Editing Human-Covenant War (section)

==War==
[[File:SSgt Avery Johnson, UNSC Marine Corps.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Staff Sergeant Johnson leading Colonial Militia during the Covenant invasion of Harvest.]]
===Isolated battles (2525)===
{{Main|First Battle of Harvest}}
Humanity and the Covenant first came into direct contact on February 3, 2525, when a [[Kig-Yar]] [[missionary ship]], the ''[[Minor Transgression]]'', discovered [[Horn of Plenty|a human ship]] transitioning out of [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] and subsequently raided the vessel.{{Ref/Novel|Id=CH1|CH|Chapter=1}} The raid continued to [[This End Up|another]] unfortunate human ship. Some time after, [[Sif]], Harvest shipping operations AI, investigated the raids{{Ref/Novel|Id=CH6|CH|Chapter=6}} and reported her findings to an undercover [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] agent, [[Jilan al-Cygni]], believing that the attacks were Insurrectionist activity.{{Ref/Novel|Id=CH7|CH|Chapter=7}} The ONI agent devised a trap for the raiding parties, which resulted in a [[Skirmish Over Harvest|minor skirmish]] between [[Staff Sergeant]]s [[Nolan Byrne]] and [[Avery Johnson]], and the Kig-Yar privateers.{{Ref/Novel|Id=CH8|CH|Chapter=8}} When the Covenant returned with [[Rapid Conversion|another ship]] and a contingent of [[Jiralhanae]] and [[Yanme'e]], the UNSC proposed a meeting (via pictogram) with the intention to make amends and to trade with the alien species. The Covenant met the UNSC on Harvest, but were only interested in claiming the relics that the [[Luminary]] had detected on Harvest, completely oblivious that the humans were the "relics" in question. The meeting was botched after [[Osmo]], a member of the [[Harvest militia|Colonial Militia]], was attacked by a nervous [[Unggoy]] who was part of a second Covenant force sent to look for the relics. As a result, a firefight erupted between the two groups and the Covenant promptly retreated back to their ship.{{Ref/Novel|CH|Chapter=15}}

The political ramifications of these relics were abundant, and two [[San'Shyuum]] bureaucrats, the [[Prophet of Truth|Minister of Fortitude]] and the [[Prophet of Regret|Vice Minister of Tranquility]], were already scheming to use the supposed reliquary to inaugurate a new [[Ages of Reclamation|Age of Reclamation]] with themselves as the [[Hierarchs]] of the [[High Council]]. To do this, they needed the blessing of the Oracle of [[High Charity]]. When the two San'Shyuum approached the [[Prophet of Mercy|Philologist]] to affirm on their behalf, the data from the ''Rapid Conversion'' caused [[Mendicant Bias|the long-dormant Oracle]] to reactivate. Mendicant declared that the Covenant had been misinterpreting Forerunner symbols: the "relics" in question were the humans, calling them [[Reclaimer]]s and his makers. This shocked the three San'Shyuum, who falsely concluded that the humans were actually living [[Forerunner]]s who had been left behind when the others transcended. Although they were able to prevent Mendicant from taking the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] to take the humans to deliver them to [[Installation 00|the Ark]], Fortitude concluded that if the masses learned that they might be left behind, they would rebel against the Prophets.{{Ref/Novel|Id=CH16|CH|Chapter=16}} Fortitude and Tranquility inducted the Philologist into their plan and ascended as the High Prophets of Truth, Regret, and Mercy.{{Ref/Novel|Id=CHE|CH|Epilogue}}
[[File:HWG SecondBattleOfHarvest.png|thumb|right|250px|Cole's fleet destroys the Covenant ship in the Second Battle of Harvest.]]

