Editing Operation: BIRD IN HAND

'''Operation: BIRD IN HAND''' was an attempt by the [[United Nations Space Command]] to recapture the occupied [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] research and development [[space station]] ''Argent Moon''. [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan-II]] [[Blue Team]] was deployed to eliminate all hostiles and reclaim the vessel.{{Ref/Level|Id=Blue|H5|[[Blue Team (level)|Blue Team]]}}

''Argent Moon'' was a research and development vessel for the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]. After almost four years in service, the ship crew's was wiped out when containment of one of their biological weapons [[Asteroidea merozoite|experiments]] went wrong. Although shipboard [[smart AI]] [[Rooker]] attempted to enforce quarantine protocols, they failed "massively" and all personnel aboard ''Argent Moon'' were dead by [[2557#March|March 17, 2557]]. Rooker then took further measures to quarantine the ship, piloted it to a remote asteroid belt to keep it away from an inhabited systems. After six months, Rooker began suffering from  [[rampancy]] and self-terminated, leaving the vessel empty. The abandoned starship was found more than a year later by [[Kig-Yar]] pirates, who sold it to [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]]. As his soldiers started tearing up the vessel for supplies to use in their [[Blooding Years|war]] against the [[Swords of Sanghelios]], ONI was alerted to the ship's discovery and ordered Spartan Blue Team to storm and reclaim it.{{Ref/Reuse|Blue}}

On October 24, [[2558]], Blue Team was sent by Pelican to the asteroid belt where ''Argent Moon'' lay. Leaving their Pelican and traveling by [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]], Blue Team made it into the ship and immediately began encountering Covenant forces. Blue Team fought their way to the ship's data center. Blue Team's initial plan was to fight their way to Central Control, where they could take command of the ''Argent Moon'', shut off its gravity and life support systems, and so flush out its decks of any remaining hostiles. Rescue of any remaining ONI personnel was also a priority, but a scan of the ship at the data center indicated that none of the original crew had survived.{{Ref/Reuse|Blue}}

Making their way to an assembly bay, Blue Team engaged a large contingent of Covenant forces primarily composed of [[Unggoy Ranger|Unggoy]] and [[Kig-Yar Ranger]]s. Clearing out all Covenant present, the Spartans made it through the bay. Blue Team was almost at Central Control's location when they were ambushed by a pair of [[Mgalekgolo]], who broke the catwalk they were on, sending them down to the maintenance tunnels several stories below. At the bottom, Blue Leader [[John-117]] had a vision of a seemingly-alive [[Cortana]], urging him to follow her to [[Meridian]]. When he came to, he informed Blue Team of the vision and they resolved to discuss it afterward. The Spartans followed their map's directions to an elevator that would take them back to the top decks. But reaching it required going four levels even lower in the ship. In these dark corridors, Blue Team encountered numerous [[Suicide Unggoy]] as well as [[Active camouflage|cloaked]] [[Sangheili]], many of whom were [[Sangheili Zealot|Zealots]]. Additionally, the Mgalekgolo pair were following them in the tunnels, hoping to cut off and confront the Spartans sooner or later.{{Ref/Reuse|Blue}}

As Blue Team reached the third level, they received reports lighting up the [[proselytization network]] and witnessed numerous [[Covenant starship]]s exiting slipspace. With no chance of reclaiming ''Argent Moon'' against a numerically superior alien force, John changed the team's objective from capture to asset denial. Their plan now was to head to the ship's reactor and shut off its safeties so that the reactor would overheat and detonate, destroying the ship, 'Mdama's Covenant aboard, and any Covenant warships surrounding it.{{Ref/Reuse|Blue}}

Blue Team continued lower in the ship to reach the reactor, and on the way, encountered the Mgalekgolo pair, ambushing them in a lab. Many more Covenant troops were defending the ship's reactor. After fighting and killing them all, Blue Team deactivated the reactor's failsafe for its overload. However, ''Argent Moon'' responded with automatic safeties, moving the reactor to a cooling center where it could be contained. To ensure its overload, Blue Team followed the reactor to the cooling center in vacuum, using [[D'nomlhe-pattern Banshee|Banshees]] to destroy its coolant pipes. With their interference, the cooling system failed and the reactor began overheating, prepping ''Argent Moon's'' destruction.{{Ref/Reuse|Blue}}

Blue Team needed to escape, but their Banshees would not escape the explosion in time and their arrival Pelican appeared to have been destroyed. John thus ordered them to the hangar where they could take a {{Class|Winter|prowler}} and escape into [[slipspace]]. Arriving at a hangar, the Spartans found the parked [[ONI Acrisius|ONI ''Acrisius'']], but needed to recharge its fuel cells. A huge Covenant force, including another Mgalekgolo pair and numerous [[Gespu-pattern fuel rod gun|fuel rod cannon]]-wielding Unggoy attacked the Spartans, forcing them to defend themselves, waiting for the Prowler to prep for launch.{{Ref/Reuse|Blue}}

With the hangar cleared and ''Acrisius'' ready, John-117 radioed the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} and informed them that he would be sending Blue Team to Meridian. However, ''Infinity'' was mysteriously already aware of Cortana's return and ordered John back to them while another Spartan team was sent to deal with her. Rejecting their orders, John and Blue Team chose to go AWOL and evacuated aboard ''Acrisius'', leaving ''Argent Moon'' as it exploded and killed all of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant in its vicinity.{{Ref/Reuse|Blue}}