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 {{Quote|no=three|q1=Scan it again.|John-117|q2=Already completed. There's ''nothing'' out there. I told you: just dust and echoes.|Cortana|q3=Scan the field again. If you don't find something out there we can use, we're dead. This ship has no slipspace drive, and no cryo. There's no way to get back and report. Power, fuel, air, food, water—we only have enough for a few hours. So scan. Again|John-117|John desperately urges Cortana to keep searching for a solution to their predicament.}}<ref name="HFS5">''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', ''Chapter 5''</ref>
 [[File:CEA-DustEchoes.png|thumb|300px|left|John in the Longsword's cockpit.]]
-At 1637 hours on [[2552#September|September 22]], John finally allowed himself a moment to just sit and think and remember all the recently deceased.<ref name="HFS5"/> He asked Cortana to scan the debris field again, but she noted that she already had and that there was nothing out there. Even so, John implored her to continue trying, seeing as they were without a [[slipspace drive]] or means of cryopreservation and only had enough power, air, water, and food for a few hours at most. When she still failed to register any transponder signals or distress calls he suggested actively scanning each object in the area but was informed doing so could take eighteen days. When Cortana did finally detect a signal, it was revealed to be coming from a {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}} appearing from the far side of [[Threshold]]'s [[natural satellite|moon]], [[Basis]]. John immediately ordered the A.I. to power down everything besides their passive scanners and whatever minimal power she needed to keep herself and the ship functioning. Five more battlecruisers followed in the wake of the first and finally the [[flagship]] of this small fleet element came into view: a {{Class|DDS|carrier}}. John drifted from his spot in the pilot's seat to the Longsword's aft compartment to find its weapons locker empty with his own [[MA5B]] only holding thirteen rounds. He returned to the sysops seat upon a declaration from Cortana that she had found something, and that something seemed like it could be a cryopod from the ''Pillar of Autumn''. John instructed her to bring them toward it using the Longsword's maneuvering thrusters only but was told this would take twenty minutes and that the Covenant vessels were predicted to encounter it in as little as five. In order to allow them to reach it first, John put his helmet back on and resealed his armor so that Cortana could vent their atmosphere to provided added propulsion. Their ETA dropped to just two minutes and as they came closer to their target, it turned out to actually be three cryotubes affixed side by side. John dared to feed a little more power to Cortana's systems and she soon after found another new contact that strongly resembled a Pelican stuck on a chunk of rock a half-kilometer in diameter. Cortana thought it might have crashed there but John was certain, based on the position of one of its wings, that it had been intentionally parked there in a way that left it ready for takeoff. As Cortana swung their craft about to intercept the pods, John returned aft to tether himself and braced against the second explosive decompression that followed when by fitting himself within the empty weapons locker. After, he leapt from the rear to where the the three cryotubes drifted just thirty meters away. John just barely managed to hook a finger on the furthest cryopod and then secured himself to them. He hastily pulled himself and the pods back to the Longsword, but as he did so two of the enemy cruisers began to accelerate towards it and ready their weapons to fire. Before they did so, however, three missiles from the Pelican drew their attention toward it instead. John brought his cargo aboard and rushed to get seated again.<ref name="HFS5"/>
+At 1637 hours on [[2552#September|September 22]], John finally allowed himself a moment to just sit and think and remember all the recently deceased.<ref name="HFS5"/> He asked Cortana to scan the debris field again, but she noted that she already had and that there was nothing out there. Even so, John implored her to continue trying, seeing as they were without a [[slipspace drive]] or means of cryopreservation and only had enough power, air, water, and food for a few hours at most. When she still failed to register any transponder signals or distress calls he suggested actively scanning each object in the area but was informed doing so could take eighteen days. When Cortana did finally detect a signal, it was revealed to be coming from a {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}} appearing from the far side of [[Threshold]]'s [[natural satellite|moon]], [[Basis]]. John immediately ordered the A.I. to power down everything besides their passive scanners and whatever minimal power she needed to keep herself and the ship functioning. Five more battlecruisers followed in the wake of the first and finally the [[flagship]] of this small fleet element came into view: a {{Class|DDS|carrier}}. John drifted from his spot in the pilot's seat to the Longsword's aft compartment to find its weapons locker empty with his own [[MA5B]] only holding thirteen rounds. He returned to the sysops seat upon a declaration from Cortana that she had found something, and that something seemed like it could be a cryopod from the ''Pillar of Autumn''. John instructed her to bring them toward it using the Longsword's maneuvering thrusters only but was told this would take twenty minutes and that the Covenant vessels were predicted to encounter it in as little as five. In order to allow them to reach it first, John put his helmet back on and resealed his armor so that Cortana could vent their atmosphere to provided added propulsion. Their ETA dropped to just two minutes and as they came closer to their target, it turned out to actually be three cryotubes affixed side by side. John dared to feed a little more power to Cortana's systems and she soon after found another new contact that strongly resembled a Pelican stuck on a chunk of rock a half-kilometer in diameter. Cortana thought it might have crashed there but John was certain, based on the position of one of its wings, that it had been intentionally parked there in a way that left it ready for takeoff. As Cortana swung their craft about to intercept the pods, John returned aft to tether himself and braced against the second explosive decompression that followed when by fitting himself within the empty weapons locker. After, he leapt from the rear to where the three cryotubes drifted just thirty meters away. John just barely managed to hook a finger on the furthest cryopod and then secured himself to them. He hastily pulled himself and the pods back to the Longsword, but as he did so two of the enemy cruisers began to accelerate towards it and ready their weapons to fire. Before they did so, however, three missiles from the Pelican drew their attention toward it instead. John brought his cargo aboard and rushed to get seated again.<ref name="HFS5"/>
 Against Cortana's protestations, John unloaded on the trailing ship with the fighter's guns and told her to get him a firing solution for their [[ASGM-10 missile]]s to target its [[plasma turret]]s when the [[energy shield]]ing around them dropped.<ref name="HFS5"/> He relinquished fire control to her and proceeded to send the craft accelerating deeper into the debris field after she fired the four that they carried. Cortana took over piloting the Longsword after that and John was able to perform a sweep scan of his own in order to try to find anything that could help them. He decided to finally hail the Pelican and was introduced to [[Warrant Officer]] [[Shiela Polaski]]. The Master Chief urged Polaski to meet them at a NAV point almost directly on top of [[Ascendant Justice|the flagship]] and had Cortana slow their speed so both smaller craft would arrive at the same time. The six cruisers stopped stopped firing at them out of fear of hitting the {{Class|DDS|carrier}}. Once the Longsword and Pelican were around twelve hundred kilometers away from one another John asked Polaski to hand establish a system link with them so Cortana could take over control of both vehicles to attach them to one another. At three hundred kilometers from the flagship it finally began to bring its weapons to bear on them but their extreme oblique approach angle and speed made them hard to hit. Both the Pelican and Longsword passed the carrier and began a slingshot orbit around Basis and it was at this point that they both met each other at just prior to 1710 hours.<ref name="HFS5"/><ref name="HFS6">''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', ''Chapter 6''</ref> John moved aft to the access hatch connecting both ships and was shocked when the first person he pulled through was none other than [[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery Johnson]]. John's first reaction was to kick the hatch shut and slam the marine against the hull, drawing Johnson's own pistol and pointing the barrel at his forehead at the same time.<ref name="HFS6"/> He had been sure the staff sergeant had been consumed by the [[Flood]], given that he'd last seen him in the footage recorded by Private [[Wallace Jenkins|Jenkins]]' [[Helmet recorder|helmet cam]]. He demanded to know how it was possible for him to have escaped unscathed, to which the man simply claimed that the Flood had passed him by as if it was disinterested in him. Cortana noted that a preliminary readings from Johnson's biomonitors indicated he was free of infection, so the Chief relaxed enough to return his sidearm to him. Three other survivors from the Pelican joined them thereafter. In addition to Warrant Officer Polaski, a [[pilot]] from the [[23rd Naval Air Squadron]], there was an [[ODST]] by the name of [[Locklear]] and finally [[Elias Haverson]], a lieutenant of the Office of Naval Intelligence. John let everyone know that given their lack of slipspace-capable transport, their only option was to seize control of one of the Covenant's nearby ships after they completed their slingshot around Threshold's moon. Though the lieutenant outranked him, John felt comfortable asserting authority over him since he still intended to carry out [[Operation: RED FLAG]]. Haverson, of course, was well aware of RED FLAG and reluctantly submitted to the Spartan's tactical command. John told Locklear to grab extra weapons, ammunition, and grenades from the Pelican while he briefed them on his plan to capture the Covenant flagship, ''[[Ascendant Justice]].
