Banished home fleet
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The Banished home fleet was a massive fleet made up of the combined forces of the Banished that didn't accompany Warmaster Atriox to Installation 07.[1]
History[edit]
The fleet, consisting of two hundred clans and more than thirteen hundred warships,[2][3] was placed under War Chief Severan's command by Atriox before he left for Zeta Halo.[1]
Battle of Earth[edit]
On December 12, 2559, the Banished attacked Earth with 1,328 ships, far more than the Covenant had used in the Battle for Earth with Earth defending with the UNSC Home Fleet and orbital defense platforms. The battle drew two Guardian Custodes with a third Guardian joining soon afterwards. The Guardians attacked with their attenuation pulse emitters, disabling a vast section of both sides of the conflict, leaving the remaining ships on both sides quickly scrambling to get away from the Guardians. However, the Guardians were suddenly deactivated following the destruction of Cortana on Zeta Halo, which Severan took to be the work of Atriox. Elated, Severan ordered all of his forces to pull back rather than taking advantage of the opportunity to destroy Earth, intending to secure the Lithos on Boundary and return once the Banished were victorious.[4][5]
Battle of Boundary[edit]
At Boundary, the Banished fleet established a defensive shell around the planet and were engaged by the UNSC Victory of Samothrace and the three remaining ships of Battle Group Omega, destroying two karves and a skeid in the first pass, but losing the UNSC Easy Does It in the process. During this pass, the UNSC Hazard Pay scanned the planet and discovered more Banished vehicles and personnel on-station in Tyrrhen than most of the UNSC had seen since the Fall of Reach.[6] When Victory and Omega returned with the Shadow of Intent and Akkadian, the Banished sent several dozen vessels to intercept them. Through superior tactics, the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios ships destroyed several Banished vessels. The Fourth, Sixth, Ninth and Thirteenth expeditionary fleets ― totaling nearly two hundred ships ― would later reinforce Victory and Omega to finish their job of interfacing the key with the Lithos or destroying it to deny the Banished, Nesto and anyone else from accessing it; the tau spike from the extra fleet's arrival spooked the Banished into breaking up their defensive shell into smaller fleets to counter it.[7]
A fleet from Sali 'Nyon's Covenant also arrived[7] and helped to push the UNSC forces back. The Covenant forces were let through the defensive shell because they had Severan's own fleet's clearance codes. The number of Covenant ships was great enough and they were everywhere once they got through the defensive shell that the Banished were unable to stop Sali 'Nyon from sending out detachments to claim the key to the Lithos for himself. The collusion between Nesto and 'Nyon caused Severan to realize that Nesto had promised the Sangheili what he had already promised Severan[8] a position of authority in the resurrected Covenant and a place at the head of its military.[9] With the Banished only minutes away from reaching the Lithos, Victory was ordered to destroy the Lithos from orbit with a MAC strike. Captain Abigail Cole had the Shadow of Intent attempt to warn the surface team of the incoming strike while ordering the remaining UNSC ships to provide Victory with cover to make the shot against the combined Banished and Covenant forces.[10]
When Severan turned against High Lord Dovo Nesto, battle broke between the Banished and the Covenant,[9] both on the planet's surface and in orbit.[11] The Victory was nearly able to get into position to fire before the Banished flagship Heart of Malice joined the fight, ramming the Victory off target and damaging the drive control system, rending Victory unable to maneuver in any way. However, Victory's speed and trajectory still put it in position to fire upon the Lithos. The remaining ships of Omega held off the Banished flagship long enough for Victory to get into position to fire. Victory's MAC successfully fired into the Lithos just before the UNSC flagship was rammed by the Heart of Malice again.[12] Thousands of Banished and Covenant were killed in the strike and several dozen ships were vaporized by the Lithos' destruction while others were severely damaged, either cast adrift or sent on a collision course with the planet's surface.[13] Severan contacted the Heart of Malice and ordered the retreat of all of the remaining Banished ships.[14] After being nearly killed by Vul 'Soran, Severan was rescued by Kaevus in a Trespasser.[15]
By January 1, 2560, Atriox and Escharum had disappeared along with Zeta Halo and all of the forces that they took with them. Severan was now kept alive by life-sustaining armor and worried that with their top two leaders gone, the Banished would be thrown into chaos, becoming a faction of squabbling warlords vying to secure and expand their own fiefdoms, reenacting the clan wars of old. Severan intended to give the Banished purpose, direction and hope and rally them together in the absence of their leaders. Severan would dedicate the Banished to hunting down Nesto and the countless undiscovered treasures in the galaxy, from the remains of the Covenant war machine, to the secrets of the Forerunners and the many mysteries that lay even beyond them.[16]
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo: Empty Throne (First appearance)
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 4
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 14
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 16
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 19
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 20
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 23
- ^ a b Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 27
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 28
- ^ a b Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 32
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 31
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 33
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 35
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne - Adjunct
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 36
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 40
- ^ Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 46
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