Battle of Installation 09
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- Ellen Anders: "We've got to get that Control Room so I can deactivate the Halo's firing systems and plant our signal beacon. If I can't do that, we won't be sending an SOS back home - we'll be sending a very large - and very live - bomb."
- Captain James Cutter: "If Atriox gets control of this Halo, he'll be holding a gun to the head of all life across hundreds of light years. We have to clear the Banished off this ring. It's up to you, Red Team."
- — Ellen Anders and Captain Cutter discussing the ring's importance.
The Battle of Installation 09 was a battle fought between United Nations Space Command forces from the UNSC Spirit of Fire and the Banished on the newly-constructed Installation 09 circa April, 2559.[1][2][Note 1]
Background[edit]
The Halo[edit]
In September 2552, a large military campaign was fought between the forces of the UNSC and the Covenant empire for control of the Halo Installation 04. This battle proved disastrous for the ring itself, which was ultimately destroyed by John-117 at the culmination of the conflict to prevent the Covenant from using it. Within the firing sequence of the Halo Array, Installation 04 was designated Alpha Halo, to indicate that it is the first of the rings to fire. Due to the ring's destruction, there were now only six of the seven required Halos left - resulting in Installation 00 (the Ark) to begin finalising the construction of a replacement ring for Alpha Halo. The Ark is designed to keep a Halo installation within its foundries at all times, meaning that a new ring can be finished relatively quickly should one be disabled.[4] As such, by December of 2552, that replacement - Installation 08 - was finalising its construction and almost ready to be deployed back into Installation 04's original place.[5]
Unfortunately for the ring, this finalisation was occurring around the time of another large engagement between the UNSC and the Covenant, this time at the Ark itself. Late into the battle, a massive outbreak of the Flood meant that destroying the ring and the Ark was seen as the best option to contain both the Flood and the threat of the Halos for good. The ring was prematurely activated by John-117, resulting in Installation 08 shattering and severely damaging the Ark, unable to contain and properly manage the energy of the firing.[6]
With Installation 08 now destroyed, the Ark began the process of constructing yet another replacement ring for the Alpha Halo position - this time designated Installation 09. By 2558, the Henry Lamb Research Outpost on the Ark had reported to the UNSC at large that there were signs that the Ark was beginning the construction of a new Halo to replace Installation 04 again. In April of the following year, Installation 09 was completed and ready to be sent back to the Soell system in the galaxy to resume normal operations.
Conflict on the Ark[edit]
- Main article: Second Ark Conflict
Following the initial battle for the Ark in 2552, the installation was heavily scarred - though not damaged. This resulted in the closing of the Portal at Voi until 2555, during which time the Ark's monitor 000 Tragic Solitude worked to repair the facility. Following a brief Invasion of Earth by the monitor in an attempt to harvest Sol system's resources to repair the megastructure, the portal was reopened and the Henry Lamb Research Outpost established on the Ark to begin exploring and observing the facility. For the next three years, the staff of the outpost were able to observe the facility's restoration thanks to extensive terraforming and astroengineering, until the portal once again unexpectedly closed in October 2558 due to an ongoing crisis with a faction of rogue AI in the Milky Way.
A month after the portal shutdown, a new threat arrived at the Ark - the Banished. Originally deployed months prior to the Created crisis, the Banished were led by Atriox with the aims of securing the Ark for their own benefit. After attacking and destroying the research outpost on the ring, the Banished settled in for a long-term occupation of the Ark, especially amid the backdrop of the Created domination of the Milky Way. As such, when the old Phoenix-class colony ship Spirit of Fire arrived at the Ark six months later, both the Banished and Spirit of Fire's crew were taken aback by the surprise. Spirit had lost its slipspace drive during its previous battle to destroy the shield world Trove, and had been left drifting through space for decades.
