Operation: WARM BLANKET
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UNSC tactical victory
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Operation: WARM BLANKET[4][1] was a UNSC operation to recover Dr. Catherine Halsey from Covenant captivity following the Battle of Miridem in 2544.[4] SPARTAN-II commandos engaged the Covenant Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence on OF92/EVA "Booster Frame" attack craft and successfully retrieved the doctor from the Covenant flagship, Resplendent Fervor.
Background[edit]
During the Battle of Miridem, Catherine Halsey was captured by the Covenant while in cryogenic suspension as the evacuation ship carrying her was seized by the Covenant forces, leaving Halsey as the only survivor. The cryo pod was taken aboard an assault carrier. The Covenant recognized the prisoner's value and placed decoys on escorting Ket-pattern battlecruisers to hamper any UNSC rescue attempts. The Covenant fleet, however, became trapped in a stellar magnetic field that prevented them from jumping to slipspace.
The UNSC used this to their advantage, and organized an Office of Naval Intelligence-led operation to rescue Halsey, who was an invaluable asset to the UNSC, and sent the ONI prowler PRO-49776, commanded by Captain Lucius R. Jiron, to intercept the Covenant fleet. On board was a team of SPARTAN-II supersoldiers consisting of John-117, Frederic-104, Kelly-087, Solomon-069 and Arthur-079. The Spartans were each to utilize an OF92 Booster Frame to infiltrate the fleet and effect a rescue. Intelligence did not believe the Covenant were aware of Halsey's significance. Nonetheless, if the five Spartans failed the UNSC was prepared to liquidate the doctor by attacking the enemy fleet.[5]
The operation[edit]
Space battle[edit]
- "What we want is in the heart of this fleet - the flagship."
- — John-117
The ONI prowler briefly de-cloaked to launch the booster frames. Several Ket-pattern battlecruisers immediately engaged the Spartans with pulse laser turrets, and a large inter-fleet skirmish began. The Spartans engaged and planted a scanning device on one of the ship's hulls. The first scan detected a signal matching the cryo-pod's from a cruiser.
Solomon-069 and Kelly-087 immediately vectored toward the target. The pair arrived as the cruiser was launching fighters. Kelly-087 advised waiting for the other Spartans, but Solomon-069 sought to board the ship while the shields were down. Kelly-087 held the shuttle bay while Solomon-069 landed and proceeded on foot. Upon arrival at the signal's location however, Solomon-069 was met with one of the decoys - a Chershi-pattern antimatter charge. The charge detonated, and Solomon was instantly vaporized, along the entire cruiser. John-117 thought it suspicious the scan had returned a positive match so easily but arrived only in time to warn and save Kelly-087. With scans now returning multiple decoy signatures, John-117 deduced that Halsey was on the fleet's flagship.
The Covenant Supreme Commander Luro 'Taralumee initially believed all three Spartans, instead of one, had been killed by the trap and was confident that the remainder would soon follow, but Major Thel 'Lodamee expressed the need for caution. 'Taralumee thought 'Lodamee's reputation tarnished by a previous inauspicious episode and was not receptive to the Major's counsel. Contrary to the Supreme Commander's optimism, 'Lodamee believed the Spartans would manage to board the flagship and prepared to face the enemy in close combat.[5]
As the remaining four Spartans headed for the assault carrier, they were intercepted by multiple Seraph squadrons. Kelly-087's craft was severely damaged; Arthur-079 pulled back to cover them but he scraped hulls with two closely flying cruisers, lost control, and crashed. Kelly-087 abandoned her craft and took up the rear turret on Fred-104's booster frame.
The assault carrier's shields were penetrated by concentrating the fire of the booster frames' gauss cannon and missiles on the ship's port aft launch bay. The Spartans abandoned the booster frames, allowing the damaged craft to ram into the launch bay, and coasted in unopposed. Covenant troops were already mustered in strength to repel the boarders. A short lull occurred as the three remaining Spartans sheltered under a Bubble Shield and prepared to sprint for the target.[5]