Papa Tango Delta Zero Nine

Papa Tango Delta Zero Nine (PTD-09) was an SKT-29 Bumblebee formerly attached to the and the companion lifeboat to Echo India Bravo Zero Eight.

Battle for Zeta Halo
On 12 December, 2559, the UNSC Infinity was ambushed by Banished forces upon arrival at Installation 07. As the Infinity fell to the Banished assault, Captain Thomas Lasky was evacuated from the ship, and UNSC forces were ordered to evacuate from the ship. Papa Tango Delta Zero Nine, piloted by First Lieutenant TJ Murphy, left the ship with its companion lifeboat Echo India Bravo Zero Eight, piloted by SPARTAN-IV Bonita Stone. Murphy piloted the Bumblebee through the raging battle, following Echo India Bravo Zero Eight. Both lifeboats managed to fly through a destroyed Banished dreadnought, though only Echo India Bravo Zero Eight came out unscathed. Papa Tango Delta Zero Nine was hit, losing its back section.

Without its back section, Papa Tango Delta Zero Nine spun out of control, with the force ripping two occupants out of their harnesses. The lifeboat crash-landed on the surface of the ring and was wedged inside a ravine, trapping its occupants for what would be six hours. Two occupants died upon impact, leaving five survivors: TJ Murphy, Lucas Browning, Isaiah Cameron, Robin Dimik, and Kinney. Although the lifeboat lost its communication capabilities, Cameron was able to salvage parts from the operation console to build a makeshift antenna, which he then pushed out of a small tear on the lifeboat’s hull to broadcasting a distress call. The crew took turns broadcasting the distress call, until they were answered by Spartan-IV Tomas Horvath of Fireteam Intrepid.

However, as Horvath made his way to the lifeboat, Installation 07 suddenly entered slipstream space. The ring's surface ripped open and flung Horvath off his feet, sending him tumbling across a plateau. Shortly after, an explosion on the ring fractured its surface. Amidst the chaos, Horvath lost contact with the lifeboat, as his tumble disabled his armor's long range communications. The ring's fracture also caused the crevice to close itself around Papa Tango Delta Zero Nine, with the windshield being shattered from the immense pressure. Kinney, already severely injured from the crash, was killed, while a shard of the shattered tempered glass cut into Cameron's knee. Shortly after, Spartan Stone arrived and punched into the small tear in the hull, creating a larger hole, from which she tore an opening wide enough to pull out the survivors. The remaining four survivors then joined Spartan Stone, Spartan Nina Kovan, and survivors from another lifeboat. Despite the numerous encounters with the Banished that gradually depleted the size of the party, this group of survivors would go on to become a team of guerilla fighters dubbed the boat crew.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Rubicon Protocol