Once we've been treated to the first surprise, that the Master Chief, now aboard In Amber Clad, is following Regret's ship through slipspace as he flees Earth, Halo 2 immediately hits us with the second. At the end of the opening cutscene of The Arbiter, where Prophets Truth and Mercy give the disgraced Elite commander from Halo a temporary reprieve from his ordered execution by serving as The Arbiter; a special position occupied by hundreds, if not thousands, of Elites before him in times of crisis. The position even comes with a retro suit of armor.