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 The mission to board the Covenant flagship began as soon as the Longsword and Pelican completed their slingshot orbit around Basis. The Pelican was launched first, and the ship soon drew from the Covenant cruisers, which had been waiting for them, apparently having predicted their orbital trajectory. The Pelican soon accelerated to a distance of two hundred kilometers ahead of the Longsword. Haverson managed to deploy the Pelican's Moray mine payload shortly before it was obliterated by a [[Plasma torpedo|plasma torpedo]]. During the approach, Locklear announced his dislike of space combat, something that John was able to sympathize with, as he shared the ODST's discomfort. As predicted, the flagship launched a number of Seraph fighters from its hangar bay to intercept the Longsword, but Haverson's programmed Moray mines easily destroyed the Covenant craft. With the shields and forward weaponry of the flagship disabled, Polaski completed their approach. At a 180 degree angle, the Longsword entered the hangar at three hundred meters per second, the flames from the ship's engines burning [[Unggoy]] technicians and causing their [[Methane tank|methane tanks]] to explode. With the power cut, the Longsword slammed into the wall of the hangar bay. Cortana notified the team that they were safe to move as the external atmosphere was stabilized once the energy shielding over the launch bay had returned. Faced with a large number of Unggoy using fuel pods and docked Seraph fighters as cover, Polaski deployed the Longsword's landing gear and [[120mm ventral gun|120mm ventral guns]]. The heavy rounds tore through the Covenant defenses, detonating fuel pods, unshielded fighters and causing the air in the bay to erupt into flames, incinerating the Unggoy and [[Huragok]] in the bay.<ref name="HFS7">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 7''</ref>
-On Cortana's assurance that the air in the bay was breathable after the fires were cleared by the bay's fire suppression system, John assembled his assault team, taking Cortana with him as well. While Locklear neutralized a pair of surviving Unggoy, John found himself faced with a trio of Huragok. Knowing that they posed no threat, he relaxed. Cortana updated the Chief with information she had gleaned from the flagship's personal roster: three thousand Covenant, with the vast majority being Huragok with a light company of Unggoy and only a hundred Sangheili, the latter statistic confusing John as he had expected a Covenant ship of this size to have significantly more. John found Locklear's slaughter of the three Huragok immediately after to have been unnecessary even through he tended to agree with the Marine's actions with regard to the Covenant. The team formed up near a large door at the back of the bay. John organized his team into position around the door while ordering them to stick to hand signals from then on. Before Polaski could open the door, it was opened from the other side. A team of five Sangheili were waiting for them, each one in a position analogous to John's own team. Without hesitating, John fired two bursts from his MA5B, killing two of the Sangheili that had not yet activated their [[Energy shielding#Personal shielding|personal energy shields]]. Two of the surviving Sangheili opened fire on John with their [[Type-25 plasma rifle|plasma rifles]]. As his shields dropped and his vision clouded due to the discharge of the energy weapons, John was unable to get a shot on the Sangheili in front of Polaski. The pilot was faster than the the alien and managed to fire her [[M6 series|sidearm]] before the Sangheili could aim its [[Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistol]] and she soon killed the Covenant soldier, allowing Johnson and Locklear to eliminate the final pair of Sangheili. Immediately afterword, a dozen more Sangheili approached from further down the corridor and John made the snap decision to fall back into the hangar bay, grabbing Polaski and pulling her back into the bay while Johnson destroyed the door controls. The only alternate way the team had to bridge was a small hatch that led into a maintenance corridor that was used by the Huragok. John disliked the cramped conditions but seeing no other way to proceed he acquiesced. Due to the narrow nature of the corridor, John was forced to power down his energy shield to allow him to proceed. Cortana directed him to a data port in the passage and despite his reluctance, inserted her into the system. Cortana quickly detected the presence of a dozen Sangheili hunter-killer teams on board the ship, and fed back their locations to the Spartan and his team while generating electronic ghosts of the team in order to throw off their pursuers. As John and his team proceeded onward, engaging several Covenant soldiers as they went, Cortana made the team aware of another way to the bridge and at her suggestion, split the team to cover both paths. John took Haverson and Polaksi with him while Johnson and Locklear took the other path.<ref name="HFS7"/>
+On Cortana's assurance that the air in the bay was breathable after the fires were cleared by the bay's fire suppression system, John assembled his assault team, taking Cortana with him as well. While Locklear neutralized a pair of surviving Unggoy, John found himself faced with a trio of Huragok. Knowing that they posed no threat, he relaxed. Cortana updated the Chief with information she had gleaned from the flagship's personal roster: three thousand Covenant, with the vast majority being Huragok with a light company of Unggoy and only a hundred Sangheili, the latter statistic confusing John as he had expected a Covenant ship of this size to have significantly more. John found Locklear's slaughter of the three Huragok immediately after to have been unnecessary even through he tended to agree with the Marine's actions with regard to the Covenant. The team formed up near a large door at the back of the bay. John organized his team into position around the door while ordering them to stick to hand signals from then on. Before Polaski could open the door, it was opened from the other side. A team of five Sangheili were waiting for them, each one in a position analogous to John's own team. Without hesitating, John fired two bursts from his MA5B, killing two of the Sangheili that had not yet activated their [[Energy shielding#Personal shielding|personal energy shields]]. Two of the surviving Sangheili opened fire on John with their [[Type-25 plasma rifle|plasma rifles]]. As his shields dropped and his vision clouded due to the discharge of the energy weapons, John was unable to get a shot on the Sangheili in front of Polaski. The pilot was faster than the alien and managed to fire her [[M6 series|sidearm]] before the Sangheili could aim its [[Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistol]] and she soon killed the Covenant soldier, allowing Johnson and Locklear to eliminate the final pair of Sangheili. Immediately afterword, a dozen more Sangheili approached from further down the corridor and John made the snap decision to fall back into the hangar bay, grabbing Polaski and pulling her back into the bay while Johnson destroyed the door controls. The only alternate way the team had to bridge was a small hatch that led into a maintenance corridor that was used by the Huragok. John disliked the cramped conditions but seeing no other way to proceed he acquiesced. Due to the narrow nature of the corridor, John was forced to power down his energy shield to allow him to proceed. Cortana directed him to a data port in the passage and despite his reluctance, inserted her into the system. Cortana quickly detected the presence of a dozen Sangheili hunter-killer teams on board the ship, and fed back their locations to the Spartan and his team while generating electronic ghosts of the team in order to throw off their pursuers. As John and his team proceeded onward, engaging several Covenant soldiers as they went, Cortana made the team aware of another way to the bridge and at her suggestion, split the team to cover both paths. John took Haverson and Polaksi with him while Johnson and Locklear took the other path.<ref name="HFS7"/>
 Eventually, John and his team were engaged by Sangheili equipped with [[Active camouflage|active camouflage]] and he requested Cortana's assistance with locating a way past them, which she was able to help with while also studying the ''Ascendant Justice'' and its systems. Cortana was able to easily infiltrate the backup terminus for the ship's atmospheric pre-processors and drop the pressure in 87 percent of the flagship's corridors, killing any Covenant within while warning John which passages she had affected so as to not jeopardize the lives of the other humans. John and his team soon made it to the ''Ascendant Justice'''s command center ahead of Johnson and Locklear. Cortana was unable to provide them with information about the number of personnel within as they had disabled the bridge sensors. Warning his team to expect anything, John used a pair of [[Type-1 plasma grenade|plasma grenades]] to deactivate the bridge doors electronic suite before attempting to pry it open. He was unable to as a Sangheili on the other side was holding the doors closed. With the door open only a few centimeters, the Chief fired his assault rifle through the crack, killing the Sangheili on the other side. As he tried again to open the door, plasma fire from the other side struck him, wiping out his energy shield. With the doors half a meter apart John took cover to allow his energy shield to recharge, only to discover that the plasma fire had knocked out his shielding system. He tried rebooting it to no avail. Remaining in cover he allowed Johnson and Locklear to open fire into the room before he moved in himself. Inside the room, a lone [[Special Operations Sangheili]] approached John, deactivating its active camouflage and roaring out a challenge at the Spartan. John fired the last three bullets from his MA5B, deforming the Sangheili's shoulder but not deterring the Covenant soldier. When Haverson attempted to aid John, the Sangheili fired its plasma pistol at the Lieutenant, forcing him to retreat out of the bridge. John readied himself in a fighting stance, confident in his ability to take out his foe. The Sangheili dropped its plasma pistol and helmet, before activating its [[Type-1 energy sword|energy sword]] and charging.<ref name="HFS7"/>
