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*Many Unggoy
*Many Unggoy
*Many Kig-yar
*Many Kig-yar
|casual2 = *Many ODSTs
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*Most Marines killed, captured, or infected
*Most Marines killed, captured, or infected
*Most crew members killed, captured, or infected
*Most crew members killed, captured, or infected
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*Many carrier forms
*Many carrier forms
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}}
{{Quote|We shall cut into the heart of this infestation, retrieve the Icon, and burn any Flood that stand in our way!|[[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee}}
{{Quote|At the center of this zone, is a Sacred Icon critical to the Great Journey. I must find it.|[[Thel 'Vadamee]] to[[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee}}


The '''Battle of the Quarantine Zone''' was a [[battle]] which took place on [[Installation 05]] for a span of nearly 100,000 years. When the ring was later discovered in [[2552]], the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] and [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] fought through the [[Quarantine Zone]] in search of the [[Activation Index]], known to the Covenant as the Sacred Icon. Both parties had to battle their way through legions of [[The Flood|Flood]] and [[Forerunner]] machines designed to halt the parasitic outbreak.
The '''Battle of the Quarantine Zone''' was a [[battle]] which took place on [[Installation 05]] in 2552, as the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] and [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] fought through the [[Quarantine Zone]] in search of the [[Activation Index]], known to the Covenant as the Sacred Icon. The battle encompassed an extended conflict between [[Flood]] and [[Forerunner]] [[Sentinels]] that stretched back nearly 100,000 years.
 
The establishment of the Quarantine Zone is rooted in ancient history - approximately 3,000 years after the activation of the [[Halo Array]], the Flood under containment on [[Installation 05]] were released. Under normal circumstances [[Sentinel]] guards would have been able to keep the parasite under control. Unfortunately, the Flood had access to [[Flood combat form|hosts]], and were able to hold off the constructs.
 
In [[97,227 BCE|May 97,227 BCE]], Installation 05's [[Monitor]] 2401 Penitent Tangent was warned by [[Unidentified ancilla (Installation 05)|Forerunner Ancilla]] of a pending outbreak in one the installation's [[Flood]] [[Flood containment facility|containment facilities]]. The monitor continued to ignore this warning, and those that followed, for millennia. Within [[2552|99,779 years]], the containment facility had been overrun by the Flood, with lockdown protocols in effect within the Halo's [[teleportation grid]] to prevent further infestation.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', [[multiplayer]] map ''[[Cold Storage]]'' [[Installation 05 containment failure report|transmissions]]</ref> Eventually, the full force of the installation's [[Sentinel]]s and [[Enforcer]]s was mobilized, and a [[Quarantine Zone]] was established, surrounded by an enormous [[Sentinel Wall|wall]] projecting a powerful [[Containment Shield]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Sacred Icon]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Quarantine Zone]]''</ref>
 
The establishment of the Quarantine Zone was too late to prevent the formation of a [[Gravemind]]. Over the centuries, the Gravemind's reach spread throughout the installation,<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[Regret (level)|Regret]]''</ref> eventually capturing the Monitor of the installation, [[2401 Penitent Tangent]] was captured by the Gravemind, giving him access to the [[teleportation grid]], and causing the structures on the Installation to fall into disrepair.


==The Battle==
==The Battle==
===Background===
===Background===
Not much is known of how the battle of the Quarantine Zone began, as it is rooted in ancient history. The battle began after an unknown event, approximately 3,000 years after the activation of the [[Halo Array]], when the Flood under containment on [[Installation 05]] were released. Under normal circumstances [[Sentinel]] guards would have been able to keep the parasite under control. Unfortunately, the Flood had access to [[Flood combat form|hosts]], and were able to hold off the constructs.
After building enough biomass, a local [[proto-Gravemind]] reached critical mass, allowing the formation of a sentient, highly aware form of flood stage known as the [[Gravemind]]. Now coordinated, the Flood posed a serious threat. The battle soon spiraled out of control, and [[Sentinel constructor factory|Sentinel manufacturing facilities]] constructed more powerful constructs, such as [[Sentinel Major]]s and [[Enforcer]]s. An enormous [[Sentinel Wall|wall]] had been built around the Installation's [[Library]], which was housing the Gravemind.<ref name="GM">'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]]''</ref> The area within the boundaries of the wall were starved of heat and light in order to inhibit Flood growth, thus establishing the [[Quarantine Zone]].


