2552: Difference between revisions

'''''2552''''' was the penultimate year in the [[Human-Covenant War]], during which the [[human]]s of the [[United Nations Space Command]] nearly saw utter defeat and extinction, though the tide turned, and with the help of the [[Sangheili]], won the Human-Covenant War. The [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] were at the peak of their power and reach in 2552, with major assaults on the Human [[Inner Colonies]] and an invasion followed by a [[Battle of Earth|prolonged engagement]] on their home planet, [[Earth]].<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', level ''[[Cairo Station (level)|Cairo Station]]''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', level ''[[The Storm (Level)|The Storm]]''</ref> During the [[Battle of Installation 04|battle]] at [[Installation 04]], the galaxy found its first large outbreak of the [[Flood]] threat in over a hundred thousand years.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', level ''[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', level ''[[The Library (Level)|The Library]]''</ref> Over two months later, an even larger outbreak occurred at [[Installation 05]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', level ''[[Sacred Icon]]''</ref>

*The {{UNSCShip|Apocalypso}} crashes in lunar orbit, a [[Slipspace Anomaly]] knocking out communications within the Solar System for [[seven]] seconds.

*Noble Six arrives in New Alexandria and rescues civilians by helping them escape. Six also manages to severly damage one of the Corvettes laying siege to the city by use of an AA missile battery. Noble Six eventually meets up with the rest of Noble Team, and the Covenant begin glassing the city. As Noble Team is on their way to a fallout shelter under the [[Olympic Tower]], Catherine-B320 is killed by sniper fire.

*[[Battle of Aszod]]: The Covenant forces throughout [[Aszod]] attempt to stop Noble Six and Emile from reaching the ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|Pillar of Autumn]]'', going so far as to deploy [[Scarab|Scarab Walkers]] against them. Carter sacrafices himself when he steers his damaged Pelican into a Scarab, destroying it. Emile and Six procede to push towards the ship breaking yards (now almost totally controlled by the Covenant, who begin making preparations to destroy it) and rendezvous with the scant UNSC forces still attempting to defend the facility. After clearing most of the facility, Six, Emile, and several Trooper squads meet up with Captain Jacob Keyes, sucessfully delivering the fragment of Cortana. However, Emile is killed by a Sangheili Zealot.  

*ONI launches an investigation of a [[SecNet]] conversation between [[Sergeant]]s [[Joseph M. Poteet]] (Username: TRIGTECH) and [[Alasdair R. Schicker]] (Username: GLancer) to discover whether they might have accidently leaked the location of Reach to the Covenant.

*Earth's [[Orbital Defense Platform]]s are scheduled to come online.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 104''</ref>

*The {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} arrives at Alpha Halo.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', page 1</ref>

*SPARTAN-117 is awoken from cryo sleep and tasked with preventing Cortana's capture by the Covenant.

*SPARTAN-117 and Cortana escaped the ship aboard a [[Bumblebee-class Lifepod]], which later crashed on the ring.

*Captain Keyes and the others in his escape pod are captured by the Covenant. Only Keyes escapes summary execution, and is taken to the {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser|}} ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' for interrogation.  

*A large group of ODSTs and survivors, under the command of [[Major]] [[Antonio Silva]], (who assumed command of ''Autumn'' 's surviving crew after Captain Keyes' capture by the Covenant) establish [[Alpha Base]], which serves as the main tactical firebase for the survivors and as a staging point for any future Covenant attacks.  

*SPARTAN-117 leads a [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] force to board the ''Truth and Reconciliation''. They recover Keyes and escape aboard a [[Type-25 Troop Carrier|Covenant dropship]].

*Keyes orders SPARTAN-117 to find the "[[Silent Cartographer]]", a map room that will reveal the location of the [[Control Room]]. Keyes leaves to lead an assault on a Covenant weapons cache.

