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Operation: PROMETHEUS: Difference between revisions

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{{Ratings}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Era|GOO}}
{{References}}
{{battle
{{Cleanup}}
|prev=[[Battle of New Harmony]]
{{Battle infobox
|conc=[[Battle of New Constantinople]], [[Siege of the Atlas Moons]]
|prev=*[[Battle of New Harmony]]
|next=[[Battle of 18 Scorpii]]
*[[Operation: HWACHA]]
|name=Battle of K7-49
*[[Battle of New Constantinople]]
|image=
*[[Battle of Leonis Minoris]]
|conc=
|next=[[Siege of the Atlas Moons]]
|name=Operation: PROMETHEUS
|image=[[File:HM PROMETHEUS.jpg|300px]]
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]
|date=July 27, [[2537]] - August 2, 2537
|date=[[2537|July 27 - before July 30, 2537]]{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoOC8|GoO|Chapter=8}}{{Ref/Note|''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx'' notes that PROMETHEUS began at 0700 hours on July 27, and that at least seven days passed over the course of the operation. However, the meeting reviewing PROMETHEUS' performance took place on July 30, which took place only three days later.}}
|place=[[K7-49]]
|place=[[K7-49]]
|result= UNSC victory
|result='''Pyrrhic UNSC victory'''
*All participating Spartans killed
*Covenant shipyard destroyed
|side1=[[United Nations Space Command]]
|side1=[[United Nations Space Command]]
|side2=[[Covenant]]
|side2=[[Covenant]]
|commanders1=[[Kurt Ambrose]]
|commanders1=Unknown
|commanders2=Unknown
|commanders2=Unknown
|forces1=*Alpha Company (300 [[SPARTAN-III Program|SPARTAN-IIIs]])
|forces1=*Multiple {{Class|Calypso|exfiltration craft}}
*Multiple [[Calypso-class Exfiltration Craft|''Calypso''-class Exfiltration Craft]]
*[[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company]] (300 [[SPARTAN-III program|Spartan-IIIs]])
|forces2=*Thousands of  Covenant soldiers
|forces2=*Multiple [[Type-26 Banshee]]s
**[[Unggoy|Grunt]]
*Thousands of  Covenant soldiers
**[[Kig-yar|Jackal]]
**[[Mgalekgolo]]
**[[Sangheili|Elite]]
**[[Sangheili]]
**[[Mgalekgolo|Hunter]]
**[[Huragok]]
**[[Huragok|Engineer]]
**[[Kig-Yar]]
*Multiple [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Banshees]]  
**[[Unggoy]]
|casual1=All participating members of Alpha Company
|casual1=All participating members of Alpha Company
|casual2=Unknown
|casual2=Heavy
}}
}}
'''Operation: PROMETHEUS''' was a high-risk mission ordered by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] that took place between [[2537|July 27 and August 2, 2537]]. The operation saw the deployment of 300 [[Spartan-III]]s from [[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]] to [[K7-49]], an asteroid which served as a [[Covenant]] shipyard, in order to disrupt the enemy's operations there. The mission ended in a Pyrrhic victory: though the facility was disabled, all 300 Spartans were killed.


== Summary ==
==Prelude==
Operation: PROMETHEUS was a suicide mission ordered by the Office of Naval Intelligence. The mission took place on [[K7-49]], a volcanic asteroid which served as a Covenant shipyard. The mission was to destroy the Covenant plasma reactors, disabling the shipyard and halting Covenant assaults. The success of the mission would save countless lives.
K7-49 was discovered when the prowler {{UNSCShip|Razor's Edge}} managed to attach a [[telemetry probe]] to an enemy ship during the [[Battle of New Harmony]]. The UNSC discovered the asteroid after the ship's return there along with a dozen partially constructed Covenant ships and an orbital shipyard. The asteroid's apparent volcanism was artificial; it was created by thirty high-output plasma reactors that liquefied metallurgical components. These were then refined, shaped, and shipped away for final assembly.{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoOP83|GoO|Chapter=8|Page=83}}


[[Alpha Company]] succeeded, but at a great cost: all the participating Spartan-IIIs died in the battle.
The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] deployed the entirety of [[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company]] to the asteroid. The [[SPARTAN-III program|Spartans]]' mission was to disable as many reactors as possible so the liquid contents of the facility would solidify and permanently clog the machines, ruining the Covenant's capacity to produce the ship components.


