Fleet of Retribution
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- Sangheili Major: "Brute ships! Staggered line! Shipmaster, they outnumber us, three to one!"
- Rtas 'Vadum: "Then it is an even fight... All cruisers, fire at will! Burn their mongrel hides!"
- — A Sangheili Major navigator advising Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum
The Fleet of Retribution[5] was a naval formation composed of ships under Sangheili command that broke off from the High Charity defense fleet, including the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity, when the Great Schism began. The fleet was led by former Special Operations Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice Rtas 'Vadum, with Shadow of Intent serving as the flagship. The Fleet of Retribution was the only known group within the Covenant separatists to ally with the UNSC during the Great Schism. The fleet briefly took in forces from the devastated UNSC Home Fleet during the final days of the Human-Covenant War. During the joint assault on the Forerunner Installation 00, the fleet played an instrumental role in bringing about the Covenant's defeat. After the war, the fleet's personnel and naval components would be incorporated into the reformed Swords of Sanghelios.
Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, future leader of Sanghelios, served as a field commander in the fleet. Other notable figures serving with Retribution include Commander Miranda Keyes, Spartan and Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, and Sergeant Major Avery Johnson.
History[edit]
Formation and Great Schism[edit]
- Main articles: Great Schism, Fall of High Charity
When the Great Schism erupted across the Covenant-controlled space during the Battle of Installation 05, the High Charity Defense Fleet was split in two. Sangheili-controlled ships and those under Jiralhanae leadership began to open fire on each other over High Charity. Many Covenant species in proximity to the Sangheili remained loyal to them during the conflict, notably the Unggoy and the Mgalekgolo.[6]
On Installation 05, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam had formed an uneasy alliance with Sergeant Major Avery Johnson in order to stop the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae Tartarus from activating it. While the conflict for the Delta Halo was raging, Rtas 'Vadum and his strikeforce managed to recapture the Shadow of Intent from the Jiralhanae and seized control of the carrier.[7][8] The damage taken during the hand-to-hand combat of these boarding actions was hastily sealed off and much left without full repair.[9] With the carrier now serving as the flagship of the newly-formed Fleet of Retribution coming under the command of Fleetmaster Rtas 'Vadum, the Shadow of Intent along with the Eternal Reward, were the two only Sangheili-crewed assault carriers to partake the space fight against the Jiralhanae-led vessels loyal to the San'Shyuum over the High Charity at the time. During the battle, Eternal Reward was attacked by a loyalist fleet of eight destroyers and cruisers at close range led by Prelate Tem'Bhetek's modified Zanar-pattern light cruiser Spear of Light. The carrier was able to destroy its attackers save for the Spear of Light before being destroyed by the light cruiser after its crew were forced to abandon the ship.[10]
The Shadow of Intent led the blockade of High Charity and traded plasma torpedoes with San'Shyuum-controlled vessels to prevent any ships from escaping the quarantine of the station. No loyalist vessels was capable of matching Shadow of Intent in firepower and therefore intended to overwhelm the warship with a multitude of cruisers once its support ships had been destroyed. However, this plan went awry following the emergence of the Flood. During the blockade, Shadow of Intent used its ventral beam to partially glass High Charity in an attempt to combat the Flood aboard it.[10] The Sangheili-controlled remnants of the High Charity defense fleet, which stayed behind during Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree's summons at Joyous Exultation, were reformed into the Fleet of Retribution.
After Tartarus was ultimately killed at the hands of Thel 'Vadam and the firing of the Installation 05 was averted, the new alliance formed between the Sangheili and UNSC shortly carried over to the rest of the Fleet of Retribution. The Arbiter, Miranda Keyes and Avery Johnson would rendezvous with 'Vadumee. Together, they formulated a plan to get to Earth and also for sterilization and quarantine of the spreading Flood on the Halo Installation 05. 343 Guilty Spark, the former monitor of the Installation 04, remained with the fleet to coordinate containment efforts while the Arbiter, Usze 'Taham, N'tho 'Sraom, Keyes and Johnson, and the surviving UNSC forces raced back to Earth aboard one of the fleet's vessels to wa