Editing Battle of Kenya

[[File:Truthhack.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Prophet of Truth hijacks Crow's Nest's operations center monitors.]]

[[Miranda Keyes|Commander Keyes]] arrived at Crow's Nest's landing pad to meet John-117, Thel 'Vadam and Sergeant Johnson. After greeting the Spartan, she escorted the group towards the operations center, briefing the Spartan about the previous events following Truth's arrival at Earth before confirming that she had managed to stop [[Installation 05]]'s activation sequence, but the [[Halo Array]] remained on standby and ready to activate from the [[Installation 00|Ark]], which she believed to be the main focus of the Covenant in Kenya. John then reported in to [[Terrence Hood|Admiral Hood]], who was confident in Keyes' plan to neutralize one of the [[Skar'wa-pattern Mantis|Mantis Anti-Aircraft Cannons]] in Truth's array of defenses with the support of the Spartan, allowing [[Battle Group Victory|a battle group]] from the tattered UNSC Home Fleet to assault the excavation site, believed by the UNSC to be the Ark but in reality was the [[Portal at Voi]] that would lead to the installation. Before Hood could continue, the power cut out completely, before the High Prophet of Truth himself broadcasted a message to the base, promising to reduce Earth to [[Glassing|glass]] and telling them that even the [[Covenant religion#Demons|"Demon"]] would perish. After Truth cut the broadcast, Keyes immediately ordered the base's personnel to prepare for departure, knowing that the Covenant would soon attack. Johnson and Thel remained to guard the operations center while John moved towards the hangar which the Phantoms would use to deploy troops. As Marines assembled [[AIE-486H machine gun|machine gun turrets]] and other defences, a series of tremors shook the base as Covenant forces begun their offensive. The Master Chief made his way into the base's vehicle access, arriving too late to save a [[M12 Chaingun Warthog|Warthog]]'s destruction from [[Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade|plasma grenades]]. John and his Marines pushed down the vehicle access, defeating Covenant troops before arriving at the hangar, where they provided assistance for the locally-stationed Marines in repelling several Phantom's and their complements of infantry sent from a nearby {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}. Once all Covenant were defeated, a Pelican was able to undock and descend, allowing the Marines in the hangar to exfiltrate from the base.{{Ref/Reuse|crows}}  

At this time, the Covenant attack on the base intensified. The operations center came under heavy Covenant attack prompting Sergeant Johnson to recall the Master Chief. At the same time, [[Yanme'e]] infiltrated Crow's Nest through the base's ventilation system and the barracks was attacked by a large [[Jiralhanae]] [[pack]] led by a [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain|War Chieftain]], which would see the majority of it's personnel massacred and several survivors tortured and killed for sport. In the cave before the operations center, a massive swarm of Yanme'e burst out of the ventilation pipes behind the Marine defenders. Due to the timely arrival of John-117, the Drones were all taken out. In the operations center, Commander Keyes radioed in from ''[[Kilo 023]]'', revealing to John the [[Improvised UNSC bomb|bomb]] that Marines were rigging to detonate to wipe out the Covenant attackers after all UNSC personnel had evacuated. Johnson led the Chief to a door that would lead to the barracks, where they had lost contact from the Marines within. John advanced into the base's motor pool, fighting a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] and his pack. After clearing the motor pool, John made his way to the barracks, where Thel revealed that the Jiralhanae had taken prisoners. The two fought through the barracks, rescuing the few Marines that lived and killing every Covenant soldier in the vicinity including a War Chieftain. They led the surviving Marines onto an elevator to the landing pad. Unfortunately, ''Kilo 023'' was attacked by a unit of Jiralhanae [[Jiralhanae Jumper|Jumpers]] attempting to destroy her engines. John, Thel and the Marines subsequently defeated the Brutes, with Sergeant Johnson and a small group of Marines arrived immediately after, on the run from the operations center which had been overrun by the Covenant. Keyes ordered John to return to the operations center and re-arm the bomb. Johnson, Thel and the surviving Marines boarded ''Kilo 023'' and left the base, leaving John as the only living human still in Crow's Nest.{{Ref/Reuse|crows}}

[[File:Saved.jpg|thumb|left|200px|John-117 rushes to save a Marine prisoner from the Jiralhanae.]]