Over the centuries, the Gravemind's reach spread throughout the installation.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[Regret (level)|Regret]]''</ref> The Monitor of the installation, [[2401 Penitent Tangent]] was captured by the Gravemind, giving him access to the [[teleportation grid]],<ref name="GM"/> and causing the structures on the Installation to fall into disrepair.
In 2551, a small Covenant team found a Luminary on Meridian after a battle on the moon, and the Luminary was delivered to Regret. By late 2552, two Stewards assigned to decrypt the Luminary finally revealed its content to the [[Prophet of Regret]]: the locations of the Halo rings, including Installation 05. After a failed invasion of [[Earth]], [[Regret]] fled to the Ring aboard his flagship [[Solemn Penance]], pursued by the UNSC ''[[In Amber Clad]].''


===UNSC Incursion===
===UNSC Incursion===


{{Quote|Proceed to the [[Index|objective]], we'll hold out as long as we can!|Gunnery Sergeant [[Marcus Stacker]], as the flood overwhelm UNSC forces inside the Sentinel Wall.}}
{{Quote|Proceed to the [[Index|objective]], we'll hold out as long as we can!|Gunnery Sergeant [[Marcus Stacker]], as the flood overwhelm UNSC forces inside the Sentinel Wall.}}
[[File:H2A-In Amber Clad Quarantine Zone.png|thumb|left|300px|The UNSC ''In Amber Clad'' holds position near Delta Halo's library.]]


Shortly after arriving in the [[Coelest system]] in pursuit of the [[Solemn Penance]], Commander [[Miranda Keyes]] of the UNSC [[In Amber Clad|''In Amber Clad'']] demanded the [[Cortana|AI Cortana]] provide her with all information from the installation her father had discovered a month prior.<ref name="H2-DeltaHalo">'''''[[Halo 2]]''''' - ''[[Delta Halo]]'', opening cutscene</ref> Keyes was able to locate [[Installation 05]]'s Library, and set out to reach it and secure it's [[Activation Index]] before the Covenant could do so. Marine forces lead by [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]] were ordered to extract from their positions on the ring's surface and rendezvous with the ''In Amber Clad'' at the Library.<ref name="Regret">'''[[Halo 2]]''' campaign level ''[[Regret (level)|Regret]]'', opening cutscene</ref>
Shortly after arriving in the [[Coelest system]] in pursuit of the [[Solemn Penance]], Commander [[Miranda Keyes]] of the UNSC [[In Amber Clad|''In Amber Clad'']] demanded the [[Cortana|AI Cortana]] provide her with all information from the installation her father had discovered a month prior.<ref name="H2-DeltaHalo">'''''[[Halo 2]]''''' - ''[[Delta Halo]]'', opening cutscene</ref> Keyes was able to locate [[Installation 05]]'s Library, and set out to reach it and secure it's [[Activation Index]] before the Covenant could do so. Marine forces lead by [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]] were ordered to extract from their positions on the ring's surface and rendezvous with the ''In Amber Clad'' at the Library.<ref name="Regret">'''[[Halo 2]]''' campaign level ''[[Regret (level)|Regret]]'', opening cutscene</ref>
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With his forces decimated, but the Containment Shield now disabled, Stacker radioed ''In Amber Clad'' suggesting Keyes proceed straight to the Library while his troops attempted to hold their position. A short time later, Stacker made contact with Keyes once again, confirming their engagement with non-Covenant hostile lifeforms, while Banks and other Marine survivors could be heard staging a desperate defense.<ref>'''''[[Halo 2]]''''' - ''[[Sacred_Icon#Buyer.27s_Remorse|Sacred Icon]], Buyer's Remorse''</ref>
With his forces decimated, but the Containment Shield now disabled, Stacker radioed ''In Amber Clad'' suggesting Keyes proceed straight to the Library while his troops attempted to hold their position. A short time later, Stacker made contact with Keyes once again, confirming their engagement with non-Covenant hostile lifeforms, while Banks and other Marine survivors could be heard staging a desperate defense.<ref>'''''[[Halo 2]]''''' - ''[[Sacred_Icon#Buyer.27s_Remorse|Sacred Icon]], Buyer's Remorse''</ref>