-Dodging the Sangheili's initial sword swing, John slammed the butt of his MA5B into its midsection before preparing to smash its skull, but before he could the Elite rolled back, slicing the assault rifle in half with its sword. Catching his opponent off guard, John stepped close and grabbed its wrists. He was able to force its sword arm away but at the cost of weakening his grasp on its other arm. John noted that this particular Sangheili was exceedingly well-trained and the Spartan felt every injury from the past few days inflicted on him during the Halo conflict. Haverson and Polaski attempted to assist John, but were unable to get a clear shot, and the Spartan was unable to easily move as the Elite would be able to kill him with its energy sword. Unexpectedly for John, the Sangheili deliberately pulled them into close proximity to his two teammates, and used this to swing its energy sword at them. The sword caught Haverson, slicing through his pistol and across his chest. Telling Polaski to get the injured Lieutenant out of the bridge, John kicked the Elite in the chest, destroying its energy shield and shattering its breastplate causing it to cough up blood onto John's visor, before the Sangheili tripped over its helmet on the floor, bringing both of them to the deck. The Sangheili managed to get its non-sword arm free from the Chiefs grasp and it picked up its plasma pistol. John just managed to roll aside as the energy weapon fired, melting the displays behind him. As the two combatants struggled to rise, John managed to knock the Elite's plasma pistol away. As the Sangheili roared in anger or panic, John found it getting even stronger. Fortunately for the Chief, Johnson and Locklear had arrived and were attempting to open their hatch into the bridge. The two notified John that they were ready to fire so he drove the Sangheili backward across the bridge directly into the Marine's hatch. The two opened fire directly into the Elite's back, but the Covenant warrior still held its ground, slicing its energy sword into John's upper arm. As the Marine's fire started to weaken the Sangheili, John slammed it into the bulkhead, opening the escape corridor behind it. With his foe off-balance, John seized the upper hand, smashing its arm into the wall and forcing it to drop its energy sword, permanently disabling the weapon as its fail-safes initiated. He continued to force the Sangheili back, before launching an open-handed strike into its chest launching it into an opened escape pod before hitting a control stud, launching the the pod away from the ship.<ref name="HFS8">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 8''</ref>
+Dodging the Sangheili's initial sword swing, John slammed the butt of his MA5B into its midsection before preparing to smash its skull, but before he could the Elite rolled back, slicing the assault rifle in half with its sword. Catching his opponent off guard, John stepped close and grabbed its wrists. He was able to force its sword arm away but at the cost of weakening his grasp on its other arm. John noted that this particular Sangheili was exceedingly well-trained and the Spartan felt every injury from the past few days inflicted on him during the Halo conflict. Haverson and Polaski attempted to assist John, but were unable to get a clear shot, and the Spartan was unable to easily move as the Elite would be able to kill him with its energy sword. Unexpectedly for John, the Sangheili deliberately pulled them into close proximity to his two teammates, and used this to swing its energy sword at them. The sword caught Haverson, slicing through his pistol and across his chest. Telling Polaski to get the injured Lieutenant out of the bridge, John kicked the Elite in the chest, destroying its energy shield and shattering its breastplate causing it to cough up blood onto John's visor, before the Sangheili tripped over its helmet on the floor, bringing both of them to the deck. The Sangheili managed to get its non-sword arm free from the Chiefs grasp and it picked up its plasma pistol. John just managed to roll aside as the energy weapon fired, melting the displays behind him. As the two combatants struggled to rise, John managed to knock the Elite's plasma pistol away. As the Sangheili roared in anger or panic, John found it getting even stronger. Fortunately for the Chief, Johnson and Locklear had arrived and were attempting to open their hatch into the bridge. The two notified John that they were ready to fire so he drove the Sangheili backward across the bridge directly into the Marine's hatch. The two opened fire directly into the Elite's back, but the Covenant warrior still held its ground, slicing its energy sword into John's upper arm. As the Marine's fire started to weaken the Sangheili, John slammed it into the bulkhead, opening the escape corridor behind it. With his foe off-balance, John seized the upper hand, smashing its arm into the wall and forcing it to drop its energy sword, permanently disabling the weapon as its fail-safes initiated. He continued to force the Sangheili back, before launching an open-handed strike into its chest launching it into an opened escape pod before hitting a control stud, launching the pod away from the ship.<ref name="HFS8">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 8''</ref>
 After his close encounter with the Special Operations Sangheili, John found himself unable to move his shoulder where the energy sword had sliced it, but he put off medical treatment from Polaski as Cortana required him for a more pressing matter. She needed him to disable the ship's navigation override so the AI could maneuver the ship. With Cortana's assistance he managed to disable the override but when Cortana tried to move the ship to [[Slipstream space|slipspace]], she discovered that she was unable to due to the interference of a [[Ascendant Justice's AI|Covenant AI]]. The ship's [[Borer|slipspace drive]] had been physically decoupled from the reactor while Cortana had to deal with the disabled Navigational controls, which she realized was a trick to lure her away from the drive. As ''Ascendant Justice'' continued to suffer damage from the nearby Covenant ships, John told Cortana to give him the coordinates to the ship's power coupling. She did so, but informed him that it wouldn't do any good as he would be unable to make the repairs in time, as they lacked the tools and experience necessary. Looking for any solution, John grabbed one of the Huragok cowering below the central platform and told Cortana to communicate to it that he was taking it to fix something. John told the rest of the team to remain on the bridge while he took the Huragok down to the engineering rooms. Taking advantage of the fact that the gravity in the ship's elevator shift leading to the engineering room had been disabled, John was able to easily traverse the intervening decks and soon located the room. Before entering the room, the Spartan carefully assessed the room, noting the shadows of a group of waiting Unggoy among the crates and other machinery in the room. Noting the perilous situation he was in regarding his disabled energy shield and breached armor, he knew that it would be suicidal to face the Covenant soldiers head on. Initially hesitant to use his grenades in the reactor room due to the inherent danger of a reactor coil breach, John instead opted to use them as a trap for the Unggoy. Using a three meter length piece of hair-fine optical cord, he threaded it through the rings of his two remaining [[M9 fragmentation grenade|fragmentation grenades]] and suspended the line ten centimeters off the floor while hiding the grenades in the slot of the opened door. John then activated a plasma grenade on the far wall before running and taking cover in the shadows near a support brace. Protecting the Huragok with his body, John waited as the plasma grenade exploded, spooking the Unggoy in the engineering room. John's trap worked as expected; all but one of the Unggoy within made their way out of the room towards the elevator shaft, where they triggered the fragmentation grenades hidden within, killing all of them. John picked up a damaged [[Type-33 needler|needler]] and was surprised when the Huragok accompanying him was able to repair the weapon almost instantaneously. Using the newly-fixed weapon, John took out the single surviving Unggoy in the engineering room and made his way in, the Huragok immediately going to work on repairing the disengaged power coupling.<ref name="HFS8"/>