===Open war (2525-2535)===
{{Main|Massacre of the Outer Colonies}}
====Early actions (2525-2530)====
{{Quote|We returned to Harvest with enough firepower to assault the vaults of heaven.|[[Preston Cole]] discussing Battle Group X-Ray at the Battle of Harvest.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}}}}
Intending to keep the revelation about the humans a secret and prevent the Covenant from falling apart, the new Hierarchs declared that the humans destroyed the holy reliquary on Harvest, and ordered the entire race to be eradicated.{{Ref/Reuse|CHE}} The first battle of the war was the extended, albeit one-sided, engagement which took place on Harvest where the UNSC managed to evacuate many of Harvest's civilians.{{Ref/Novel|CH|Chapter=21}} Eventually, the Covenant ship responsible for the attack [[Glassing|glassed]] the planet's surface.{{Ref/Reuse|CHE}}

Realizing the threat posed to humanity by the Covenant, the UNSC [[Colonial Military Authority]] gave [[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]] the command of the then-largest fleet in human history with orders to [[Second Battle of Harvest|retake Harvest]],{{Ref/Comic|Id=Genesis|HWG}} which occurred in [[2526]].{{Ref/Anthology|Id=Cole|Evo|Story=The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole}} He would then spend five years chasing the Covenant around the [[Outer Colonies]], fighting them and scoring victories at [[Alpha Aurigae System|Alpha Aurigae]], [[XI Boötis A System|XI Boötis A]], and [[Groombridge-1830]].{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}}{{Ref/Reuse|Cole}} Meanwhile, the Covenant returned to Harvest, determined to recapture the planet. This led to a five-year long [[Harvest Campaign|series of engagements]] on Harvest between the Covenant and the UNSC.{{Ref/Book|EVG|Page=188}} The threat the Covenant posed resulted in the UNSC deploying the [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]]s on November 2nd, 2525.{{Ref/Novel|Id=hsschapter2|HSS|Chapter=2}} The Spartans became one of humanity's greatest — and most celebrated — defenders, demonstrating a remarkable ability to turn the tide of battle. Their prowess was not lost on the Covenant, who came to fear the Spartans as "[[demon]]s".<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 103''</ref>

From that point on, the Covenant continued to attack and destroy the humans wherever they were found, using their [[Luminary|Luminaries]] to find human worlds. Though the UNSC forces fought bravely, their inferior technology and numbers meant that even a ''close'' victory was far from guaranteed. The Covenant, fighting a war of extermination, did not need to commit to full ground invasions except in special circumstances; their ships simply needed to destroy space-borne defenses and any other threats around the planet. They would then reduce the planet's surface to glass with orbital plasma bombardment.{{Ref/Book|Enc09|Page=33}} In general, human missiles and magnetic acceleration weapons were asymmetrically matched with Covenant energy shields and plasma weaponry. The few major victories achieved by the UNSC were usually due to tactical genius, extensive use of nuclear weapons, the rapid deployment of Spartan teams, or decisive ground engagements where UNSC technology and skill outmatched Covenant tactics. At the outset of the war, the UNSC employed a [[Wikipedia:defence in depth|defence in depth]] tactical doctrine, making extensive use of [[M5 Talos|automated turrets]] to delay Covenant forces.{{Ref/Game|Id=PL Turret|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Turret}} They were eventually forced to abandon this doctrine as the war continued to grind down human armies and industrial centres,{{Ref/Reuse|PL Turret}} learning the dangers of relying on fixed installations when employed against enemies with orbital fire support.{{Ref/Game|Id=PL Siege|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Siege Turret}} The UNSC began to develop a modular [[firebase]] system (based on pre-existing [[colony starter unit]]s used for colonization of planets<ref>[http://www.halowars.com/GameInfo/UNSC.aspx ''Official Halo Wars Community Site'': UNSC] (defunct, [[Archive:Halowars.com/UNSC|Archived]])</ref>) in response to pinpoint Covenant targeting of large military command and control installations with orbital strikes, and the inability of standard counter battery systems to detect, deflect, or defeat plasma-based artillery bombardment.<ref name="PL Siege"/> 

[[File:ApexBattleImage.png|thumb|left|200px|The {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} engages the {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}} ''[[Proclamation's Tithe]]'' in [[Trove]].]]
====Escalations (2530-2536)====
Despite the well-publicized victory at Harvest, the UNSC was already on the way to losing the war. A number of colonies had already been glassed by the Covenant or abandoned, including [[Eridanus II]], [[Dwarka]], [[Bliss]], [[Madrigal]], [[Asmara]] and [[Biko]].

