Task Force Yama

Task Force Yama was a splinter group of Battle Group X-Ray under the command of Captain Halima Ascot. The battle group comprised fifteen Prowlers, with the Razor-class prowler serving as Ascot's flagship. In 2526, the Task Force participated in the Battle of Biko and Operation: SILENT STORM.

Operation: SILENT STORM
Task Force Yama split off from Battle Group X-Ray under the orders of Admiral Preston Cole. The Task Force's main objective was to escort and infiltrate the Spartans into a Covenant ship, so they could capture it. The Covenant ship would them be used to gain intelligence about the Covenant technology and their homeworlds.

The initial insertion was a failure due to an accidentally broadcasted transmission the Covenant picked up. Captain Ascot, Spartan John-117 and the commander of the 21st Space Assault Battalion joining the fleet, Colonel Crowther then decided to await the Covenant at Biko, a UNSC Strongpoint. Intending to using an abandoned Ice Quarry on Biko's third moon, the Task Force was unexpectedly ambushed by the United Rebel Front, who also used the Quarry as a staging location for a coup. Although the Spartans and the Black Daggers managed to defeat the Insurrectionists, they still managed to shoot down the and Starry Night, killing Captain Ascot. Though Covenant forces tried to capture the still relatively-intact Starry Night, the Spartans rescued the Prowler's surviving crew and activated its self-destruct, a one-megaton Fury tactical nuclear weapon that destroyed the that was trying to take the Prowler on board.

Shortly after, the Covenant Fleet of Inexorable Obedience attacked Biko with the task force attempting to help defend the planet. Due to Insurrectionist warnings, the Covenant was successfully able to protect against boarding actions and the task force lost five more Prowlers, but the Spartans used the time to go on a secret side mission to Etalan where they successfully destroyed the Covenant logistics fleet, forcing the Covenant to call in another for resupply and exposing their support world of Zhoist to Doctor Catherine Halsey.

The task force, split into Dagger Force and Sierra Force next launched an attack against Zhoist. By this point, it had become clear that the task force's new commander, Lieutenant Commander Hector Nyeto was in fact an Insurrectionist attempting to sabotage the Spartans. Before departure, Colonel Marmon Crowther promoted John-117 to Master Chief Petty Officer and placed him in charge of Sierra Force with secret new orders that foiled Nyeto's attempt to betray the task force to the Covenant. Nyeto was forced to flee to slipspace, escaping with the three Prowlers of Ghost Flight which all turned out to be crewed by Insurrectionists. Though the Black Daggers aboard were blown into vacuum, they were later rescued by the. Another Prowler was lost on approach to Zhoist, but the task force was able to complete its mission, destroying the Ring of Mighty Abundance, two of the Ten Cities of Edification and inflicting massive casualties upon the Covenant.

Composition

 * 15
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker
 * Several S-14 Baselard Space Striker

List of appearances

 * Halo: Silent Storm