*Having found the map room and the pertinent information, Cortana directs a [[Echo 419|Pelican]] to take them to the area where the ring's Control Room is. Upon reaching the Control Room, Cortana transfers to the Control Room's computer and directs SPARTAN-117 to stop Keyes from accessing the 'weapons cache', really a [[Forerunner]] research and quarantine facility.

*SPARTAN-117, without Cortana, enters the facility but is unable to locate Keyes. Instead, he discovers the "[[Flood]]" and is forced to retreat. He links up with marines and takes command of the surviving members of Keyes' team and together they fight their way to the extraction point. However, the Spartan is conscripted by the "[[343 Guilty Spark|Monitor of Installation 04]]" and teleported away before he can be evacuated with the surviving members.

*Major Silva and the others under his command abandon Alpha Base after discovering a large Flood infestation beneth the base. They then learn that the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' has been abandoned and lead a strike force to capture the ship.  

*The Monitor takes [[John-117]] to the ring's "[[Library]]" to retrieve the "[[Index]]", a device needed to activate the ring's primary weapon. Having retrieved the Index, the [[Monitor]] teleports the [[Spartan]] back to the Control Room where an irate Cortana confiscates the Index and prevents the ring from firing. SPARTAN-117 and Cortana flee a now-hostile 343 Guilty Spark and [[Sentinel]]s.

*To forestall the ring from being activated manually, SPARTAN-117 disables the ring's three [[Pulse Generator]]s. This is to buy time to destroy the ring by activating the auto-destruct on the {{UNSCship|Pillar of Autumn}}. Only Keyes neural interface can activate the ship's self-destruct, and SPARTAN-117 embarks once more to rescue the captain.

*Cortana teleports the Spartan to the now Flood-overrun ''Truth and Reconciliation'' where Jacob Keyes is being held. Alas, the pair arrives too late to save Keyes, who has been merged into a [[Brain Form]]. SPARTAN-117 retrieves the neural interface by punching in the former-captain's head. Cortana downloads the necessary codes, and the duo returns to the {{UNSCship|Pillar of Autumn}} on a captured [[Banshee]].

*Major Silva's forces arrive at the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' and take over the ship through a combined surprise assault on the vessel's hanger bay and gravity lift. They also manage to capture the cruiser's [[Truth and Reconciliation's Prophet|Prophet]].  

*After capturing the cruiser, Major Silva intends to fly the ship back to Earth in order to be recognized as the hero of the Battle of Halo; this acts a both a huge violation of the Cole Protocol and risks spreading the Flood. First Lieutenant [[Melissa McKay]] realizes this, so, in a snap-decision, she severs the primary optical fiber cable that linked controls from the bridge to Engineering with a Fragmentation Grenade, thereby causing the cruiser to lose control and crash onto the surface of Halo.

*343 Guilty Spark overrides the auto-destruct sequence, forcing SPARTAN-117 to manually destabilize the ship's still-functioning fusion cores. SPARTAN-117 and Cortana then escape the resulting explosion and the fragmentation of the ring aboard a Longsword.

*SPARTAN-117 and Cortana rendezvous with Johnson's group in Installation 04's debris field. They also recover a set of [[cryo chamber]]s, one which contains [[SPARTAN-058]].

*The Battle of Installation 04 ends. [[Stacker|Gunnery Sergeant Stacker]] and PFC [[Chips Dubbo]] survive, but it is unknown how they do.

*[[Skirmish over Threshold]]: As the [[Longsword]] and [[Pelican]] are not jump capable, the UNSC survivors assault and capture the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', a Covenant warship and apparently the flagship of the Covenant Fleet sent to Installation 04. They then set course for Reach.

*A Time/Date Record Anomaly continues from this point in the narrative, resolved above on Sep 7, 2552.

After the recovery of a Forerunner device on Reach, the members of an organized resistance comprised of SPARTANs from Reach and survivors of the Battle of Installation 04 are in some sort of time anomaly, causing them not to be in the "correct timeline".<ref>'''Halo: First Strike'''</ref> What is known is that the events taken place with the possession of the device take place after September 7.

