Truth and Reconciliation

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The Truth and Reconciliation was a Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser. CCS Cruisers are long, vaguely organic-shaped spacecraft capable of launching dozens of fighters. They are typically armed with several dozen energy weapons. Covenant capital ships come in varying classes and sizes, though military observers note that there is a great deal of variance--weaponry, length, estimated tonnage, fighter compliments, speed and maneuvering capabilities--within a particular class. The primary use of these ships is to transport ground forces, though they are quite capable of a battle in space as well.

The Truth and Reconciliation was the Cruiser that held Captain Jacob Keyes prisoner during the events on Halo. The ship was destroyed by a member of the surviving UNSC forces to stop the Flood from escaping Halo.

Covenant often name their ships with different names that "personify" their religious significance. Known names for Covenant CCS-class ships are Truth and Reconciliation, Purity of Spirit and Sacred Promise.

The Truth and Reconciliation takes its name from the actual Truth and Reconciliation Commission established in South Africa after the fall of apartheid rule. Alternatively, its name may have been inspired by the Christian concept of "reconciliation with the truth" of the gospel and with God.

Battle of Reach
An element of the Fleet of Particular Justice, the Truth and Reconciliation was present at the Battle of Reach, one of the hundreds of Covenant warships that assailed the UNSC fortress world. When the Pillar of Autumn fled Reach, the Truth and Reconciliation pursued the Pillar of Autumn through Slipspace to its destination - Installation 04, a.k.a. "Alpha Halo".

Battle of Installation 04
When the Pillar of Autumn arrived at Installation 04, it was able to evade detection by the Covenant fleet there, surreptitiously analyzing Installation 04. However, a Seraph stumbled upon the Pillar of Autumn by chance, and relayed its coordinates to the Covenant fleet, which engaged the Pillar of Autumn.

In the ensuing naval battle, Cortana disabled the Truth and Reconciliation as she tried in vain to defend the Pillar of Autumn. Although the Truth and Reconciliation could have easily destroyed the Pillar of Autumn, the Minor Prophet in command ordered that plasma torpedoes not be used because it would risk damaging the Halo. Boarding parties were sent instead. After being disabled, the vessel was forced to drop to 300 meters above the surface of the planet for refit and repair. When it landed on Alpha Halo, it became a sort of command post for the Covenant ground forces. A small group of the High Council of Masters convened there, namely Soha 'Rolamee and an unnamed minor Prophet. Zuka 'Zamamee went to the ship to ask the Council permission to hunt the Master Chief, but the Council turned him down. As 'Zamamee was leaving, he confronted the recently captured Captain Keyes.

Truth and Reconciliation
It was boarded the next day using it's gravity lift by the Master Chief and a handful of Marines and ODSTs trying to rescue Captain Keyes. They entered the ship's gravity lift bay and were ambushed by Covenant security forces, as well as Stealth Elites. With the aid of the Master Chief, the Marines successfully defeated the hordes of Jackals, Grunts, and Elites, and proceeded on into the vast, maze-like corridors of the CCS-Battlecruiser's interior. As quick as lightning they were though the ship's passageways and soon they were fighting their way through the ship's hangers. Upon reaching the Control Room, the Master Chief left the Marines to defend against intruders while he went in search for Captain Keyes. While making his way to the Prison Cells, he encountered another prison block that contained dead Marines, beaten or tortured to death. When the Chief reached Keyes's cell, he was also accompanied by a few surviving Marines. After freeing them, the group has to deal with a few Stealth Elites and Jackals. When they reached the Control Room, the Chief found that the Marines he left there were dead and in their place were Stealth Elites with Energy Swords. Having defeated the Elites, a welcoming party of Grunts arrived and valiantly try to stop the Chief. Once that battle was over, the party fought their way to the shuttle bay. They were then informed by Foehammer that there would be no extraction for them because she was being engaged by Covenant air patrols, they would be better off finding their own way out. So, Keyes commandeered a Spirit. However, in a heroic but ultimately futile attempt, a pair of Hunters tried to shoot down the dropship. They were flattened when Keyes rammed them with the ship. They were responsible for the death of Ship Master Orna 'Fulsamee, as well as 120 soldiers with only 36 humans lost. Due to the attack the surviving UNSC personnel were able to capture several Shades which were used to fortify Alpha Base. Also as a result of the attack Zuka 'Zamamee's request to hunt and kill the Master Chief was reviewed and approved.

Keyes and the Flood
After the Flood was discovered, the Covenant ordered all ships to abandon the Ring. Unfortunately, the vessel was overwhelmed and disabled by the Flood before it could leave. Since the Flood learn from who they infect, the Covenant were fearful that the Flood would repair the ship, fly into space and infect the galaxy. The Covenant then sent in a strike team, then several more when the first group failed, to repair the vessel and neutralize the Flood. A massive battle between Flood and Covenant crew and Special Operation forces ensued. During this fight, the Master Chief was sent in to find Captain Keyes and extract him, or failing that, retrieve the Captain's neural implants so the Pillar of Autumn's engines could be overloaded. The Chief fought his way into the ship and into the control room, which was where Keyes was being "interrogated". Upon reaching Keyes, Cortana informs the Chief that there are no human life-signs left. The chief then proceeds to forcefully remove the neural implants. Meanwhile, Covenant forces consisting of Spec Ops Elites and Grunts were trying desperately to repel the Flood forces. About the time the chief reached the Shuttle Bay, a Special Operations team of Elites came in Banshees and a Spirit dropships to reinforce their comrades. Also, waiting in the lower levels were a pair of Hunters, who met their end at the hands of the Chief. 117 managed to kill all hostiles and made his way to the hanger bay, where he stole a banshee and was able to escape and fly to the Pillar of Autumn. In the fight, the Truth and Reconciliation's reactor was damaged, and according to Cortana it should have gone critical. However, it did not and was repaired by Covenant forces, who managed to repel or destroy the majority of the Flood on board after the Master Chief's departure. Cortana's mistake with the reactor may be due to her extensive experience with UNSC ships instead of those of the Covenant, as the ships of the latter tend to be much more powerful and durable than the former.

Capture and Destruction
Just barley missing Master Chief as he fled form the cruiser, ODSTs and surviving Marine and naval personal forces took over the ship through a combined surprise assault on the vessel's hanger bay and gravity lift. Major Silva planned to fly it back to Earth with a valuable prisoner and couple of each 3 types of live flood captured that the Marines had taken, but it was destroyed by a Helljumper officer, First Lieutenant Melissa McKay, who realized that they could not risk taking the ship to Earth for fear of spreading the Flood and destroying humanity; if even 1 Carrier Form managed to avoid the sterilization procedure, the whole of Earth could fall. She realized that Major Silva's lust for glory was clouding his judgment as UNSC personnel were getting the cruiser ready for lift off. The Combat Form known as Wallace Jenkins still had enough mental faculties left to try and stop the ship himself. When he was restrained by 2 ODSTs, however, Lieutenant McKay finally understood his intentions and in a snap-decision, severed the primary optical fiber cable that linked controls from the bridge to Engineering, thereby causing the cruiser to lose control and crash onto the surface of Halo. Her actions caused the death of all humans, Covenant and Flood on board whilst possibly saving the rest of humanity from potential annihilation.