UNSC Spirit of Fire

''This article describes the warship. For the musical piece, see Spirit of Fire (music).''

The UNSC Spirit of Fire (hull classification symbol CFV-88) was a Phoenix-class support vessel in service with the UNSC Navy. Built in 2473, Spirit of Fire was actually a heavily modified colony ship. In 2531 her commanding officer was Captain James Cutter and her primary shipboard AI was Serina.

Pre-war service
The Spirit of Fire was originally a colony ship, transporting colonists as well as equipment such as hydroponics and schools, in the UNSC's expansion efforts.

Prior to the Battle of Arcadia, the Spirit of Fire had visited the planet Arcadia twice, once to aid in the colonization efforts taking place on the planet, and the second time to aid the local authorities in suppressing a violent student riot.

More than fifty years after being constructed, it was recommissioned and refitted for military service prior to the period of history known as the Human-Covenant War. The last civilian captain of the Spirit of Fire was Captain Alexander, who had retired from active duty in the year 2520, on the 20th of July, after colonizing the world of Verent. Directly after Alexander's retirement, the vessel was requisitioned by the UNSC and scheduled for refit in order to better prepare it for the combat operations in which it would participate.

The ship was refitted with a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon and other armaments to serve as a warship. Huge storage bays that used to house machine parts now carry everything from M12 Warthogs and M808B Scorpions to construction supplies for fire bases involved in front line engagements or in rearguard actions and repair equipment for herself and other ships and crew. In 2530 the Spirit of Fire's thrust assemblies were replaced from the destroyer, increasing output by 37%.

Human-Covenant War
The Spirit of Fire took part in the Harvest Campaign as part of Battlegroup D of Admiral Cole's Third Fleet, providing ground forces with supplies, reinforcements, vehicle support, orbital MAC strikes, air support and more, giving it a major role in the battle.

After the events on Harvest, the Spirit of Fire arrived at the planet Arcadia, where it assisted in the evacuation of civilians, and the eradication of the Covenant from the planet's surface. When Professor Anders was captured by the Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee, the Spirit of Fire quickly gave chase, following the Arbiter's flagship to an unknown planet in the Korinth Prior system. This planet eventually turned out to be a Forerunner Shield World, containing a fleet of Forerunner warships. To ensure that the Covenant would not be able to use these warships against humanity, the reactor that powered the Spirit of Fire's Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine was detonated inside the Shield World's artificial sun by Sergeant John Forge. The ship managed to escape the exploding Forerunner installation, but without a functioning slipspace drive, the journey home would take many years, if not decades. Most of the crew entered cryonic sleep at this point, with only a skeleton crew remaining active to run the ship.

Stranded in space
On February 10, 2534, the Spirit of Fire, previously designated as "missing", was declared "lost with all hands" by the UNSC. The reason for this change was kept top secret. A memorial service was held for the people aboard the vessel, but many of the crew's family members chose not to attend, holding out hope that their loved ones were still alive. Various theories circulated throughout the UNSC as to the ship's actual fate, ranging from being lost during a covert mission for ONI, destroyed in orbit over Arcadia, defecting to Insurrectionist forces, or being stranded in space. When Mary Cutter, wife of Captain James Cutter, was asked about the defection theory, she physically assaulted the reporter.

After the Human-Covenant War's conclusion, the Spirit of Fire was honored at the dedication of the living monument, along with numerous other ships that had been lost with all hands during the war.

Supposed rediscovery
In March 2558 the freighter, Pilgrims Pride, was carrying several AC-220 Vultures and AV-22 Sparrowhawks that were previously attached to the Spirit of Fire. The Pilgrims Pride launched a surprise attack on the UNSC Infinity and attempted to self-destruct inside the Infinity's bay. The Spartans managed to eject the freighter out of the bay. They also saved the Pilgrims Pride from total destruction by removing its exploding core. After recovering the remains of the attacking Vultures and Sparrowhawks, the crew used the ID numbers on the hulls to identify the ships as belonging to the Spirit of Fire. Confusing matters, the crew discovered that Pilgrims Pride had been constructed only five years earlier. While Commander Palmer speculated that the assault craft may have been stolen from the Spirit of Fire before the ship was lost, Roland pointed out that the assault craft were in fairly good condition for their age. Roland also determined that the freighter itself had been launched from Oth Lodon, a gas giant deep inside Jiralhanae-controlled space.

Despite the diplomatic risks, Lord Hood, who felt guilty over his role in the Spirit of Fire's disappearance, ordered the Infinity to investigate. When they arrived at the coordinates, they found not the Spirit but Shipmaster Vata 'Gajat's ship, which was docked to a massive glassing cannon. Captain Daniel Clayton contacted the Infinity, revealing himself to be aligned with the New Colonial Alliance. Intending to exact revenge on Lord Hood, Clayton fired three massive energy beams at the Infinity. However, five SPARTAN-IVs managed to enter the station, stop Clayton and used the cannon to destroy 'Gajat's flagship.

The Flood
During the 27-years period, and despite the measures imposed by the Chief Medical Officer O'Neil, the Flood managed to take control of the ship. In 2558, the Spirit of Fire reached an unknown system and was on a collision course with a planet.

Spirit of Fire Command

 * Captain James Cutter — Commanding Officer (August 2520 - present)
 * Terrence Hood - Executive Officer (252X-December 2530)
 * Serina — Primary shipboard AI

Officers

 * Blake — Bridge crew
 * O'Neil — Chief Medical Officer

Crewmen

 * Andrew Prescott — Chief Engineer
 * Lulu Hershey — Nurse

Spartans

 * Douglas-042
 * Jerome-092
 * Alice-130

Marines

 * Private Papadakis

Science personnel

 * Dr. Ellen Anders — Lead ONI Professor on board

Former

 * Sergeant John Forge — Killed in action during Battle of Shield World 0459 - February 25, 2531
 * Terrence Hood - Former Executive officer; transferred to the (UNK - December 2530)

The following is a list of former captains of the Spirit of Fire, found painted on the side of the ship's hull:


 * Coleman — (served 2473 to 2484)
 * Rehkov — (served 2484 to 2491)
 * Donald — (served 2491 to 2499)
 * Johnson — (served 2499 to 2505)
 * Roggan — (served 2507 to 2513)
 * Alexander — (served 2513 to 2520)

Trivia

 * The Spirit of Fire's ship emblem, "Exitus Acta Probat", is Latin for "The result justifies the deed" or "The ends justify the means."
 * "Spirit of Fire" is a translation of one of the names of Fëanor, the arch-rival of the Dark Lord Morgoth in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Like Captain Carol Rawley's callsign, Foehammer, this is likely a deliberate Tolkien reference.
 * Early concept art of Halo Wars suggests that a cat lived onboard the ship, possibly a pet to Captain Cutter. This is a possible reference to Jonesy, a cat that was lost aboard the.
 * The Spirit of Fire has its own onboard news publication, The Spirit.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars: Genesis
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo Living Monument
 * Halo: Escalation