*The remaining Spartans, [[Admiral Whitcomb]], Dr. Halsey, [[Avery Junior Johnson|Sgt. Johnson]], [[Elias Haverson|Lieutenant Haverson]], Warrant Officer Polaski, and Corporal Locklear jump to Slipspace on board the Covenant/UNSC hybrid ship {{UNSCship|Gettysburg}}-''Ascendant Justice'', and discover that the shard seems to have the ability to bend both space and time.

*Vice Admiral Whitcomb secures a meeting with rebel leader Governor [[Jacob Jiles]], attempting to reason with him that the Covenant would most likely arrive to claim the Forerunner Crystal. When several Covenant Warships emerge from Slipspace, Jiles agrees to help the UNSC forces.  

*Dr. Halsey sedates [[Kelly-087]], and absconds with her on Governor Jiles' personal ship, the [[Chiroptera-class|''Chiroptera''-class]] ''[[Beatrice]]''. Before she goes, she gives the Forerunner cryatal to Corporal Locklear, with implicit instructions to destroy it.  

*Governor Jiles is killed and the [[Eridanus Rebels]] are destroyed during the [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus]]. Eridanus Secundus itself is destroyed by the Covenant.

*Prior to October 20,<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/Detail/the-mona-lisa-1/1f69c960-2eb1-42e0-89b4-89a58fa153b8 ''"Set between the events of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2..."'']</ref> the {{UNSCShip|Red Horse}} is sent to Installation 04's debris field in the Soell system to scout the area for survivors. They detect the [[prison ship]] ''[[Mona Lisa]]'' and [[Skirmish on Mona Lisa|deploy Marines into the ship]]. Soon after, it is revealed that the ship is infested by the Flood and was used by the Office of Naval Intelligence as a laboratory to test the parasite on prisoners. The infestation is contained as the ''Red Horse'' unleashes a [[Shiva-class nuclear missile]] on the ''Mona Lisa'', destroying it.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''' - "The Mona Lisa"</ref>

*SPARTAN-117 foils a Covenant attempt to demolish Cairo Station and commandeers the Covenant [[Covenant Bomb|bomb]] to destroy an assault carrier.

*Gunnery Sergeant Buck leads the defense of [[Tayari Plaza]]. After he attempts to find the missing Captain Dare, he finds her crashed SOEIV, but no trace of her. He manages to link up with Lance Corporal Agu.

*Marine forces under the command of an [[Unnamed UNSC Colonel|unknown Colonel]] within New Mombasa start to regroup, managing to take back the [[Uplift Nature Reserve]]. However, the New Mombasa Orbital Elevator collapses, killing the Colonel and scattering the Marine forces into disarray.  

*The [[ONI Alpha Site]] in New Mombasa is destroyed by the combined forces of the UNSC and the [[New Mombasa Police Department]], led by Corporal Miles and and PFC Crespo, in order to prevent the Covenant from accessing it. During the attack, [[Kinsler|Commissioner Kinsler]] activates the fire extinguishing systems in the underground data facility, flooding its sublevels with argon. The argon kills [[Dr. Endesha]], who had been on Sublevel 9. The resulting explosion also inadvertantly awakens a large [[Yanme'e|Drone]] hive in the tunnels below the base.

*The former Fleet Commander of Particular Justice is made the [[Arbiter]] by the High Prophets of Truth and Mercy.

*The Arbiter destroys a band of [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretics]] and 'recovers' [[343 Guilty Spark]] during a [[Battle of the Threshold gas mine|raid on the Threshold gas mine]].

*The [[Battle of Havana]] is fought. [[SPARTAN-043]], SPARTAN-058, and [[SPARTAN-104]] manage to stall the Covenant's forces in Havana by destroying the [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]]. They receive new orders from Dr. Halsey to redeploy from Earth to Onyx. The UNSC survivors are forced to retreat underground as a newly arrived Covenant fleet beings landing troops.