{{Main|Assault on the Tsavo Highway}}

{{Quote|There's something in the crater, Ma'am. Something beneath the storm|[[ONI Recon 111]] reporting the existence of what UNSC forces assumed was the Ark.{{Ref/Reuse|tsavo}}}}  

After regaining consciousness in an underground vehicle bay, John regrouped with [[Reynolds|Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds]] and other Marine survivors. While all the troops fit for duty mounted a pair of surviving Warthogs, the injured personnel and the men treating them remained behind. The two Warthogs passed through the large cave system beneath the base before emerging into the open air of Kenya, where chunks of the [[Mombasa Tether]] lay strewn across the plains following it's collapse during the [[Battle of Mombasa]] on [[2552#October|October 20]].{{Ref/Level|[[Halo 3: ODST]]|[[Uplift Reserve]]}}{{Ref/Reuse|tsavo}} Seeking to put as much distance as possible between themselves and ''Crow's Nest'', the two Warthogs made their way across the plains, engaging scattered Covenant troops gathered around their destroyed Phantoms while Reynolds attempted to raise Commander Keyes on [[COM]] to no avail. The team eventually reached a small dam occupied by Covenant forces, which they successfully traversed. As they left the dam, they got a garbled message from [[Marcus Stacker|Gunnery Sergeant Stacker]] who was leading a supply convoy down the [[Tsavo highway (location)|Tsavo Highway]] for the Marines in [[Voi]]. The sergeant's convoy had been attacked by [[Irdnekt-pattern Banshee|Banshees]] and subsequently attacked by Covenant infantry and vehicles who sealed a nearby tunnel with an [[anti-vehicle barrier]]. As John and his team arrived at the survivor's location, they witnessed a Warthog getting rammed by a [[Barukaza Workshop Chopper|Chopper]]. The team engaged in combat with the various Covenant units in the area, including several Choppers, a number of [[Rizsheda-pattern Shade|Shade]] turrets and snipers. With the Covenant presence depleted, the survivors retreated behind the energy barrier, where a swarm of Yanme'e emerged to attack the humans. The UNSC forces eventually killed all of the Covenant soldiers and John destroyed the barrier's power source, while a nearby [[Holography|hologram]] of the Prophet of Truth sermonized the [[Portal at Voi|artifact]] in the excavated ruins of [[Mombasa]]. Stacker prompted John to continue on to Voi, as the beleaguered Marines in the city would be grateful for his assistance. John and his convoy of vehicles continued through the tunnel and along the Tsavo Highway, witnessing a {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} pass overheat towards the portal site. An [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] [[ONI Recon 111|reconnaissance team]] reporting Covenant activity at the excavation site confirmed the existence of the portal within. Eventually forced to dismount due to [[roadblock]]s and a broken section of highway, John and his team continued on foot. Commander Keyes finally re-established communication with John, believing that the object Truth had uncovered was the [[Installation 00|Ark]]. John eventually reached [[Voi Municipal Water Pump House 03]], the site of a large battle with Marines holding a network of structures on top of a nearby hill from encroaching Covenant forces. John assisted the Marines in killing the enemy soldiers and regrouped with the Marines, where they informed him that they needed to hold their position until Pelicans could arrive with resupply for a push against heavy Covenant armor on Tsavo Highway.{{Ref/Reuse|tsavo}}

[[File:H3 E3 Tsavo Highway Road.jpg|thumb|left|250px|UNSC forces assault the Covenant-held Tsavo Highway.]]

