Editing Battle for Zeta Halo (section)

==Battle==
===Space battle===
{{Main|Battle over Installation 07}}
[[File:HINF AtrioxVsMasterChief.png|thumb|left|250px|John-117 had been assumed dead at the hands of Atriox after being tossed into space when the ''Infinity'' was overrun.]]
{{Quote|Do you know how long it took us to neutralize your greatest ship? Four minutes. In four minutes, the ''Infinity'', mankind's finest achievement, became a memory.|[[War Chief]] [[Escharum]].{{Ref/Quest|HINF|Reckoning (Halo Infinite)|House of Reckoning|Quote=You were there when we struck the ''Infinity''. The first dreadnought came from the side. In the chaos that followed, you hardly had time to notice the other three bear down upon you. Do you know how long it took us to neutralize your greatest ship? Four minutes. In four minutes, the ''Infinity'', mankind's finest achievement, became a memory.|Quotee=Escharum}}}}

On [[2559#December|December 12, 2559]], {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} and her escort fleet, which included six {{Class|Mulsanne|light frigate}}s, arrived at Installation 07.{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Infinity's Approach 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Infinity's Approach #01 - Preparations}}{{Ref/Reuse|foundation}} Upon arrival, the weakened UNSC fleet was ambushed by four [[Banished dreadnought]]s.{{Ref/Game|Id=ia4|HI|HINF:Audio log#Infinity's Approach 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Infinity's Approach #04 - Arrival}} The Banished had arrived at the ring earlier, and began fortifying on the ring's surface to neutralize Cortana.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p25}}

Warmaster Atriox personally led Banished raiding parties aboard the ''Infinity'' in search of the Weapon,{{Ref/Reuse|ia4}}{{Ref/Quest|HINF|Reformation (Halo Infinite)|The Sequence|Quote=Atriox came for you. He attacked the Infinity. We fought. He won.|Quotee=John-117}}{{Ref/Site|Id=CFNY|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-new-year-new-lore|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - New Year, New Lore|D=23|M=01|Y=2023|Quote=The Banished, however, simultaneously initiated boarding action to compromise the ship’s hangar bays, led by Atriox himself who had come to claim the Weapon—though she had already been deployed to the ring.}} all the while sending occupation forces to the Ring's surface by the hundreds.{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Infinity's Approach 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Infinity's Approach #07 - Objectives}} Despite the UNSC repelling the boarders, the ''Infinity''{{'}}s main engine were taken offline within minutes after the initial attack, and Captain Lasky ordered the deployment of the Weapon to proceed with the mission to lock down Cortana.{{Ref/Game|Id=ia5|HI|HINF:Audio log#Infinity's Approach 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Infinity's Approach #05 - Zero Hour}} Under the overwhelming assault, Lasky ordered all hands aboard the ''Infinity'' to abandon ship.{{Ref/Reuse|e1}} 

John-117 ordered Fireteam Taurus to escort Lasky to a dropship while he held off the boarders at the hangar bay.{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Infinity's Approach 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Infinity's Approach #10 - Priorities}} However, despite his efforts, the hangar bay would eventually be lost to the Banished. As one dreadnought rammed the dorsal hull of the ''Infinity'', causing massive structural damage, Atriox fought John-117 in the hangar bay and defeated the Spartan. The limp Spartan was thrown from the hangar bay and into space.{{Ref/Quest|Id=wg|HI|Ringfall|Warship Gbraakon}}{{Ref/Mag|Id=GI341|Game Informer|341|page 43}}

After Lasky’s lifeboat was away, Spartan [[Hudson Griffin]] of Fireteam Taurus ordered the evacuation of the remaining [[SPARTAN-IV program|Spartan-IVs]].{{Ref/Reuse|e1}} Spartan-IVs, marines, and crew fled onboard drop pods,{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Evacuation 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Evacuation #07 - Intrepid Descent}} Pelicans,{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Ringfall 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Ringfall #01 - Enemy Territory}} and lifeboats to the surface of Installation 07,{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Ringfall 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Ringfall #02 - The Calm Before}} many being shot down seconds after exiting the vessel.{{Ref/Game|Id=e3|HI|HINF:Audio log#Evacuation 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=evacuation #03 - Touchdown}} Some were escorted by members of [[Fireteam Windfall]] onboard fighters.{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Evacuation 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=evacuation #06 - Buying Time}} 

