Battle of Installation 05: Difference between revisions

*Halo enters standy mode ready for activation from the Ark

|side2=*[[Covenant Empire]]

*[[Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson]]

***[[M808B Scorpion MBT]]s

***[[M12 Warthog LRV]]s

|forces2=*''[[High Charity]]'' (Before the ''In Amber Clad'' crashes into it)

*A lot of Marines and ODSTs.

*Large number of Sangheili, Lekgolo, and Unggoy involved

*Large number of Scorpions and Warthogs

*Large number of Wraiths, Spectres, Banshees, and Ghosts

*Large number of assorted Separatist starships

*Large number of Sangheili, Lekgolo, and Unggoy involved

*Large number of Jiralhanae, Kig-yar, and Yanme'e

*Large number of Wraiths, Spectres, Banshees, and Ghosts

*Large number of assorted starships

==Introduction==

 

Meanwhile, SPARTAN-117, who had fell into the lake, and the Arbiter, who had been thrust into the chasm of the Library, were both caught by plant-like tentacles and grabbed into the lower reaches of Installation 05, where they met face-to-face the Flood central sentient intelligence known as the "[[Gravemind]]", along with the [[Prophet of Regret]] and [[2401 Penitent Tangent]], the monitor of Installation 05. The Gravemind than explained to the Arbiter why the Halos must not be activated for the interests of galactic life. The Gravemind, holding both SPARTAN-117 and the Arbiter prisoner, explained that in his plan to prevent the activation of Installation 05 by the Covenant, he would manipulate Halo's teleportation grid, sending SPARTAN-117 to ''High Charity'' to search one likely spot where the Index was placed, and sending the Arbiter to the cliffs just beyond the Control Room, another likely spot.

[[File:H2 Grunt Dissension.jpg|left|thumb|In mounting social pressures, the [[Grunt]]s and [[Jackal]]s become disillusioned about the cause of the [[Covenant]] before open warfare explodes.]]  

[[File:H2 High Charity Orbital Battle.jpg|thumb|right|As the Loyalists and Separatists war for control of ''High Charity'', Jiralhanae-controlled and Sangheili-controlled warships open fire at each other over the planetoid.]]

However, meanwhile, the Covenant splintered in minutes after SPARTAN-117 emancipated the captive Marines. The Prophet of Truth made an epic announcement, and in three sentences over the loudspeakers of ''High Charity'', put his plan to betray the Elites into action: he ordered all of the Covenant to follow the Brutes as their military commanders, and inevitably, the Sangheili, seething in hatred against the Brutes, took this as their final straw. Slighted by the Prophets, the Sangheili burst into full-out warfare on ''High Charity'' and across the rest of the Covenant empire against the Jiralhanae. While a lot of the Unggoy and Hunters followed the Sangheili, the Kig-yar, Yanme'e, along with a few Unngoy and Mgalekgolo supported the Prophet-blessed Brutes. Warship crewmen began to open fire upon each other with small arms, and the Covenant fleets began to open fire against each other.

As SPARTAN-117 and the Marines reached the [[Hanging Gardens A]], the first scene of Covenant fratricide was seen, as Sangheili Honor Guards, Sangheili Minors, Mgalekgolo, and Unggoy fought against Jiralhanae and Kig-yar Snipers amongst the massive plants. SPARTAN-117 and his men advanced to the Mid-Tower, where Rangers and Special Operations Elites entered the fray, and the Brutes unleashed their Drones into the combat.