{{Main|Battle of Voi}}

{{Quote|Chief, the Prophet of Truth has found the Ark. Our only chance of stopping him is a surprise aerial assault. Clear this sector of Covenant anti-air defenses. Make a hole for the Admiral’s ships.|Commander Keyes gives John-117 his primary objective.{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}}}

The convoy of UNSC vehicles continued down the Tsavo Highway until they reached the entrance to [[Traxus Factory Complex 09]], which had been heavily occupied by Covenant forces in the preceding hours. After dismounting from his [[M831 Troop Transport Warthog|vehicle]], John and a group of Marines made their way inside, ambushing Covenant troops listening to a holographic sermon from the Prophet of Truth and opening several doors allowing their supporting [[M12 Chaingun Warthog|Chaingun Warthog]] to advance. After killing a large group of Covenant in the next tunnel, John proceeded into the first of several lake beds, where an [[Ogab'd-pattern anti-aircraft Wraith|Anti-Aircraft Wraith]] was attacking several [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornets]] that were engaged in aerial dogfights with [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshees]] above the factory. Eventually clearing out the AA Wraith and its accompanying unit of [[Karo'etba-pattern Ghost|Ghosts]], John re-entered the factory, assisting a group of Marines in flushing out Covenant troops in a nearby office. Once the way was clear, the Marines opened the doors into the next section of the factory for the Spartan. In the next room, a [[Ru'swum-pattern Phantom|Phantom]] deployed a swarm of [[Yanme'e]] through a shattered glass roof, which failed to halt the UNSC advance. John met up with a Marine anti-tank unit in the tunnel leading to the second lake bed. Mounting up on a [[M274 Mongoose|Mongoose]] with a [[M41 SPNKR|rocket launcher]]-armed passenger, John entered the second lake bed, where more Ghosts and [[Barukaza Workshop Chopper|Choppers]] defended a pair of Anti-Aircraft Wraiths. Despite the heavy Covenant presence, the anti-tank unit was able to make short work of them, as well as several waves of reinforcements brought in by Phantoms. The Covenant made a last-ditch attempt to retake the lake bed, deploying a [[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|Scarab]] into the area. The human forces were able to weaken the Scarab by attacking it's vulnerable leg joints and allowing John to board the walker. The Spartan engaged the crew in close quarters before destroying the Scarab's power core, completely destroying the assault platform. With the lake bed clear, more Pelicans arrived to drop off reinforcements, including [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]].{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}

[[File:1216050538 Scarab.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A Scarab engaging UNSC forces.]]  

{{Main|Outbreak on Earth}}  

{{Quote|no=four|q1=The Flood - it's spreading all over the city.|[[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]]|q2=How do we contain it?|[[Terrence Hood|Admiral Terrence Hood]]|q3=Find the crashed Flood ship; overload its engine core. We either destroy this city, or risk losing the entire planet.|Commander Keyes|q4=Do it.|Admiral Hood|Commander Keyes and Admiral Hood realize the severity of the Flood threat, and order the destruction of Voi to stop it.{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}}}

The Flood quickly began to spread throughout the city of Voi, assimilating both the corpses of fallen UNSC Marines and Covenant troops, as well as still-living human forces. The weary Marine forces stationed across Voi were ill-prepared for this new threat and the majority of them were quickly assimilated by the parasite. As John and Thel made their way back to the Traxus factory complex, he received transmissions of confused Marines attempting to regroup while being attacked by the unfamiliar hostiles. Returning to the now-sealed off warehouse, John witnessed a horde of Flood [[Pod infector]]s and [[Flood combat form|combat forms]] swarming a cluster of Marines near the bay door, forcing the survivors to turn their weapons on their comrades who were mutating before their eyes. After fighting off the wave of Flood, John and Thel re-entered the warehouse through a nearby office, narrowly saving a Marine from a number of Pod infectors. In the warehouse beyond, masses of Flood were attacking straggling UNSC defenders led by [[Pete Stacker|Sergeant Stacker]]. After rescuing whatever Marines they could and clearing out all the Flood forms in the warehouse sections of the facility, John and Thel proceeded onward while the Marines stayed behind. The group proceeded back towards the aid station, using side offices as the bay doors had been closed off. In the aid-station, only a [[Suicidal Marine|single delirious Marine]] still lived. Surrounded by his dead comrades, the Marine rambled incoherently about his squad's infection by the Flood. Unable to help the Marine, John and Thel continued out into the lakebed, the majority of which had been sheared away by the crashing battlecruiser.{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}

