Bulk Discount

The Bulk Discount, Freighter Identification Code is BDX-008814530, was a freighter in the UNSC Commercial Fleet.

Background
The Bulk Discount was used as a trap by Lieutenant Commander Jilan al-Cygni, with the help from Staff Sergeants Avery Johnson and Nolan Byrne.

Trap
While al-Cygni orginally believed Insurrectionists were attacking cargo freighters around Harvest. and had laid her trap with them in mind, it was actually the work of the crew of Minor Transgression, a Covenant exploration vessel.

On January 16, 2525, al-Cygni, Johnson, and Byrne appropriated Bulk Discount from Sif, and with al-Cygni's sloop Walk of Shame docked underneath initiated a Slipspace jump to Madrigal. Minutes later both ships exited Slipspace, Walk of Shame disengaged and disappeared from radar contact, and Bulk Discount began transmitting an fake SOS to lure the raiders into attacking. The SOS was picked up by Sif, who verified the transmission was false (the message referenced a nonexistent captain).

Shortly afterward, Minor Transgression arrived and attacked Bulk Discount, using lasers to pierce the freighter's hull and vent its atmosphere to kill any humans on board without harming the relic they sought. When the Jackal complement entered the freighter, they discovered they had accidently destroyed the artifical gravity. Johnson and Byrne, clad in vacuum suits and had therefore survived the loss of atmosphere (and, therefore, presumably still giving the Covenant vessel's Luminary a signal that "relics" has survived the assault as well) subsequently ambushed and killed three Jackals, Zhar among them.