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 John awoke in the medical bay of the ''Gettysburg'', and immediately asked Cortana to inform him about what had happened since his mission to repair the drive conduit. The AI confirmed that his mission had been a success, but that Anton-044, Li-008 and Petty Officer Polaski had been killed. He was struck that the pilot's death affected him so much, and thought that she would have made a good Spartan. John than marked Li and Anton as [[Missing in action|Missing in Action]] in his team roster, as per [[ONI Directive 930]]. He studied the list of other Spartans, and found himself shocked, not having realized that a dozen more had been added as MIA. He was informed by Cortana that Kelly had taken second-degree burns to seventy-two percent of her body from the Mgalekgolo's assault cannon blasts in CASTLE Base and required [[Dermacortic steroids|dermacortic steroids]] to recover, while Dr Halsey was performing exploratory surgery on Linda, who remained cryogenically frozen. Cortana told John that Dr Halsey would inform him about the risks concerning the revival of the Spartan without access to a proper medically facility. John was perturbed by Cortana's lack of detail, and resolved to ask the doctor about Linda, and Cortana, whom he had noticed a shift in temperament from since her time in the control center of Installation 04. Cortana then briefed John about the status of the ''Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice'' before telling him that Admiral Whitcomb  intended to risk another slipspace jump in order to contact [[UNSC High Command]]. When John asked why, Cortana told him that the Covenant had found [[Earth]]. Shocked into action, he demanded an explanation from Cortana and she showed him the Covenant communiques that she had intercepted, all of which gave their terminating coordinates as the location of [[Sol system|Sol]]. He noted that he had seen the symbols composing the coordinates on [[Côte d'Azur]] but decided to leave any speculation as to their meaning to Cortana and [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] as the more important fact was that the Covenant was going to attack Earth. John made his way to Admiral Whitcomb on the bridge, despite warnings from Cortana that he was not to leave the medical bay under Dr Halsey's order and being admonished on his attitude change from Cortana. On the bridge, Whitcomb informed the Spartan that the slipspace jump had transported them into the [[Eridanus system]]. John, recalling [[Operation: TALON|his first mission]], informed Whitcomb that he knew of [[Eridanus Secundus|a place]] where humans may yet live after the Covenant invaded the system and glassed [[Eridanus II]].<ref name="HFS26">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 26''</ref>
-Reporting to Dr Halsey in the ship's clean room, he told her that he was fit for duty despite her knowing that he was injured to the point where he should be in shock and had had no sleep in the last week other than unconsciousness brought on by his wounds. Halsey discussed with him the reasons she had summoned him: she wished to speak about his reports from [[Installation 04|the Halo construct]]. First she played back mission logs from Locklear, Johnson, and [[Wallace Jenkins|Private Wallace Jenkins]]. John watched as [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]], Sergeant Johnson and the the other members of their squad were overrun by [[Flood]] [[Pod infector|Pod infectors]] in the [[Flood containment facility|containment facility]] on the Halo ring. Halsey noted that Johnson was the only one to escape before she showed John the files pertaining to Johnson's diagnosis of [[Boren's Syndrome]]. John didn't understand the connection between the Sergeant's sickness and his surviving the Flood so Halsey explained how the disease had scrambled Johnson's nervous system to the extent that the Flood had been unable to force a match.<ref group="note">Johnson's supposed biological immunity to the Flood as a result of Boren's Syndrome was originally presented as factual in the novel ''Halo: First Strike''. As stated by [[Joseph Staten]] {{Plain|[http://halostory.bungie.org/staten102204.html here]}}, Bungie disliked the notion of a Flood immunity and established the disease as being fictitious on page 122 of the ''Halo Graphic Novel''. As stated in the introduction to ''[[Breaking Quarantine]]'', the comic was intended to further cement Bungie's original vision for Johnson's escape from the Flood. The comic indicates that he simply fought his way out of the containment facility and did not suffer lacerations which would expose him to Flood infection in the process.</ref> Dr Halsey notified John that she had prepared two separate reports for [[Office of Naval Intelligence#Section Three|ONI Section Three]]: the first containing all relevant data from her analysis and possible technology to counter an initial Flood infestation while the second contained all the same data, with the addition of the mission logs from Jenkins and Johnson as well as the Sergeant's medical files. Handing over the second report had the chance of expediting the chance to find a countermeasure to the Flood, but it would also result in the Sergeant's death, as ONI would dissect him with the hope of even having the tiniest chance to replicating Johnson's medical condition. She gave John the decision which report to give to ONI; she wished to give him a final lesson, the chance to make the decision she thought she couldn't make. She then dismissed him as she had to prepare Linda for surgery.<ref name="HFS27">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 27''</ref>
+Reporting to Dr Halsey in the ship's clean room, he told her that he was fit for duty despite her knowing that he was injured to the point where he should be in shock and had had no sleep in the last week other than unconsciousness brought on by his wounds. Halsey discussed with him the reasons she had summoned him: she wished to speak about his reports from [[Installation 04|the Halo construct]]. First she played back mission logs from Locklear, Johnson, and [[Wallace Jenkins|Private Wallace Jenkins]]. John watched as [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]], Sergeant Johnson and the other members of their squad were overrun by [[Flood]] [[Pod infector|Pod infectors]] in the [[Flood containment facility|containment facility]] on the Halo ring. Halsey noted that Johnson was the only one to escape before she showed John the files pertaining to Johnson's diagnosis of [[Boren's Syndrome]]. John didn't understand the connection between the Sergeant's sickness and his surviving the Flood so Halsey explained how the disease had scrambled Johnson's nervous system to the extent that the Flood had been unable to force a match.<ref group="note">Johnson's supposed biological immunity to the Flood as a result of Boren's Syndrome was originally presented as factual in the novel ''Halo: First Strike''. As stated by [[Joseph Staten]] {{Plain|[http://halostory.bungie.org/staten102204.html here]}}, Bungie disliked the notion of a Flood immunity and established the disease as being fictitious on page 122 of the ''Halo Graphic Novel''. As stated in the introduction to ''[[Breaking Quarantine]]'', the comic was intended to further cement Bungie's original vision for Johnson's escape from the Flood. The comic indicates that he simply fought his way out of the containment facility and did not suffer lacerations which would expose him to Flood infection in the process.</ref> Dr Halsey notified John that she had prepared two separate reports for [[Office of Naval Intelligence#Section Three|ONI Section Three]]: the first containing all relevant data from her analysis and possible technology to counter an initial Flood infestation while the second contained all the same data, with the addition of the mission logs from Jenkins and Johnson as well as the Sergeant's medical files. Handing over the second report had the chance of expediting the chance to find a countermeasure to the Flood, but it would also result in the Sergeant's death, as ONI would dissect him with the hope of even having the tiniest chance to replicating Johnson's medical condition. She gave John the decision which report to give to ONI; she wished to give him a final lesson, the chance to make the decision she thought she couldn't make. She then dismissed him as she had to prepare Linda for surgery.<ref name="HFS27">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 27''</ref>
 Arriving in the Eridanus system, John was present on the bridge of the ''Gettysburg'', directing the crew towards the system's asteroid belt while Cortana conducted a search for the specific asteroid that contained the [[Eridanus Secundus|rebel base]]. At Admiral Whitcomb's request, John described [[Operation: TALON|his first mission]], in which he had extracted the [[Insurrectionist#Eridanus cell|rebel]] leader [[Robert Watts|Colonel Robert Watts]]. Dr Halsey informed him that her surgery on Linda had been a success, her [[Flash cloning|flash cloned]] kidneys and liver had been accepted by her body. This brought John great relief, as he had thought that one of his closest teammates had been lost. Halsey warned them that she would require at least a week to recover, and even then she wouldn't be combat-ready. Cortana managed to locate three asteroids that fit John's search parameters and he immediately recognized the correct one. Admiral Whitcomb opened communications with the rebel base, and was greeted by [[Jacob Jiles|Governor Jacob Jiles]], of whom John, for reasons he didn't understand, took an instant dislike to. The Governor sent his fleet of assorted craft to surround the ''Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice'', and attempted to blackmail Whitcomb with the threat of nuclear destruction, to which the Admiral responded to be using one of ''Ascendant Justice'''s weapons to destroy an asteroid of comparable size to Eridanus Secundus. Perturbed by this show of force, Jiles changed tactics, inviting the crew of the hybrid-ship into the base for dinner so that they could discuss the crew's needs. With Cortana remaining behind to destroy the base if the crew failed to return, they departed to meet the Governor.