In the region south of Silent Auditorium, the Banished set up three anti-air [[Kywasky Workshop Gorespike cannon]]s, which fired at numerous UNSC aircrafts landing at the area.{{Ref/Game|Id=r4|HI|HINF:Audio log#Ringfall 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Ringfall #04 - Run and Guns}} This region became the most active battleground in the first 48 hours of the conflict.{{Ref/Quest|HINF|Reformation (Halo Infinite)|FOB Hotel|Quote=There we go — another FOB is ours. this one was built on of the most active battlegrounds in the first 48 hours of the war. UNSC and Banished records both suggest that it was absolute chaos. It raged all over, but nowhere quite as intensely as the island just north of us. Where we got shot down, you might recall.|Quotee=The Weapon}} Recognizing the threat posed by the cannons, Spartan Hudson led Fireteam Taurus and made landfall in this region, where they fought through Banished patrols, with sniper support from Spartan [[Nina Kovan]], to disable the three cannons.{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Evacuation 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Evacuation #05 - Overwatch}} They succeed in disabling two cannons before a cataclysmic event on the ring—an explosion at the Silent Auditorium—disabled the third cannon.{{Ref/Reuse|r4}}

In the end, the outcome of the space battle saw at least two ''Mulsanne''-class frigates, including the {{UNSCShip|Mortal Reverie}},{{Ref/Game|Id=hafh|HI|HINF:Audio log#Reverie 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Reverie #01 - Home Away From Home}} crashing on the fragmented section of the ring. The second frigate crashed between the three Gorespike cannons.{{Ref/Quest|Id=pdown|HI|Graveyards|[[Pelican Down (Halo Infinite level)|Pelican Down]]}} A third frigate was bisected, leaving its remains drifting in space.{{Ref/Quest|HINF|Ringfall|Warship Gbraakon|Detail=[[:File:HINF Warship G engines overload.png|A bisected frigate can be seen from the bridge viewport]]}} The ''Infinity'' crash-landed on Halo's surface,{{Ref/YouTube|Id=GameInformer|fSNXqbbAjC4|Game Informer|Halo Infinite Impressions: Exploration, Upgrades, and More|Time=9:17}}{{Ref/Site|Id=GIInf|URL=https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/11/11/off-the-golden-path-progression-and-exploration-in-halo-infinite|Site=Game Informer|Page=Off The Golden Path – Progression And Exploration In Halo Infinite|D=11|M=11|Y=2021|Quote=[…] while rallying the UNSC forces that have crash-landed there after the devastating destruction crash of the UNSC Infinity.}} where it would be cloaked by its advanced [[baffler]] systems, providing safe refuge to human survivors over the coming months.{{Ref/Reuse|CFSoell}} However, the fate of the flagship is unknown to the UNSC forces scattered across the ring, aside from it had suffered heavy damage from Banished vessels.{{Ref/Reuse|wg}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=EOD42|EOD|Chapter=42}}