The ''In Amber Clad'' swiftly took advantage of the lowered Containment Shield, deploying it's full strength to the icy plains of the Quarantine Zone as battle raged between Flood and Sentinel forces. Multiple [[M808 Scorpion]]s and [[M12 Warthog]]s were deployed via [[D77-TC Pelican|dropship]], and the UNSC forces pushed towards the Library. UNSC superiority would be short-lived however, as the Flood's acquisition of vehicles brought by the In Amber Clad and arriving Covenant forces swung the battle in their favor. With the subsequent destruction of a [[Sentinel manufacturing facility]] reinforcing the Quarantine Zone, the flood presence quickly became overwhelming.<ref name="H2-SacredIcon">'''''[[Halo 2]]''''' - ''[[Sacred_Icon#100,000_Years_War|Sacred Icon]], 100,000 Years War''</ref>
The ''In Amber Clad'' swiftly took advantage of the lowered Containment Shield, deploying it's full strength to the icy plains of the Quarantine Zone as battle raged between hostile Sentinel forces and the Flood. Multiple [[M808 Scorpion]]s and [[M12 Warthog]]s were deployed via [[D77-TC Pelican|dropship]], and the UNSC forces pushed towards the Library. UNSC superiority would be short-lived, as the Flood's acquisition of vehicles brought by the In Amber Clad and arriving Covenant forces swung the battle in their favor. With the subsequent destruction of a [[Sentinel manufacturing facility]] reinforcing the Quarantine Zone, the flood presence quickly became overwhelming.<ref name="H2-SacredIcon">'''''[[Halo 2]]''''' - ''[[Sacred_Icon#100,000_Years_War|Sacred Icon]], 100,000 Years War''</ref>


Eventually reaching a large facility with multiple [[anti-gravity gondola]]s designed to take them to the Library, Keyes' forces staged a final stand at the facility exterior, utilizing a Scorpion and multiple stationary [[M247 machine gun]] turrets. The position was swiftly overrun as Johnson and Keyes led a small squad of Marines into the facility. They boarded the Gondola moments before [[Covenant Special Operations]] forces arrived, who followed in close pursuit on a gondola of their own.
Eventually reaching a large facility with multiple [[anti-gravity gondola]]s designed to take them to the Library, Keyes' forces a final stand at the facility exterior, utilizing a Scorpion and multiple stationary [[M247 machine gun]] turrets. The position was swiftly overrun by Flood as Johnson and Keyes led a small squad of Marines into the facility. They boarded the Gondola moments before [[Covenant Special Operations]] forces arrived, who followed in close pursuit on a gondola of their own.


