Operation: FIRST STRIKE: Difference between revisions

{{Era|FS}}

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{{battle

|next=[[Battle of Earth]]

|name= {{PAGENAME}}

|image=

|date= September 13, [[2552]]

|place=[[Tau Ceti System|Tau Ceti system, inside the Oort cloud]]

|result=UNSC Victory

*Covenant fleet destroyed

*Temporary Covenant delay into the [[Sol System]] and [[Inner Colonies]]

|side1=[[United Nations Space Command]]

|side2=[[Covenant Empire|Covenant]]

|commanders1=*[[Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb]]†

*[[John-117|Master Chief]]

*[[Cortana]]

|commanders2=*[[Tartarus]]

|forces1=*1 Hybrid vessel (the ''[[Gettysburg]]-[[Ascendant Justice]]'')

*5 [[Spartan II]]s:

**[[Fred-104]]

**[[Will-043]]

|forces2=*1 Refit battle station (the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'')

*Over 500 Vessels (various classes)

*[[Grunts]], [[Jackals]], [[Hunters]], [[Elites]], [[Brutes]]

*[[Lieutenant Haverson]]

*[[Grace-093]]

|casual2=*Approximately 488 vessels

*The ''Unyielding Hierophant''

'''Operation: FIRST STRIKE''' was a raid by the survivors of the [[Battle of Installation 04]] on the Covenant space station ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''. It was the largest UNSC victory after the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]], and the most decisive since [[Preston Cole|Admiral Cole's]] [[Admiral Cole's Last Stand|last stand]] at the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]].<ref>''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'' - ''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]'', Codename: SURGEON mentions Cole's record (especially in light of Psi Serpentis) rivals that of any SPARTAN II.</ref>

Having discovered the location of [[Earth]], the Covenant were building up a massive invasion fleet of over five hundred ships strong to assault their target. This fleet was assembled by the [[Prophet of Truth]] in secrecy from the rest of the [[Hierarchs]] and the Covenant, and was commanded exclusively by the Jiralhanae instead of the [[Sangheili]].<ref>''[[Halo Waypoint]], "Ten Twenty" history entry''</ref>

After discovering the plan from a piggyback transmission, [[Cortana]] and John-117 formulated a counter-plan that would result in either a massive victory or the deaths of the remaining active [[SPARTAN-II|SPARTAN-IIs]].

In a desperate attempt to stop a massive Covenant armada heading for Earth, five Spartans infiltrated the Covenant battle station ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' on-board a captured [[Spirit]] dropship. This was one of the first Spartan encounters with [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]], who guarded a temple in an Atrium-like structure in the battle station. One of the [[Spartan-II]]s, [[Grace-093]], was killed by a [[Brute Shot]] through COM triangulation tactics. John-117 rigged her suit to execute a fail-safe fusion reactor overload, killing all Covenant in a 10 meter radius (among which were a dozen Grunts and four Elites).<ref name="alamo">''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', pages 328-333</ref> The Spartans fought their way to a reactor room and set the generators to overload. Once the reactors were set to overload, the Spartans returned to the Atrium-like room, opened the airlocks, and blew out a shield-like structure that enclosed the Atrium. One of [[Cortana]]'s clones was taken along and had to open the airlocks for the Spartans. Her copy of a copy in the Covenant network was discovered and forced to make hundreds of copies to protect herself. She successfully opened the airlocks and tied up the Covenant's communication by repeating error messages on their COM systems endlessly. The Spartans then traveled to the far side of a nearby moon and unexpectedly met the ''[[UNSC Gettysburg]]''. [[Vice Admiral]] [[Danforth Whitcomb]] and [[Lieutenant]] [[Elias Haverson]] took the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' and crashed into the ''Unyielding Hierophant''. Using a hologram, Whitcomb pretended to have the [[Forerunner Crystal]] on board the ship and challenged all the Covenant in the system to try and take it from him. The Covenant battleships all gathered around the ''Ascendant Justice'' and the overloading battle station, attempting to take the Crystal from Whitcomb. The battle station then overloaded and exploded, killing the Vice Admiral and Lieutenant, destroying most of the Covenant fleet, and saving [[Earth]] from an unexpected strike.<ref name="alamo"/>

The outcome and historical result of the battle was noteworthy as the Covenant did not yet know the strategic importance of their intended target, Earth. Thus, their actual first entrance into the [[Sol System]] was with a much smaller force than the [[Battle of Reach|ill-fated]] [[Epsilon Eridani System]]. This was crucial to the survival of the [[human]] home world and the significant UNSC presence on Earth.

*'''0510 Hours:''' Master Chief officially presents the plan to the crew of the ''Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice''. After much hesitation, Vice Admiral Whitcomb approves.

*'''0530 Hours:''' The hybrid vessel passes through the Covenant armada in [[Slipspace]]. They are undetected, however a single [[Spirit]] launches from a hangar in the vessel. The dropship contains the SPARTAN-IIs: John-117, [[Fred-104]], [[Linda-058]], [[Grace-093]], and [[Will-043]]. The dropship is undetected by the Covenant forces. The hybrid ship hides behind a nearby moon.

*'''1551 Hours:''' The Spartan team enters a temple inside the station. They are ambushed by a group of [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]]. One of the first encounter of Brutes since the battle of Harvest in combat situation.

*'''1555 Hours:''' Grace-093 is killed by a Brute Shot fired by the Brutes.

*'''1610 Hours:''' The ''Gettysburg'' and ''Ascendant Justice'' unlink. The ''Ascendant Justice'' heads into the Covenant fleet, hoping to draw more Covenant vessels close to the station as it is detonating. Aboard are Vice Admiral Whitcomb and Lieutenant Haverson.

*'''1620 Hours:''' The Spartan team uses [[Banshee]] fliers to escape the station.

*'''1625 Hours:''' The ''Unyielding Hierophant'' explodes, destroying approximately 488 of the 500 vessels in the area and heavily damaging the remainder.<ref name="alamo"/>

*'''1630 Hours:''' The ''Gettysburg'' heads to Earth, carrying with it the only four Spartans actively in combat and confirmed alive, besides [[Gray Team]] and [[Maria-062]], along with [[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery J. Johnson]] and the surviving Covenant [[Huragok|Engineers]]. The ''Gettysburg'' is outfitted with the Slipspace equipment from the ''Ascendant Justice'', making it the fastest ship in the UNSC.<ref name="alamo"/>

== Sources ==

==See Also==

* {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}}

[[Category:UNSC]]

[[Category:The Covenant]]

[[Category:Human-Covenant War|First Strike]]

[[Category:UNSC Victories]]