In [[2531#February|February 2531]], [[Arbiter]] [[Ripa 'Moramee]], under the command of the [[Prophet of Regret]], began leading searches for [[Forerunner]] technology to aid in the Covenant war effort during the end of the [[Harvest campaign]]{{Ref/Level|HW|HW:Alpha Base|Alpha Base}} and the [[Battle for Arcadia]]. With the Covenant having discovered the Forerunner [[shield world]] [[Trove]] sometime prior, the Prophet of Regret intended to use a fleet of {{Class|Sojourner|dreadnought}}s docked at the [[Apex Site]] to crush humanity "quickly and with ease."{{Ref/Level|Id=HWscarab|HW|HW:Scarab|Scarab}} With Ripa having kidnapped Professor [[Ellen Anders]] at [[Arcadia]] to use as a [[Reclaimer]] to activate the shield world, he was pursued by the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}, leading to [[Battle of the Trove|a battle]] at the Etran Harborage. In the battle, Ripa was killed by Sergeant [[John Forge]] who subsequently sacrificed himself to destroy the Etran Harborage by causing its internal sun to go [[supernova]]. The Covenant plan was foiled, but the ''Spirit of Fire'' sacrificed its [[slipspace drive]] to cause the supernova, leaving the ship and its crew stranded in deep space.{{Ref/Level|HW|HW:Escape|Escape}}

The UNSC's sole hope apparently lay with the SPARTAN-II Program. However, there were never enough Spartans to decisively turn the tide of the war in favor of humanity. Recognizing this, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] authorized the creation of the [[SPARTAN-III Program]]. The brainchild of [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]], these Spartans would be trained with a greater emphasis on stealth and teamwork, and would be sent on missions against high-priority targets that would be impossible even for elite units.{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoO2|GoO|Chapter=2}}
[[File:CP armor.png|thumb|left|200px|A member of Gray Team at the [[Battle of the Rubble]].]]
After just six years of combat, space battles with the Covenant had depleted the UNSC's nuclear stockpile to almost nothing in at least one sector of space.{{Ref/Novel|GoO|Chapter=1}}

With the majority of the Outer Colonies glassed or abandoned, the UNSC faced an economic crisis, as many of their [[agriculture world]]s had been destroyed, leading to food shortages. On [[Charybdis IX]], food riots were common.{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=12}} Meanwhile, Covenant forces began to encroach on the [[Inner Colonies]].{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=1}} In response, the UNSC issued United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1, otherwise known as the "[[Cole Protocol]]". It stated that no UNSC vessel may lead the Covenant to Earth or any other human population center. Furthermore, all movement through space was restricted to [[UNSC Navy]] vessels.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}} [[Insurrectionist]] attacks increased in the face of what the colonies perceived as a removal of their right to freedom of movement. This was to culminate in the discovery of Insurrectionists using Covenant weapons supplied by apparently renegade [[Kig-Yar]]. Shocked, the UNSC viewed this as a major threat to security.{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=13}} Upon learning of this, the [[Prophet of Regret]] declared such weapons as heresy, and as a result dispatched [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee to destroy the source of the modified weapons: a remote asteroid habitat known as [[the Rubble]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=TCP19|TCP|Chapter=19}}

Fleeing from the [[Battle of Charybdis IX]], the {{UNSCShip|Midsummer Night}} chased an Insurrectionist freighter to the Rubble and discovered that the Insurrectionists there had actually formed an alliance with a group of Kig-Yar.{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=26}} The Jackals were supplying the weapons and the Insurrectionists were modifying them. The crew of the ''Midsummer Night'', including its captain, [[Lieutenant]] [[Jacob Keyes]], were captured,{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=30}} but later escaped and helped SPARTAN-II [[Gray Team]] and the Rubble's citizens stop an assault from the Kig-Yar leader, [[Reth]], and 'Vadamee's forces. They managed to rescue a million civilians from behind enemy lines and escorted them to [[Falaknuma]].{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=67}}{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=70}} It later transpired that the [[Prophet of Truth]] had ordered the Kig-Yar to ally with the humans so that they could discover the location of [[Earth]] from stolen navigation data or through tracking devices in the weapons.{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=56}} Through this, the Covenant found two more worlds to attack.{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=71}}

By the time of the [[Battle of Jericho VII]] in 2535, most of the Outer Colonies were either destroyed, or cut communications with the UNSC.{{Citation needed}}
{{clear}}
[[File:Origins ii Human-CovenantWar.jpg|thumb|225px|Humanity, heavily out-gunned, lost much ground to the Covenant.]]