As Johnson and Keyes entered the Library to secure the Index, the Marine squad defending the facility entrance was killed by Flood Pod Infector forms. The pair thus had no warning as a cloaked Thel 'Vadamee ambushed them, and arriving Jiralhanae forces led by the Chieftain [[Tartarus]] subsequently captured the index, taking the unconscious Johnson and Keyes as prisoners.
As Johnson and Keyes entered the Library to secure the Index, the Marine squad defending the facility entrance was killed by Flood Pod Infector forms. The pair thus had no warning as a cloaked Thel 'Vadamee ambushed them, and arriving Jiralhanae forces led by the Chieftain [[Tartarus]] subsequently captured the index, taking the unconscious Johnson and Keyes as prisoners.
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===Covenant intervention===
===Covenant intervention===
Thel 'Vadamee, the Arbiter of the Covenant, was personally ordered by the Prophets to journey to the surface of the ring to retrieve the Index (or the Sacred Icon as the Covenant call it),  some time after the UNSC began their operation. Dropped directly into the outer wall by a [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantom]] transport, the Arbiter fought mostly alone, only aided by a small number of the original landing party (several Unggoy and Kig-yar), through numerous Forerunner constructs to reach the control center for the containment shields. By lowering these shields, the Covenant soldiers learned that human Marines had made it through the wall first, only to be swiftly infected by [[the Flood]]. By lowering the Containment shields, the Covenant allowed more free movement for the Flood. More Covenant warriors soon entered the Quarantine Zone along with their own vehicular support, unfortunately exacerbating the Flood outbreak.
{{Quote|We shall cut into the heart of this infestation, retrieve the Icon, and burn any Flood that stand in our way!| Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee after learning of the Arbiter's mission}}
[[File:H2A - Rtas rallying troops.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Rtas rallying his troops]]
After numerous waves of [[Jiralhanae]]-led forces failed to breach the outer wall, Thel 'Vadamee, the Arbiter of the Covenant, was personally ordered by the Prophets to journey to the surface of the ring to retrieve the [[Sacred Icon]]. Dropped directly to the wall by a [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantom]] transport, the Arbiter encountered a small number of surviving [[Unggoy]] and [[Kig-Yar]] from the earlier assault. After battling through numerous Forerunner constructs to reach the control center for the Containment Shield, the Arbiter deactivated the shield, proceeding to the inner wall. After his evac Phantom was driven off by a Sentinel Enforcer, 'Vadamee was forced to travel through the now-flood infested inner-wall. He picked up multiple transmissions from the dwindling human forces that had made it through the wall first, even encountering two small fireteams.


This breach of containment led to the rapid growth in the Flood's numbers as they assimilated both humans from the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} and Covenant warriors. With these new hosts, the Flood gained access to more sophisticated equipment, [[weapons]] and combat vehicles, magnifying the danger the outbreak presented immeasurably. The Flood showed a bit of a tactical genius by destroying one of the Forerunner [[Sentinel manufacturing facility|Sentinel manufacturing plants]], bringing it crashing down on the surface and stopping the production of Sentinels and Enforcers. This meant that while the Flood might not have to fight as many Forerunner machines, human and Covenant forces would possibly be able to get to the Index easier.
As the Arbiter moved through the Sentinel Wall, Covenant Special Operations forces were deployed to the Quarantine Zone, along with vehicular support, unfortunately exacerbating the Flood outbreak. The Flood's numbers swelled as they assimilated both humans from the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} and Covenant warriors. With these new hosts, the Flood gained access to more sophisticated equipment, [[weapons]] and combat vehicles, magnifying the danger the outbreak presented immeasurably. The Flood used numerous [[Wraith]] tanks to destroy one of the Forerunner [[Sentinel manufacturing facility|Sentinel manufacturing plants]], bringing it crashing down on the surface and slowing the production of Sentinels and Enforcers, swinging the tide further in their favor.


Despite this new and surprising defense, Covenant and human forces were able to battle their way through the legions of Flood and Sentinel constructs. Elements of both parties eventually reached the gondola entrance points to the Library of Delta Halo. [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]], [[Avery Junior Johnson|Sgt. Johnson]] and a number of Marines entered the Library first. They were quickly followed by the Arbiter and a squad of [[Sangheili]] SpecOps troops. [[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee stayed behind to defend the Gondola station.
Exiting the Sentinel Wall and rendezvousing with his Sangheili brothers, Thel 'Vadamee pushed through the war-torn wastes of the Quarantine Zone supported by [[Rtas Vadumee]] and his SpecOps Elites, reaching the gondola entrance points to the Library of Delta Halo. After noticing human forces had already departed, Vadumee boarded a gondola alongside a squad of [[Sangheili]] SpecOps troops. [[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee stayed behind to defend the Gondola station.