@@ Line 406: / Line 406: @@
 Linking mission telemetry with Cortana, John learned that the rebels had reinforced the asteroid with [[Titanium-A armor]] that was well camouflaged as well as sections that had ablative undercoats to reflect radar. She warned him that the guards were armed with [[MA3A assault rifle|MA3 assault rifles]]  and concealed plasma pistols, as well as a hidden fireteam of ten observing the proceedings from the side passages. John assured her that they were just there for backup in case things went wrong, and wouldn't be a problem. Governor Giles led the delegation out of the bay, John noting that the passageway could be a good ambush spot and keeping an eye on his motion tracker. Upon being led into a circular room in which the Governor prepared a meal for the group, John searched the room for any hidden men, surveillance devices or false passages but found nothing. Admiral Whitcomb told Jiles of the predicament they were in, telling him everything that had happened since the [[Fall of Reach|fall of Reach]], culminating with their arrival in the system, and the radiation emitted by the [[Forerunner crystal|crystal]] ensuring that the Covenant would follow them there. As the Governor struggled to come to terms with the information he had been presented, Whitcomb promised him that in exchange for the rebel's help, he would offer him and his people amnesty. As the Governor started to doubt the sincerity of the Admiral's words, a [[Covenant cruiser]] arrived in the system, making its way towards the asteroid belt.<ref name="HFS28">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 28''</ref>
-John and the rest of the delegation hastily made their way back to the ''Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice'', the Admiral ordering John to man the ''Gettysburg's'' primary weapons station. John had cross-trained on the weapons systems of every UNSC warship, but hadn't actually used the weapons in combat. When Whitcomb proposed a plan involving using the rebel's nuclear weaponry, Jiles admitted that he had been bluffing, they didn't have any nuclear weapons. Admiral Whitcomb then revealed their own bluff: out of the ''Ascendant Justice's'' seven plasma turrets, only one was functional. Whitcomb allowed Jiles to evacuate his people while he drew the Covenant cruiser away. With their one functioning plasma turret's magnetic coils overloaded, Whitcomb asked if there was anything remaining on Weapons Station One. John revealed that there was no [[Archer missile|Archer missiles]], [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] rounds or [[Shiva-class nuclear missile|Shiva nuclear missiles]] remaining. John came up with the idea that Cortana could use the superconducting coils of the ''Gettysburg's'' MAC cannon to shape and aim the plasma for the ''Ascendant Justice's'' weaponry. Admiral Whitcomb had John launch two of the the ship's remaining [[Clarion spy drone]]s to see around a large asteroid sheltering them from the Covenant cruiser. With the drones, Whitcomb realized that the Covenant ship was going to slingshot around the asteroid. John witnessed the magnetic coils of the ''Gettysburg'' feeding energy into the ''Ascendant Justice's'' functioning turret. When the Covenant ship came about, Cortana's shot hit first. The Covenant cruiser was obliterated, but the shot had deactivated their engines and reactor. John retrieved one of the Clarion drones, the other having been destroyed in the exchange, while reporting that the MAC gun's accelerating cores were still online. Suddenly, Gile's fleet approached them. While [[Elias Haverson|Lieutenant Haverson]] feared that they were going to finish them off, Whitcomb assured them that Jiles needed them alive, as the Covenant was sure to send more ships.<ref name="HFS29">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 29''</ref>
+John and the rest of the delegation hastily made their way back to the ''Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice'', the Admiral ordering John to man the ''Gettysburg's'' primary weapons station. John had cross-trained on the weapons systems of every UNSC warship, but hadn't actually used the weapons in combat. When Whitcomb proposed a plan involving using the rebel's nuclear weaponry, Jiles admitted that he had been bluffing, they didn't have any nuclear weapons. Admiral Whitcomb then revealed their own bluff: out of the ''Ascendant Justice's'' seven plasma turrets, only one was functional. Whitcomb allowed Jiles to evacuate his people while he drew the Covenant cruiser away. With their one functioning plasma turret's magnetic coils overloaded, Whitcomb asked if there was anything remaining on Weapons Station One. John revealed that there was no [[Archer missile|Archer missiles]], [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] rounds or [[Shiva-class nuclear missile|Shiva nuclear missiles]] remaining. John came up with the idea that Cortana could use the superconducting coils of the ''Gettysburg's'' MAC cannon to shape and aim the plasma for the ''Ascendant Justice's'' weaponry. Admiral Whitcomb had John launch two of the ship's remaining [[Clarion spy drone]]s to see around a large asteroid sheltering them from the Covenant cruiser. With the drones, Whitcomb realized that the Covenant ship was going to slingshot around the asteroid. John witnessed the magnetic coils of the ''Gettysburg'' feeding energy into the ''Ascendant Justice's'' functioning turret. When the Covenant ship came about, Cortana's shot hit first. The Covenant cruiser was obliterated, but the shot had deactivated their engines and reactor. John retrieved one of the Clarion drones, the other having been destroyed in the exchange, while reporting that the MAC gun's accelerating cores were still online. Suddenly, Gile's fleet approached them. While [[Elias Haverson|Lieutenant Haverson]] feared that they were going to finish them off, Whitcomb assured them that Jiles needed them alive, as the Covenant was sure to send more ships.<ref name="HFS29">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''Chapter 29''</ref>
 Shortly after their engagement with the Covenant cruiser, Admiral Whitcomb ordered John and the other Spartan-IIs to report to the ''Gettysburg's'' machine shop to repair their equipment and get at least six hours of sleep, while Governor Jile's people carried out repairs on their ship. Fred and Will swapped out damaged components of Linda's [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|MJOLNIR armor]] with pieces scavenged from [[CASTLE Base]] on Reach. Linda had opted to accompany the team despite her injuries and required treatment time. He found himself bitter about the fact that he couldn't join in with his team's jokes about her return from the dead; as the commander, he had been taught by [[Franklin Mendez|CPO Mendez]] to repress his external emotional reactions.<ref name="fs322">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 322'' (2010)</ref> Upon the arrival of [[Locklear|Corporal Locklear]] and [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] in the bay, John was inwardly torn by the knowledge that the Marine's fate rested in his hands dependent on which of the data crystals Dr Halsey had given him he turned over to ONI. After Halsey called Kelly away to report to her for her last injection of dermacortic steroids, John briefed the assembled team on what knew of the Covenant's plan. John knew that the [[UNSC Home Fleet]] wouldn't be able to stop the Covenant's full might, but that their absolute priority should be to warn Earth regardless. Sergeant Johnson suggested that they launch an infiltration to destroy the Covenant command-and-control center ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''. John concurred, and ordered his team to assemble for their new mission: [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]].<ref name="HFS29"/>
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 The {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}} reached [[Earth]] by [[2552#October|October 19]].<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/oni-files/eleventh-hour-reports '''Eleventh Hour Reports''' - '''SUBJECT: HEIRLOOMS''']</ref> The next day, John reported to the armory of the {{Class|Moncton|orbital weapon platform}} ''[[Cairo Station]]'' near midday in order to receive a suit of [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI]] [[Mjolnir]] armor.<ref name="WF31">''[[Halo Warfleet]]'', ''page 31''</ref><ref name="H2TA">''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[The Armory]]''</ref> [[Unidentified master gunnery sergeant|The gunnery sergeant]] overseeing the armory noted the various types of damage the John's [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|Mark V]] had ssustained at [[Reach]], [[Installation 04]], and aboard the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''.<ref name="H2TH">''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[The Heretic]]''</ref> To this, John coolly responded by stating that he ought to tell that the Covenant, seeing as those he'd killed hadn't seemed to have noticed.<ref name="H2TH"/> He then cooperated with the sergeant in order to run the armor through a series of diagnostic tests that ensured its targeting and [[energy shielding]] were working correctly.<ref name="H2TA"/> Sergeant Major [[Avery Johnson]] came to the armory to collect John so that the two of them could proceed to the bridge where they were to be honored for their recent actions. John had agreed to participate in the ceremony while others on [[Blue Team]] were debriefed or subjected to psychological analysis with the understanding that there wouldn't even be cameras at the event, but when he and Johnson stepped off a [[tram]] near their destination they were greeted not just by cameras but by a cheering crowd of [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] as well.<ref name="H2TA">''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[The Armory]]''</ref> At this, Johnson reminded him that he was completely hidden inside his armor, despite having told the sergeant he would be dressed more appropriately for the occasion.
