Battle for the Cartographer (Installation 00)

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Previous:	Battle of Earth
Concurrent:	Battle of Installation 00
Next:	Battle of the Citadel
Battle for the Cartographer
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War, Great Schism
Date:	December 11, 2552
Location:	A desert around one of Installation 00's Cartographer facilities.
Outcome:	Decisive UNSC victory Location of the Prophet of Truth discovered.
Details Belligerents United Nations Space Command Forerunner constructs Covenant Commanders CDR Miranda Keyes SgtMaj Avery Johnson MCPO John-117 Arbiter Thel 'Vadam Monitor 343 Guilty Spark High Prophet of Truth Jiralhanae Chieftain Cethegus† Strength United Nations Space Command UNSC Marine Corps E2-BAG/1/7 S4/BLCE/1/7 Orbital Drop Shock Troopers 105th Shock Division 7th Shock Troops Battalion UNSC Navy One SPARTAN-II Warthogs Chaingun Warthogs Gauss Warthogs Mongooses Scorpions Hornets Pelicans Forerunner constructs Sentinels Covenant military Jiralhanae Mgalekgolo Unggoy Kig-Yar Ghosts Choppers Prowlers Wraiths Anti-Aircraft Wraiths Banshees Phantoms 1 Scarab Casualties Moderate casualties Majority of forces Chieftain Cethegus

The Battle for the Cartographer was a large engagement during the initial stages of the Ark Conflict and the penultimate battle of the Human-Covenant War. The UNSC ground forces led by Spartan John-117 neutralized Covenant anti-aircraft defenses on the surface of the Ark, allowing the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn to deploy armor in order to assault a Covenant-held Cartographer facility to locate the whereabouts of the High Prophet of Truth.

Background

Following his discovery of the location of the portal that led to Installation 00 in October, 2552, the Covenant High Prophet of Regret hastily assembled a fleet of fifteen warships and, without consulting his fellow Hierarchs, took the task force to the planet on which the portal was located. This was, unbeknownst to the Prophet, the homeworld of humanity. During the battle that followed, the heavily-outnumbered Fleet of Sacred Consecration was decimated by Earth's defensive fleet and Regret was forced to flee, his CAS-class assault carrier performing a slipspace jump in atmosphere over the city of New Mombasa. Immediately afterwards, a larger Jiralhanae-controlled fleet sent by the Prophet of Truth arrived to take control of the battle, driving out remaining UNSC forces while beginning to excavate the long-buried portal beneath Mombasa.

The portal to Installation 00 is excavated by the Prophet of Truth's fleet.

Over the course of the next month, the fleet would successfully uncover the artifact, and the Prophet of Truth himself would arrive on November 17, 2552 on board the Forerunner keyship Anodyne Spirit. Spartan John-117, who had stowed away on board the vessel during it's departure from High Charity amidst the chaos of the Great Schism and the city's fall to the Flood, bailed out as the keyship entered Earth's atmosphere, landing in the jungles of Tanzania. The Spartan was successfully recovered by UNSC forces. During the ensuing battle, the UNSC would destroy their local command center, Crow's Nest, to prevent its fall to the Covenant, before mobilizing for an assault on Covenant anti-aircraft defences in the city of Voi. After clearing the Covenant-held Tsavo Highway, a UNSC assault force spearheaded by John-117 pushed into Voi. While they managed to successfully destroy a number of Anti-Aircraft Wraiths as well as a Mantis Anti-Aircraft Cannon, the subsequent strike by Battle Group Victory failed to destroy the keyship and Truth successfully activated the portal. The Prophet fled through the portal along with his fleet while the UNSC were forced to deal with the arrival of the Flood-controlled Ket-pattern battlecruiser Indulgence of Conviction. With the assistance of the newly-arrived Sangheili Fleet of Retribution, the Flood outbreak was contained before it could spread across the planet. After a short meeting on board the Shadow of Intent, Admiral Terrence Hood