Human forces had gained access to the Library first, but only by a matter of minutes. The Arbiter exited the Gondala while his fellow Sangheili warriors stayed aboard to guard it, as it was the only entrance/exit.<ref name="Gondola">[[Halo 2]], [[Quarantine Zone (level)]] "We shall protect this vessel. It may be our only means of escape. Retrieve the Icon, Arbiter, for the Covenant, and the Journey!", Special Operations Sangheili</ref> Upon exploring the interior of the Library, it was clear that the humans had faced stiff opposition, all but two of their forces had died combating the Flood and Sentinels already within its walls.
Human forces had gained access to the Library first, but only by a matter of minutes. The Arbiter exited the Gondala while his fellow Sangheili warriors stayed aboard to guard it, as it was the only entrance/exit.<ref name="Gondola">[[Halo 2]], [[Quarantine Zone (level)]] "We shall protect this vessel. It may be our only means of escape. Retrieve the Icon, Arbiter, for the Covenant, and the Journey!", Special Operations Sangheili</ref> Upon exploring the interior of the Library, it was clear that the humans had faced stiff opposition, all but two of their forces had died combating the Flood and Sentinels already within its walls.
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===Conclusion===
===Conclusion===
The battle itself was from a strategic stand point, a Covenant victory. They succeeded in not only obtaining the Index but captured all of the Marines that were not infected (the Covenant were well aware that to activate the rings a human hand was required). The Flood on the other hand, won a tactical victory, succeeding in not only escaping Installation 05 but gained the means to spread to other worlds through infesting all the nearby ships (i.e. ''In Amber Clad''). The UNSC forces, on the other hand, failed to recover the Index and were almost completely killed or captured by the Covenant or infected by the Flood and the Forerunner constructs, without the leadership of 2401 Penitent Tangent could not stop the Flood from escaping the ring.
The battle itself was a decisive Covenant victory. They succeeded in obtaining the Index, captured the UNSC leadership as well as all surviving Marines, providing them with the [[Reclaimers]] required to activate the Installation. The Flood also benefited immensely, escaping the Quarantine Zone, and capturing a slipspace-capable starship in the ''In Amber Clad.'' The UNSC forces failed to recover the Index, lost the ''In Amber Clad'' and it's crew to Flood, and suffered total casualties, aside from the small number of survivors captured by the Covenant from the Library and Sentinel Wall.
 
==List of appearances==
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 2]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo 2]]'' {{1st}}

Revision as of 03:02, February 19, 2020

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Template:Quad battle infobox

"At the center of this zone, is a Sacred Icon critical to the Great Journey. I must find it."
— Thel 'Vadamee toRtas 'Vadumee

The Battle of the Quarantine Zone was a battle which took place on Installation 05 in 2552, as the Covenant and UNSC fought through the Quarantine Zone in search of the Activation Index, known to the Covenant as the Sacred Icon. The battle encompassed an extended conflict between Flood and Forerunner Sentinels that stretched back nearly 100,000 years.

The establishment of the Quarantine Zone is rooted in ancient history - approximately 3,000 years after the activation of the Halo Array, the Flood under containment on Installation 05 were released. Under normal circumstances Sentinel guards would have been able to keep the parasite under control. Unfortunately, the Flood had access to hosts, and were able to hold off the constructs.

In May 97,227 BCE, Installation 05's Monitor 2401 Penitent Tangent was warned by Forerunner Ancilla of a pending outbreak in one the installation's Flood containment facilities. The monitor continued to ignore this warning, and those that followed, for millennia. Within 99,779 years, the containment facility had been overrun by the Flood, with lockdown protocols in effect within the Halo's teleportation grid to prevent further infestation.[1] Eventually, the full force of the installation's Sentinels and Enforcers was mobilized, and a Quarantine Zone was established, surrounded by an enormous wall projecting a powerful Containment Shield.[2][3]

The establishment of the Quarantine Zone was too late to prevent the formation of a Gravemind. Over the centuries, the Gravemind's reach spread throughout the installation,[4] eventually capturing the Monitor of the installation, 2401 Penitent Tangent was captured by the Gravemind, giving him access to the teleportation grid, and causing the structures on the Installation to fall into disrepair.

The Battle

Background

In 2551, a small Covenant team found a Luminary on Meridian after a battle on the moon, and the Luminary was delivered to Regret. By late 2552, two Stewards assigned to decrypt the Luminary finally revealed its content to the Prophet of Regret: the locations of the Halo rings, including Installation 05. After a failed invasion of Earth, Regret fled to the Ring aboard his flagship Solemn Penance, pursued by the UNSC In Amber Clad.