Even as the imprisoned Marines were freed, the crew of the ''In Amber Clad'' were in peril. At the same time the Gravemind had sent SPARTAN-117 to hunt for the Index in the bowels of ''High Charity'', the Flood boarded ''In Amber Clad'' (probably via captured Pelicans), killed or infested the crew, and took control of the ship.  The infested-''In Amber Clad'' was then jumped directly over ''High Charity'', where it plummeted uncontrollably, crashing into the Far Tower.<ref>'''The Official Halo 2 Strategy Guide''', ''page 128''</ref>

However, by the time that the small UNSC squad entered [[Hanging Gardens B]], Covenant Separatist resistance on ''High Charity'' had broken. In the second Hanging Gardens, the Covenant Separatists fell back, leaving behind large numbers of [[Stationary Shield Generator]]s, abandoning numbers of Unggoy to berserk Jiralhanae as the Sangheili fell back to the Far Tower and the [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]], drawing a last line of defense there. In the forward sections of the Far Tower, the Separatists held a choke-point bridge with a pair of plasma turrets, Special Operations Elites, and a pair of Hunter warriors. In the Mausoleum of the Arbiter, Specialist [[Sangheili Ultra]]s and Mgalekgolo fought against waves of attacking Jiralahane. Despite their efforts, the Prophets of Truth and Mercy, Tartarus, and a handful of Brute Captains were able to tunnel through the last Separatist defenses to the far docking bays of the Far Tower.<ref>'''The Official Halo 2 Strategy Guide''', ''page 129''</ref> SPARTAN-117 pursued Tartarus, fighting through the Far Tower and the Mausoleum of the Arbiter to make it through to the Phantom and Spirit pads.

The SPARTAN was too late, however. The Prophet of Truth ordered Tartarus to use the Sacred Icon in the Control Room of Installation 05, and activate the Halos. Tartarus took a detachment of Brute Honor Guards along with him in two Phantoms, along with UNSC prisoners Avery Johnson and Miranda Keyes. Truth and Mercy took a third Phantom to the [[Forerunner Ship]] - the central energy source of ''High Charity'', and also a fully functional starship that the two remaining High Prophets were going to use to reach Earth, and "finish what The Prophets started".  

Despite the fact that SPARTAN-117 had failed to capture the Prophet of Truth before he could depart in his Phantom for the Forerunner Ship, it was still imperative that the SPARTAN chase after him and kill him, as if he marshaled the Covenant fleets to Earth to finish whatever he planned, the already besieged Earth would inevitably fall, despite the UNSC's best efforts. Just then, a Pelican crashes on the balcony, and some familiar [[Flood Combat Form|creatures]] run out of the ship.

By that time, Covenant Separatist resistance had completely shattered on ''High Charity''. There were none to little Elites nor Hunters remaining, and only several scattered Unggoy. The Loyalists, however, retained a large number of Brutes, Jackals, and Drones. Despite the lack of a Separatist ground force, they were still very much present in space, where the Covenant fleets over ''High Charity'' had splintered in allegiances, with Sangheili and Jiralhanae ships actively engaging and destroying each other.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level, ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]''</ref>

While Truth was taking a Phantom to the Forerunner Ship, Cortana detected an energy conduit to the ship located in the Mausoleum Tower ahead of SPARTAN-117's position. However, ''High Charity'' had become horribly twisted within minutes: an insidious Flood presence spread surprisingly quickly through the planetoid, disrupting power, creating a dark, gloomy atmosphere, spreading Flood spores into the air, covering large parts of ''High Charity'' in Flood biomass, and sending Flood forms all across the city-space, where the Flood fought to take ''High Charity'' from the remaining Covenant Loyalist forces.  

SPARTAN-117 entered the Mausoleum Tower from the Phantom and Spirit landing pads, battling through unlit, tight corridor ways where numerous Flood combat forms engaged outnumbered Brutes and Jackals, and strange Flood biological growths began to sediment against the walls. Meanwhile, the Prophet of Truth sent broadcasts throughout the city, urging the remaining Loyalists that the Covenant would prevail against the Flood while the Gravemind manipulated the loudspeakers, proclaiming that the Flood would infest ''High Charity'' and send the Covenant to their graves. SPARTAN-117 cut across the massive interior of the Mausoleum Tower, moving to the north face of the tower and making his way along a peripheral convoluted corridor to the eastern end of the tower, where he took a Gravity Lift to access the Inner Sanctum: the personal quarters of the Hierarchs.

