Smuggler (Level)

"Before I went on holiday, Smuggler was a fun foray into rat-in-a-cage levels of carnage. Around each corner, atop each walkway, or camping the top ledge of a middle room was a Shishka, a Sketch, a Frankie or some other unnameable, jarring horror. Upon returning, Smuggler has become a picture perfect nearly majestic play space with sinister undertones. Pristine construction is foiled by a staunch reminder of how often the best laid plans can fail."

- Luke Smith

Smuggler is the codename for one of three maps scheduled to be released later this year in the next Halo 3 map pack, along with Moonbase Alpha and Purple Reign. Little else is known about the map, other than that it is meant for close-quarters combat.

Delta Halo?
In the Bungie Weekly Update 5/30/08, the following transmission was shown:

Part I

"REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE

LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] has experienced catastrophic specimen containment failure. All apertures into facility will be locked until further notice. Atmosphere evacuation and [reduction of ambient temperature] protocols have already been enacted. Request maintenance and security detail [at earliest opportunity]. [8 minutes] elapsed since initial containment failure.

REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE

Waiting for maintenance and security detail. [32 minutes, 9 seconds] elapsed since request.

REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE

Still waiting for maintenance and security detail. [24 hours] elapsed since request.

REPORT: SECURITY BREACH

LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] has experienced a security breach via emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits. Emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits have been placed in recursive mode to contain unauthorized hostile lifeforms. Request emergency security detail. Still waiting for primary maintenance and security detail. [2512332 hours, 14 minutes, 6 seconds]elapsed since initial request.

REPORT: DERELICTION OF DUTY

2401 [PENITENT TANGENT] has been lax in the areas of maintenance and security."

Part II

A new conversation was given in the 6/6/08 update.

LOG: QUERIED ADJACENT FACILITIES LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility [alpha, beta, gamma, epsilon, zeta, and kappa sites] have all replied [systems normal] within expected constraints. This would tend to signify that the containment failure was purely mechanical in nature; perhaps a manufacturing flaw. As no [outside agent] has accessed [delta site] in the past [874068942 hours, 4 minutes, 46 seconds]—[allowing for a 61360 hour, 54, minute, 2 second margin of error]—sabotage would seem unlikely.

LOG: REQUEST UNANSWERED LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] is currently being held at [.01 atm] / [184K]. Local maintenance and security hubs have failed to reply within expected constraints. [Bumping maintenance and security request up] to [quadrant oversight].

LOG: REQUEST UNANSWERED LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] is currently being held at [1 atm] / [278K] as atmospheric seals were showing signs of stress. [Quadrant oversight] has failed to reply within expected constraints. [Bumping maintenance and security request all the way up] to 2401 [PENITENT TANGENT].

LOG: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO FACILITIES LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits have been accessed by unauthorized parties.

LOG: FILED COMPLAINT TO INSTALLATION 00 2401 [PENITENT TANGENT], monitor of Installation 05, has been lax in the areas of maintenance and security. Requests for aid in said areas have gone unanswered by both 2401 and [subservient] systems well beyond expected constraints.

The mention of Delta Halo's monitor, 2401 Penitent Tangent, would seem to suggest that the map would take place somewhere in Delta Halo.

LF.Xx.3273 appeared in the Terminals in Halo 3. The second timestamp seems to imply that this is was when the Flood broke free on Delta Halo the first time, since it equals approximately 99,779 years. Perhaps this map shows how, considering this and the mention of how the best laid plans can fail as stated by Luke in the quote above.

Trivia

 * It may be a remake of Rat Race, a map from Halo: Combat Evolved. The description from the recent Bungie's Weekly Update hints at tunnels, and various rodent-related phrases; "best laid plans", and "rat-in-a-cage".
 * Some people believe this to be a remake of Backwash, the multiplayer map from Halo 2.
 * It may also be a remake of the Halo 2 map, Containment since it probably takes place in Delta Halo (since it mentions 2401 Penitent Tangent and it being the "delta" facility out of the first seven Greek letters), it mentions the containment of a hostile species (possibly the Flood), and mentions the term "containment facility" and all these things were present in the map Containment.
 * It may also take place on the Flood-captured In Amber Clad, since that is the ship that "smuggled" the Flood off of Delta Halo, though seems impossible given the timestamps, unless they are irrevelant to the location of the map.
 * The first time stamp '2512332 hours, 14 minutes, 6 seconds' is the equivalent of 290 years, 7 months, 14 minutes, 6 seconds. The second timestamp is equivalent to 99,779 years,  204 days,  5 hours, 4 minutes, 46 seconds.
 * It is possible the map will take place on the ship that entered via slipspace, probably a ship with Flood infection, similar to the infected High Charity.
 * It is most likely that this level is a Forerunner containment structure on Delta Halo, because 2401 Penitent Tangent was in charge. The Flood may have broken free in the facility and the computer monitoring send a message to 2401 Penintent Tangent. When it had recieved no message back, it reported directly to installation 00.
 * It appears that each Instillation is able to jump into Slipspace, just like the Ringworld from Larry Nivens book, Ringworld Children