===Inner Colony push (2536-2551)===
{{Main|Siege of the Inner Colonies}}
For fifteen years, the war ground on in a predictable pattern; costly and rare victories on the ground for UNSC forces, with near total Covenant space superiority.{{Ref/Book|Enc11|Page=205}} The UNSC managed to deal a heavy blow to the Covenant in 2537 with the destruction of the Covenant manufacturing plant [[K7-49]] in [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]],{{Ref/Novel|GoO|Chapter=37}} and again during the [[Siege of the Atlas Moons]] in the same year. However, these victories were offset by the loss of [[New Constantinople]], the loss of its colonies at [[Leonis Minoris]], and the total destruction of the force of SPARTAN-IIIs sent to destroy the Covenant base.<ref>''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', p. 179 ("John had never worked with the Admiral before, but his accomplishments during the battles for New Constantinople and the Siege of the Atlas Moons were well known.")</ref>

Throughout the 2540s, the UNSC was dealt ever greater blows with the death of the SPARTAN-II [[Sheila-065]] during the [[Battle of Miridem]] in 2544,{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoO20|GoO|Chapter=20}} followed by the [[Battle of Actium|defeat at Actium]] in [[2545]]<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herocourage/c2ada678-e9ce-4db9-9ce9-1864070bd198 '''Halo Waypoint''' video, ''Hero-Courage'']</ref> and the [[Fall of Arcadia]]<ref>'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'''</ref> and the [[Siege of Paris IV|loss of Paris IV]] in 2549.<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', p. 244</ref> One of the UNSC's few successes during this time was [[Operation: TORPEDO]] in 2545, with the subsequent loss of 298 SPARTAN-IIIs ultimately considered acceptable by UNSC High Command.{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoOP|GoO|Prologue}} The SPARTAN-II raid on the [[Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence]] to recover a captive Dr. Halsey further proved the Covenant Empire was overwhelmingly powerful, but not invincible.{{Ref/Film|HLeg|Story=The Package (animated short)|StoryLinkText=The Package}}

One of the few major wins in the 2540s for the UNSC was the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]] in 2543, which came to be one of the most significant and strategically advantageous victories throughout the entire war. This engagement became colloquially known as Admiral Cole's last stand due to the presumed death of [[Preston Jeremiah Cole|Admiral Preston J. Cole]]. In addition to the alleged death of Cole, over 300 [[Covenant]] vessels, two fleets worth, were completely vaporized when [[UNSC]] [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear missiles]] detonated inside the atmosphere of [[Viperidae]], a supermassive gas giant. This detonation spurred spontaneous fusion at the core of Viperidae, temporarily turning the super gas giant into a brown dwarf star.{{Ref/Reuse|Cole}} Cole's achievements in this battle alone were only rivaled by the [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|destruction]] of the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' and the actions of [[John-117|Spartan-117]] throughout the course of the war.{{Ref/Reuse|Alamo}}

[[File:Covenant assault - 2.png|thumb|left|225px|[[Civilian]]s on a human colony world under siege by a Covenant invasion force.]]
While the Covenant had merely been slowed by the UNSC's military efforts, there was growing tension between the [[San'Shyuum]] and the [[Sangheili]] over the Human-Covenant War. At first, the Sangheili had followed the Prophets command to destroy the humans without question. But after more than twenty-five years of war, humanity's continued and fierce resistance in the face of certain death had deeply impressed the martial Sangheili.{{Ref/Reuse|TCP19}} There was a growing consensus among the Sangheili that the humans had earned the right to be offered membership in the Covenant, which the Prophets continued to reject. Yet over time, even some among the San'Shyuum themselves, such as the Prophet of Clarity [[Zo Resken]], began to secretly question why humanity wasn't offered a place in the Covenant.{{Ref/Novel|BC|Chapter=15}} At the same time, the [[Jiralhanae]], the one race capable of challenging the Sangheili's dominance of the Covenant military, were rapidly earning favor with the Prophets, as they were less inclined to question orders.<ref>'''[[Conversations from the Universe]]'''</ref> 

