Prologue is the first chapter in Marathon Infinity. It consists of one level.
Synopsis[]
"Prologue" chapter screen
The game begins with a strange message from Durandal saying "Things have gone terribly awry"[1]. In the Lh'owon system, Durandal has slaughtered the Western Arm of Pfhor Battle Group Seven with ease, prompting the Pfhor to make an unexpected move. They used their ultimate weapon, the trih xeem, on Lh'owon's sun to make it go nova, despite Tycho's efforts to stop them.
Durandal says that the destruction of Lh'owon's sun unleashed a destructive, mindless, hungry chaos. Exactly what this terrible chaotic force is it not explained, but Durandal is certain that it will destroy all. He seems resigned to his fate, seeing no way to escape the chaos now that it has been freed from Lh'owon's sun.
Meanwhile, the player is aboard a space station whose purpose is unknown. The Pfhor have boarded the station, and Durandal urges the player to find a way onto their ship so that they may find a way to escape. Durandal regretfully says, "if I could have delayed the Pfhor from using their weapon, I could have sent you to explore the ruins of Lh'owon"[2].
This all seems extremely strange. The player spent spent almost the entirety of Marathon 2: Durandal exploring Lh'owon, looking for the S'pht'Kr. Furthermore, when the Pfhor deployed the trih xeem at the end of Marathon 2, Durandal didn't seem particularly worried about it; he left the system and went on to exist for at least another ten thousand years, as the Marathon 2: Durandal Final Screen reveals.
This chapter of Marathon Infinity, like most chapters in the game, takes place in an alternate timeline relative to Marathon 2. In this timeline, the Pfhor deployed the trih xeem before the player had a chance to explore Lh'owon, meaning the events of the second game never took place. The trih xeem released the horrifying, chaotic W'rkncacnter who were imprisoned in Lh'owon's sun. That makes this timeline the first of several failed timelines that the player will observe in the game.
Levels[]
- The player begins the game in a dimly lit Jjaro space station whose purpose is unknown for the moment. The player is contacted by Durandal who says the Pfhor have used the trih xeem, which released an entity of pure chaos. Durandal suggests the player try to escape to a nearby Pfhor ship, but he himself is doomed to die here. The only objective is to reach the exit terminal, which has an enigmatic message about "the peril of a thousand fates", ending with the words "find yourself" and "starting back".
Trivia[]
- The game manual describes a similar but seemingly different failed timeline, in which Durandal didn't defeat Pfhor Battle Group Seven. Instead, the Pfhor fleet trapped him on the station after a surprise attack. At that point, the trih xeem was deployed, releasing the W'rkncacnter.
References[]
| Preceded by None |
Marathon Infinity Chapter Info: Prologue |
Succeeded by Despair |