===Cortana's destruction and the ring fractures===
[[File:HINF Zeta Halo Destroyed.png|thumb|250px|The fragmented Installation 07 following Cortana's sacrifice to temporarily break the ring, rendering the ring inoperable for the Banished.]]
{{Quote|Look around, Cortana. Your [[Created|empire]]. Over! Your great plan? Ended at the hands of [[UNSC|those]] who made you.|[[Warmaster]] [[Atriox]] to Cortana as he presented her with the terms of her surrender following [[Created]]'s defeat.{{Ref/Reuse|saatriox}}}}
While UNSC forces scattered over the ring and fought against the Banished forces, Atriox confronted Cortana at the Silent Auditorium, claiming he had killed John-117 and Cortana's Created empire was over, leaving the latter devastated by the news of John-117's apparent death. Having consolidated her presence and core processes at the Silent Auditorium and seemingly locked down by the Weapon deployed from {{UNSCShip|Infinity}},{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p423}} Cortana realized her mistakes but could not retaliate.{{Ref/Quest|Id=saatriox|HINF|Endless (Halo Infinite)|Silent Auditorium|Quote=Look around, Cortana. Your Empire. Over! Your great plan? Ended at the hands of those who made you.|Quotee=Atriox}} Atriox presented her with the terms of her surrender, intending to take control of the ring and access the secrets locked within the Silent Auditorium.{{Ref/Quest|HINF|Endless (Halo Infinite)|Silent Auditorium|Quote=I have learned so much, Cortana. this Ring is different. It has secrets within… That I will have. This… Silent Auditorium. Do you know its history? Its true purpose? I have little needs for a failed god. This Ring is all I need. Surrender it to me.|Quotee=Atriox}} In an attempt to prevent Atriox from accessing Silent Auditorium or activate the ring, Cortana initiated a local self-destruction sequence at the Auditorium, killing herself, fracturing the ring's surface, and leaving the installation inoperable for the Banished.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p25}}{{Ref/Quest|Id=sareveal|HINF|Endless (Halo Infinite)|Silent Auditorium|Quote=It was her. She destroyed the Ring. Stopped my deletion.|Quotee=The Weapon}} Her efforts were proven to be temporary, as the ring soon begun its self-repair process,{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Reverie 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Reverie #04 - On the Mend}} though it would take months to complete.{{Ref/Quest|Id=spire|HI|Connections|Spire (Halo Infinite level)|Spire}} Although he survived the explosion, Atriox was left severely scarred,{{Ref/Reuse|stinger}} and was also presumed dead by the Banished.{{Ref/Reuse|wg}} Cortana, in hopes of John-117's survival, predicted he would stop the Banished from accessing the Silent Auditorium; she prevented the Weapon's deletion protocol so she could assist him,{{Ref/Reuse|sareveal}} leaving the Weapon in the ring's subterranean structure for retrieval.{{Ref/Quest|Id=foundation|HI|Ringfall|Foundation (Halo Infinite)|Foundation (Halo Infinite)}} At some point during the Installation 07 conflict, at least one [[Guardian Custode]] was present over Installation 07 and subsequently destroyed, crashing on the ring by [[2560]].{{Ref/Reuse|guardian}} Following Cortana's death, the [[Promethean Knight|Promethean]] forces left stranded on Zeta Halo fell under [[Offensive Bias]]' control.{{Ref/Reuse|SM}}

During the destruction event, Cortana also initiated an emergency translocation protocol, intending to disorient the Banished and stall their efforts.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p423}} Installation 07, along with the debris from the space battle, was transported away from the Ephsu system{{Ref/Game|Id=oi9|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #09 - To Andrew Valleros}} to an unknown star system{{Ref/Reuse|EOD1}} in an uncharted part of the galaxy.{{Ref/Novel|Id=EOD14|EOD|Chapter=14}} The explosion also affected the ground battle between the UNSC and the Banished. The ring's fragmentation scattered UNSC ground forces,{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Ringfall 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Ringfall #07 - Alone}} but disabled the third Gorespike cannon, allowing more UNSC aircrafts to land on the ring.{{Ref/Reuse|r4}}

===Flood outbreak===
{{Main|Outbreak at research cache 05-836}}
After using one of the [[Requiem slipspace artifacts]] to flee the Battle over Installation 07, a group of UNSC survivors and a [[Swords of Sanghelios]] survivor inadvertently started [[Outbreak at research cache 05-836|a]] [[Flood outbreak]] at [[Research cache 05-836]] when a [[Pod infector]] was released from a [[cylix]] by Professor [[Tobias Martell]]. As there were over 4,000 creatures for the Flood to infect in the cylixes, it threatened to turn into a major outbreak. However, [[submonitor]] [[Adjutant Repose]] and the [[Promethean]]s and [[Aggressor Sentinel]]s under his command helped the group to accelerate the facility's [[timelock]], disintegrating the Flood and containing the outbreak.{{Ref/Novel|Id=SM|Halo: Still Midnight}}

===The UNSC scatters===
{{Quote|I wish I could tell you it was difficult… but it wasn't.|[[Escharum]] to [[John-117]].{{Ref/Reuse|Premiere}}}}
Despite the explosion, the Banished possessed a larger control of the ring, with some UNSC forces gathering on one of the fragments.{{Ref/Site|Id=parallel|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/parallel-threads|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Parallel Threads|D=25|M=6|Y=2021}} The Banished committed a large force at the eastern fragmented sections of the ring;{{Ref/Quest|HINF|Reformation (Halo Infinite)|FOB November}} this region became known as the "Red Zone".{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp13|RP|Chapter=13}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp14|RP|Chapter=14}}{{Ref/Game|HI|Id=r6|HINF:Audio log#Reverie 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Reverie #06 - Weakness}} The Banished had deployed their [[Banished outpost|prefabricated outposts]],{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp6|RP|Chapter=6}} [[Banished Harvester|resource harvesters]],{{Ref/Game|HI|Id=r2|HINF:Audio log#Reverie 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Reverie #02 - Debrief}} and signal disruptors as well as broadcast towers—these continually interfered with the UNSC's short-range communications and made long-range communications nearly impossible.{{Ref/Reuse|rp13}} The Banished also endeavored to find alternate means to take control of the ring; the Bloodstar [[Gorian]] searched for the ring's [[Conspectus network]] hubs, which would grant him access to the ring's defense systems. Gorian stole [[Kate Stalling]]'s research on the Conspectus network and directed the excavation operations to locate the facilities.{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp22|RP|Chapter=22}}