-John and Sergeant Johnson made their way onto the bridge of the ''Cairo Station'', where they saluted [[Terrence Hood|Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood]], [[Chief of Naval Operations]] and the the overall head of the [[United Nations Space Command]]. The Admiral greeted the pair and expressed his gratitude for their return. Before he could continue, [[Cortana]] informed him that she had detected a "whisper" near [[Io]] and sent probes to investigate. Admiral Hood apologized to John and the Sergeant that they would have to make the awards ceremony quick and as he turned away to receive the medals, Cortana complemented John's new armor. Admiral Hood first addressed Sergeant Johnson, bestowing to him the Colonial Cross for his acts of singular daring and devotion. Hood then gave [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]] her [[Jacob Keyes|father's]] Colonial Cross, awarded for his bravery in the face of impossible odds. Suddenly, alarms began to blare through ''Cairo Station'' as [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|a fleet of fifteen]] Covenant ships exited slipspace near the UNSC battle cluster. Immediately, [[Joseph Harper|Fleet Admiral Harper]] began to move his [[Fifth Fleet|his fleet]] to engage the numerically inferior Covenant fleet but Hood ordered him to move his ships into a defensive perimeter around the cluster consisting of the ''Cairo'', ''[[Athens Station|Athens]]'' and ''[[Malta Station|Malta]]'' stations. He then order Commander Keyes to report to [[UNSC In Amber Clad|her ship]] and link up with the fleet. Hood than gave Cortana control of the station's [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon#"Super" Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC gun]], instructing her to fire as the enemy ships came into range. As Admiral Hood expressed his concern that the Covenant fleet at [[Reach]] had been fifty times the size of the one attacking Earth, a junior officer warned them that [[Type-28 Tick|Covenant boarding craft]] were inbound to the station. Hood ordered John and Sergeant Johnson to defend the station. The pair left the command center, forming up with a group of Marines readying for battle. John selected some armaments from weapons lockers in the walls before following Johnson and the Marines into [[Recreation R-01]]. Johnson deployed an [[M247 machine gun]] while the rest of the team took cover behind [[Combat barrier|combat barriers]]. A Covenant boarding craft soon latched onto an adjacent section of the station, and John waited as Covenant forces burned their way through a nearby bulkhead. Eventually, the door exploded, and [[Sangheili]] and [[Unggoy]] charged into the room, firing at the human defenders. John, Sergeant Johnson and the Marines were ultimately able to defend the recreation room, repelling all the Covenant soldiers after a brief fight.
+John and Sergeant Johnson made their way onto the bridge of the ''Cairo Station'', where they saluted [[Terrence Hood|Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood]], [[Chief of Naval Operations]] and the overall head of the [[United Nations Space Command]]. The Admiral greeted the pair and expressed his gratitude for their return. Before he could continue, [[Cortana]] informed him that she had detected a "whisper" near [[Io]] and sent probes to investigate. Admiral Hood apologized to John and the Sergeant that they would have to make the awards ceremony quick and as he turned away to receive the medals, Cortana complemented John's new armor. Admiral Hood first addressed Sergeant Johnson, bestowing to him the Colonial Cross for his acts of singular daring and devotion. Hood then gave [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]] her [[Jacob Keyes|father's]] Colonial Cross, awarded for his bravery in the face of impossible odds. Suddenly, alarms began to blare through ''Cairo Station'' as [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|a fleet of fifteen]] Covenant ships exited slipspace near the UNSC battle cluster. Immediately, [[Joseph Harper|Fleet Admiral Harper]] began to move his [[Fifth Fleet|his fleet]] to engage the numerically inferior Covenant fleet but Hood ordered him to move his ships into a defensive perimeter around the cluster consisting of the ''Cairo'', ''[[Athens Station|Athens]]'' and ''[[Malta Station|Malta]]'' stations. He then order Commander Keyes to report to [[UNSC In Amber Clad|her ship]] and link up with the fleet. Hood than gave Cortana control of the station's [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon#"Super" Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC gun]], instructing her to fire as the enemy ships came into range. As Admiral Hood expressed his concern that the Covenant fleet at [[Reach]] had been fifty times the size of the one attacking Earth, a junior officer warned them that [[Type-28 Tick|Covenant boarding craft]] were inbound to the station. Hood ordered John and Sergeant Johnson to defend the station. The pair left the command center, forming up with a group of Marines readying for battle. John selected some armaments from weapons lockers in the walls before following Johnson and the Marines into [[Recreation R-01]]. Johnson deployed an [[M247 machine gun]] while the rest of the team took cover behind [[Combat barrier|combat barriers]]. A Covenant boarding craft soon latched onto an adjacent section of the station, and John waited as Covenant forces burned their way through a nearby bulkhead. Eventually, the door exploded, and [[Sangheili]] and [[Unggoy]] charged into the room, firing at the human defenders. John, Sergeant Johnson and the Marines were ultimately able to defend the recreation room, repelling all the Covenant soldiers after a brief fight.
 [[File:H2AMinors.jpg|thumb|400px|left|John-117 engaging Covenant boarders aboard ''Cairo Station''.]]
 After clearing out a group of Covenant in the next corridor, the Marines remain behind to secure the area while John pushes ahead. Entering [[Security R-01]], the Spartan uses a mounted machine gun to assist a group of Marines in [[Commons R-01]] below. Killing more Covenant as he went, John eventually entered [[Hangar A-01|Hangar Bay A]], where a group of UNSC Marines were attempting to hold off Covenant emerging from a boarding craft that had docked on the bay window. With the assistance of the Spartan, the UNSC forces were successful in holding off the Covenant assault. Just as they managed to clear the area, one of the Marines noticed that Covenant boarders were retreating from ''Malta Station''. Cortana opened up communications with the station. Just as the ''Malta's'' defense coordinator confirmed that the Covenant had indeed withdrawn from the station, the ''Malta'' suddenly exploded in a huge ball of fire. After eliminating another group of Covenant that entered the bay, John left through the way they had entered and soon found himself in [[Hangar A-02|Hangar Bay B]], where he unpinned a group of Marine's from suppressing fire by Covenant [[Type-42 plasma cannon|plasma cannons]] and killed off the other Covenant forces in the room. Suddenly, the ''Athens'' station exploded in the same way that the ''Malta'' had before it. Cortana informed Admiral Hood that the Covenant had likely used [[Antimatter charge|bombs]] to destroy the orbital defense platforms from within. Hood concluded that they had likely brought one onto the ''Cairo'' as well, and tasked John with finding it.