UNSC Incursion

"Proceed to the objective, we'll hold out as long as we can!"
— Gunnery Sergeant Marcus Stacker, as the flood overwhelm UNSC forces inside the Sentinel Wall.
The UNSC In Amber Clad holds position near Delta Halo's library.

Shortly after arriving in the Coelest system in pursuit of the Solemn Penance, Commander Miranda Keyes of the UNSC In Amber Clad demanded the AI Cortana provide her with all information from the installation her father had discovered a month prior.[5] Keyes was able to locate Installation 05's Library, and set out to reach it and secure it's Activation Index before the Covenant could do so. Marine forces lead by Sergeant Major Avery Johnson were ordered to extract from their positions on the ring's surface and rendezvous with the In Amber Clad at the Library.[6]

Upon arriving at the Sentinel Wall surrounding the Library and the Containment Shield it projected, the In Amber Clad deployed a platoon-sized force of Marines to the wall led by Gunnery Sergeant Marcus Stacker and Staff Sergeant Banks. The Marines moved through the outer wall with ease, unmolested by local Sentinel defenses - likely due to being recognized by the automated guardians as Reclaimers.[7]

As the Marines moved through the inner wall, the outer wall became besieged by Jiralhanae-led Covenant forces deployed from the recently arrived High Charity. Eventually, the Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee was able to deactivate the Containment Shield, and the inner wall quickly became overrun with Flood from the nearby Quarantine Zone.

Spread throughout the wall in small fireteams and completely unaware of the nature of enemy they were facing, most of the platoon was quickly assimilated by the parasite, proceeding to take up arms against their former comrades. Additionally, the local Sentinel forces became hostile to the surviving Marines, likely due to the immediate presence of the Flood. With his forces decimated, but the Containment Shield now disabled, Stacker radioed In Amber Clad suggesting Keyes proceed straight to the Library while his troops attempted to hold their position. A short time later, Stacker made contact with Keyes once again, confirming their engagement with non-Covenant hostile lifeforms, while Banks and other Marine survivors could be heard staging a desperate defense.[8]

The In Amber Clad swiftly took advantage of the lowered Containment Shield, deploying it's full strength to the icy plains of the Quarantine Zone as battle raged between hostile Sentinel forces and the Flood. Multiple M808 Scorpions and M12 Warthogs were deployed via dropship, and the UNSC forces pushed towards the Library. UNSC superiority would be short-lived, as the Flood's acquisition of vehicles brought by the In Amber Clad and arriving Covenant forces swung the battle in their favor. With the subsequent destruction of a Sentinel manufacturing facility reinforcing the Quarantine Zone, the flood presence quickly became overwhelming.[9]

Eventually reaching a large facility with multiple anti-gravity gondolas designed to take them to the Library, Keyes' forces a final stand at the facility exterior, utilizing a Scorpion and multiple stationary M247 machine gun turrets. The position was swiftly overrun by Flood as Johnson and Keyes led a small squad of Marines into the facility. They boarded the Gondola moments before Covenant Special Operations forces arrived, who followed in close pursuit on a gondola of their own.

As Johnson and Keyes entered the Library to secure the Index, the Marine squad defending the facility entrance was killed by Flood Pod Infector forms. The pair thus had no warning as a cloaked Thel 'Vadamee ambushed them, and arriving Jiralhanae forces led by the Chieftain Tartarus subsequently captured the index, taking the unconscious Johnson and Keyes as prisoners.

With the majority of the ship's Marine complement killed in action, the In Amber Clad was eventually overrun by the surging Flood presence, and it's entire crew presumably killed.[10]

Covenant intervention

"We shall cut into the heart of this infestation, retrieve the Icon, and burn any Flood that stand in our way!"
— Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee after learning of the Arbiter's mission
Rtas rallying his troops

After numerous waves of Jiralhanae-led forces failed to breach the outer wall, Thel 'Vadamee, the Arbiter of the Covenant, was personally ordered by the Prophets to journey to the surface of the ring to retrieve the Sacred Icon. Dropped directly to the wall by a Phantom transport, the Arbiter encountered a small number of surviving Unggoy and Kig-Yar from the earlier assault. After battling through numerous Forerunner constructs to reach the control center for the Containment Shield, the Arbiter deactivated the shield, proceeding to the inner wall. After his evac Phantom was driven off by a Sentinel Enforcer, 'Vadamee was forced to travel through the now-flood infested inner-wall. He picked up multiple transmissions from the dwindling human forces that had made it through the wall first, even encountering two small fireteams.

