Planetary Operations Manual

The Planetary Operations Manual is an official eyes-only document given by ONI, for operations regarding UNSC and Covenant units and structures during the Human-Covenant War.

Spirit of Fire January 3rd 2531 Version
A  version of the manual, amended on January 3, 2531, was given to the personnel serving aboard the ship during the early years of the Human-Covenant War.

The Spirit of Fire version of the manual is split into three sections:
 * Operations - Goes over a simple overview of important people on the Spirit of Fire, aliens to look out for, and simply how to manage a base.
 * UNSC - Goes over the important people and their ability's on the UNSC side, the units and structures of the UNSC also.
 * Covenant - Goes over the important people and their ability's on the Covenant side, the units and structures of the Covenant also.

Operations - Chraracters
Captain James Gregory Cutter Commanding officer, UNSC Spirit of Fire CFV-88. A superior battle tactician, but a better logistics officer. He refused command of the UNSC destroyer Prophecy in favor of the colonization vessel, Spirit of Fire. Upon the outbreak of the Covenant War, Cutter was handpicked by Admiral Preston Cole to helm the Spirit of Fire in her new role as center of repair, supply, and forward deployment operations for Battle Group D. Serina The “smart A.I.” aboard Spirit of Fire, Serina is capable of coordinating concurrent repair and refit operations of twelve UNSC ships of the line as well as organizing the deployment of hundreds of groundside assets among dozens of different drop zones. Her sense of humor is dry and sardonic. She has an understated fascination with human relationships and a theoretical interest in chocolate. Sergeant John Forge Sgt. John Forge’s service record speaks plainly: decorated numerous times for valor and gallantry on the battlefield, but just as many counts for insubordination, conduct unbecoming, and striking a superior officer. He has been promoted five times and demoted thrice. The men in his squad say: “He’s the guy you want in the foxhole next to yours… but you’d never introduce him to your sister.” Professor Ellen Anders With PhD’s in biology, anthropology, and psychology, Prof. Anders is the preeminent expert in theoretical xeno-biopsychology. She has been invited by the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) to join their elite research team to investigate possible clues regarding the aliens’ xenophobic behavior on the UNSC colony world, Harvest. Anders has an IQ of 180 and was the student of Dr. Catherine Halsey, progenitor of the SPARTAN II program. Arbiter Little is known of the Covenant who bears this title. Some theorize that the Arbiter is a battle leader equivalent to a UNSC four-star general. Unlike UNSC generals, however, the Arbiter personally leads military actions, believing anything less is dishonorable. The Arbiter (of which there can be only one at any given time) apparently also has a socioreligious function that extends beyond military protocols.

UNSC - Overview
Established in the latter half of the twenty-second century, the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) is the military branch of the United Earth Government. The UNSC maintains order and defends humanity against all sources of aggression. The UNSC is a disciplined, highly motivated military force.

UNSC - UNSC Spirit of Fire CFV-88
They will beat their swords into plowshares…

Originally commissioned as a colony ship in 2473. As Outer Colony tensions increased, however, a Magnetic Accelerator Canon (MAC) was added, capable of accelerating low-mass or depleted uranium slugs to a fraction of light speed. When the Covenant War started, Spirit of Fire was further repurposed. Vessel bays that once housed prefabricated schools and atmosphere processors now store mobile armories, self-assembling fusion reactors, and other groundside facilities that can be dropped via jet, parachute, and Pelican-directed assist to the front lines.

Covenant - Overview
The Covenant is a technologically advanced collective of alien species that controls a large portion of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Millennia ago, the Covenant were a small, heterogeneous group who banded together for mutual protection. Intervening centuries have interwoven the customs and beliefs of the disparate species into a strong society. The Covenant is a caste-based society regulated by theocratic rule.

Anders notes
This version was used by Ellen Anders as she made a few notes on her copy. Anders added the following notes into the manual.
 * "Why mention Halsey here? She hated me and I hated her." - This was in response to the Operations section mentioning Halsey in her Bio.
 * "The key on half this stuff is listening for the audio cues!" - This was in response to the Heads-up Display section in the Operations section.
 * "Remember to pack rad counter!" - This was in response to how to move groups into battle in the Operations section.
 * "A well supplied base is a successful base." - This was in response to the supplies section in the Operations section.
 * "I think its best if the Sergeant and I just avoid each other. His reputation is quite Stone Age." - This was in response to the ability's of Sergeant Forge in the UNSC section.
 * "Reactors on the base? Remind me not to visit often." - This was in response to the reactors existing on the base in the UNSC section.
 * Photo of the Jiralhanae Army Commander. - This photo is placed in the Covenant section where the Brute Chieftain is looked over.
 * "These Covenant structures still need a lot of study." - This was in response to the Covenant structures in the Covenant section.

Real World Sections of the manual
This document is the game manual included with Halo Wars.

Internal

 * Halo: Combat Evolved Manual
 * Halo 2 Manual
 * Halo 2: Special Collector's Edition manual
 * Halo 2: Multiplayer Map Pack manual
 * Halo 3 Instruction Manual
 * Field Operations Guide FM 90-10-140
 * MIL-FBS-295937(1)B Field Manual
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary manual

External

 * Download the PDF version from Xbox.com (Internal backup here)
 * Quick reference chart from Xbox.com (Internal backup here)