Editing Yao

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Character infobox
|variant=Human
|name=Yao{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
|image=[[File:HCD-Yao.png|300px]]
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|species=[[Human]]{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
|gender=Female{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
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|hair=Gray{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
|eyes=Brown{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
|affiliation=[[UNSC Navy]]{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
|rank-title=Title|rank=Commander<ref name="HCD1">''[[Halo: Collateral Damage]]'', ''[[Halo: Collateral Damage Issue 1|Issue #1]]''</ref>
|sn=
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{{Quote|no=two|q1=Blue Team, Commander Yao.|[[Catherine Halsey]]|q2=As you were.|Yao|Dr. Halsey announces Commander Yao's entry.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
'''Commander Yao''' was a [[UNSC Navy]] officer stationed aboard the {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Persian Gate}} at the start of the [[Human-Covenant War]].{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}

==Biography==
Commander Yao was aboard the ''Persian Gate'' on [[2525#December|December 1, 2525]] when it was orbiting [[Chi Ceti IV]] with a complement of [[Spartan-IIs]].{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}} On December 3, having left Chi Ceti behind them, Commander Yao joined the four [[Spartan]]s selected for [[Blue Team]] in its ready room aboard the vessel. She spoke up as she entered, just as Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]] finished congratulating the teenagers for recently [[Battle of Chi Ceti IV|proving]] the [[Covenant]] could be beat. Yao informed them that due to their demonstrated success, they were here now in order to prove themselves again. She had [[Nora]], the shipboard [[A.I.]], display a map of the [[Alpha Corvi system]] and began to fill them in concerning a Covenant incursion on [[Alpha Corvi II]] that had begun just three hours prior. [[Dropship]]s had landed on the colony's surface and its largest city, [[Jamshid]], was under attack by ground forces. Yao told Blue Team that their job was to drop near the city's outskirts and then fight to provide relief of the [[UNSC Marine Corps|marines]] defending Jamshid. She stated that they were not to contact the marines. She finished by giving the order for the young warriors to [[MJOLNIR|suit up]] before walking away to let Halsey finish briefing them.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}

While Blue Team and the [[UNSC Marine Corps]] did battle on the surface, Yao struggled to rally the fleet to the colony's defense in orbit. Outnumbered and outgunned, Yao was faced with a worsening tactical situation where the odds of success against the invading fleet were rapidly evaporating. Meanwhile, the defense of Jamshid had resulted in unsustainable casualties, forcing Yao to order the evacuation of all UNSC forces from Alpha Corvi. Yao deployed numerous dropships to evacuate the planet while the fleet renewed their attack. However, she did not place priority on the evacuation of non-UNSC personnel from the planet, instead leaving them to fend for themselves while instructing all ships to avoid firing on any non-military vessels departing from the surface. Dr. Halsey requested Yao to deploy a Pelican to evacuate Blue Team from Black Reef, a request Yao granted when contact was reestablished with the Spartans. 

On Black Reef, Yao ordered ''[[Tango 807]]'' to hold position while Blue Team and their allies in the [[United Rebel Front]] cleared a landing zone for extraction, and told the flight crew to refuse entry to the rebels once Blue Team had boarded. The Spartans were forced to abandon the rebels to their fates, and Yao was confronted by [[John-117]] who was outraged at the needlessness of their deaths. Yao shot the Spartan's protests down, insisting that the lives of the rebels were expendable in the larger war being waged around them, and that the survival of the Spartans was all that mattered. After this heated exchange, Yao stormed off of the bridge and ordered the ''Persian Gate'' to retreat from the Alpha Corvi system.

In [[2526#June|June 2526]], during [[Operation: OBLIVION]], the Spartans believed that [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Amalea Petrov]]'s plan to abandon the [[Castoffs]] on [[Netherop]] was even worse than what Yao did.{{Ref/Novel|Oblv|Chapter=17}}

While Blue Team and the [[UNSC Marine Corps]] did battle on the surface, Yao struggled to rally the fleet to the colony's defense in orbit. Outnumbered and outgunned, Yao was faced with a worsening tactical situation where the odds of success against the invading fleet were rapidly evaporating. Meanwhile, the defense of Jamshid had resulted in unsustainable casualties, forcing Yao to order the evacuation of all UNSC forces from Alpha Corvi. Yao deployed numerous dropships to evacuate the planet while the fleet renewed their attack. However, she did not place priority on the evacuation of non-UNSC personnel from the planet, instead leaving them to fend for themselves while instructing all ships to avoid firing on any non-military vessels departing from the surface. Dr. Halsey requested Yao to deploy a Pelican to evacuate Blue Team from Black Reef, a request Yao granted when contact was reestablished with the Spartans. 

On Black Reef, Yao ordered ''[[Tango 807]]'' to hold position while Blue Team and their allies in the [[United Rebel Front]] cleared a landing zone for extraction, and told the flight crew to refuse entry to the rebels once Blue Team had boarded. The Spartans were forced to abandon the rebels to their fates, and Yao was confronted by [[John-117]] who was outraged at the needlessness of their deaths. Yao shot the Spartan's protests down, insisting that the lives of the rebels were expendable in the larger war being waged around them, and that the survival of the Spartans was all that mattered. After this heated exchange, Yao stormed off of the bridge and ordered the ''Persian Gate'' to retreat from the Alpha Corvi system.

==Trivia==
Yao is an ancient [[China|Chinese]] surname.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:HCD-Yao2.png|Commander Yao enters the ready room.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
File:HCD-Yao3.png|Yao briefs the Spartans.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
File:HCD-Yao4.png|Yao takes her leave.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}
File:HCD - John117vsYao.jpg|John criticizes Yao for her decision to abandon the rebels, for which she promptly rebukes him. 
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Collateral Damage]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Oblivion]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Human characters]]
[[Category:UNSC Navy officers]]