Recovery of John-117

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Concurrent:	URNA Southwest Campaign
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Recovery of John-117
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War Battle for Earth
Date:	November 17, 2552
Location:	South of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, East African Protectorate
Outcome:	Decisive UNSC victory John-117 recovered
Details Belligerents United Nations Space Command UNSC Navy UNSC Air Force UNSC Marine Corps Covenant separatists Fleet of Retribution Covenant Commanders MCPO John-117 Arbiter Thel 'Vadam SGTMAJ Avery Johnson GYSGT Marcus Stacker GYSGT Reynolds Unnamed Jiralhanae Chieftain† Strength 3 Pelicans Echo 051† Kilo 023 1 Spartan-II 1 Sangheili Arbiter Several ground troops Phantoms 2 Banshees Ground forces Jiralhanae Unggoy Kig-Yar Casualties Medium-heavy 2 Pelicans Echo 51 Most of Bravo Team (save for Reynold) Heavy

The Recovery of John-117 was a small engagement between the United Nations Space Command against the Covenant on November 17, 2552 in the Tanzanian jungles near Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. UNSC forces led by Sergeant Major Avery Johnson succeeded in recovering SPARTAN-II John-117 after his escape from the Anodyne Spirit.

Background

During the early morning of November 17, 2552, the Forerunner keyship Anodyne Spirit carrying the High Prophet of Truth arrived at Earth, smashing through the remnants of the UNSC Home Fleet that had been engaging Covenant warships over the planet for the last month. On board the keyship was Spartan John-117 who, after making a failed assassination attempt on the Prophet, was forced to flee from the ship. Using a door as a heat shield, the Spartan bailed out of the Anodyne Spirit as it entered Earth's atmosphere. His trajectory and expected crash site was triangulated by S. Hartley, an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper fighting Covenant forces near Sector Six, Asia. This would allow several squads of Marines led by Avery Johnson to locate the Spartan in the following hours. John made landfall in a Tanzanian jungle south of Mount Kilimanjaro while the Forerunner vessel continued descending until it landed on the portal to the Ark, which had been excavated by Truth's fleet.