Towards the end of the war in 2552, the Office of Naval Intelligence was resigned to the fact that humanity may only have months left before the Covenant destroyed the remaining Inner Colonies and moved against Earth. To try and buy time, HIGHCOM ordered all available SPARTAN-IIs to return to Reach and commence [[Operation: RED FLAG]], a mission to locate the Covenant homeworld and capture a Prophet to force the Covenant into a cease-fire.<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 240-245</ref>
{{Clear}}

===The final year (2552)===
[[File:MasterChiefOmnibus FrontCover Clean.jpg|thumb|right|175px|CAPT. Jacob Keyes, Dr. Catherine Halsey, and John-117 would be key actors in battles such as the Fall of Reach and Battle of Installation 04.]]
The last year of the war saw humanity's largest defeat since the war's beginning, but also saw several of their greatest victories, coupled with the destruction of the Covenant as a galactic power. On [[Sigma Octanus IV]], the Covenant were [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV|defeated]], though at the cost of not only heavy UNSC casualties but also the Covenant's discovery of Reach and their attack on the stronghold a few days later, led by a spy probe attached to the [[UNSC Iroquois|UNSC ''Iroquois'']].<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 247</ref> On the ground, the SPARTAN-IIs were successful in securing a Forerunner [[Sigma Octanus IV Artifact|artifact]], covered in strange symbols, that the Covenant tried to transport out of [[Cote d'Azur]].<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 205-209</ref>

The [[Fall of Reach]] and [[Battle of Tribute|Tribute]] that followed resulted in staggering losses for both sides, but in the end, the Covenant claimed a costly victory.<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', p. 104-105</ref>{{Ref/Book|EVG|Page=177}} The {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|Pillar of Autumn]]'' was among the surviving UNSC ships that fled the battle, making a partially blind jump. The destination as described by Cortana was calculated with symbols from the Sigma Octanus IV artifact — coordinates to the Forerunner ring world of [[Halo Array|Halo]]. The ''Pillar of Autumn'' rushed to its destination, pursued by a dozen Covenant warships.<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 336</ref>

=====The tide turns=====
The Covenant suffered a costly defeat on and around [[Installation 04]]. Here, the human survivors from the ''Pillar of Autumn'' managed to form an effective and surprising resistance to the Covenant. Unwilling to risk damaging the sacred ring, the Covenant was forced to fight the humans on Halo's surface rather than using their usual bombardment tactics.{{Ref/Novel|HTF|Chapter=7}} The Covenant was soundly defeated in numerous raids led by SPARTAN [[John-117]], including an attack on a grounded cruiser, the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'', successfully escaping with the captain of the ''Pillar of Autumn'', Captain Jacob Keyes.{{Ref/Level|CE|The Truth and Reconciliation}} The battle on Halo then suddenly took a turn for the worse for both sides when the Covenant accidentally released an ancient and deadly parasitic race called [[the Flood]]. The Flood, having been imprisoned within Halo for many thousands of years, instinctively spread quickly throughout the ring, killing or assimilating every unsuspecting human and Covenant in their path, and would become a third party in the war.{{Ref/Level|CE|CE:343 Guilty Spark|343 Guilty Spark}}

During the course of the battle, John 117 discovered the true nature of Halo and proceeded to detonate the crashed ''Pillar of Autumn's'' engines, destroying the ring and escaping.{{Ref/Level|CE|CE:The Maw|The Maw}} The destruction of the holy Halo led to [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]] being disgraced and demoted before being branded with the [[Mark of Shame]], leaving him dead in the eyes of the [[Sangheili]]. Only the intervention of the [[Prophet of Truth]] prevented 'Vadamee's certain execution. He was instead given the title of [[Arbiter]] and sent to quell a [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretic]] uprising that had taken root on the [[Threshold gas mine|Forerunner gas mine]] over [[Threshold]].{{Ref/Level|Id=thearbiter|H2|Arbiter}}

[[File:H2A EDP Cairo Fleet.png|thumb|left|300px|The [[UNSC]] [[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]] shortly before the Covenant attack on Earth.]]

