Operation: BUMRUSH

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Operation: BUMRUSH
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War Battle for Earth Battle of Mombasa; ; ;
Date:	October 20, 2552, 1602 hours
Location:	Low Earth orbit, New Mombasa, Kenya
Outcome:	Tactical Covenant victory UNSC operation foiled; Covenant flees the city unscathed;
Details
Belligerents
United Nations Space Command	Covenant
Commanders
FADM Joseph Harper; ADM Say My Name Actual;	Prophet of Regret; Shipmaster Rhul 'Salmutee ; ;
Strength
Home Fleet Fifth Fleet Heavy cruiser (1+) ; ; ; Orbital Drop Shock Troopers 65th Shock Troops Division 103rd Shock Troops Battalion Alpha-Nine; ; ; ;	Fleet of Sacred Consecration CAS-class assault carrier (1); ;
Casualties
Nearly all ODSTs	None

This article is about the UNSC operation during Battle for Earth. For the corvette of the same name that took part in Operation: TREBUCHET, see UNSC Bum Rush.

Lance Corporal Kojo "Romeo" Agu: "Just saying, Dutch -- they missed one."

Corporal Taylor "Dutch" Miles: "No. They left it for us."

— Members of Alpha-Nine discussing the impending mission.^[3]

Operation: BUMRUSH was an operation as UNSC attempt to infiltrate and force down the Prophet of Regret's flagship, Solemn Penance, during the Battle of Mombasa as part of the nascent Battle for Earth on October 20, 2552.^[1]^[3]

Background[edit]

Regret's carrier holding position over the city.

During the opening stages of the Battle for Earth, the Penance blew past UNSC defenses in orbit and set course for the African mega-city of New Mombasa, settling over the Uplift Nature Reserve and deploying massive numbers of ground infantry and heavy equipment with the intent to drive the UNSC out of the area to begin its excavation effort for the supposed Forerunner Ark.^[4]^[5]^[6] Realizing that they were at a tactical disadvantage, all Covenant forces eventually began retreating to Prophet of Regret's carrier.

As the battle on the ground intensified, FLEETCOM issued an unexpected order: several vessels of the Fifth Fleet were to launch a force of ODSTs onto the carrier to breach its hull and force the ship down by gaining access to the interior.^[7]

The Drop[edit]

View from Jonathan Doherty's pod during the drop.

At 1602 hours, Operation: BUMRUSH was greenlit and these vessels, among them the cruiser Say My Name, deployed their respective contingents of troopers into Earth's atmosphere above the city. At 1603 hours, one minute into the drop, the Penance suddenly initiated an in-atmosphere slipspace jump, creating a massive electromagnetic pulse that fried the safety and navigational systems of the troopers' drop pods, sending them all free-falling to near-certain death and effectively terminating the operation.^[3]

Aftermath[edit]

Alpha-Nine, having diverted their trajectory at the last minute, is the only squad known to survive the drop, albeit scattering its troopers across the city. After regrouping, Alpha-Nine was able to escape the city in a stolen Phantom before it was glassed by a Covenant reinforced and excavation fleet. Regret, having entered slipspace to escape the city, arrived at Halo Installation 05 about two weeks later, precipitating the Battle of Installation 05 and his eventual death at the hands of Spartan-II John-117. The ultimate fate of the Penance is unknown.^[8]

Gallery[edit]

Members of Alpha-Nine discussing the mission in UNSC Say My Name's waiting room.
SOEIVs entering Earth's atmosphere.
ODSTs dropping in en masse.
Slipspace rupture.
Drop pods plummeting to the surface.
Regret's Carrier moments before jumping.
Mombasa Slipspace Event.