Editing Battle of Galileo Base

{{Era|Post}}
{{Battle infobox
|name=Battle of Galileo Base
|prev=[[Assassination of Parg Vol]]
|next=[[Battle at The Refuge]]
|image=[[File:Majestic - 3.png|300px]]
|conflict=[[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]
*[[Requiem Campaign]]
|date=[[2558#February|February 2558]]
|place=[[Galileo Base]], [[Requiem]], [[Epoloch system]]
|result=*'''UNSC victory'''
**[[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|Covenant]] and [[Promethean]] attack repelled
**[[Galileo Base]] secured
*'''Strategic Jul 'Mdama's Covenant/Promethean victory'''
**UNSC tricked into bringing "the [[Didact's Gift]]" to Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]] on board the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}
|side1=*[[United Earth Government]]
**[[United Nations Space Command]]
|side2=*[[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]]
*[[Ur-Didact|Didact's]] [[Promethean]]s
|commanders1=*[[Spartan Commander]] [[Sarah Palmer]]
*Spartan [[Jared Miller]]
|commanders2=*[[Supreme Leader]] [[Jul 'Mdama]]
|forces1=*[[Expeditionary Strike Group 1]]
**1 [[D79-TC Pelican|Pelican]]
**[[Spartan Operations]]
***[[SPARTAN-IV Program|SPARTAN-IV]]s
****[[Fireteam Crimson]]
****[[Fireteam Majestic]]
*1 captured [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]]
|forces2=*Numerous [[Sangheili]]
*Numerous [[Kig-Yar]]
*Numerous [[Unggoy]]
*2 [[Mgalekgolo]]
*Several dozen [[Type-44 Phantom|Phantoms]]
*Several [[Type-32 Ghost|Ghosts]]
*2 [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshees]]
*Numerous [[Promethean Crawler]]s
*Several [[Promethean Watcher]]s
*Several [[Promethean Knight]]s
|casual1=*None
|casual2=*Near total
}}
{{Quote|no=two|Robert Dalton|Jared Miller|q1=Hold on! Commander Palmer! Spartan Miller! Something's happening at Galileo Base!|q2=How can... Commander, Dalton's right. Galileo's under attack!|Dalton and Miller discover the coming attack.{{Ref/Reuse|Gift}}}}
The '''Battle of Galileo Base''' was a battle during the [[Requiem Campaign]]. During the engagement, [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]] and the [[Promethean]]s' attacked the UNSC's [[Galileo Base]] for a second time, following a [[Assault on Galileo Base|failed assault]] earlier in the campaign.

==Prelude==
In [[2558#February|February 2558]], as Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]] studied one of the [[Requiem slipspace artifacts]] aboard the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}, she was contacted by [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|Covenant]] [[Supreme Leader]] [[Jul 'Mdama]] in secret. 'Mdama suggested that they could help each other and questioned what Halsey knew of the [[Promethean]]s. After a failed attempt to get useful information out of [[Spartan-IV|Spartan]] [[Gabriel Thorne]],<ref name="Didact's Hand">''Spartan Ops'', [[Didact's Hand|S104 Didact's Hand]]</ref> 'Mdama promised to provide her with proof of the true nature of the Prometheans which Halsey had been kept unaware of.<ref name="Memento Mori">''Spartan Ops'', [[Memento Mori|S105 Memento Mori]]</ref>

During these events, following a successful tap into the Forerunner communication network utilized by Covenant forces,<ref name="Hairy Call">''Spartan Ops'', [[Didact's Hand/Hairy Call|S104 Hairy Call]]</ref> [[Fireteam Crimson]] was sent to chase 'Mdama through [[Requiem]]'s [[teleportation grid|portal system]].<ref>''Spartan Ops'', [[Didact's Hand/Rally Point|S104 Rally Point]]</ref><ref>''Spartan Ops'', [[Didact's Hand/Random Transport|S104 Random Transport]]</ref> After Crimson chased him to "[[the Cauldron]]," 'Mdama purposefully dropped "the [[Didact's Gift]]," a [[Durance]] containing the "soul" of a [[Promethean Knight]]: a [[human]] digitized by the [[Composer]] during the [[New Phoenix Incident]] six months before. 'Mdama's intention was for Halsey to receive the Gift as the proof while making it appear that he had dropped it by accident while fleeing Crimson's pursuit. As planned, Crimson recovered "the Didact's Gift" and were ordered to transport it to [[Galileo Base]] for study before it would be transported to the ''Infinity''.<ref>''Spartan Ops'', [[Didact's Hand/The Chase|S104 The Chase]]</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|Memento Mori}}

==Battle==
===First Covenant attack===
As scientists at [[Galileo Base]] studied "the [[Didact's Gift]]" to make sure it was safe for transport to the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}, [[Spartan-IV|Spartans]] [[Robert Dalton]] and [[Jared Miller]] detected [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|Covenant]] forces on their way, including several dozen [[Type-44 Phantom|Phantoms]]. The Phantoms began dropping off massive numbers of Covenant troops into the base, including several [[Type-32 Ghost|Ghosts]]. However, [[Fireteam Crimson]] managed to fend off the repeated waves as Miller and Spartan [[Commander]] [[Sarah Palmer]] realized that the base's defenses were offline and couldn't be activated remotely either.

