Installation 00 Citadel: Difference between revisions

{{Era|Forerunner|Covenant|Human|UNSC|HCW}}

[[File:H3 ArkCitadel Exterior.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Citadel.]]

The '''Citadel''' was a [[Forerunner]] structure located on [[Installation 00]] where the entire [[Halo Array]] could be controlled and activated remotely by means of a [[superluminal communications]] system. It was located on the rim of the [[Strip mining moon|core of the Ark]], and was defended by multiple shield-projecting [[barrier tower]]s that had to be disengaged before the Citadel could be accessed.<ref name="covenant">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref> Although of [[Builder]] design and construction like the rest of the Ark, the Citadel was considered a highly impressive command facility by [[Warrior-Servant]] standards.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 310-311''</ref>

Narrowly escaping the [[Battle of the greater Ark|destruction of the greater Ark]] in the final hours of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], the [[IsoDidact]] arrived at Installation 00 with the intent of firing the Halo Array and stopping the Flood, which now controlled most of the galaxy. Sharing all resources with the [[metarch]] [[Offensive Bias]], the Citadel functioned as a command hub for the complex action of coordinating the deployment and firing processes of the rings. This was performed almost exclusively by Offensive Bias, who was simultaneously present at the [[Maginot Line]] with the Forerunners' last combined [[Forerunner fleet|fleet]], tasked with stalling the [[logic plague|subverted]] [[Mendicant Bias]] and the [[Flood]]'s enormous fleet long enough for the Halos to fire.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 326-328''</ref>

After the barrier towers were deactivated, the [[CAS-class assault carrier|assault carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' moved over the Citadel and attempted to destroy it. This was interrupted by the Flood-controlled ''[[High Charity]]'' suddenly appearing out of slipspace and raining debris on the area, severely damaging the ''Shadow of Intent''. The UNSC then launched an assault on the Citadel, led by the Master Chief, with one [[M808B Main Battle Tank|M808B Scorpion Tank]], multiple [[M12 Force Application Vehicle|M12 Warthog LAAVs]], one [[M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle|Mongoose]], and multiple [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornet]] VTOLs, and a [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican dropship]]. However, the Covenant defended the Citadel, landing a pair of [[Type-47B Scarab|Scarabs]] by an atmospheric landing, supplemented with one [[Type-26 Wraith|Wraith]] tank and a handful of [[Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle|Ghost]] and [[Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle|Prowler]] attack vehicles. Despite heavy resistance, [[John-117|SPARTAN-117]] and [[Thel 'Vadam]] were able to defeat the Covenant defense, and with [[343 Guilty Spark]]'s assistance, entered the Citadel.{{Ref/Reuse|covenant}}

However, in the Citadel, Truth was readying to activate the Halos, and a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Brute Chieftain]] was torturing the captive Johnson. When SPARTAN-117 radioed that he was too far from Truth to prevent him from activating the Halos, [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] boldly took a Pelican dropship and crashed it into the Citadel, landing in the midst of Truth, his attendant Brutes, and Johnson. Keyes opened fire on the Brutes, killing one and injuring another before she realized that the situation was hopeless: she could not engage dozens of Brutes, then kill Truth, and then rescue Johnson. She aimed her [[M6G Personal Defense Weapon System|magnum]] at Johnson, offering to kill him and then herself, thus preventing the Covenant from firing the Halos, until Truth rose and shot her several times in the back with a [[Type-25 Carbine|Spiker]], killing Miranda Keyes. Truth then forced Johnson's hand onto the control panel, initiating the Halo Array's activation sequence.{{Ref/Reuse|covenant}}

In [[2555#March|March 2555]], the Ark's [[Monitor]] [[000 Tragic Solitude]], with the help of [[Bobby Kodiak]] acting as a [[Reclaimer]], used the citadel to initiate an activation of the Halo Array in five weeks time both to wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy and force the UNSC to reactivate the [[Portal at Voi]] so that he could [[Invasion of Earth|send]] [[Retriever Sentinel]]s to strip-mine the [[Sol system]] for the materials needed to repair the Ark. In response, [[Operation: FAR STORM|a joint]] UNSC-[[Swords of Sanghelios]] [[operation]] was launched to the Ark to stop the firing sequence.<ref>'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'''</ref>