Battle of the Citadel: Difference between revisions

Having secured the [[Cartographer]] and learned of the Prophet of Truth's location, the UNSC and Sangheili prepared to assault the communications array where Truth had taken refuge. As the Citadel was protected by an energy barrier, they would need to assault several heavily-defended [[barrier tower]]s in order to deactivate a small section to allow the ''Shadow of Intent'' to target the Citadel. Many Hornets were sent to engage the Banshees surrounding the area before the main force's arrival. The main force composed of five Pelicans and two Phantoms containing the assault force split into three groups. A pair of Pelicans carrying the first group, consisting of John-117 and a team of ODSTs made for the first tower, which was further inland than the others. The two Phantoms containing Thel 'Vadam and his Sangheili approached the second tower and the final three Pelicans ferried [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] and a large squad of [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] to the third tower. As ''[[Kilo 023]]'' and her wingman approached the first tower, they came under bombardment from an [[Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Wraith|Anti-Aircraft Wraith]]. Kilo 023's wingman was struck in her right wing by a [[Fuel rod cannon|fuel rod]] and slammed into ''Kilo 023'', crushing the [[M831 Troop Transport Warthog|Warthog]] slung beneath the Pelican before plummeting to the ground. Kilo 023 managed to make it through the bombardment and landed further up the beach, depositing John-117 and his team of ODSTs. Meanwhile, high above, a massive battle erupted between [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornet VTOLs]] and [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshees]]. The Chief and his team were immediately attacked by a large force of [[Unggoy]] led by a [[Jiralhanae Captain]] while a pair of [[Type-26 Shade|Shade]] turrets opened fire from further down the beach. The Spartan and ODSTs managed to clear out the Covenant infantry and John, armed with a [[M6 Spartan Laser|Spartan Laser]], destroyed the two Shades. They fought their way up the small hill that the Anti-Aircraft Wraith was situated on, eliminating a [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain|War Chieftain]] and his [[Jiralhanae Bodyguard|bodyguards]] before destroying the Wraith. With the beachhead secure, [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Keyes]] approached in her Pelican, depositing several Marines as well as a [[M12 Chaingun Warthog|Warthog]] and [[M274 Mongoose|Mongoose]] for the team while ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' began a diversionary bombardment of the citadel, launching [[Plasma torpedo|plasma torpedoes]] at the energy shield.<ref name="covenant"/>

The team proceeded towards the first tower, destroying several [[Type-32 Ghost|Ghosts]] as well as a pair of Banshees that attempted to strafe them. A small Covenant position with another Shade soon fell to the UNSC assault and they proceeded up the hill towards the first tower. The team was forced to contend with heavy Covenant defenses in front of the tower's entrance, including a [[Type-26 Wraith|Wraith]], multiple Ghosts, Shade turrets, a pair of [[Type-52 Prowler|Prowlers]] and a large group on infantry within the tower entrance itself. Once the Covenant forces outside the tower were whittled down, Miranda Keyes' Pelican returned, depositing several [[Ordnance pod|resupply canisters]] for the UNSC ground forces. After re-arming, John and the ODSTs proceeded into the tower. After clearing both floors of Covenant troops, the Spartan proceeded onto the elevator leading to the tower controls alone while the ODSTs held the lower level. Arriving on the upper level as a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] finished his sermon to his pack, John managed to fight his way through the Jiralhanae and deactivated the tower. At the same time, Thel 'Vadam and his forces were successful in neutralizing the second tower however Sergeant Johnson and his team had come under heavy attack from Covenant reinforcements and were becoming overwhelmed. Keyes told him she would make her way to him but he warned her off due to the heavy Covenant presence before getting cut off. Ultimately, Johnson's entire team would be killed at the third tower save for the sergeant himself, who was [[Prisoner of war|captured]] by the Covenant and taken to the citadel.<ref name="covenant"/>

