Catherine Halsey: Difference between revisions

Near the start of May [[John-117]] told Halsey he suspected the Covenant had created a special Spartan-hunting unit based on encounters he'd had with [[Bloodstars|well-trained warriors]] in distinctive armor during Operation: SILENT STORM.<ref name="HO4">'''[[Halo: Oblivion]]''', ''Chapter 4''</ref> In response the doctor immediately distributed a list of precautions and procedures she wanted implemented whenever her Spartans were in a combat theater. On [[2526#June|June 3]] [[Task Force Pantea]], a wolf pack of [[Battle Group X-Ray]], managed to knock out the shields and primary weapons of [[Steadfast Strike|a]] [[Covenant frigate]] and seemingly ground it on [[Netherop]]. At least a day later, it was determined that [[Blue Team]] would be deployed to the planet to aid an [[ONI]] salvage ship, the {{UNSCShip|Phyllis Wheatley}}, in an attempt to capture the enemy vessel. Halsey recorded a message for John in which she acknowledged the entire situation was likely a trap but stated she wanted the Spartans to secure the alien ship anyway. A fully functional Covenant vessel could give the UNSC the knowledge needed to develop effective countermeasures. The doctor reminded him how important the [[kelguid|starholo]] recovered on [[Seoba]] had been to SILENT STORM and emphatically made clear that the downed frigate, dubbed the "''[[Steadfast Strike|Lucky Break]]''", was a thousand times more important before wishing him safe travels.<ref name="HO4"/> Unfortunately, the [[Battle of Netherop|mission]] did not result in success for the UNSC.<ref name="HOE">''[[Halo: Oblivion]]'', ''Epilogue''</ref> Following the failed effort Catherine reported to the [[Wikipedia:Chester W. Nimitz|Chester W. Nimitz]] Secure Conference Suite aboard the ''[[UNSC Everest|Everest]]'' on June 12, then located at [[Rendezvous Point Durga]] within a deep space transitional zone of the [[Polona sector]]. She was joined by Vice Admirals [[Preston Cole|Cole]] and [[Michael Stanforth|Stanforth]], Lieutenant [[J. Stone]] and Lieutenant Commander [[B. Nett]] (both of the [[UNSC Judge Advocate General's Corps|Judge Advocate General's Corps]]), two young people who had been among those discovered living on Netherop's surface during the operation, and John, who was the last to arrive at 1010 hours. They had gathered for a Court of Inquiry meant to clarify what precisely had gone wrong and how [[prowler]] captain [[Amalea Petrov]], commander of the {{UNSCShip|Night Watch}}, had been marooned on the planet. Halsey disputed Admiral Cole's characterization of the mission as a failure, seeing as the ''Lucky Break'' seemed to have always been a trap—one perhaps meant to capture Spartans—that had not borne fruit for the Covenant. She also pointed out that they'd recovered a [[Sangheili personal energy shield|personal shield generator]] of a type unseen up to that point. Cole, for his part, was less optimisitc since it would likely be years before any useful battlefield technology resulted from that acquisition. She assured him she was moving as fast as she could with her work. The court soon turned to the matter of what ought to be done with [[Castoffs|the young people]] found surviving on Netherop, previously thought to be uninhabited. The representatives present, [[Samson]] and [[Roselle]], petitioned the UNSC brass to let them start new lives on [[Gao]], but both Halsey and Stanforth were reluctant to indulge their request. Admiral Cole and Lieuetenant Stone were more sympathetic, however, and they were ultimately permitted to relocate to the outer colony.<ref name="HOE"/>