*[[Voro 'Mantakree]] is promoted to [[Fleet Master]] by [[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]], and is given the mission to intercept the SPARTANs heading for Onyx and to retreieve the Forerunner technologies said to be there.

*Danforth Whitcomb's [[NOVA bomb]] detonates onboard the Covenant supercarrier ''[[Sublime Transcendence]]'', in orbit above the Sangheili outpost world [[Joyous Exultation]], destroying every ship in the vicinity, and also scorching a quarter of Joyous Exultation and compleatly vaporizing the nearby moon [[Malhiem]].

*The ''Dusk'' arrives at Earth after mere hours. Upon arrival, she is re-assigned to [[Battlegroup Stalingrad]]. The group jump to Onyx via the captured Covenant Ships Slipspace wake.

*[[Blue Team]] arrives at Onyx aboard the captured Covenant destroyer ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'', and links up with Kurt-051, Kelly-087, Dr. Halsey, Chief Mendez, and the SPARTAN-III's. They procede to push foreward into Zone 67.

*After an emergency mission redirect by the ONI AI [[Endless Summer]], Kurt-051 and his forces proceed to destroy the Sentinel factory in Onyx's polar region and retrieve Team Katana, enclosed within [[Slipspace field pod]]s.

*Onyx is found to be an artificial structure built by the Forerunners to house a [[shield world]].

*The human survivors hold off pursuing Covenant troops long enough to flee to the safety of the shield world.

*Sentinels annihilate the remaining Covenant forces as Onyx's artificial landmass disintegrates.

*The Battle of Onyx ends.

*The Arbiter reaches the Control Room but is unable to prevent Tartarus from activating the ring. With the help of humans and the [[Sangheili]], the Arbiter kills Tartarus. This allows Commander Keyes to physically remove the Index from the [[The Core|Core]], temporarily interrupting the firing sequence.

*[[Battle of Mare Erythraeum|The Battle of Mare Erythraeum]] takes place on [[Mars]]. Following the battle, Colonel James Ackerson, leader of the UNSC forces on Mare Erythraeum, is taken hostage and interrogated by the Jiralhanae Commander [[Lepidus]] onboard the Covenant cruiser ''[[Triumphant Declaration]]'', who tells them of a Forerunner device linked to the [[Halo Array]] known as the [[Key of Osanalan]], and that it can be found in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]].

*[[Battle of Cleveland]]: The Covenant invades Cleveland via the cruiser ''[[Harbinger of Piety]]''. The Covenant forces, under the direction of the [[Minister of Inquisition]], are searching for the whereabouts of the Key of Osanalan (In reality, the Key of Osanalan was made up as a ploy by James Ackerson to prevent Cleveland from being glassed and to save the life of his brother [[Ruwan Ackerson|Ruwan]].) When Ruwan learns the reason the Covenant are invading, he devises a plan with [[Twyker|Sergeant Twyker]], involving being injected with organic tracking material. Ruwan confronts Lepidus at [[Chagrin Falls]] and tells him that ''he'' is the Key of Osanalan. Ruwan is taken onboard the ''Harbinger of Piety'' to meet with the Minister of Inquisition, who vows to spare Earth in exchange for Ruwan's knowledge. Ruwan plays along until the Prophet informs him that he knows of the organic tracking material, believing it to be a rescue beacon. [[Nassau Station]] then uses its [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] to destroy the ''Harbinger of Piety''.

*Lepidus realizes that the Key of Osanalan does not exist, and returns to the ''Triumphant Declaration'' to confront Colonel Ackerson about this deception. Ackerson mocks the Brute Chieftain, saying that his belief in the Key of Osanalan was just one example of how their pompous arrogance would cost them the war. Moments later, Ackerson is beheaded by Lepidus.