As the Spartan and Sangheili pressed inward, wiping out several Jiralhanae stragglers, the Pelicans moved in to land armor and reinforcements outside the tower. In the lower level of the tower, a swarm of [[Yanme'e]] and a [[Mgalekgolo]] pair emerged to stop the assault but the group managed to bring down the gestalts and deplete the Drone's numbers, forcing the survivors to flee up the elevator shaft. Proceeding to the upper level of the tower, John and the Sangheili fought through another pack of Jiralhanae as well as the surviving Yanme'e. The Master Chief took the elevator to the upper level, meeting a [[Type-52 plasma cannon|plasma cannon]]-wielding War Chieftain and a group of [[Jiralhanae Stalker]]s. Eventually besting the cloaked Brutes and their commander, John deactivated the tower. With all three barrier towers deactivated, the shield dissipated allowing the ''Shadow of Intent'' to approach the citadel. As [[Rtas 'Vadum]] prepared to level the facility, the Covenant holy city [[High Charity]], now heavily infested by the [[Flood]], exited [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] over the installation. As the former Covenant capital plummeted towards the surface of the Ark, it showered debris and Flood matter across the installation. A large chunk of this debris impacted the ''Shadow of Intent'', crippling the assault carrier and forcing it to veer off course. Another chunk flew through the window of the third tower's upper level, delivering Flood forms into the tower. John was forced to fight his way through the parasitic creatures back to the elevator while Thel and his men were attacked by more Flood below. After reuniting with the team of Sangheili, the group made their way outside where they assisted the newly-landed UNSC reinforcements in wiping out the Flood threat. [[343 Guilty Spark]] expressed his desire to observe the crash site of High Charity, to which Thel agreed to but refused to get any closer than the top of the nearby hills. As the two departed in a Phantom, the UNSC-Sangheili task force, now supported by heavy armor and [[Scorpion Tank]]s, began a direct offensive on the citadel.<ref name="covenant"/>  

As the group advanced through the nearby cave towards the citadel, lush greenery gave way to snow and ice as the group came upon a small group of Covenant commanded by a War Chieftain. After easily destroying the threat, the unit moved on, eventually emerging onto the outer rim of the massive basin that the citadel was situated in. In the airspace above the citadel, UNSC Hornets and Banshees continued to engage in heavy combat. Here, the UNSC and Sangheili were forced to deal with heavy Covenant opposition including Ghosts, Prowlers, Shade turrets and several [[deployable lookout tower]]s with [[Type-33 fuel rod gun|fuel rod gun]]-armed Jiralhanae. After neutralizing a final Wraith and lookout tower, [[Marcus Stacker|Sergeant Stacker]] informed John-117 that several Hornets were inbound. The Spartan piloted one of the VTOLs just as a pair of Covenant [[Type-47B Scarab|Scarabs]] deployed in front of the citadel as a last-ditch attempt to halt their progress. A massive battle erupted as [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthogs]] clashed with Ghosts and Prowlers around the basin while Hornets and Pelican dropships traded fire with a unit of Banshees and the Scarabs targeted both ground and aerial UNSC forces. Eventually John-117 managed to neutralize one of the Scarabs. The destruction of one of the walkers prompted Commander Keyes to order all of her forces to focus their fire on the second Scarab. With all of the UNSC's firepower on it, it didn't take long for the second Scarab to buckle. With the loss of the two Scarabs, the Covenant lost their hold on the valley and the stragglers were mopped up in short order. With the basin now clear, Thel and 343 Guilty Spark arrived, landing on the ramp leading to the citadel's entrance. John left his vehicle and regrouped with the two. Spark activated an [[light bridge]] that allowed direct access to the citadel. With little time to waste, John, Thel and a team of Sangheili made their way into the interior of the citadel.<ref name="covenant"/><ref>'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''Chapter 13''</ref>

{{Quote|no=two|[[Prophet of Truth]]|[[Thel 'Vadam]]|q1=I...am...Truth! The voice of the Covenant!|q2=And so… you must be silenced.|Thel 'Vadam, moments before killing the Prophet of Truth.<ref name="covenant"/>}}