==Timeline==
==The operation==
[[File:HM-MLGSIII.png|200px|thumb|left|A Spartan-III leaps at a [[Sangheili]] [[Sangheili Minor|Minor]] with [[combat knife]] in hand.]]
At 0700 on July 27, 2537, 300 Spartan-IIIs landed on the asteroid. Initial resistance to the Spartans was light, and after two days, seven reactors had been deactivated before the Covenant organized a proper counterforce. The counterattacks were neutralized and, over the next three days, Alpha Company destroyed 13 more reactors.{{Ref/Reuse|GoOC8}}


===July 27, 2537:===
However, the Covenant soon arranged a massive counterforce, with the Spartans trading fire with [[Sangheili]] and [[Type-26 Banshee|ground attack craft]]. More Covenant reinforcements arrived on August 2. The Spartans lost their unit cohesion in the battle, while the Sangheili took up superior positions with good cover. By then, 89% of the asteroid had cooled, enough to render the shipyard inoperative. The Spartans were cut off from their {{Class|Calypso|exfiltration craft}}, preventing them from escaping. Ultimately, all 300 Spartans were killed.{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoOP86|GoO|Chapter=8|Page=86}}


*300 Spartan-IIIs of Alpha Company land on K7-49 at 0700 hours.
==Aftermath==
Although the mission was a success and the K7-49 shipyard was disabled, the Spartans sustained 100% fatalities. Other than a small number of Spartans transferred to other units prior to the operation, these losses ended Alpha Company as an active fighting force. According to [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Kurt Ambrose]], the leader of the Spartan-IIIs, failure would have resulted in the destruction of all of humanity's [[Wikipedia:Orion (constellation)|Orion]]-side colonies.{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoOP341|GoO|Chapter=8|Page=341}}


===July 28, 2537:===
==Timeline==
*On July 27, at 0700, 300 Spartan-IIIs land on K7-49.{{Ref/Reuse|GoOC8}}
*Two days later, seven reactors have been disabled. A counterforce is assembled by the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|GoOC8}}
*The Covenant force is neutralized. Over the next three days, 13 more reactors are destroyed. Another, larger force attack force is sent by the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|GoOC8}}
*On the seventh day, additional Covenant reinforcements arrive. The asteroid has cooled enough for the ship-building operation to be rendered inoperative. Alpha Company is cut off from their extraction craft, preventing their escape. All 300 participating Spartans are killed.{{Ref/Reuse|GoOC8}}
*On July 30, the operation's results are reviewed aboard the {{UNSCShip|Point of No Return}}.{{Ref/Reuse|GoOC8}}


*The Spartan-IIIs have disabled [[7]] of the reactors on the surface.  
==Trivia==
 
*The operation, along with [[Operation: TORPEDO]], is an obvious allusion to the [[Wikipedia:Battle of Thermopylae|Battle of Thermopylae]]. 300 Spartans were present at both battles, both were suicide missions, both were fought in order to slow the enemy down enough for the respective sides to prepare and survive longer, and both resulted in the deaths of nearly all Spartan combatants.
*The Covenant respond with the first heavy wave of troops, containing legions of Jackals.
*The operation was likely named for [[Wikipedia:Prometheus|Prometheus]] of ancient Greek mythology, a Titan and champion of mankind who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humanity.


===July 31, 2537:===
==Gallery==
<gallery>
*The Spartan-IIIs have disabled 20 of the 30 reactors.  
File:HM-SIIIs.png|Spartan-IIIs assaulting one of the reactors.
</gallery>


*The Covenant responds with a second heavy wave of troops, including numerous Elites and Banshees.
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]''
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
**''[[Lessons Learned]]'' {{Im}}


===August 2, 2537:===
==Notes==
 
{{Ref/Notes}}
*27 of the 30 reactors have been disabled. The Spartan-IIIs have fulfilled their mission.
 
*A third heavy wave of Covenant troops arrives, containing Elites and Hunters.
 
*The Spartan-IIIs are cut off from their ''Calypso''-class Exfiltration Craft. The remaining Spartans are eventually overrun and killed.
 
==Historical Significance==
The operation is an obvious allusion to the [[Wikipedia: Battle of Thermopylae|Battle of Thermopylae]]. 300 Spartans were present at both battles, both were suicide missions, both were fought in order to slow the enemy down enough for the respective sides to prepare and survive longer, and both resulted the deaths of all Spartan combatants.
 
==Trivia==
*Not all members of Alpha Company were killed in the battle. [[Carter-A259]], [[Emile-A239]], and [[Jun-A266]] served with [[Noble Team]] as of [[2552#August|August 2552]].


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources}}
 
==Related Pages==
*[[Shane|Spartan-Shane]] 
*[[Robert (Spartan)|Spartan-Robert]]
*[[Jane (Spartan)|Spartan-Jane]]


{{Human-Covenant War}}
{{Human-Covenant War}}
[[Category:UNSC]]
[[Category:Battles of the Human-Covenant War|PROMETHEUS]]
[[Category:The Covenant]]
[[Category:UNSC victories|PROMETHEUS]]
[[Category:Human-Covenant War|K7-49]]
[[Category:Operations|PROMETHEUS]]
[[Category:UNSC Victories]]

Latest revision as of 03:52, May 2, 2024

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Previous:

Next:

Siege of the Atlas Moons

Operation: PROMETHEUS
Alpha Company Spartan-IIIs fighting on K7-49 during Operation: PROMETHEUS.