[[File:HINF MarineAmbushConcept.jpg|thumb|300px|Gunnery Sergeant [[Elena Bobrov]] and a marine evade a Banished patrol; UNSC survivors adopted guerilla warfare to fight the Banished.]]
On one of the fragments to the west, a large group of survivors led by Commander [[Etana Hensler]] and Spartan [[Hudson Griffin]] established a base of operations in the wreckage of the ''Mulsanne''-class frigate {{UNSCShip|Mortal Reverie}},{{Ref/Reuse|rp13}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp9|RP|Chapter=9}} discovered by Spartan [[Vedrana Makovich]].{{Ref/Reuse|hafh}} Numerous survivors from the ''Infinity'' gathered at the crash site, including naval personnel, army troopers, marines, ODSTs, and Spartans; however, the remaining half of the survivors held no prior combat experience, being [[Unified Earth Government]] personnel, scientists, retail specialists, and support staff.{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp15|RP|Chapter=15}} Lieutenant [[TJ Murphy]] was put in charge of providing military training to supply staff and non-military personnel.{{Ref/Reuse|rp13}} Under the leadership of Commander Hensler and Spartan Griffin,{{Ref/Reuse|rp13}} the UNSC forces at the ''Reverie'' ran numerous guerilla ops against the Banished forces.{{Ref/Game|Id=oi13|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #13 - Trench Warfare}} [[First Lieutenant]] [[Floyd (Installation 07)|Floyd]] conducted multiple field surveys and reconnaissance missions on nearby Banished outposts, reporting his findings to Spartans Griffin, [[Bertold Vettel]], and [[Bonita Stone]],{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #02 - No Entry}}{{Ref/Game|Id=mem|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #10 - Making Ends Meet}} while also attempting to contact other UNSC forces.{{Ref/Reuse|oi13}} The UNSC also set up multiple [[Forward Operating Base]]s in the regions on the fragmented section of the ring.{{Ref/Reuse|s1}} The bases were hastily deployed to monitor Banished activities and launch incursions against raiding parties, supply depots, and other targets, but by [[2560#January|January 2560]], only a handful remained within UNSC control. Although the ''Infinity'' launched its sophisticated array of [[UNSC battle network]] communications satellites upon the ambush, most appeared to have been destroyed by the Banished.{{Ref/Reuse|rp13}}

On [[2560#January|January 20, 2560]], Stone and Kovan conducted a recon sweep deep inside the Red Zone.{{Ref/Reuse|rp14}} They observed that Banished forces were only unified under Escharum, with internal competition among its members. Kovan reported their findings to Griffin, and suggested that an attempt on Banished [[War Chief]] [[Escharum]]'s life may fragment the Banished leadership.{{Ref/Reuse|r6}} A four-Spartan team, the members of which were decided by drawing straws, was to infiltrate Banished territory and assassinate Escharum, while other Spartans remained at the ''Reverie'' to defend the base. In the end, on January 23, 2560, Spartan Griffin led Spartans [[Panago]], [[Henri Malik|Malik]], and [[Sarkar]] on an assassination mission on Escharum. Griffin left [[Bertold Vettel]] in his stead with Hensler to co-lead the UNSC forces at the ''Reverie''.{{Ref/Reuse|rp15}}{{Ref/Game|Id=tlb|HI|HINF:Audio log#Retaliation 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Retaliation #02 - Those Left Behind}} However, Escharum anticipated Griffin's actions. His forces ambushed the Spartan team, killing the other three and leaving Griffin badly wounded. Escharum taunted Griffin, letting him know that he'd sent most of his forces to assault the ''Reverie''. Griffin managed to send an encrypted message to warn ''Reverie'' before Escharum captured and handed him over to [[Chak 'Lok]] for torture.{{Ref/Game|Id=r3c|HI|HINF:Audio log#Retaliation 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Retaliation #03 - Confrontation}} Under the combined leadership of Vettel and the counsel of Makovich, the UNSC forces at the ''Reverie'' braced for the Banished's attack.{{Ref/Game|Id=dtl|HI|HINF:Audio log#Retaliation 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Retaliation #06 - Drawing the Line}}

