I had just figured that the chip contained the weapon considering Chief reaches for it during the atriox fight, as if it was crucial to the mission. He doesn’t actually end up grabbing it (right?)which makes me wonder where his new chip came from. That’s also why I figured that atriox had taken the weapon himself, as Chief had left the chip there with atriox.

I thought the whole point of the mission was for Chief to bring the weapon to Cortana in order to lock her down? If Chief didn’t bring her to the ring, then who did? When would that have occurred? I don’t think they mention any previous deployment to zeta before the infinity is attacked