The Halo series has been known for hiding cryptic messages in a few of its updates over the years, beginning with the ILOVEBEES alternate reality game which went viral a few years back.
The trend continues with Halo 4, with some hidden text lodged between the empty spaces of the latest Halo Bulletin. If you look through the page, you’ll find the following text buried within, below each section.
The document appears to be human in origin, as it makes reference to Machiavelli with one of his quotes. The rest, of course, is extremely confusing. See if you can make any sense of the text below:
PLNB PRIORITY TRANSMISSION [CLASSIFIED]
ENCRYPTION CODE: [CLASSIFIED]
PUBLIC KEY: N/A
FROM: CODENAME SURGEON
TO: CODENAME COALMINER
CLASSIFICATION: ELEVENTH HOUR [1/5]
SUBJECT: AFTERMATH
/FILE EXTRACTION-RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/
/START FILE/
Decades from now, when historians evaluate the war, what will they say about us? Will they claim that our victory was ultimately fruitless? That it failed to secure a lasting peace, or worse, that it was only a prelude to far greater horrors that now lay ahead?
My hope – OUR HOPE – is that history would instead view this war as a catalyst. That the last thirty years were a crucible, a threshing floor for our species, sifting out our fears and frailties. And that ultimately it made us stronger and more vigilant in the end, fully prepared for whatever will come next. After all, what good is struggle if there is no change? What good is a fire if the sword is not made stronger?
Attached are four reports accounting the major contingency structures our species currently faces in the wake of the war. Please evaluate them closely. Their outcomes will dictate how history views us, or if history even views us at all.
Xenomorphic element [2/5]
Martial element [3/5]
Provenancial element [4/5]
Primogeniture element [5/5]
As Machiavelli once said: “the Romans, foreseeing troubles, dealt with them at once, and, even to avoid a war, would not let them come to a head, for they knew that war is not to be avoided, but is only put off to the advantage of others.”
Likewise, we must deal with these issues head-on, without fear and without hesitation. We can afford no other stance.
/END FILE/