{{Main|Battle of the Mortal Reverie}}

On the evening of January 31,{{Ref/Game|Id=rt|HI|HINF:Audio log#Retaliation 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Retaliation #07 - Red Tide}} [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Tremonius]] and [[Jiralhanae Captain|Captain]] [[Arthoc]] led a massive Banished force from [[Riven Gate (location)|Riven Gate]] in [[Battle of the Mortal Reverie|an assault on the ''Reverie'']].{{Ref/Reuse|rt}}{{Ref/Game|Id=iyh|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|Banished Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #15 - In Your Honor}} Under an overwhelming assault, the UNSC forces retreated from the crash site on [[2560#February|February 2]].{{Ref/Game|Id=r8tr|HI|HINF:Audio log#Retaliation 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Retaliation #08 - The Retreat}} Following the battle, the crash site surrounding the ship was converted into [[Outpost Tremonius (location)|a Banished outpost]]. As a reward for Tremonius' victory, Escharum had the outpost named after Tremonius,{{Ref/Reuse|iyh}} who would be promoted to the rank of [[Jiralhanae Warlord|Warlord]].{{Ref/Game|HI|[[Ascension (achievement)|Ascension]] achievement requirement|Quote=Defeated the Banished warlord Tremonius.}} Pursued by small Banished parties, UNSC survivors scattered and fled into mountains or the surrounding area. Escharum ordered Banished troops to capture human survivors and collect dead Spartans from the battlefield—making it impossible for escapees to scavenge gear from their dead comrades.{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp18|TRP|18}}

At some point after the ring's fragmentation, the [[511th Infantry Division]] established a base of operations in [[Fragmentation|a canyon]] and are surveying that fragment. While fighting off [[Sentinel]] patrols and [[Banished]] talons, they were attempting to make contact with UNSC forces in comms range.{{Ref/Site|Id=cf|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-foundations|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon fodder: Foundations|D=12|M=1|Y=2022}}

Under the leadership of [[Commander]] [[Wes Thompson]], a large group of survivors — a mixture of military, support, science and civilian — on an intact region of the ring spent weeks on the move together, though suffered heavy casualties. Eventually, in around early May, they found [[Lifeworker Central]] where the [[Forerunner]] [[dazzler]]s protected the remaining 52 survivors from Banished detection. There, the survivors found rest, tend to the wounded, repaired their equipment, and ran reconnaissance. All soldiers and able-bodied civilians went out on rotation every week. Teams searched for survivors and left behind encrypted messages and broadcasts for others; scavenger teams looked for food, supplies, equipment, and weapons. The more experienced personnel rotated between reconnaissance and guard duty while engaging in guerilla warfare, having taken out several Banished scouting parties. The camp's main focus was on rebuilding their arsenal, fixing their comms suite, and recovering other survivors.{{Ref/Novel|Id=EOD19|EOD|Chapter=19}} They were able to salvage nearly all of a working medical bay from a downed {{Class|Mulsanne|light frigate}}, which was rebuilt into a field hospital staffed by field surgeon Dr. [[Shoff]] and combat medic [[Janina Yu]].{{Ref/Reuse|EOD20}} However, there were no Spartans in the group.{{Ref/Reuse|EOD19}} Since the Banished used dead soldiers' [[dog tag]]s to lay ambushes, the military personnel deactivated and removed their dog tags, leaving them at the camp with Thompson.{{Ref/Novel|Id=EOD18|EOD|Chapter=18}}

