signature shotgun down to him. Sarge also confesses to Grif that he was always so hard on him because he always knew he had the potential to be better. Back at the Hospital, Washington manages to escape by sneaking out alongside Doc.

Grif, Simmons and Caboose return to Blood Gulch where Grif and Simmons bury Sarge's body. In his first official act as Red Leader, Simmons officially discharges Grif from the military and tells him he's free to leave the army whenever he wants, but when Simmons tells Grif his intention to carry out Sarge's final battle to the end, Grif ultimately decides to stay until the Meta is defeated and Caboose and Tucker are saved. Meanwhile, Caboose goes to Blue Base to retrieve an unused robot kit, following the instructions of a secret recording left by Epsilon on how to revive him. When he meets up with the Reds that night, he reveals to them Epsilon's plan and the fact he secretly took the memory unit while they were on the Staff of Charon so they can replicate an A.I with the memory unit harvesting their memories. The three soldiers spend the night nostalgically reminiscing on their past misadventures together however come the next morning, they have failed to replicate the A.I. With the Meta's arrival, Grif and Simmons go to fight the Meta alone while Caboose tells the memory unit one last story: the story of Alison and Leonard Church, which succeeds in creating the A.I he was hoping for.

Washington and Doc arrive to Blood Gulch just in time to see Grif and Simmons try to fight the Meta alone. Still too weakened to help, Washington instead jumps off a cliff to injure himself so his recovery beacon would activate and call for help. The Meta defeats both Grif and Simmons however before he can kill them, he is intercepted by a revived Agent Tex, whose A.I Caboose had planned to replicate all along. Sigma taunts Tex by saying that she will always fail no matter how hard she tries, but she responds by saying that may have been true for the original Tex, but this Tex is based on the Reds and Blue's memories of her, the one who always wiped the floor with them. Tex struggles to fight the Meta until she is joined by Agent Carolina, who was the one to respond to Washington's recovery beacon. In the ensuing fight, Carolina has her arm broken and is knocked out, leaving Tex about to be killed by the Meta before Simmons steals back the recovery unit from the Meta and throws it to Tex who stabs the Meta with it, trapping all the A.I's inside including herself, freeing Tucker of the Meta's control.

With the battle over, Tucker regains consciousness with the trauma of the event causing him to forget everything that happened since he took the Meta's armour. Caboose destroys the memory unit along with all the A.I's inside, indefinitely putting an end to their adventures, with both him and Carolina coming to terms with the deaths of Church and Tex for good. In a similar vein, Carolina gets Washington to come to terms with Doc's death; Doc had died during the final battle on Chorus in the Staff of Charon, sacrificing his life to save Washington's when he was seriously wounded. Ever since Washington's hospitalisation, he has been speaking to a hallucination of Doc born from his guilt with Doc's death. Washington and Carolina resolve to overcome their struggles with the memories of their deceased friends and comrades together. Grif tells Simmons that although he never figured out Why they were here, he's glad that he was "here" with everyone else. Grif officially departs, bidding farewell to Simmons and Caboose, telling Simmons he's always welcome to visit if he ever returns to Earth and telling Caboose that the Blues turned out to be good people in his opinion, halfheartedly apologizing for the "war" they fought each other in. Caboose accepts the apology, saying that the Reds weren't very good at fighting anyway. Grif chuckles and agrees before boarding a transport airship and returns home to Earth, finally leaving the army behind him as he had always wished.

• List of works produced

• Achievement Hunter
• Rooster Teeth Games
• Sugar Pine 7

• Otter Media
• Smite
• BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
• Brawlhalla
• Easy Allies
• Kinda Funny
• Paladins
• The Slow Mo Guys
• Trocadero (band)