As the battle continued, Palmer contacted Doctor [[Shannon Owen]] who realized that Doctor [[Cameron Alexander]] had gone against her orders not to divert power away from the base's defenses in order to power a mini-reactor. As a [[Mgalekgolo|Hunter]] pair was dropped into the base, Miller was able to determine where the turret power had been routed to and directed Crimson to the location. Fighting through the heavy Covenant forces, Crimson managed to reactivate the turret defenses which shot down the attacking Covenant Phantoms. With the Phantoms destroyed, Crimson was able to clear out the remaining Covenant forces.

With the Covenant forces eliminated, Miller reported that the Forerunner communications net utilized by the Covenant that Crimson had previously tapped into{{Ref/Reuse|Hairy Call}} was paying off as he was able to detect that the entire Covenant net was talking about retrieving the Promethean soul. Dalton reported that [[Fireteam Majestic]] was closest to transport "the [[Didact's Gift]]" to the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} and Palmer ordered them deployed to Galileo Base to retrieve the package while Crimson stayed to protect the base.<ref name="Gift">''[[Spartan Ops]]'', [[Didact's Hand/The Didact's Gift|S104 The Didact's Gift]]</ref>

===Promethean attack===
As the UNSC forces made preparations to extract "the Didact's Gift," they were interrupted by Doctor [[Cameron Alexander]] who demanded to know if someone had turned off his mini-reactor. Though Palmer defended their actions as necessary to defend the base, Doctor Alexander warned that if the reactor wasn't turned back on, its shielding would fail and the explosion would destroy [[Galileo Base]]. With no other choice, [[Fireteam Crimson]] was dispatched to reactivate the mini-reactor. However, as they reached the reactor, several [[Promethean Crawler]]s and [[Promethean Knight]]s translocated in to attack. Fighting off the Prometheans, Crimson reactivated the mini-reactor and averted disaster.

After the reactor was reactivated, numerous Promethean Crawlers supported by several Promethean Knights and [[Promethean Watcher]]s assaulted the base. With [[Fireteam Majestic]] inbound, Crimson fought off the waves of Prometheans, eventually succeeding in repelling the Promethean attack before Majestic arrived in a [[D79-TC Pelican|Pelican]] to extract "the Didact's Gift."{{Ref/Reuse|Gift}}

===Final Covenant attack===
As [[Fireteam Majestic]] extracted the package back to their [[D79-TC Pelican|Pelican]], they came under attack by a [[Type-44 Phantom|Phantom]] and two [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshees]] while [[Galileo Base]]'s anti-air defenses were down. Recognizing that an attempt to flee by air would be fatal, [[Spartan-IV|Spartan]] [[Gabriel Thorne]] hijacked one of the Banshees and used it to shoot down the Phantom.

Watching the battle from a nearby cliff, [[Jul 'Mdama]] ordered the attack called off despite the protests of [[Gek 'Lhar]], satisfied that they had made enough of a display trying to retake "the Didact's Gift." The remaining Covenant forces retreated, ending the battle.{{Ref/Reuse|Memento Mori}}

==Aftermath==
With [[Galileo Base]] secured, [[Fireteam Majestic]] transported "the [[Didact's Gift]]" to Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]] onboard the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}. Examining the [[Durance]], Halsey discovered that it had a similar interior appearance to a human [[Riemann matrix|A.I. Matrix]] and contained the memories of a human digitized by the [[Composer]] during the [[New Phoenix Incident]]. Palmer and [[Captain]] [[Thomas Lasky]] were forced to reveal that the Prometheans were once humans while Halsey was satisfied with the proof [[Jul 'Mdama]] had provided her as he had promised. However, as 'Mdama questioned Halsey about her knowledge of the [[Librarian]], her secret communications with the Covenant leader was discovered.{{Ref/Reuse|Memento Mori}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Spartan Ops]]'' {{1st}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
{{Engagements in the Requiem Campaign}}
[[Category:UNSC Victories]]
[[Category:Jul 'Mdama's Covenant Victories]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galileo Base}}