Battle of Installation 00: Difference between revisions

Finally, the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] civil war, termed the [[Great Schism]], and the [[human]]-separatist alliance began in the space around Installation 05.

The High Prophet of Truth, having successfully activated the artifact in [[Voi]], left Earth through a slipspace portal to the Ark, a Forerunner structure that can be used to fire all of the Halo installations at once. Despite Lord Hood's skepticism, Commander Keyes took the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' with a small fleet of separatist [[cruiser]]s led by the [[Covenant assault carrier|assault carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' and proceeded through the Slipspace portal, arriving at the Ark. The separatists immediately engaged the [[Jiralhanae|Brute]] fleet stationed to protect the [[Hierarchs|Prophet]] while the ''Dawn'' deployed the [[John-117|Master Chief]] and [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]]s in six [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]] to locate Truth. Despite being outnumbered three-to-one in space, the separatist fleet made short work of the Covenant space forces, likely due to the [[Sangheili]]'s remarkable tactical adeptness. The Covenant loyalist fleet had been destroyed and the only loyalists left alive were Truth and his forces on the Ark. Also, presumably Truth landed the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] on the Ark although it was never seen again and was specifically said not to take part in the battle above the Ark.<ref name="theark"/>

[[343 Guilty Spark]], now working with the UNSC-separatist alliance, led [[John-117|Spartan-117]] and the Arbiter [[Thel 'Vadam]], plus a pair of Marines, to the Ark's Cartographer. Fighting their way through several incompetent and unprepared forces that were asleep, they get back outside where they pinpointed the Prophet's location. By then Truth had already holed himself in a secure facility in the core of the Ark and had activated a large barrier around the entire core to ward off the attacking forces. After discovering Truth's location, the UNSC-separatist troops were attacked by a large Covenant air force. Johnson led the air battle against them, and 'Vadam stole a [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Banshee]] to help him. The Chief, with the pair of Marines, fought his way past a group of [[Jiralhanae Stalker|Stalker Brutes]]. He then dueled with a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Brute Chieftain]] and defeated a squad of [[Jump Pack Jiralhanae|Jump Pack Brutes]] before being picked up by Pelican [[Kilo 023]] after the Covenant air force was dealt with. The humans and Elites set forth to attack Truth to stop him from activating the rings.<ref name="theark"/>

[[Image:Trident11.jpg|thumb|right|300px|UNSC and Separatist forces begin their assault on Truth.]]

The UNSC ground forces, carried in five Pelicans, along with Sangheili reinforcements in a pair of green Phantoms, assaulted three emitter pylons that powered a small section of the barrier. The Master Chief and a small squad of three of [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODSTs]] were deployed a distance from the first tower by a Pelican after hostile fire shot down a second Pelican carrying Marines and a Warthog. The crashing Pelican also took out the ODSTs' Warthog. [[Thel 'Vadam]] and Elites assaulted the second tower. Sergeant Johnson took four Marines and attacked the final tower. Clearing the Covenant loyalist heavy weapons on the beach, a new Warthog and a Mongoose were deployed and taken through heavy resistance to the tower. Clearing it, the Chief learned that the separatists had taken down the second tower, but Johnson had been ambushed by enemy reinforcements. The Chief returned to the beach, commandeered a [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornet]] and helped destroy Covenant Banshees and a Phantom, securing air control for the UNSC-Sangheili forces outside the barrier. Destroying the Brute defenders outside the third tower with Hornets and Pelicans, Master Chief, Thel 'Vadam, and a team of five Elites discovered the corpses of the Marine team, except for Johnson's. When the defending forces were eliminated and the barrier deactivated, the ''Shadow of Intent'' prepared to bombard the Citadel, but was prevented from doing so by the arrival of the [[The Flood|Flood]]-infested ''[[High Charity]]'', which launched debris that crippled the Sangheili carrier and spread Flood across the Ark. Keyes insisted that this would only pressure Truth into activating the rings, and ordered the remaining forces to attack him directly.

'''Covenant separatists'''