Despite this, Spirit of Fire's crew quickly got to work fighting against the Banished for control of the Ark - and looking for a way off it to return home. This culminated in the destruction of the Banished Syfon-pattern assault carrier Enduring Conviction, also stranding the Banished on the Ark with no ability to return home. Instead, Ellen Anders discovered a different solution for how to get back to the Milky Way; with Installation 09 ready to launch and occupy Installation 04's original position in Soell, that would put the ring fairly close to human space - close enough for a beacon and a chance at rescue. With the Banished and Spirit of Fire now both stranded on the Ark, the release of Installation 09 from the foundries saw both sides begin to contest control of the ring for themselves.[7]
Battle[edit]
Landing on the ring[edit]
With Installation 09 released from its holding in the immediate aftermath of Enduring Conviction's destruction, the carrier's former-shipmaster Let 'Volir was tasked by Atriox with redeeming himself by taking control of the ring for the Banished.[7] As such, the Banished were able to deploy a large invasion force onto the ring in short order, rapidly establishing a presence for themselves. While Spirit of Fire did deploy landing parties of their own, these were rapidly wiped out by the Banished. Instead, Spirit of Fire looked to alternative methods of gaining access to the ring - namely, the series of Slipspace translocation portals located in the Ark's foundry for moving supplies and Sentinels onto the ring for finalisation. These had been co-opted by the Banished for their own invasion forces, meaning that the humans would need to fight them off for control of the portals.[1]
The initial UNSC deployment found little success in gaining access to the portal site until they came across an under-maintenance Scarab. After fighting off its defenders, Douglas-042 took control of the excavator, with the goal of using it to break through the barricades surrounding the portal to allow a UNSC combined-arms force access to the site. They were then tasked by Captain James Cutter with destroying the various Banished military outposts in the region to prevent the Banished from being able to simply reestablish their presence behind the UNSC once they were through the portal. Once the bases were dealt with, Douglas and Alice-130 set a number of charges to destroy the portal and then deployed onto Installation 09 directly to meet up with Jerome-092 and the rest of the UNSC deployment there. This ensured that the Banished would be unable to easily lift forces onto the ring to fend off a UNSC attack.[1]
Battle for the Control Room[edit]
On Installation 09 itself, both forces rapidly identified and deployed to the outskirts of the ringworld's Control Room facility. Unlike the prior control rooms of other rings, this structure was encased in a large shield dome that prevented access from external forces. While the UNSC had established Alpha and Bravo bases in the region, the Banished had also been able to establish a foothold in the region and had begun to attack Alpha Base. At this time, Atriox offered Cutter a respite from the firing, noting the tenacity of Spirit of Fire's defenders and offering to let them leave unharmed out of respect - an offer Cutter refused due to the previous Banished massacred of the Henry Lamb research staff. As the fighting intensified, the installation - already on heightened security protocols - released a Retriever Sentinel into the region to begin pacifying the threats to the facility. Anders recognised that the Retriever could be an asset rather than a hindrance, and encouraged the UNSC forces on the ground to contest three Control Towers with which she could use to hack the Sentinel. Once this was accomplished, Anders used the Retriever to open the shield surrounding the Control Room, allowing UNSC forces access to the facility within.[1]
With the shield down, the Banished were also granted access to the Control Room. Unfortunately for the UNSC, this meant that there was little time to establish a firebase at the site. Instead, the ground force was forced to contend with a massive and prolonged attack by multiple waves of Banished infantry, vehicles, and air assets. Without any option for local reinforcement, Spirit of Fire was able to reinforce its ground troops by directly airlifting in reinforcements from space utilising D77 Pelican and D81 Condor dropships. The force held out an attack for twenty minutes, giving Anders enough time to gain access to the Control Room and take control of Installation 09's systems directly. From there, she utilised the ring's own modular construction to her benefit and ejected sections of the ringworld occupied by hostiles into space, leaving only a UNSC presence on the ring. The Marine forces on the ground evacuated the ring with Anders still on-board, with the ring entering slipstream space for a transit to the Soell system - leaving Spirit of Fire and its complement stranded on the Ark for the foreseeable future.[2]
With the Created occupation of the Milky Way completely unknown to the armies stranded on the Ark, the threat of the Guardian Custodes had not been taken into account when Installation 09 was deployed. Consequently, the ring was interdicted mid-transit by a Guardian and taken over by the Created - with neither Spirit of Fire or the UNSC at large aware of its fate or whereabouts.[2]
Gallery[edit]
Infantry and vehicles fighting on the surface of the ring.
Scorpions and mechs defending Alpha Base.
Red Team on the ring.
Anders enters the control room while UNSC forces repel a Scarab.
Anders inside the ring's control room.
Banished Jiralhanae warriors and Blisterbacks on the surface of the ring.
Marines watch as an area of the ring occupied by Banished forces is ejected into space.
Installation 09 enters slipspace.
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo Wars 2 (First appearance)
- Halo Wars 2: Operation: SPEARBREAKER (Mentioned only)
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b Cutter's note, "Beyond the Edge", written on April 2, 2559, details his thoughts after the departure of the Halo ring. As such, the destruction of Enduring Conviction and Battle of Installation 09 likely take place on the same day prior to this date.
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Halo Wars 2, campaign level The Halo
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Halo Wars 2, campaign level Last Stand
- ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 357
- ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level Hold the Line
- ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant
- ^ Halo 3, campaign level Halo
- ^ a b Halo Wars 2, campaign level Under the Dark
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