Battle of Installation 03

The Battle of Installation 03 was an engagement on Forerunner Halo Installation 03 in the Khaphrae system in July 2557, between the United Nations Space Command and Jul 'Mdama's reformed Covenant faction and the latter's Promethean allies.

Prelude
At some point, the Covenant recovered the Forerunner Conduit, a device that was capable of opening Forerunner slipspace portals throughout the galaxy. During the Battle of Mombasa on Earth in 2552, the Covenant attempted to use the Conduit during the battle. However, the device was stolen by a squad of the UNSC's Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. The squad tried to escape the city to safely deliver the Conduit into UNSC hands, but the device was lost when the High Prophet of Regret's Solemn Penance entered slipstream space over New Mombasa. The resulting slipstream wake killed the ODST squad and destroyed the city, seemingly along with the Conduit. However, the Conduit transported itself to Installation 03 in the Khaphrae system by entering slipspace to save itself from destruction.

In July of 2557, UNSC personnel on Ivanoff Station detected a faint signal originating on Gamma Halo. It the signal was soon discovered to be emanating from the Conduit, a Spartan-IV was sent to the installation to investigate. However, Jul 'Mdama's reformed Covenant faction had continued to search for the Conduit after its supposed destruction at New Mombasa in 2552. The Covenant faction succeeded in picking up the signal moments before the UNSC did, and a fleet traveled to Installation 03 to recover the Conduit.

The battle
When the Covenant succeeded in recovering the Conduit, they brought it to the Altar on Installation 03. There, the Covenant intended to use the Conduit to open slipspace portals for Prometheans to invade Gamma Halo and give themselves control over the installation. They succeeded in bringing Prometheans to the ring, but the Conduit was eventually recovered by the UNSC who took it to a secret ONI base on New Phoenix.

Aftermath
After returning to Ivanoff Station in a Pelican dropship with the Conduit, the Spartan received an emergency distress call from an Office of Naval Intelligence facility in New Phoenix on Earth. The researchers at the facility were studying a Forerunner artifact at the time of the battle. When the Covenant used the Conduit at the Altar, Forerunner portals were activated throughout the galaxy. One of the portals opened up in the ONI facility in New Phoenix, and Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and Promethean forces attacked the base. It was determined that the only way to close the portals was to bring the Conduit to New Phoenix. The Spartan traveled to the city with the Conduit, as the Battle of New Phoenix begun.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Spartan Strike