===Banished occupation===
[[File:HINF BanishedCampConcept.jpg|thumb|350px|left|Following the fall of the ''Reverie'', the Banished consolidated their control over the ring; Banished outposts were constructed at strategic locations, especially around key Forerunner structures.]]
{{Quote|The hour approaches. Soon the Banished will stand victorious. Atriox... hear these words. Even from beyond this life, your will is served. Your forces occupy the ring, Within hours, it will be under our control. Humanity will cower before your legacy. They will burn. Their brazen defiance will be all but a memory.|[[Escharum]] addressing Atriox and his will, heard by then celebrating Banished forces.{{Ref/Reuse|wg}}}}
The surviving UNSC personnel were forced to conduct mostly defensive tactics over the next few months, losing their last Forward Operating Base by [[2560#March|March 3]].{{Ref/Game|Id=s1|HI|HINF:Audio log#Scattered 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Scattered #01 - Rubicon Protocol}} Small, unofficial UNSC squads—such as the [[Gravediggers]], [[Hatetriox]], and the [[boat crew]]—survived by roaming the region and conducted guerilla operations where able; an ongoing leaderboard of kills and accomplishments circulated by word of mouth.{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp21|TRP|21}} Meanwhile, the Banished began setting up more infrastructure on the ring. They built sensory arrays at the [[Horn of Abolition (location)|Horn of Abolition]] and hijacked a Forerunner resonance amplifier to boost their relays,{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|Banished Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #03 - A Boon}} thus always staying one step ahead of the UNSC forces.{{Ref/Game|Id=tal|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #04 - They are Listening}} They also established [[Annex Ridge (location)|Annex Ridge]], where they conducted research on the ring's artifacts.{{Ref/Game|Id=ahap|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #11 - A Hastily-Assembled Plan}} 

Escharum ordered his Banished forces to capture UNSC survivors;{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|Banished Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #07 - That Which Remain}} [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] were be processed at [[Redoubt of Sundering (location)|Redoubt of Sundering]] before being taken to [[Chak 'Lok]]'s [[Tower]] for interrogation under torture and duress.{{Ref/Reuse|rp20}}{{Ref/Quest|HINF|Connections|Redoubt of Sundering|Quote=This must be where they processed prisoners before sending them to the Tower.|Quotee=The Weapon}} One Banished tactic that eventually arose was stealing the [[dog tag]]s of dead soldiers, using them to pose as friendlies, and then ambush UNSC forces.{{Ref/Reuse|EOD18}} Many were transported to Escharum's base, the [[House of Reckoning (location)|House of Reckoning]],{{Ref/Reuse|tower}} where they went through the [[Trials of Atriox]]: a ritual in which they defend a large room from multiple waves of Banished troops. If they survived, they were fed food and water, then went through the trial again on the next day.{{Ref/Novel|Id=tor|Halo: Trial of Reckoning}} The UNSC forces were unable to stage any major offensives due to the loss of an organized leadership, but what Spartans remained enacted the [[Rubicon Protocol]] on March 3: doing all they could to prevent the Banished from taking control of the ring and protect [[Earth]].{{Ref/Reuse|s1}} In one particular incident, Spartans [[M. Jaide|Jaide]] and [[Rosado]] managed to hijack a [[Barukaza Workshop siege-hauler]] carrying artifacts from Annex Ridge.{{Ref/Reuse|ahap}}

With little UNSC resistance, the Banished shifted their attention to excavations, salvaging UNSC hardware to aid their excavation efforts,{{Ref/Reuse|mem}}{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|Banished Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #09 - Unnatural Defenses}} while meeting resistance from the ring's self-repair process.{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 3|Banished Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #11 - Slow and Steady}} By [[2560#April|April 23]], the Banished has found numerous [[cylix]]es buried in the ring.{{Ref/Game|Id=wlb|HI|HINF:Audio log#Scattered 2|Spartan Audio log|Detail=Scattered #02 - What Lies Beneath}} Tremonius found one such cylix, which contained the [[Xalanyn]] known as the "[[Harbinger]]".{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#Escharum's Testimony 2|Banished Audio log|Detail=Escharum's Testimony #02 - Cylix}} Under the supervision of Escharum, [[Itacus]] forced a human prisoner, [[Lucas Browning]], to interface with the Harbinger's cylix, releasing her from stasis.{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#The Prisoner 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=The Prisoner #02 - What was Inside}}{{Ref/Game|HI|HINF:Audio log#The Prisoner 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=The Prisoner #03 - She was Smiling}} 

After her release, the Harbinger told Escharum of the [[Reformation]],{{Ref/Game|Id=et5|HI|HINF:Audio log#Escharum's Testimony 2|Banished Audio log|Detail=Escharum's Testimony #05 - Reformation}} which would expedite the ring's self-