Editing Data Drop/REDFLAG

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|[[Operation: RED FLAG|OPERATION: RED FLAG/ 93893]]

SUM/INTENT: The secured capture of a living "[[Hierarchs|HIGH PROPHET]]" for the purposes of bartering a formal ceasefire with the Covenant.

PRELIM INQ: Evidence suggests that the capture of a Tier-1 asset would provide enough political leverage for a ceasefire [AF-23]. The problem, of course, is getting ahold of the <u>right asset</u>, and in this case, a “HIGH PROPHET,” one of the key members of their leadership caste. Current intel indicates that there are only three in existence and that they reside in the mobile dome-ship structure the Covenant refer to as "[[High Charity|HIGH CHARITY]]" or, on occasion, a flagship carrier [CLASS-FIVE [[CSO-class supercarrier|CSO]]/[[CAS-class assault carrier|CAS]]], neither of which we’ve had real access to before. Not permanent access, at least [RL-54].

OBJECTIVE: Use a substantially-sized, high-impact team of [[SPARTAN-II Program|S-II]] military personnel wearing qualified [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|MJOLNIR]] gear to assault a Covenant vessel, acquire full, unmitigated control and return it, without suspicion, back to the dome-ship structure. There, the team would split up into discrete covert splinter groups, gather sufficient intel, seize an appropriately targeted Tier-1 asset and withdraw back to a ship, securing ad hoc exfiltration.

COLLATERAL: The need for a Class-Five is paramount to the success of this operation, but it would likely require the sacrifice of a colony of significant value to the Covenant, potentially one with a high accretion of alien artifacts of non-Covenant origin, such as the volumes recorded on [[Harvest]], [[Meridian]], [[Arcadia]], or even [[Reach]]. We would have to lower our defenses, draw the enemy in, and then acquire transport by force.

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COMM-SCRIBED/PTS 9386-9
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ADDENDUM: Margaret, my original notes did include Reach here, but this was only a hypothetical and based entirely on what we've found there. You should keep in mind that using Reach as bait for this op is not an option I'm willing to consider. It's tactical suicide. We'd be giving them the war with only [[Earth]] left to fall back to, something I will not endorse. The only exception to this, in my mind, would be if the Covenant had already located Reach and it was deemed indefensible.

PRELIM REQ: The following assets are needed for this operation:

* [[SPARTAN-II Program|S-II]] personnel (20-30) under [[NAVSPECWAR|NavSpecWeap operational command]]
* [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|MJOLNIR]] [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|Mark V]] software suite capable of construct piggy-back
* [[Smart artificial intelligence|Gen-3+ AI construct]] extensively programmed with Covenant system intrusion software
* Full refit on [[Marathon-class heavy cruiser|''Marathon''-class]], or an augmented [[Halcyon-class light cruiser|''Halcyon''-class]] (with [[2510]] structure param)
* Veteran naval CO and crew, preferably someone with at least a decade under his or her belt

NOTE: I've submitted these reqs to [[Catherine Halsey|Halsey]], since half of this shopping list is from her store. She has an AI lined up already [[Cortana|<nowiki>[</nowiki>CTN 0452-9<nowiki>]</nowiki>]], I'll ping you with details once I have them.

Still holding out that this is just a fire drill.
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