@@ Line 453: / Line 453: @@
 John and the Marines joining him fought their way through an alley under fire from [[Kig-Yar]] [[sniper]]s and Yanme'e, also contending with [[Stealth Sangheili|cloaked]] Sangheili that ambushed them from nearby overhangs.<ref name="H2O"/> After fighting their way past waves of Covenant infantry, John made it to [[Hotel Zanzibar]], where Second Squad was pinned down in the lobby by a Covenant [[Type-42 plasma cannon]]. Neutralizing the threat, John met with Sergeant Stacker, who informed him that their crash site was on the other side of the hotel, but was swarming with Covenant. Following the Sergeant, John made his way through the darkened hotel corridors, killing a patrol of Covenant before emerging on the other side. A Phantom arrived and landed more troops to engage the UNSC forces but at that moment, a [[M12 Warthog LRV|Warthog]] arrived to assist. The driver of the vehicle informed John that Commander Keyes had sent it specifically for him. Now that Second Squad was safe, Cortana turned John's attention back to the {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}}, which she noted was currently surrounded by many Covenant troops directly beneath where its [[gravity lift]] offered a point of entry near the [[New Mombasa city center|city center]]. John, [[Private First Class]] [[Chips Dubbo]], and another Marine set out in the Warthog across the Old Mombasa beach with the aim of reaching [[New Mombasa 105 East#Kilindini Bridge|Kilindini Bridge]] and using it to cross [[Wikipedia:Kilindini Harbour|Kilindini Channel]] into [[New Mombasa]]. The trio sped past the wreckage of Second Squad's Pelican, engaging the Covenant forces around it before contending with a number of [[Type-32 Ghost|Ghosts]], infantry and a Kig-Yar sniper in a [[Deployable lookout tower|Covenant tower emplacement]] on a beachhead with an inactive Covenant [[Type-48 Weevil|artillery piece]]. On the second stretch of beach, a Phantom arrived to deploy more Ghosts in an attempt to stop the UNSC forces but they too fell to John's Warthog. Reaching a third section of beach, John assisted several Marines in a small structure to defend against Sangheili deployed directly onto the beach by [[Covenant drop pod|insertion pods]] launched by the ''Solemn Penance''. John took the Warthog into a tunnel that would ultimately lead him to the bridge. Cortana told John that while analyzing the Covenant [[Covenant battle network]], she had learned that the Covenant was in confusion about the presence of humanity on the planet, as if they hadn't been expecting them to be there and thus explaining the small number of ships in their [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|fleet]], something that seemed counter to his [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|earlier operation]]. Soon joined by another Warthog, John and the Marines made their way through several Covenant positions, including [[Type-27 Shade|shielded plasma turrets]], Ghosts and assorted infantry, including a swarm of Yanme'e who attempted to ambush them near a damaged section of road. Further ahead, they witnessed a Warthog attempting to flee into the tunnel through a hole in the ceiling being destroyed by the Scarab walker they had encountered earlier. John soon encountered a convoy of Covenant [[Type-29 Shadow|Shadow]] troop transports attempting to regroup with Covenant forces deeper in the tunnels. At Cortana's insistence, John was able to destroy all of the Shadows, before killing the Covenant soldiers they had been trying to reinforce. With the way clear, John made his way out of the tunnel.<ref name="H2O"/>
 [[File:HtT John in New Mombasa original.jpg|thumb|300px|left|This photograph, captured on [[2552#October|October 20]] by war journalist [[Benjamin Giraud]], was later edited and used for propaganda by the UNSC.<ref name="HTTS11"/>]]
-Upon exiting the tunnel at Kilindini Bridge, John exited the Warthog to approach a small group of surviving Marines watching the the same Scarab which had downed his Pelican finish traversing the bridge on the opposite side of the channel, noting that neither fifty caliber rounds or [[M19 missile|rockets]] had any effect on the walker.<ref name="H2M">''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[Metropolis]]''</ref> A Pelican lowered then to drop off a [[M808B Scorpion]] tank and Sergeant Johnson also disembarked to ask the Marine survivors what had happened to the rest of their platoon. He then ordered the remnants of the devastated platoon to join the Chief, who would be taking control of the tank, in rolling across the bridge in pursuit of the Scarab and the carrier. John climbed aboard the hulking vehicle and began to proceed across bridge, destroying a series of Ghosts and a [[Type-26 Wraith|Wraith]] tank. As John crossed the center of the bridge, another Marine armed with a [[M41 SPNKR|rocket launcher]] emerged from hiding and joined the Spartan. As several Phantom dropships soared by, intending to deliver more Covenant armor to the far side of the bridge, a pair of [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]] fliers attempted to strafe John's tank, but were unsuccessful. More Ghosts were waiting at a toll plaza on the far side but these too fell to the Scorpion's weaponry.<ref name="H2M"/> Finally a pair of Wraiths and more Banshee's emerged to engage the Spartan. John was able to defeat all of the Covenant vehicles but the Scorpion had suffered heavy damage and the Marines whom had aided him were killed. John left the tank behind and cut across the toll plaza on foot.<ref name="HEPH"/><ref name="H2M"/>
+Upon exiting the tunnel at Kilindini Bridge, John exited the Warthog to approach a small group of surviving Marines watching the same Scarab which had downed his Pelican finish traversing the bridge on the opposite side of the channel, noting that neither fifty caliber rounds or [[M19 missile|rockets]] had any effect on the walker.<ref name="H2M">''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[Metropolis]]''</ref> A Pelican lowered then to drop off a [[M808B Scorpion]] tank and Sergeant Johnson also disembarked to ask the Marine survivors what had happened to the rest of their platoon. He then ordered the remnants of the devastated platoon to join the Chief, who would be taking control of the tank, in rolling across the bridge in pursuit of the Scarab and the carrier. John climbed aboard the hulking vehicle and began to proceed across bridge, destroying a series of Ghosts and a [[Type-26 Wraith|Wraith]] tank. As John crossed the center of the bridge, another Marine armed with a [[M41 SPNKR|rocket launcher]] emerged from hiding and joined the Spartan. As several Phantom dropships soared by, intending to deliver more Covenant armor to the far side of the bridge, a pair of [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]] fliers attempted to strafe John's tank, but were unsuccessful. More Ghosts were waiting at a toll plaza on the far side but these too fell to the Scorpion's weaponry.<ref name="H2M"/> Finally a pair of Wraiths and more Banshee's emerged to engage the Spartan. John was able to defeat all of the Covenant vehicles but the Scorpion had suffered heavy damage and the Marines whom had aided him were killed. John left the tank behind and cut across the toll plaza on foot.<ref name="HEPH"/><ref name="H2M"/>
 John found himself faced with the decision whether to go through the outbound tunnel of the [[Mtangwe Underpass]], which bore the scars of a recent attack by the Scarab, or the corresponding inbound tunnel, which was undamaged.<ref name="HEPH"/> The arrival of Banshees made him dash beneath a concrete canopy which sheltered and island of toll booths in order to remain out of sight. Inside one of the booths were the skeletal remains of [[Carlos Wambua|an attendant]], who John realized must have died transfixed in terror rather than fleeing, something which gave John pause and made Cortana remind him that most people find Scarabs rather unsettling. Shrugging, he moved along the line of booths until he found a straight shot to the inbound tunnel mouth seventy-three meters away. It took about four-and-a-half seconds for him to sprint the distance, sliding to a stop against a burnt-out [[Wikipedia:Sedan (automobile)|sedan]]. He snaked his way through the next eighty meters of tunnel, moving from cover to cover in case of an ambush. Deeper in the underpass, he heard [[human]] voices about one hundred and fifty meters ahead but soon discovered the main route had been sealed off and heavy blast doors had also blocked access to the [[Moi Avenue]] junction off to his right. He urged Cortana to see if she could find another route to the center of [[New Mombasa]]'s industrial zone and of course, she already was looking. It was then that he finally spotted the source of the voices: [[Third Squad|a squad]] of UNSC Marines from the [[E2-BAG/1/7|First Battalion, Seventh Regiment]] out of [[Eridanus II]]. A Marine by the name and rank of [[Private]] [[Jemison]] sighted the Chief and began to cross the thirty meters between them to greet him, expressing his shock upon seeing the Spartan. John similarly moved to meet the Private but before they could say very much the report of a [[Type-33 fuel rod gun|fuel rod gun]] from behind him made him spin about and land a single shot from his [[BR55 battle rifle]] through the neck of the [[Unggoy]] [[Unggoy Heavy|Heavy]] who had fired the weapon.