- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
WARNING: The following is spoilers for anyone who has not read the Halo novels.
In Halo: First Strike we're introduced to the Brute species of the Covenant Structure. We see the Spartans first encounter these creatures, and how powerful and dangerous they are: stronger and more durable than the Spartans.
We see one Brute in the ending of the book named Tartarus. Tartarus is a name taken from Greek Mythology. It is the lowest place in the universe, as far below Earth as Earth is below Heaven. It is the darkness of night three-fold and is a prison for the Titans that fell to the Greek deities. It is also the opposite of Elysium.
John-117, the Master Chief, was born in Elysium City (as seen in Halo: The Fall of Reach). According to Greek Myth, Elysium is a heavenly place where those chosen by the gods are gifted to dwell in.
These two names seem to be a foreshadowing of what may happen with the Brute Tartarus and the Spartan Master Chief, John. Maybe John's trials are meant to take him from Elysium, where he was happy as a child, to the end: maybe meaning some kind of showdown between Tartarus and John.
I don't know if Tartarus' role will continue in Halo 2 or in another novel most likely based off Halo 2. I would imagine him to be some sort of final challenge for the Master Chief, but Bungie didn't really use the "Boss Character" types for Halo: Combat Evolved. Possibilities limitless, John could even die in Halo 2 at the end! While providing closure, that'd suck, wouldn't it?
Francisco Montique Zanzibaked (aka ZeroGee) :P
[Edited on 7/15/2004 2:08:02 AM]