As the group made their way through the citadel's foyer towards the elevator that would take them to the upper level, John was confronted by [[Character interludes|a vision]] of [[Cortana]] indicating her ongoing torture by the [[Gravemind]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', ''[[Human Weakness]]''</ref> Truth then sent out a message to his remaining forces: he was about to activate the Halo Array. As the group neared the elevator, Commander Keyes asked the Spartan how close he was to Truth, to which John replied that they weren't close enough to stop the Prophet in time. Meanwhile, Sergeant Johnson, who had been captured by the Covenant during the battle, was being tortured by a Jiralhanae chieftain. Johnson attempted to goad the Brute into killing him in order to deny the Prophet of a way to activate the installation but Truth knew what he was doing and ordered the chieftain to stop. As Johnson taunted the Prophet's inability to activate the Ark himself, Truth confessed that he needed the human's help. Before he could continue, Keyes flew her Pelican through the window of the room and onto the platform, crushing one of the Jiralhanae bodyguards. As the Covenant soldiers picked themselves up off the floor, Keyes emerged with a [[M90 shotgun|shotgun]] and promptly shot one of the Brutes, ordering Johnson to reveal himself. The battered sergeant told her to leave him and escape, which she refused to do, shooting an approaching Jiralhanae but only causing its [[Energy shielding#Personal shielding|energy shields]] to flare. Truth remarked that she wouldn't be able to kill all of them even as she pointed her shotgun and a [[M6G magnum|magnum]] at the Brutes around her. Keyes reluctantly conceded his point, aiming her sidearm at Johnson. Knowing it was the only way to deny the Prophet a means to activate the Ark, Johnson told her to shoot him. As she hesitated, the Prophet of Truth took the opportunity to shoot her in the back with a [[Type-25 Spiker|Spiker]]. Commander Keyes was killed instantly, her body falling to the ground even as Johnson attempted to run to her aid before being restrained by a Jiralhanae bodyguard. Dropping the Spiker, Truth told Johnson that the [[Forerunners]] had left [[Human|humanity]] behind because they were weak, whereas gods needed to be strong. He then took Johnson's hand and forced it onto the control panel, beginning the activation sequence of the [[Halo Array]]; Johnson, struck with grief and shock, didn't resist. As the Prophet raised his arms in victory, the elevator carrying John and his team made it to the upper level. Before they could advance, a pair of [[Flood tank form]]s dropped in front of them. Instead of attacking, the Gravemind spoke to the pair, proposing a truce to stop their common foe, as only the Master Chief could stop the activation sequence. Reluctant, but with no other choice, the group and their unlikely allies began an assault on the final bastion of Covenant soldiers guarding the Prophet of Truth.<ref name="covenant"/>

As the Master Chief and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam watched Sergeant Johnson enter the Pelican, the Gravemind's tentacles suddenly erupted around the platform without warning, the Flood's central consciousness' rumbling laughter filling the chamber. Johnson quickly took control of the Pelican and took off, attempting to airlift the Spartan and Sangheili out through the broken window but the dropship was stuck by one of Gravemind's tentacles, knocking the two back onto the platform and sending the Pelican spiraling out of control. The two took up a defensive position, going back to back as the Gravemind taunted them, Thel grimly stating that they had traded one villain for another. Suddenly, the Gravemind retracted his tentacles and several combat forms climbed onto the platform to confront them.<ref name="covenant"/>

As the two fought their way back across the bridges, now swarming with Flood forms, Johnson radioed the Spartan, telling him that he wouldn't be able to return to extract them and to make his way back to the elevator they had used to access the top level of the citadel. On the second bridge, a flock of [[Aggressor Sentinel|Sentinels]] arrived to help the duo combat the Flood. As he passed through the small room to the first bridge, another hallucination of Cortana appeared, subtly hinting that she still possessed the [[Activation index]] for [[Installation 04]]. The pair fought their way through a myriad of Flood until they reached the elevator. Realizing that it's controls were non-funtional, they opted to use a chute in the back of the room. The Spartan dropped down first, and he immediately spotted a ghostly image of Cortana moving down a nearby hallway. Perplexed, the Chief followed, with Thel in tow. The image led them to a control panel which John activated, retracting a view screen and revealing the incomplete [[Installation 08|replacement]] for the destroyed [[Installation 04]] rising out of the Ark's [[Foundry (location)|Foundry]]. Hearing 343 Guilty Spark approaching, John questioned the monitor on how long he had known about it, to which he replied that he had only learned of it at that moment. John declared his intent to activate the incomplete ring at the Ark to stop the local Flood infestation, of which Spark happily agreed with. Knowing that Cortana had the Index for the original Installation 04, and she was located in the ruined husk of High Charity, John resolved to venture into the Flood [[Flood hive|hive]] to retrieve her.<ref name="covenant"/>

With the death of the Prophet of Truth, the Covenant finally shattered. A [[Treaty of 2552|peace treaty]] between the [[Unified Earth Government]] and Thel 'Vadam's [[Swords of Sanghelios]] was ratified in [[2553#February|February, 2553]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''Chapter 2''</ref> and the [[Human-Covenant War]] was officially declared over on March 5. A ceremony presided over by [[Terrence Hood|Admiral Hood]] was held on March 5, where a [[Voi Memorial|monument]] was erected near [[Mount Kilimanjaro]] to mark the end of the war and to honor the sacrifices of everybody who gave their lives in it. Thel 'Vadam attended the ceremony, personally meeting with Lord Hood after his speech. The Admiral, while unable to forgive Thel for the actions he had committed against humanity during the war, thanked him for standing by the Master Chief at the end and expressing his sadness over the Spartan's presumed death. The Arbiter than departed for [[Sanghelios]] on board the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]''.<ref name="halo"/>