Canon

Marooning

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Marooning is the act of purposefully stranding someone or a group of people in a location. It is against the law by the 26th century.

History[edit]

At some time in the 25th or early 26th centuries, the Castoffs' ancestors had worked as pirates in the Outer Colonies, preying on the freighters and colony ships serving the distant network of far-flung worlds. Eventually, these pirates were apprehended and ultimately marooned on the inhospitable greenhouse world Netherop, despite the practice's outlawing in the Uniform Code of Military Justice and Planetary Penal Code under Colonial Administration Authority ruling. With such a cruel fate, the Castoffs' ancestors had been expected to die on Netherop stranded in the outermost limits of human space. However, the stranded pirates instead discovered the remnants of a long-dead civilization on Netherop, and were able to use the planet's remnant networks of cities and ancient technology to survive on Netherop - if not thrive. John-117 estimated that those who had originally come to Netherop may have been around the mid-2470s - roughly fifty years before Blue Team's own adventure on the planet in 2526.[1]

Roughly 70 annual cycles before the arrival of the Governors of Contrition, a group of pirates and thieves were marooned on Atropos. As they had no knowledge of the Human-Covenant War, their descendants welcomed the San'Shyuum and Sangheili of the fanatical sect to their homeworld. The humans regularly traded with the Governors of Contrition and partook in the Festival of Joyous Partition before the planet was overtaken by the Flood spread through the machinations of Kanto'Boreft.[2]

In 2526, the Castoffs were encountered by Spartan-II Blue Team and the crew of the UNSC Night Watch.[1] The Castoffs were rescued by the Spartans[3] and allowed to resettle on Gao as per John-117's promise to them in exchange for their help.[4]

At the end of the Battle of Netherop, Lieutenant Commander Amalea Petrov and ten members of her crew were left marooned on Netherop along with Nizat 'Kvarosee and some of his forces.[3] Roselle deliberately marooned the UNSC forces by giving them a mountain runner without the battery power to make it to the extraction point in order to ensure that all of her family would be rescued.[5]

As a punishment for Nizat's rogue actions, the Covenant Fleet of Swift Justice established an orbital mine shell around the planet, ensuring that no one could ever rescue either group.[4] Some of the personnel of the fleet - including Silent Shadow Blademaster Meduz 'Ra'ashai - were also stranded on the ground. As such, 'Ra'ashai elected not to kill Nizat and instead join him - figuring that a chance of survival was better than dying on Netherop.[6]

About a year after the battle, the UNSC sent a rescue mission to Netherop. A Prowler sneaked into orbit and established contact with Petrov. However, the orbital mine shell destroyed both Pelicans that were sent to Netherop's surface. Not prepared to clear a full mine shell and unwilling to risk twenty lives to save eight, the captain called off the mission but he promised that a better-equipped mission would come back when it was feasible. True to the Prowler captain's word, the corvette UNSC Alpina came years later and worked to punch through the mine shell. On the third day, the Alpina made contact with the UNSC survivors and promised that a Pelican would collect them before the next evening, having apparently found a way through the mine shell. However, Nizat was able to use the Divine Hand to destroy the Alpina and the third rescue mission that came after it around ten years after the destruction of the Alpina.[7]

After this rescue attempt, no further visits were made to Netherop; the UNSC wrote off the possibility of landing on the planet and the Prophet of Truth had deemed the loss of the Covenant frigates Radiant Arrow and Steadfast Strike over the planet a sign of divine displeasure and forbidden all travel to the system - a ruse to cover the marooning of Nizat and his cohort.[8] Petrov and her forces were able to kill a number of Nizat's people over the years, leaving him with only six remaining followers, while the humans had children and their numbers only increased as time went on.[9][7]

In 2559, the Swords of Sanghelios came to Netherop seeking out the Divine Hand where they cleared out the mine shell. Upon landing, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam encountered Petrov, the other remaining survivors of the Night Watch, and their children. Now at peace with humanity, Thel offered to rescue the marooned humans or to contact the UNSC to pick them up now that the mine shell was gone.[9]

Petrov and her people were finally rescued by the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios forces at the conclusion of the battle and taken to five Condors in orbit.[10][5]

Nizat and his steward Tam 'Lakosee, the last of the Defenders of the Sanctum, were once again marooned on Netherop, this time with no hope of survival. With both Sangheili facing an inevitable death from infection, starvation or dehydration, Tam chose to mercy kill Nizat.[11]

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b Halo: Oblivion, chapter 10
  2. ^ Halo: Ascension on Atropos
  3. ^ a b Halo: Oblivion, chapter 21
  4. ^ a b Halo: Oblivion, Epilogue
  5. ^ a b Halo: Outcasts, chapter 26
  6. ^ Halo: Outcasts, chapter 10
  7. ^ a b Halo: Outcasts, chapter 9
  8. ^ Halo: Outcasts, chapter 4
  9. ^ a b Halo: Outcasts, chapter 7
  10. ^ Halo: Outcasts, chapter 24
  11. ^ Halo: Outcasts, chapter 25
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