Operation: METEORITE

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Operation: METEORITE
John-117 and a Sangheili fighting aboard the Triumph of Tolerance.
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War
Date:	c.July 13, 2551
Location:	Aboard the Triumph of Tolerance in orbit of Promise
Outcome:	UNSC victory Successful retrieval of data from the kelguid on High Charity Destruction of the Triumph of Tolerance and the Minister of Harmony's experiments
Details Belligerents United Nations Space Command Covenant Commanders MCPO John-117 SGTMAJ Avery Johnson Minister of Harmony Strength Libra Team 1 SPARTAN-II 1 SPARTAN-I Marine POWs 1 Orbital Drop Shock Trooper 2 captured Spirits 2 captured Seraphs 1 Halberd-class light destroyer UNSC Burden of Proof 1 Covenant agricultural vessel Triumph of Tolerance Sacristan Order Sangheili Jiralhanae Kig-Yar Unggoy Mgalekgolo Elsedda-pattern Banshees Oghal-pattern Banshees Seraphs Spirits Karo'etba-pattern Ghosts Zurdo-pattern Wraiths Casualties Heavy Most Marines Near total Triumph of Tolerance

"Op started simple enough: drop in, grab the goods, get out before anyone notices. Well, guess what? They noticed."

— Avery Johnson

Operation: METEORITE was a UNSC operation in July 2551. The UNSC's goal for the operation was to acquire data from the kelguid onboard the Covenant agricultural vessel Triumph of Tolerance that would lead them to High Charity and lay the groundworks for the then-upcoming Operation: RED FLAG.

Background

In July 2551, the UNSC discovered that the Covenant logistics vessel Triumph of Tolerance remained in orbit over the glassed human colony of Promise. With no other Covenant ships in the system, Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb saw it as an opportunity to send a team in to infiltrate the Covenant ship and recover its kelguid. Having previously captured one decades earlier during the Battle of Seoba, Whitcomb and Dr. Catherine Halsey hoped to learn the location of the Covenant homeworld.

The two recruited Spartan-II Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 to lead the mission while Colonel James Ackerson pushed for the Hungry Buzzards to be the rest of the team. However, John-117 refused, and instead requested Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, an ORION supersoldier who he had previously worked with during Operation: SILENT STORM. The Spartan planned to infiltrate the Triumph of Tolerance using a Spirit dropship that the Hungry Buzzards had previously captured.

Battle

Boarding

Using their captured Spirit dropship, Spartan-II Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and ORION supersoldier Avery Johnson, operating as Libra Team, were able to sneak aboard the Triumph of Tolerance and began fighting their way to the bridge. Instead of normal Covenant warriors, they found themselves facing the zealous Sacristan Order; nevertheless, they progressed through the vessel. In one of the ship's labs, they encountered the Minister of Harmony who demonstrated the effects of his experiments on a Jiralhanae Berserker. Harmony fled while unleashing successive waves of troops that the two supersoldiers had to fight through on their way through the ship.

Rescue

As they continued, John-117 picked up a UNSC