[[File:Conversing Sangheili.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Sangheili Major reveals the fall of High Charity and the Flood's evolution.]]

At that moment, a [[battle group]] of the [[Sangheili]] [[Fleet of Retribution]] arrived, having pursued the ''[[Indulgence of Conviction]]'' from [[Installation 05]].{{Ref/Note|Id=composition|See [[Fleet of Retribution#Notes|here]].}} The fleet deployed a number of [[Covenant drop pod|drop pods]], depositing a team of [[Special Operations Sangheili]] who proceeded to attack the Flood forms around them. John and Thel fought their way across to the team, and the commanding [[Sangheili Major]] revealed that [[High Charity]] had completely [[Fall of High Charity|fallen]] to the Flood and the subsequent quarantine by Sangheili warships had fallen, before warning them that the Flood had [[Flood pure form|evolved]]. John, Thel and the Special Operations team fought their way across the outskirts of the destroyed lake bed, before re-entering the factory and contending with the Flood forms that had completely infested the building. Sergeant Johnson revealed that the Sangheili had confirmed the presence of [[Cortana]] on board the Flood ship, and ordered John to retrieve the AI. On the other side of the factory, as the group entered the lake bed that the ''Indulgence of Conviction'' had crashed in, the group was confronted by the Flood's [[Flood pure form|pure forms]] for the first time, as a [[Flood stalker form|spindly crawler form]] transformed into a hulking [[Flood tank form|tank form]] to confront them. As they made their way to the wrecked husk of the ''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser, the team was forced to engage large numbers of the new pure Flood forms, as well as more combat forms until they reached a rent in the ship's hull. Thel announced that he and the other Sangheili would remain behind to secure the entrance while the Master Chief ventured inside alone.

John made his way through corridors thick with Flood biomass and [[Flood blister|blisters]] until he entered a larger room where he discovered what he thought was Cortana-in truth a message from her-inside a [[Covenant storage device]]. Before he could listen to the message, a Sangheili Phantom arrived and [[343 Guilty Spark]] descended down toward the Spartan. Still hostile towards the [[monitor]] for his [[Battle of Installation 04|earlier actions]], John resisted when Spark attempted to interface with the storage device. Eventually relenting, John allowed Spark to take the device and the two entered the Phantom. The dropship quickly took off from the Flood-infested cruiser as the Fleet of Retribution began to [[Glassing|glass]] the city of Voi to ensure that the Flood parasite could not spread further. On board the fleet's [[flagship]], the {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', a meeting was convened between John-117, Thel 'Vadam, 343 Guilty Spark, Admiral Hood, Commander Keyes and [[Fleetmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]. The group listened to the message from Cortana, which revealed that the Flood were on their way to Earth with the infested High Charity, but hinting at [[Installation 08|a solution]] for the Flood problem that lay beyond the portal, at the Ark. While Admiral Hood wished to marshal their strength at Earth in preparation for the Flood assault, 'Vadum scoffed at this notion while the others believed that their best choice was to travel through the opened portal and find the "solution" Cortana had spoke of. Eventually, Hood acquiesced, allowing Keyes to take the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} to accompany the Fleet of Retribution through the portal. As the fleet departed for Installation 00, Hood rallied the surviving forces at Earth to prepare for the Flood's arrival, which never came as the [[Gravemind]] took High Charity to the Ark instead.{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}{{Ref/Level|Id=covenant|[[Halo 3]]|[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]}}