There, a line of Honor Guard Brutes and Jackals had made a final stand against the Flood upon the gold-rimmed doors that sealed access to the Inner Sanctum. However, large amounts of Flood began to attack, and SPARTAN-117 was forced to destroy all the Covenant and Flood before entering the Inner Sanctum, and taking an adjacent Gravity Lift to a large outdoor room that hosted the viridian energy conduit to the Forerunner Ship. SPARTAN-117 was able to jump in the conduit just in time, barely making it to the ship before it lifted off for Earth. However, Cortana stayed behind: while SPARTAN-117 would attempt to neutralize the ship before it rallied the Covenant fleets at Earth, there was another danger: Tartarus still had the Index, and was about to activate Installation 05 shortly. In the event that he was about to trigger the Halos, Cortana announced that she would detonate the fusion reactors of the ''In Amber Clad'', just like she had done to the [[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn'']] at [[Installation 04]], and the blast would destabilize the ring and prevent the activation of the Halos.

Shortly afterward, all Covenant resistance on ''High Charity'' broke and succumbed to the Flood, who had infested surprisingly large amounts of the planetoid even during the raging combat between the Covenant and the Flood. Cortana, who resided in ''High Charity'''s computer systems to be ready to detonate the frigate's reactors as a final failsafe, was captured by the Gravemind, and was interrogated by him.

Inside the chamber, the Arbiter fought his way through one room with large numbers of Brute Captains and Brutes Honor Guards who had been ordered to prevent the Arbiter from disturbing Tartarus while he activated the Halos, or his "Holy Work". The Brutes appeared to be of increasing desperation, even commonly wielding UNSC-manufactured M90 shotguns, usually held as trophies. Despite reinforcements, the highly-ranked Brutes were unable to hold the room, and the Arbiter continued down an arched corridor before confronting Tartarus in the control room. Inside, he found Tartarus and his Brutes, along with two prisoners - Miranda Keyes and the Oracle, 343 Guilty Spark.  

Tartarus had been trying to force Miranda Keyes to insert the Sacred Icon into its place, as only a [[Reclaimer]] could activate Halo. The Arbiter entered the control room, surprising Tartarus, and told the Chieftain to stand down. Tartarus refused, and his Brutes were about to attack the Arbiter, when Johnson suddenly appeared, pointing a [[Particle Beam Rifle]] at Tartarus' head. Seeing that he was in danger, Tartarus ordered his Brutes to hold back for the moment.   

Hoping to make Tartarus understand the truth about the Rings, Arbiter asked 343 Guilty Spark what Halo's true purpose was. The Monitor explained that the Rings were weapons of mass destruction, built by the Forerunners as a last resort means to stop the Flood. When asked about what happened to the Forerunners, Guilty Spark revealed that the Forerunners ultimately chose to activate the Rings, destroying themselves and all other sentient life in the galaxy, thereby depriving the Flood of its food. With the Great Journey now revealed to be a lie, the Arbiter once again tried to get Tartarus to stand down.  Despite Guilty Spark's revelations, however, Tartarus, blinded by his loyalty to the Prophets and his hatred for Sangheili, refused to listen.  The Chieftain threw the Monitor at Johnson, knocking him out for a moment.  He then physically forced the Sacred Icon into Miranda Keyes' hand and shoved it into the receptacle, beginning the activation of Installation 05. Behind their platform, a massive Forerunner multitiered construct began to open up: a three-storied structure, which at its center, boasted a brilliant gravity column which was charging the ring to fire.

It is heavily implied in [[Halo 3]], that the Covenant Separatists defeated the Brute Fleet and subsequently held High Charity in quarantine. However, this largely failed, due to the Gravemind sending [[Flood ship|a single ship, controlled by the Flood]], to Earth, in the hopes of infecting it and weakening the Sangheili ships in orbit around the Flood Hive. This was successful and the Gravemind was able to leave Installation 05's space and find the Ark.

==Conclusion==