Conflict:

Human-Covenant War

Date:

July 27 - before July 30, 2537[1][Note 1]

Location:

K7-49

Outcome:

Pyrrhic UNSC victory

  • All participating Spartans killed
  • Covenant shipyard destroyed
Details
Belligerents

United Nations Space Command

Covenant

Commanders

Unknown

Unknown

Strength
Casualties

All participating members of Alpha Company

Heavy

 

Operation: PROMETHEUS was a high-risk mission ordered by the Office of Naval Intelligence that took place between July 27 and August 2, 2537. The operation saw the deployment of 300 Spartan-IIIs from Alpha Company to K7-49, an asteroid which served as a Covenant shipyard, in order to disrupt the enemy's operations there. The mission ended in a Pyrrhic victory: though the facility was disabled, all 300 Spartans were killed.

Prelude[edit]

K7-49 was discovered when the prowler UNSC Razor's Edge managed to attach a telemetry probe to an enemy ship during the Battle of New Harmony. The UNSC discovered the asteroid after the ship's return there along with a dozen partially constructed Covenant ships and an orbital shipyard. The asteroid's apparent volcanism was artificial; it was created by thirty high-output plasma reactors that liquefied metallurgical components. These were then refined, shaped, and shipped away for final assembly.[2]

The Office of Naval Intelligence deployed the entirety of SPARTAN-III Alpha Company to the asteroid. The Spartans' mission was to disable as many reactors as possible so the liquid contents of the facility would solidify and permanently clog the machines, ruining the Covenant's capacity to produce the ship components.

The operation[edit]

Cropped artwork of Alpha Company Spartan-IIIs fighting on K7-49 during Operation: PROMETHEUS.
A Spartan-III leaps at a Sangheili Minor with combat knife in hand.

At 0700 on July 27, 2537, 300 Spartan-IIIs landed on the asteroid. Initial resistance to the Spartans was light, and after two days, seven reactors had been deactivated before the Covenant organized a proper counterforce. The counterattacks were neutralized and, over the next three days, Alpha Company destroyed 13 more reactors.[1]

However, the Covenant soon arranged a massive counterforce, with the Spartans trading fire with Sangheili and ground attack craft. More Covenant reinforcements arrived on August 2. The Spartans lost their unit cohesion in the battle, while the Sangheili took up superior positions with good cover. By then, 89% of the asteroid had cooled, enough to render the shipyard inoperative. The Spartans were cut off from their Calypso-class exfiltration craft, preventing them from escaping. Ultimately, all 300 Spartans were killed.[3]

Aftermath[edit]

Although the mission was a success and the K7-49 shipyard was disabled, the Spartans sustained 100% fatalities. Other than a small number of Spartans transferred to other units prior to the operation, these losses ended Alpha Company as an active fighting force. According to Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose, the leader of the Spartan-IIIs, failure would have resulted in the destruction of all of humanity's Orion-side colonies.[4]

Timeline[edit]

  • On July 27, at 0700, 300 Spartan-IIIs land on K7-49.[1]
  • Two days later, seven reactors have been disabled. A counterforce is assembled by the Covenant.[1]
  • The Covenant force is neutralized. Over the next three days, 13 more reactors are destroyed. Another, larger force attack force is sent by the Covenant.[1]
  • On the seventh day, additional Covenant reinforcements arrive. The asteroid has cooled enough for the ship-building operation to be rendered inoperative. Alpha Company is cut off from their extraction craft, preventing their escape. All 300 participating Spartans are killed.[1]
  • On July 30, the operation's results are reviewed aboard the UNSC Point of No Return.[1]

Trivia[edit]

  • The operation, along with Operation: TORPEDO, is an obvious allusion to the Battle of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans were present at both battles, both were suicide missions, both were fought in order to slow the enemy down enough for the respective sides to prepare and survive longer, and both resulted in the deaths of nearly all Spartan combatants.
  • The operation was likely named for Prometheus of ancient Greek mythology, a Titan and champion of mankind who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humanity.

Gallery[edit]

List of appearances[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx notes that PROMETHEUS began at 0700 hours on July 27, and that at least seven days passed over the course of the operation. However, the meeting reviewing PROMETHEUS' performance took place on July 30, which took place only three days later.

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, chapter 8
  2. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, chapter 8, page 83
  3. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, chapter 8, page 86
  4. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, chapter 8, page 341