The Covenant discovered Earth as a result of an accident after the ''[[Seeker (AI)|Pious Flea]]'' had been intercepted by the UNSC stealth ship ''[[Apocalypso]]''. After retrieving a Forerunner artifact, the ''Apocalypso'' made a [[Slipspace]] jump directly to Earth. When the ship tumbled into real space and crashed on [[Luna]], the ''Pious Flea'' sent a message to the heart of the Covenant military, containing reconnaissance data, photos, star maps, and the coordinates of the Forerunner artifact, which was now on Earth.<ref>'''i love bees'''</ref>{{verify}} This information was first relayed to the High Prophet of Truth, who, due to his personal socio-political machinations, kept it secret from his fellow Hierarchs.<ref name="tentwenty">'''[[Halo Waypoint]]''', [http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/Detail/ten-twenty/f4adbef8-e9bc-44f8-aefa-d8e9b69f7139 ''"Ten Twenty"'']</ref> Instead, he began to amass [[Truth's fleet|a massive fleet]] of approximately 500 ships to the command-and-control station ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''. The surviving humans from the battles of Installation 04 and Reach, however, discovered the fleet and the direct threat it posed to Earth. Using the captured Covenant {{Pattern|Ruma|light carrier}} ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', the small group of soldiers lured the fleet into a trap and destroyed it.<ref name="Alamo">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 328-333''</ref>

A few weeks after this defeat, the [[Prophet of Regret]] discovered the location of a significant Forerunner artifact on his own. Without knowing that the planet housing this artifact was the human homeworld, Regret led a small fleet of fifteen ships to Earth in order to locate [[Excession|a portal]] to an installation known as "[[Installation 00|the Ark]]".{{Ref/Reuse|tentwenty}} Though hopelessly outgunned by the UNSC's new orbital defense grid of [[Moncton-class orbital weapon platform|MAC guns]], the Prophet of Regret's [[flagship]] ''[[Solemn Penance]]'' managed to break through the human defenses to [[New Mombasa]]. The Covenant ground troops quickly spread through the city, destroying both military and civilian resistance, but a counter-attack by the [[Marines]] and John-117 resulted in their swift defeat. With his fleet burning in orbit, Regret was forced to retreat. His carrier jumped into slipspace from within the city, damaging it severely. Following Regret's jump, waves of Covenant reinforcement forces arrived, including Truth's fleet originally intended for the ''Unyielding Hierophant'', resulting in a constant month-long engagement on Earth.{{Ref/Generic|Id=lootcrate2|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoO23|GoO|Chapter=23}}{{Ref/Reuse|tentwenty}}{{Ref/Site|Id=waypointvergil|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-vergil-reality|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Vergil Reality|D=15|M=06|Y=2021}}

Unfortunately for Regret, four human ships, including the UNSC ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]'', had followed them through their own slipspace rupture to [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]].{{Ref/Level|H2|H2:Delta Halo|Delta Halo}} Led by John-117, the humans forced their way to the Prophet himself. At that moment, ''High Charity'', having learned of Delta Halo, arrived and launched multiple waves of [[Phantom]] dropships to aid Regret. These forces were withdrawn by the Prophet of Truth as part of his plan to remove the Sangheili from power in the Covenant. However, Truth ultimately underestimated the full impact his 'reforms' would have on the Covenant's chances for military victory. The Master Chief [[Assassination of the Prophet of Regret|assassinated]] Regret, dealing a heavy blow to the Covenant's political structure. John-117 narrowly survived only to be captured by the [[Gravemind]], who had already formed a plan to prevent the Covenant from completing their Great Journey.{{Ref/Level|H2|H2:Regret|Regret}}

[[File:H2A Great Schism.png|thumb|300px|The Great Schism begins.]]

Meanwhile, the majority of the human forces on ''In Amber Clad'' had traveled to Delta Halo's [[Library]] to obtain the [[Index]], the key to firing Halo. Covenant forces were dispatched to secure the Index as well. However, the Index was stolen from the Arbiter by the [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]], who was under the Prophets' orders to not only retrieve the Index but to dispatch the