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John-117/Late War: Difference between revisions
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===Saving Keyes=== | ===Saving Keyes=== | ||
{{Quote|no=two|q1=Coming here was reckless. Thanks.|Jacob Keyes|q2=Any time, sir.|John-117|The captain expresses gratitude for his rescue.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTF4}} | {{Quote|no=two|q1=Coming here was reckless. Thanks.|Jacob Keyes|q2=Any time, sir.|John-117|The captain expresses gratitude for his rescue.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTF4}} | ||
[[File: | [[File:TRArrivalCEA.jpg|thumb|350px|left|''Echo 419'' deploying the rescue team.]] | ||
By the time seventeen hours and just over eleven minutes had passed since John had blasted away from the ''Pillar of Autumn'', he and a group of ODSTs were riding in ''Echo 419'''s bay as the bird weaved through low-lying hills toward the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'', a {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} undergoing repairs and holding position about three hundred meters above a plateau.{{Ref/Reuse|HTF4}} | By the time seventeen hours and just over eleven minutes had passed since John had blasted away from the ''Pillar of Autumn'', he and a group of ODSTs were riding in ''Echo 419'''s bay as the bird weaved through low-lying hills toward the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'', a {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} undergoing repairs and holding position about three hundred meters above a plateau.{{Ref/Reuse|HTF4}}{{Ref/Level|Id=Truth|CE|[[Truth and Reconciliation]]}} The cruiser was also the location in which Captain Keyes was being held prisoner. [[Wellsley]] had concocted an array of signals designed to trick the Covenant's technicians into believing any approaching UNSC [[dropship]]s were actually their own. As they approached the [[ODST|Helljumpers]]' Sergeant [[Parker]] reminded his troopers that the Master Chief would be disembarking first and moving to clear the outer defenses around the ship's [[gravity lift]]. John returned the sergeant's thumbs-up gesture when he offered it and as soon as Parker gave the signal he led the charge down the ramp, dropping to the ground from where the Pelican hovered about a foot in the air. John's first move was to sidestep and sweep the area before creeping along a rocky footpath to his right. He was armed with an [[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle]], an [[MA5B assault rifle]], a full combat load of ammo, grenades, and other gear, plus two [[M19 missile]]s for the attacking force's SPNKRs. Cortana warned John of the presence of enemies ahead and he in turn took cover next to a tree before locating the {{Pattern|Mamua'uda|Shade}} emplacements on the far side of an excavation beneath the cruiser. After lining up his shots, John eliminated both Shade gunners, before proceeding to target the rest of the Covenant troops in the depression. After thinning out the enemy forces, John ordered the Marines to move up, before switching to his assault rifle and leading the charge into the pit.{{Ref/Reuse|HTF4}} | ||
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After clearing the pit and losing one Marine, the rest of the group pushed forward along a cliff path, ambushing a pair of Jackals before reaching another Shade emplacement and more Covenant forces, which were all easily taken out. The rescue team fought through more winding canyons before arriving at the ''Truth and Reconciliation's'' gravity lift. The depression was ringed with more Shade cannons, and they all opened fire as John and the Marines moved in. John quickly killed the closest gunner, before commandeering the turret and using it to eliminate the other Shades as well as the ground troops in the area. Cortana warned him of an approaching Covenant [[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|dropship]], and when it arrived, he proceeded to use the Shade to hose down the troops that the Spirit deposited. A moment later, more Covenant soldiers arrived from the gravity lift, including a [[Mgalekgolo]] pair. As the Marines clashed with the arriving Covenant, one of the Mgalekgolo managed to cut down a Marine armed with a [[M41 SPNKr|rocket launcher]] with its [[assault cannon]]. As more Sangheili and Kig-Yar formed a phalanx behind the Hunters, Sergeant Parker ordered his Marines to focus on the Mgalekgolo. One of the massive aliens targeted John's Shade, but the Spartan managed to kill the gestalt with the stationary gun. The fallen Hunter's bond brother roared in anguish and knocked the Shade over with its cannon, knocking John to the ground. The Chief quickly rolled into a crouch and sprayed the charging Hunter with his assault rifle, but each bullet was deflected by the beast's thick armor. When the Hunter swung at him with its shield, John managed to roll out of the way and shot the vulnerable [[Lekgolo]] eels on the Mgalekgolo's back with his assault rifle, killing the gestalt. During his fight with the Mgalekgolo pair, the rest of the Marines had managed to kill the rest of the Covenant in the area, and the gravity lift was now secure. With that, Cortana radioed ''Echo 419'' to deploy a fresh group of reinforcements. The new arrivals joined the Spartan and the other survivors on the gravity lift pad, and the group were soon pulled up one by one into the ship by the gravity field while Cortana informed John that she could use Captain Keyes' [[command neural interface]] to locate him once on board, surmising that he would likely be within the vessel's brig.{{Ref/Reuse|HTF4}}{{Ref/Reuse|Truth}} | |||