As the Arbiter moved through the Sentinel Wall, Covenant Special Operations forces were deployed to the Quarantine Zone, along with vehicular support, unfortunately exacerbating the Flood outbreak. The Flood's numbers swelled as they assimilated both humans from the UNSC In Amber Clad and Covenant warriors. With these new hosts, the Flood gained access to more sophisticated equipment, weapons and combat vehicles, magnifying the danger the outbreak presented immeasurably. The Flood used numerous Wraith tanks to destroy one of the Forerunner Sentinel manufacturing plants, bringing it crashing down on the surface and slowing the production of Sentinels and Enforcers, swinging the tide further in their favor.

Exiting the Sentinel Wall and rendezvousing with his Sangheili brothers, Thel 'Vadamee pushed through the war-torn wastes of the Quarantine Zone supported by Rtas Vadumee and his SpecOps Elites, reaching the gondola entrance points to the Library of Delta Halo. After noticing human forces had already departed, Vadumee boarded a gondola alongside a squad of Sangheili SpecOps troops. Rtas 'Vadumee stayed behind to defend the Gondola station.

Human forces had gained access to the Library first, but only by a matter of minutes. The Arbiter exited the Gondala while his fellow Sangheili warriors stayed aboard to guard it, as it was the only entrance/exit.[11] Upon exploring the interior of the Library, it was clear that the humans had faced stiff opposition, all but two of their forces had died combating the Flood and Sentinels already within its walls.

The Arbiter found Miranda Keyes and Sergeant Johnson within the Index Chamber, having retrieved the Index seconds before his arrival. Sergeant Johnson was ready, armed with a Battle Rifle, along with Miranda Keyes who was reaching for the Index holding on to one of the Gravemind's tentacles. Miranda secured the Index and drew two SMGs. Johnson called for his marines, but received no answer and armed his weapon. The Arbiter proved his worth as a warrior once again, incapacitating both Johnson and Keyes in a matter of moments. The arrival of Tartarus and his hostile Jiralhanae forces within the Chamber, after making their way through the Sangheili forces guarding the Gondala,[11] signified the beginning of the Great Schism. Tartarus briefly told the Arbiter how the Sangheili had been expelled from the Covenant under the orders of the High Prophet of Truth, and proceeded to attack the Arbiter, sending him plummeting to his doom deep within the Library, towards the Gravemind.

Conclusion

The battle itself was a decisive Covenant victory. They succeeded in obtaining the Index, captured the UNSC leadership as well as all surviving Marines, providing them with the Reclaimers required to activate the Installation. The Flood also benefited immensely, escaping the Quarantine Zone, and capturing a slipspace-capable starship in the In Amber Clad. The UNSC forces failed to recover the Index, lost the In Amber Clad and it's crew to Flood, and suffered total casualties, aside from the small number of survivors captured by the Covenant from the Library and Sentinel Wall.

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ Halo 3, multiplayer map Cold Storage transmissions
  2. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Sacred Icon
  3. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Quarantine Zone
  4. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Regret
  5. ^ Halo 2 - Delta Halo, opening cutscene
  6. ^ Halo 2 campaign level Regret, opening cutscene
  7. ^ Halo 2 - Sacred Icon, Uncomfortable Silence
  8. ^ Halo 2 - Sacred Icon, Buyer's Remorse
  9. ^ Halo 2 - Sacred Icon, 100,000 Years War
  10. ^ Halo 2 - Gravemind, Inside Job
  11. ^ a b Halo 2, Quarantine Zone (level) "We shall protect this vessel. It may be our only means of escape. Retrieve the Icon, Arbiter, for the Covenant, and the Journey!", Special Operations Sangheili

v • d • e
 
⇦ Engagements in the Battle of Installation 05 ⇨
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