<ref name="HEPH"/> While the dead Grunt's reflexively-fired second shot from the fuel rod gun accidentally killed many of the Covenant soldiers nearby, a Wraith tank and a massive group of Unggoy entered the area. [[Palmer (Marine)|Corporal Palmer]] ordered the Marines to fall back into an opening in the tunnel's sewer line that had been created by the first fuel rod round fired by the Unggoy Heavy, offering John the opportunity to go with them. With Cortana telling him that the Marines were sure to need his help, and there was another three Wraiths approaching, John acquiesced. He made it into the tunnel as a round from the Wraith's [[Plasma mortar#Type-26_35cm Directed-Energy Mortar|plasma mortar]] impacted the opening, dropping his energy shield and killing a number of the Marines. Corporal Palmer began to argue with John, insisting they go back and retrieve the dead while John wished to move forward. Cortana told her that they could not be saved, and carrying them would make them vulnerable. John ordered the Corporal to pass him her [[TACPAD]], showing her why they couldn't go back: four Wraiths and fifty Covenant soldiers in the Mtangwe underpass made it suicidal. John informed Palmer that the rest of her unit were at [[Beria Plaza]], and against the Corporal's protests, ensured her that he was going to escort them there to ensure that the rest of them remained alive. The Spartan privately mentioned his displeasure at retreating to Cortana, telling that the cramped conditions in the tunnel would have allowed him to neutralize all four Wraiths and the infantry. John was the last one up the ladder out of the spillway, destroying the rungs of the ladder to slow down their pursuers.<ref name="HEPH"/>
@@ Line 559: / Line 559: @@
 John piloted the Pelican, trailing smoke, into a rough landing in the snowy canyon where the [[Installation 08|the Halo]]'s [[Control room|control room]] was located.<ref name="H3H"/> He and 'Vadam climbed out and John was tossed an [[MA5C assault rifle]] by the [[Sangheili]]. Cortana remarked upon the [[Halo Array|ring]]'s unfinished nature and openly wondered what exactly might happened should they fire it, to which John assured her when that happened they would simply head back through the [[Portal at Voi|portal]] and all go home. The Arbiter and the Master Chief set out through the cliffs and a series of icy caves. John, however, veered off to the right as they approached the control room, having noticed another route which led him to another [[Terminal/Halo 3|terminal]] akin to those he had accessed on [[Installation 00|the Ark]].<ref name="H3H"/><ref name="H3T">''[[Halo 3]] [[Terminal/Halo 3|terminal]]s''</ref> Viewing the records contained therein revealed a message from [[Filial Devotion|a son]] to his father and another transmission sent millennia ago from the [[IsoDidact|Didact]] to [[Librarian|his wife]].<ref name="H3T"/> The entity which had spoken through the Ark's terminals then finally identified itself to John as [[Mendicant Bias]], claiming to be the very one spoken of in the contents of the archived transmissions. Mendicant Bias went on to claim that either John or humanity as a whole was [[Mantle of Responsibility|not yet worthy]]. And yet, Bias made known their regret for choosing the [[Flood]] so long ago and asked atonement of John. The [[ancilla]] stated that though the [[Requiem|path ahead]] was fraught with peril, they would do all they could to keep it stable and him safe. This would be done, they claimed, so that John would be the example to show [[Ur-Didact|their masters]] that they had changed.<ref name="H3H"/><ref name="H3T"/> [[Cortana]], curious, asked John how many such terminals he had already found before urging him to get back on track toward the control room.<ref name="H3H"/>
-As the [[Wikipedia:Ziggurat|ziggurat]]-like structure which housed the control room came into view, Flood forms launched from ''High Charity'' began to impact all around John and the the Arbiter via specialized [[Flood dispersal pod|dispersal pod]]s.<ref name="H3H"/> Both Sangheili and Spartan thus found themselves fighting their way through many forms of the parasite. Near the structure's base, [[Aggressor Sentinel|sentinel]]s appeared to combat the Flood as well, and before long [[Avery Johnson|Johnson]] showed up on a cliff overlooking them as well, vowing to meet the Chief at the top of the tower. Once there, all three had to hold that position against continual attacks, since [[343 Guilty Spark]] refused to allow them entry until the danger had passed. Cortana was surprised to learn of the [[monitor]]'s presence and at that, that John had not mentioned him to her since her rescue. Spark opened the doors to the structure's interior once a moment of respite appeared, though Cortana could already detect that more pods were on the way. The trio, with Cortana in tow, moved through the complex and as they did so the [[Gravemind]] [[Character interludes|telepathically]] contacted John again and tried to make him [[Logic plague|question]] [[Forerunner-Precursor War|who was really the victim]] and whether the Flood could be said to actually take life rather than give it. Once they were within the control room itself, Cortana prompted John to remove her [[Data crystal chip|data chip]] from its place in his helmet. He did so and tossed it to Johnson to carry to the central console so he could stand guard with 'Vadam. But when Spark realized that they intended to activate the installation at that moment, before it was yet complete, he suddenly attacked Johnson with a beam of powerful energy. John rushed to his friend's aid but was blasted backward by another shot from the monitor, his armor's shielding immediately overwhelmed. After the Arbiter was hit Spark sealed the doors in front of him, preventing the Sangheili from intervening. John tried to rise but for his efforts suffered another shot which drove him to his knees again and made his armor begin to smoke. The [[Rampancy|deranged]] ancilla then admitted that while John was the [[Reclaimer|child]] of his [[Forerunner|maker]]s and rightful inheritor of all they left behind, even going so far as to call him [[Forerunner]], he made it clear that [[Installation 08|''this'' ring]] was ''his''.
+As the [[Wikipedia:Ziggurat|ziggurat]]-like structure which housed the control room came into view, Flood forms launched from ''High Charity'' began to impact all around John and the Arbiter via specialized [[Flood dispersal pod|dispersal pod]]s.<ref name="H3H"/> Both Sangheili and Spartan thus found themselves fighting their way through many forms of the parasite. Near the structure's base, [[Aggressor Sentinel|sentinel]]s appeared to combat the Flood as well, and before long [[Avery Johnson|Johnson]] showed up on a cliff overlooking them as well, vowing to meet the Chief at the top of the tower. Once there, all three had to hold that position against continual attacks, since [[343 Guilty Spark]] refused to allow them entry until the danger had passed. Cortana was surprised to learn of the [[monitor]]'s presence and at that, that John had not mentioned him to her since her rescue. Spark opened the doors to the structure's interior once a moment of respite appeared, though Cortana could already detect that more pods were on the way. The trio, with Cortana in tow, moved through the complex and as they did so the [[Gravemind]] [[Character interludes|telepathically]] contacted John again and tried to make him [[Logic plague|question]] [[Forerunner-Precursor War|who was really the victim]] and whether the Flood could be said to actually take life rather than give it. Once they were within the control room itself, Cortana prompted John to remove her [[Data crystal chip|data chip]] from its place in his helmet. He did so and tossed it to Johnson to carry to the central console so he could stand guard with 'Vadam. But when Spark realized that they intended to activate the installation at that moment, before it was yet complete, he suddenly attacked Johnson with a beam of powerful energy. John rushed to his friend's aid but was blasted backward by another shot from the monitor, his armor's shielding immediately overwhelmed. After the Arbiter was hit Spark sealed the doors in front of him, preventing the Sangheili from intervening. John tried to rise but for his efforts suffered another shot which drove him to his knees again and made his armor begin to smoke. The [[Rampancy|deranged]] ancilla then admitted that while John was the [[Reclaimer|child]] of his [[Forerunner|maker]]s and rightful inheritor of all they left behind, even going so far as to call him [[Forerunner]], he made it clear that [[Installation 08|''this'' ring]] was ''his''.
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