Editing Second Ark Conflict

In [[2559#October|October]], the Banished managed to open a portal between their forces on the Ark and their forces in the Milky Way on [[Reach]]. Atriox and some of his warriors took the portal to the Milky Way, while the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]] took portal to the Ark in a plot to begin the [[Great Journey]].{{Ref/Reuse|SoR}} This was complicated by the return of the Forerunner {{Class|Archeon|ancilla}} [[Intrepid Eye]]{{Ref/Reuse|DW}} who had previously caused a great deal of chaos in the Milky Way.{{Ref/Novel|LL}}{{Ref/Novel|Ret}} Intrepid Eye and the citadel from which the Halo Array could be fired were both destroyed, along with the Keepers faction, its two survivors set themselves against all of the other factions on the Ark seeking vengeance.{{Ref/Reuse|DW}}

{{Main|Outbreak on the UNSC Spirit of Fire}}

{{Quote|Captain, wake up... Something has happened.|Serina's message for Captain Cutter.{{Ref/Reuse|The Signal}}}}

With recon [[UNSC Armed Forces|forces]] having been sent in ahead, Red Team was dropped off in a [[Warthog]] on the Ark's south spire.{{Ref/Reuse|A New Enemy}} Arriving at a hastily-created barrier, one of the soldiers of [[Recon One]] informed them that they had set charges and so [[Alice-130]] fired on it with the Warthog's [[M46 Vulcan|machine gun]], detonating the charges and destroying the barrier. After destroying another barrier, Red Team eventually encountered a recon team who had been attacked. Pressing on, the [[Spartan]]s arrived at a [[portal]] that had been discovered by the recon soldiers. While the [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] stayed behind to guard the portal, Red Team ventured through and were teleported nearby. After passing a couple more portals, the Spartans found themselves at the [[Henry Lamb research outpost]].{{Ref/Reuse|The Signal}} {{clear|left}}

===Encounter with Atriox===

{{Quote|no=three|Isabel|Douglas-042|Isabel|q1=Oh no.|q2=What was that?|q3=It's him.|Isabel after realizing Atriox had found them{{Ref/Reuse|The Signal}}}}

===Battle of Installation 09===

{{Quote|We've got to get to that [[Control Room (Installation 09)|Control Room]] so I can deactivate the Halo's firing systems and plant our signal beacon. If I can't do that, we won't be sending an SOS back home, we'll be sending a very large and very live bomb.|Ellen Anders to James Cutter{{Ref/Reuse|The Halo}}}}

After reuniting with Jerome on the Halo, Red Team led Marine forces to [[Alpha Base (Installation 09)|Alpha Base]] and defeated the Banished forces there. However, the Banished had already set up a shield sealing off the ring's Control Room, where Anders was to disable the firing systems and plant the comms beacon. Suddenly, a [[Retriever]] sentinel appeared, wreaking havoc on the UNSC forces before the Marines could send it into retreat. Realizing the sentinel could be used to their advantage, Anders told Red Team that if they could secure three Control Towers, she would be able to take control of the Retriever. Making their way to the towers, the Marines defeated the surrounding Banished forces and secured them, allowing Anders to take control of the massive sentinel. Using the machine's main weapon, Anders destroyed the [[shield generator]] in one blast, allowing her to access the Control Room. As the professor descended, the Spartans and Marines stayed behind to defend the structure.{{Ref/Reuse|The Halo}}

While Anders worked on accessing the ring's firing systems, the Marines set up turret emplacements and defended against incoming Banished forces. With support from the ''Spirit of Fire'' and Marine reinforcements, the UNSC held back heavy Banished reinforcements long enough for Anders to access the weapons systems and plant the distress beacon. However, Anders reminded Cutter that the Banished still needed to be removed from the ring but that she found a way to speed that up. Telling Cutter to clear UNSC forces from the immediate area, Anders proceeded to manipulate the Halo's [[gravity anchor]]s, creating an energy shield around the remaining Banished forces before ejecting the land they were standing on into space.{{Ref/Level|Id=Last Stand|HW2|Last Stand (Halo Wars 2 level)|Last Stand}}

The ''Spirit of Fire'' crew's attempt to deploy the new Halo to the Soell system was unsuccessful. The ring was forcibly pulled out of slipspace on its way by a [[Guardian]], which Anders encountered upon returning to the surface.{{Ref/Reuse|Last Stand}} {{clear|left}}

===Operation: SPEARBREAKER===

{{Main|Operation: SPEARBREAKER}}

Sometime during the battle [[Yapyap]] the Destroyer abandoned the Banished with forces under his command in favor of locating the fabled Golden Methane Hydrate Mines of Sabator, several [[Sangheili]] and  [[Mgalekgolo]] also defected to join his rebellion.{{Ref/Game|Id=PLY|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Yapyap The Destroyer}} His Throne of Woe somehow enabled him to receive Unggoy reinforcements.{{Ref/Game|Id=PLCF|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Cannon Fodder}}

===Awakening a nightmare===

{{Quote|I told you not to go inside. For good reason!|Atriox to Voridus{{Ref/Reuse|Manifestation}}}}

===Attempting to Start the Great Journey===

{{Main|Battle for Translocation portal Epsilon|Battle of Epsilon Clarion}}

In October 2559, the detachment of the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]] led by [[Castor]] arrived on the Ark in the midst of a [[Battle for Translocation portal Epsilon|three-way battle]] for control of the slipspace portal between the UNSC, Banished and [[Dhas Bhasvod's Covenant]]. After crashing, Castor formed an alliance with [[Prelate]] [[Dhas Bhasvod]], the leader of the Covenant loyalists. The Forerunner {{Class|Archeon|ancilla}} [[Intrepid Eye]], who was believed to have been destroyed during [[Operation: BIRD IN HAND]], revealed herself and resumed her guise as "the Oracle" in order to manipulate Castor for her own ends. Really, the ancilla intended to fire the [[Halo Array]] - in turn destroying the [[Domain]] and rendering [[Cortana]] vulnerable to Intrepid Eye. The ancilla then intended to use the Ark's resources to reseed the galaxy and tailor humanity over the course of hundreds of millennia to be ready to take up the [[Mantle of Responsibility]].{{Citation needed}}

File:HW2-Banished-02.jpg|Atriox stands before his army in the aftermath of the battle on the Halo.

File:HW2-Odsts-1.jpg|Sunray 1-1 in combat.

File:HW2_Spearbreaker_Loadscreen.jpg|UNSC forces fighting Sentinels.

File:HW2-What Could Go Wrong.jpg|Voridus' Volatile Scarab heads for High Charity.

File:HW2-Squish.gif|Atriox crushes an infection form.

File:HW2-Cleanup.png|Aggressor Sentinels begin to contain the Flood once again.

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