Upon arrival inside the cruiser's lift bay, the team were initially surprised by the lack of an immediate hostile presence. Upon nearing one of the large bay doors, John took down a surprised Sangheili silently, but a moment later, another door opened and a large group of Covenant troops stormed into the compartment. What followed was a brutal battle in the close quarters environment inside the ship. John led the rest of the Marines through the corridors of the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' until they reached a [[hangar bay]], arriving just as a Covenant dropship exited the ship. A violent battle soon broke out in the bay as Covenant troops flowed in from multiple doors around the bay, and the large compartment was soon filled with wounded and dead on both sides. As they fought, Cortana worked hard to find an escape from the bay for the surviving members of the team. A Hunter soon charged into the battle, and managed to wound Sergeant Parker with the edge of it's shield. As the Marine fell, John attacked the Mgalekgolo, hoping to divert its attention from the rest of the Marines. A moment later, Parker managed to shoot the Hunter in its back with his [[M6D magnum|pistol]]. With the room momentarily clear, Cortana managed to get one of the doors open, and the team escaped into an adjoining corridor. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, John and the remaining Marines fought their way through the corridors of the ship and across the upper level of the hangar bay. As they moved through more corridors, Cortana told them that the Captain's CNI signal was strong, indicating that they were close to his location.{{Ref/Reuse|HTF4}} | |||
[[File:CEA KeyesChiefTaR.png|thumb|350px|right|The Master Chief rescues Keyes.]] | |||
The team eventually reached the ''Truth and Reconciliation's'' [[bridge|control room]], where [[Shipmaster]] [[Lat 'Ravamee]] was stationed. John managed to kill 'Ravamee along with his bridge crew.{{Ref/Site|Id=nevermore|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/nevermore|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Nevermore|D=21|M=07|Y=2021|LocalArchive=https://archives.halopedia.org/waypoint/www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/nevermore}}{{Ref/Reuse|Truth}} With the area secure, but aware that time was running out to rescue Keyes, John ordered Sergeant Parker and his team to remain behind to secure the bridge until he returned with the Captain. At first resistant, Parker soon relented and he and his men remained in the bridge while the Master Chief forged ahead, going door to door until he located one of the cruiser's detention centers. Unfortunately, the room was devoid of any living prisoners so John left and continued his search. He eventually located the correct brig, where Captain Keyes and a number of Marines were being held captive in cells protected by [[energy barrier]]s. He was initially ambushed by a [[Active camouflage|cloaked]] Sangheili, but was soon able to put the alien down before locating the controls that deactivated the barriers on the prisoner's cells. As the group gathered weapons and assembled, Keyes told John and Cortana that he had overheard his captors identify the ringworld as ''[[Halo Array|Halo]]''. As Cortana sifted through the Covenant [[proselytization network]], she learned that they believed Halo to a weapon of unparalleled magnitude, which Keyes corroborated with what he had eavesdropped from his guards. The AI had intercepted earlier messages about a Covenant search team scouting for a ''[[Control Room (Installation 04)|control room]]''. Previously assuming that they were looking for the bridge of a damaged vessel in orbit, she now realized that it was in fact the control room of Halo itself the Covenant were looking for. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Keyes promptly decided that they had to locate the control room before the Covenant, to prevent them from possibly using Halo against humanity. Keyes armed himself with a [[Type-33 needler|needler]], and he and the rest of the rescued human forces followed John out of the brig. The group were able to follow the trail of corpses, both human and Covenant, to make their way back towards the bridge. Forced to deal with several more ambushes by the Covenant, along with the Captain's weakened state from his earlier torture, the Spartan's ammunition reserves soon began to dwindle and he urged the Captain to keep moving. The group finally arrived back at the cruiser's bridge, where the rest of the rescue party had been slaughtered by [[Energy sword (fiction)|energy sword]]-wielding [[Stealth Sangheili]]. Upon clearing the room, Cortana contacted ''Echo 419'' for extraction, but the Pelican had been engaged by Covenant [[Banshee]]s and was unable to provide assistance. With air support cut off, one of the Marines began to panic but Keyes soon took control of the situation, telling Cortana that if she and the Master Chief could secure one of the Covenant's dropships, he would be able to commandeer it to fly them out of the cruiser. She replied that there was a Spirit docked at present in the nearby hangar bay and the group moved out, John in the lead following a [[navigation point]] on his [[heads-up display]]. Eventually reaching the bay, they were forced to engage more Covenant defenders. The Spartan soon ran out of ammo for his assault rifle and switched to his sidearm, and he was down to a single round for the pistol by the time the rest of the survivors had climbed aboard the docked Spirit dropship. Keyes opted to pilot the dropship manually rather than have Cortana interface with the vessel's controls, but as they prepared to depart, a Mgalekgolo pair made their way onto the loading platform, preparing to fire on the Spirit. The Captain rammed the Hunters with the dropship, instantly killing both of them before Keyes piloted the aircraft out of the hangar bay and away from the ''Truth and Reconciliation''. As the dropship soared away, and with the mission to rescue Captain Keyes a success, John relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes.{{Ref/Reuse|HTF4}}{{Ref/Reuse|Truth}} | |||
===Fighting for control=== | ===Fighting for control=== | ||