Kraken Base

"Welcome to Kraken Base, Dr. Freeman, our home beneath the sea."

- Helena Mossman

Kraken Base, or simply Kraken, is a location and chapter cut from Half-Life 2. It was to be set between the Borealis and Weather Control chapters, being the first location of the third day.

Background
Kraken Base was originally a rebel scientific base located beneath the sea, in the Arctic regions north-west of City 17, and headed by Helena Mossman. Several people (rebels or other scientists) were probably to be there with her, including Vortigaunts.

The original teleportation sequence



 * As heard in the dialogue files found in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta sound files, the teleportation sequence at the start of Half-Life 2 was originally to be much different and much longer.


 * Kleiner and Barney, located at Kleiner's Lab with Gordon, and Helena Mossman, located at Kraken Base, were to discuss the best place to send Gordon, in a dialogue much longer than in the retail version (where several sentences survived, even though they were rerecorded), and not including Alyx.


 * After the team agrees that Eli's facilities are too primitive to make use of Gordon, being, according to Mossman, more suited to mechanics than research scientists, and that its teleport is in pieces, therefore not working, and that the only way to reach the place would be to go on foot through the dangerous Canals, Mossman suggests to send Gordon to Kraken Base instead, and by teleportation. Kleiner seems hesitant about it, while Barney expresses even more doubts in very pessimist remarks. While Kleiner pretends without much faith to be sure about the reliability of his equipment, Mossman is very determined, since she says to have run seven sequences without a single failure.


 * While the teleporation is being prepared, Gordon must do his part to set things up. Then the teleportation begins, and Barney thinks it is the best time to mention the issues about the cat they used for the previous test, saying that he had to turn the animal right side out again to make sure it was a cat (kept in the retail version for Alyx's teleportation, but minus the explanation), thus providing the information missing from the retail version. The teleportation then succeeds, and Mossman is able to introduce herself to Gordon and compliment him when he is still in the teleport instead of releasing him right away. At Kleiner's Lab, Lamarr jumps into the teleport like in the retail version, disrupting the connection between the two teleports and bringing back Gordon behind a window near Kleiner's Lab (like in the retail version) and damaging both teleports.


 * It is also suggested by Barney's sentences that something happens to Kleiner, dying or being hurt and left unconscious, since he ceases to talk after he approaches the teleport, worried by Lamarr's fate. The failure having blown their cover and the lab's roof about to cave in, Gordon finds himself forced to journey to Eli's lab on foot. Barney leads him to the Canals, where the next chapter begins, and leaves at some point, like in the retail version.

Actual visit of the base


Gordon was finally to reach Kraken Base much later in the game. He was to hear a distress call from there on the Borealis and then reach it in a submarine, apparently with Odell. There they would encounter Mossman, at last.

It is unknown what happens there and what happens to Odell and Mossman. It is likely that some battle takes place, according to the distress call heard on the Borealis, stating that Kraken Base is "in serious trouble". Sound files featuring what seems to be distant gunshots can also be found, while map scripts suggest it was infested by Zombies and therefore Headcrabs. The atmosphere of the completed maps could have been similar to that of the Borealis chapter, but perhaps gloomier, given the claustrophobic and heavily isolated nature of a submarine station, especially under siege, in the vein of movies such as Alien, Abyss or Sphere. Another battle was to take place in the next chapter, the Combine Weather Control, that the player was to reach on foot, while it is unknown how the escape from Kraken Base was to be done.

Fate


The most recent Kraken Base maps has been last edited in August 2001, meaning it was cut quite early in the development process - and these maps were only prototypes, hence their prefix "proto". While the most complete map is quite big, it is also rather empty, and nor Odell, Mossman, the teleport or any enemy can be found. Kraken Base is part of the storyline set between Nova Prospekt and the City 17 street wars that was completely cut, the game timespan having been reduced to three days instead of the original four.

It might however having been brought back into the Half-Life canon: in Episode One, a message shows Mossman talking about a "site" from a concrete corridor attacked by Overwatch Elite soldiers, then this message must be brought to White Forest in Episode Two. It is possible that this place where Mossman is talking from is some sort of recycled Kraken Base, the "site" likely being the Borealis. While Kleiner and Eli have their own attributed location and that Mossman's was cut, it is probable that she will finally have hers in Episode Three.

Gallery
These are screenshots of a fixed prototype map of Kraken Base, " ". It is less dark than the original map (but the light coming from the ocean was left unchanged), and more props, water, steam, Odell and Mossman were added, as well as icebergs outside.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar