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Operation: RETRIBUTION: Difference between revisions
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|image=[[File:Halo Retribution cover.png|350px]]<ref group="note">This image is a pictorial representation of the portion of the operation that took place on Meridian but does not indicate there was a moment in time during which Veta and Castor were not hostile to one another. Such an occasion never arose.</ref> | |image=[[File:Halo Retribution cover.png|350px]]<ref group="note">This image is a pictorial representation of the portion of the operation that took place on Meridian but does not indicate there was a moment in time during which Veta and Castor were not hostile to one another. Such an occasion never arose.</ref> | ||
|conflict= | |conflict= | ||
|date=[[2553#December|December 8–16, 2553]]<ref name="R2"/><ref name="R27"> | |date=[[2553#December|December 8–16, 2553]]<ref name="R2"/><ref name="R27">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 27''</ref> | ||
|place=*[[Venezia]], [[Orso system]]<ref name="R1"/> | |place=*[[Venezia]], [[Orso system]]<ref name="R1"/> | ||
*[[Taram]], [[Pydoryn]], [[Shaps system]]<ref name="R6"/> | *[[Taram]], [[Pydoryn]], [[Shaps system]]<ref name="R6"/> | ||
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
---- | ---- | ||
[[Georgi Baklanov]]'s enterprise<ref name="R1"/> | [[Georgi Baklanov]]'s enterprise<ref name="R1"/> | ||
|side3=[[File:Eld-Alternate.png|25px]] [[Intrepid Eye]]<ref name="R5"> | |side3=[[File:Eld-Alternate.png|25px]] [[Intrepid Eye]]<ref name="R5">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 5''</ref> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
[[Gao Republic]]<ref name="R17"/> | [[Gao Republic]]<ref name="R17"/> | ||
|commanders1=*[[Rear Admiral|RADM]] [[Serin Osman]]<ref name="R2"> | |commanders1=*[[Rear Admiral|RADM]] [[Serin Osman]]<ref name="R2">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 2''</ref> | ||
*[[Piers Ewen|CAPT Piers Ewen]]<ref name="R4"/> | *[[Piers Ewen|CAPT Piers Ewen]]<ref name="R4"/> | ||
*[[Lieutenant|LTJG]] [[Fred-104]]<ref name="R1"/> | *[[Lieutenant|LTJG]] [[Fred-104]]<ref name="R1"/> | ||
*Inspector [[Veta Lopis]]<ref name="R1"/> | *Inspector [[Veta Lopis]]<ref name="R1"/> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
Administrator [[Sloan]]<ref name="R21"> | Administrator [[Sloan]]<ref name="R21">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 21''</ref> | ||
|commanders2=*[[Dokab]] [[Castor]]<ref name="R13"/> | |commanders2=*[[Dokab]] [[Castor]]<ref name="R13"/> | ||
*[[Orsun]]†<ref name="R27"/><ref name="R13"/> | *[[Orsun]]†<ref name="R27"/><ref name="R13"/> | ||
| Line 41: | Line 41: | ||
Georgi Baklanov†<ref name="R1"/> | Georgi Baklanov†<ref name="R1"/> | ||
|commanders3=*Intrepid Eye<ref name="R5"/> | |commanders3=*Intrepid Eye<ref name="R5"/> | ||
*Director [[Agnes Sabara]]† {{ | *Director [[Agnes Sabara]]† {{C|critical brain injury}}<ref name="R22"/> | ||
*[[Argie]]†<ref name="R17"/><ref name="R9"/> | *[[Argie]]†<ref name="R17"/><ref name="R9"/> | ||
*[[Oriel]]†<ref name="R27"/><ref name="R21"/> | *[[Oriel]]†<ref name="R27"/><ref name="R21"/> | ||
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{{Quote|So it wasn't ''just'' about killing the admiral. They came for the family--and it was important to take them alive.|Veta Lopis sifts through the evidence left behind on the ''Donoma''.}}<ref name="R2"/> | {{Quote|So it wasn't ''just'' about killing the admiral. They came for the family--and it was important to take them alive.|Veta Lopis sifts through the evidence left behind on the ''Donoma''.}}<ref name="R2"/> | ||
In [[2538]], there was an outbreak of disease at the [[Barugi]] [[Barugi Preparatory Academy|Preparatory Academy]].<ref name="R17"/> The illness was caused by the merozoites of a protozoal lifeform named [[asteroidea]]. It took only thirty hours for ten thousand people at the school to become infected. All but nine died shortly after. These nine were all partially resistant to being infected thanks to mutations they had that resulted in variants of [[Wikipedia:thalassemia|thalassemia]]. Six with [[Wikipedia:Delta-beta thalassemia|delta-beta thalassemia]] survived for years before finally succumbing to the asteroidea but those with gamma-thalessemia from a novel mutation did not suffer any adverse consequences whatsoever. These three survivors were [[Kerbasi Tuwa]], the medical officer of the academy, and his two children, [[Catalin Tuwa|Catalin]] and [[Yuso Tuwa|Yuso]]. The devastation wrought by the infection caused the academy to be shut down and by [[2541]], the entire planet was placed under biohazard quarantine (BQ).<ref name="R17"/> | In [[2538]], there was an outbreak of disease at the [[Barugi]] [[Barugi Preparatory Academy|Preparatory Academy]].<ref name="R17"/> The illness was caused by the merozoites of a protozoal lifeform named [[asteroidea]]. It took only thirty hours for ten thousand people at the school to become infected. All but nine died shortly after. These nine were all partially resistant to being infected thanks to mutations they had that resulted in variants of [[Wikipedia:thalassemia|thalassemia]]. Six with [[Wikipedia:Delta-beta thalassemia|delta-beta thalassemia]] survived for years before finally succumbing to the asteroidea but those with gamma-thalessemia from a novel mutation did not suffer any adverse consequences whatsoever. These three survivors were [[Kerbasi Tuwa]], the medical officer of the academy, and his two children, [[Catalin Tuwa|Catalin]] and [[Yuso Tuwa|Yuso]]. The devastation wrought by the infection caused the academy to be shut down and by [[2541]], the entire planet was placed under biohazard quarantine (BQ).<ref name="R17"/> | ||
[[File:Halo Last Light cover.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Intrepid Eye allowed herself to be captured by Fred-104 within the [[Montero Cave System|caves]] beneath the [[Montero]] region.<ref> | [[File:Halo Last Light cover.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Intrepid Eye allowed herself to be captured by Fred-104 within the [[Montero Cave System|caves]] beneath the [[Montero]] region.<ref>''[[Halo: Last Light]]'', ''chapter 15''</ref>]] | ||
In May of [[2553]], a mysterious transmission from the [[Outer Colony]] of [[Gao]] drew the attention of the [[UNSC]], and the [[Marine Corps]]' [[717th Xeno-Materials Exploitation Battalion]] was dispatched to the planet to investigate.<ref>''[[Halo: Last Light]]'', ''chapter 1''</ref> The battalion was escorted by [[Blue Team]], comprised of eight [[Spartans]] at the time. The transmission had in fact been a request for a status report sent by [[Intrepid Eye]], an ancient [[Forerunner]] [[ancilla]] that had been charged thousands of years ago with protecting the hidden [[Covert Support Base 4276]].<ref> | In May of [[2553]], a mysterious transmission from the [[Outer Colony]] of [[Gao]] drew the attention of the [[UNSC]], and the [[Marine Corps]]' [[717th Xeno-Materials Exploitation Battalion]] was dispatched to the planet to investigate.<ref>''[[Halo: Last Light]]'', ''chapter 1''</ref> The battalion was escorted by [[Blue Team]], comprised of eight [[Spartans]] at the time. The transmission had in fact been a request for a status report sent by [[Intrepid Eye]], an ancient [[Forerunner]] [[ancilla]] that had been charged thousands of years ago with protecting the hidden [[Covert Support Base 4276]].<ref>''[[Halo: Last Light]]'', ''chapter 3''</ref> Intrepid Eye was awakened from stasis following the partial [[glassing]] of [[Shaps III]], site of [[Line Installation 444-447|the]] [[line installation]] the base on Gao had supported. Before long, [[insurrectionist]] elements within the [[Gao Republic]] exploited the UNSC presence to stage a coup with assistance from the [[Venezia]] [[Venezian militia|militia]] and the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]].<ref>''[[Halo: Last Light]]'', ''chapter 5''</ref> Ultimately, the Spartans managed to secure Intrepid Eye and exfiltrate from the planet.<ref name="LL28">''[[Halo: Last Light]]'', ''chapter 28''</ref> With them went [[Veta Lopis]], a [[special inspector]] from the [[Gao Ministry of Protection]] who had aided them during [[Operation: JOVIAN WHISTLE|the fighting]]. Lopis was offered a civilian position within the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] and the chance to lead a new "[[Ferret]]" investigative team made up of herself and three [[Spartan-III]]s of the former [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]] which she had forged a bond with.<ref name="LL28"/> | ||
Intrepid Eye was delivered to the recently-commissioned ''[[Argent Moon]]'', an [[ONI]] research and development station, where she was kept under heavy guard to be interrogated and studied as part of [[Project Archeon]].<ref name="R5"/> Despite the many limitations placed upon her, the [[archeon-class ancilla]] managed to covertly smuggle bits of code off of the station over a span of five months that resulted in the establishment of remote aspects of herself in five different sectors of human-held space.<ref name="R5"/> These aspects were used by her to establish and control propaganda outlets, private security contractors, law practices, and political consulting firms.<ref name="R16"/> During her detainment on Gao, Intrepid Eye had been convinced by [[Wendell|another]] [[A.I.]] that [[human]]s were the intended [[Reclaimer]]s the [[Forerunner]]s had meant to inherit all their work.<ref>''[[Halo: Last Light]]'', ''chapter 24''</ref> Since that revelation, it had become her primary purpose to make the species worthy of the great responsibility inherent in holding the [[Mantle]]. To this end, she began laying the groundwork through her multiple aspects for a series of events that she believed could bring humanity closer to this worthiness.<ref name="R5"/> One of her remote aspects presented itself to the [[dokab]] [[Castor]] of the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]], who had nearly been killed on [[Gao]].<ref name="R13"/> Eye had little trouble making him think he was being visited by a holy [[oracle]] with his best interests at heart, as she recommended a location for him to grow a new base for the Keepers and began to feed him information she had gathered concerning the routes and itineraries of human vessels. From the moon of [[Taram]], Castor waged a campaign of [[piracy]] to rebuild his forces and had soon ascended to first among the Keepers' dokabs.<ref name="R13"> | Intrepid Eye was delivered to the recently-commissioned ''[[Argent Moon]]'', an [[ONI]] research and development station, where she was kept under heavy guard to be interrogated and studied as part of [[Project Archeon]].<ref name="R5"/> Despite the many limitations placed upon her, the [[archeon-class ancilla]] managed to covertly smuggle bits of code off of the station over a span of five months that resulted in the establishment of remote aspects of herself in five different sectors of human-held space.<ref name="R5"/> These aspects were used by her to establish and control propaganda outlets, private security contractors, law practices, and political consulting firms.<ref name="R16"/> During her detainment on Gao, Intrepid Eye had been convinced by [[Wendell|another]] [[A.I.]] that [[human]]s were the intended [[Reclaimer]]s the [[Forerunner]]s had meant to inherit all their work.<ref>''[[Halo: Last Light]]'', ''chapter 24''</ref> Since that revelation, it had become her primary purpose to make the species worthy of the great responsibility inherent in holding the [[Mantle]]. To this end, she began laying the groundwork through her multiple aspects for a series of events that she believed could bring humanity closer to this worthiness.<ref name="R5"/> One of her remote aspects presented itself to the [[dokab]] [[Castor]] of the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]], who had nearly been killed on [[Gao]].<ref name="R13"/> Eye had little trouble making him think he was being visited by a holy [[oracle]] with his best interests at heart, as she recommended a location for him to grow a new base for the Keepers and began to feed him information she had gathered concerning the routes and itineraries of human vessels. From the moon of [[Taram]], Castor waged a campaign of [[piracy]] to rebuild his forces and had soon ascended to first among the Keepers' dokabs.<ref name="R13">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 13''</ref> It was her belief that Taram and the [[Suluhu Contemplarium]] on its surface would become known to humans eventually thanks to this, as she was concerned that telling them about it outright could compromise her plans. She hoped to keep track of those that would eventually visit the contemplarium and achieve a sufficient amount of spiritual enlightenment through it.<ref name="R16">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 16''</ref> Onboard the ''Argent Moon'', she also handpicked a young ONI [[lieutenant]] by the name of [[Bartalan Cradogg]] to serve her ends. Through the selective supply of information to he and nobody else assigned to Project Archeon, she ensured that he was promoted to higher importance than he rightfully deserved, and she also began to gather evidence of his [[Reproduction|sexual proclivities]] with which to blackmail him.<ref name="R5"/> | ||
On [[2553#December|December 1, 2553]] the UNSC passenger schooner ''[[Donoma]]'' came under attack while en route to the [[human colony]] of [[Nephis]] in the [[Tisiphone system]]. Onboard the ship was [[Vice Admiral]] [[Graselyn Tuwa]], commander of the [[UNSC Navy]]'s [[Isbanola sector]] patrol fleet. She had been traveling with [[Kerbasi Tuwa|her husband]], [[Catalin Tuwa|her daughter]], and [[Yuso Tuwa|her son]] to attend the [[Threshold Ceremony]] of the daughter of [[Prudence Tuwa|her sister]], the [[Premier of Nephis|Nephis premier]]. The strike was carried out at the behest of [[Dark Moon Enterprises]], one of the security contractors controlled by Intrepid Eye. The ancilla's goal was to kidnap the survivors of the [[Barugi Incident]] so that the antibodies their bodies had made against [[asteroidea merozoite]] could be cultured and reproduced. Eventually, she intended to undertake a massive culling of the human species wherein only those deemed worthy would have been inoculated with a vaccine to the merozoites of asteroidea ahead of time.<ref name="R21"/> Dark Moon used a combination of Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, and humans to hit the ''Donoma'' in order to frame the Keepers.<ref name="R16"/> Veta Lopis and her Ferret team were summoned to the schooner to investigate it by Read Admiral [[Serin Osman]] and based on their findings, they concluded that the Keepers did indeed seem to be the responsible party. Operation: RETRIBUTION was henceforth set into motion with the objectives of both rescuing the captured Tuwas and getting justice for Admiral Graselyn Tuwa, who had been brutally murdered during the assault.<ref name="R2"/> | On [[2553#December|December 1, 2553]] the UNSC passenger schooner ''[[Donoma]]'' came under attack while en route to the [[human colony]] of [[Nephis]] in the [[Tisiphone system]]. Onboard the ship was [[Vice Admiral]] [[Graselyn Tuwa]], commander of the [[UNSC Navy]]'s [[Isbanola sector]] patrol fleet. She had been traveling with [[Kerbasi Tuwa|her husband]], [[Catalin Tuwa|her daughter]], and [[Yuso Tuwa|her son]] to attend the [[Threshold Ceremony]] of the daughter of [[Prudence Tuwa|her sister]], the [[Premier of Nephis|Nephis premier]]. The strike was carried out at the behest of [[Dark Moon Enterprises]], one of the security contractors controlled by Intrepid Eye. The ancilla's goal was to kidnap the survivors of the [[Barugi Incident]] so that the antibodies their bodies had made against [[asteroidea merozoite]] could be cultured and reproduced. Eventually, she intended to undertake a massive culling of the human species wherein only those deemed worthy would have been inoculated with a vaccine to the merozoites of asteroidea ahead of time.<ref name="R21"/> Dark Moon used a combination of Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, and humans to hit the ''Donoma'' in order to frame the Keepers.<ref name="R16"/> Veta Lopis and her Ferret team were summoned to the schooner to investigate it by Read Admiral [[Serin Osman]] and based on their findings, they concluded that the Keepers did indeed seem to be the responsible party. Operation: RETRIBUTION was henceforth set into motion with the objectives of both rescuing the captured Tuwas and getting justice for Admiral Graselyn Tuwa, who had been brutally murdered during the assault.<ref name="R2"/> | ||
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===Making a scene=== | ===Making a scene=== | ||
{{Quote|no=two|q1=You're stalling.|Ross Nyeto|q2=The Spartans are coming for ''us'' and you think I'm stalling?|Veta Lopis|Veta rebuffs the Goliath's suspicion.}}<ref name="R1"/> | {{Quote|no=two|q1=You're stalling.|Ross Nyeto|q2=The Spartans are coming for ''us'' and you think I'm stalling?|Veta Lopis|Veta rebuffs the Goliath's suspicion.}}<ref name="R1"/> | ||
On [[2553#December|December 12, 2553]], Phase One of the operation saw Veta's [[Ferret]] team and the legendary team of [[Spartan-II]]s, [[Blue Team]], deployed to [[New Tyne]], [[Venezia]].<ref name="R1"/><ref name="R4"/> ONI sources within the city had reported that a Keeper gunrunning crew was in port looking for cargo.<ref name="R3"> | On [[2553#December|December 12, 2553]], Phase One of the operation saw Veta's [[Ferret]] team and the legendary team of [[Spartan-II]]s, [[Blue Team]], deployed to [[New Tyne]], [[Venezia]].<ref name="R1"/><ref name="R4"/> ONI sources within the city had reported that a Keeper gunrunning crew was in port looking for cargo.<ref name="R3">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 3''</ref> In order to trick these Keepers into approaching Veta's team, they would need to create a public scene that would pique their suspects' interests in them. For the past few days, the UNSC had been making a show of stopping and boarding [[S77 Crow|Crow]]s and specifically pretending to be on the lookout for one with [[Archer missile]]s or [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon#Mini-MAC|Mini-MAC]]s. In addition, a story of the {{UNSCShip|Taulanti}} being hit and having ten [[HAVOK]] [[nuclear weapon]]s stolen was permitted to spread. These things were done so that the Ferrets could present themselves as the [[piracy|pirates]] who had raided the ''Taulanti''. In order to really sell the idea that the UNSC was desperate to recover the nukes and that they had indeed been the ones to take them, the plan was for it to appear as if Veta and the [[Spartan-III]]s just barely escaped when Blue Team arrived.<ref name="R1"/> | ||
[[File:Venezia.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Venezia is home to all manner of pirates, [[salvager]]s, [[Insurrectionist|rebels]], and others looking to get away from their respective governments.<ref>''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'', ''chapter 2'', ''page 49''</ref>]] | [[File:Venezia.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Venezia is home to all manner of pirates, [[salvager]]s, [[Insurrectionist|rebels]], and others looking to get away from their respective governments.<ref>''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'', ''chapter 2'', ''page 49''</ref>]] | ||
To this end, Veta's [[Spartan]]s disguised themselves to look older than their actual ages and to look like street punks that fit the profile of those belonging to a pirate gang. They got a table at the [[Trattoria Georgi]], where they knew a gunrunner known as "the Goliath" would be that evening.<ref group="note">Though the time at which Veta approached Nyeto was only a little after 1430 hours [[Military Standard Time|MST]], it was evening in New Tyne at that time.</ref> Veta approached the Goliath, who was in fact [[Ross Nyeto]], the son of [[Ross Nyeto|a famous]] [[lieutenant commander]] that had defected from the [[UNSC Navy]] to take up the cause of the [[Insurrection]]. She revealed that she knew who he was to set him and his three men on edge and offered to pay for the transport of her crew aboard one of his {{class|Razor|prowler}}s, the ''[[Ghost Flag]]''.<ref group="note">[[Hector Nyeto]] and his theft of the Prowlers, including the ''Ghost Flag'', happened during [[Operation: SILENT STORM]] in [[2526]] as seen in ''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''.</ref> Nyeto was resistant to her offer since he was not accustomed to transporting people as opposed to contraband and also had little interest in being paid in [[boson bead]]s, which she had produced whilst stating her case. The beads did, however, provoke [[Marco|one of Nyeto's men]] to place a beefy hand over Veta's when she tried to gather them up off the gunrunners' table. Veta did not hesitate to use a pain-compliance technique on the man that caused all eyes in the restaurant to focus on them and for some patrons to nervously exit. Her Spartans also drew their sidearms at this time. The situation was diffused by the owner of the establishment, [[Georgi Baklanov]], who assured his wary customers that the Goliath would be paying for everyone's tabs. Veta noticed [[Gyasi|two]] [[Ruuht]]ian [[Kig-Yar]] take their seats at a table closer to her than the one they had been at previously, and surmised from this that they could be affiliates of the Keepers and therefore the ones this whole show was for. Continuing her conversation with Nyeto, she casually let it be known to all within earshot that the reason her crew needed transportation was due to a problem with their [[S77 Crow]], which also had been modified to sport Archer missiles and a mini-MAC. The Goliath put the pieces together immediately and changed his tune, now making an offer of his own wherein he would take them to their destination in exchange for ten of the ''Taulanti'''s nukes.<ref name="R1"/> | To this end, Veta's [[Spartan]]s disguised themselves to look older than their actual ages and to look like street punks that fit the profile of those belonging to a pirate gang. They got a table at the [[Trattoria Georgi]], where they knew a gunrunner known as "the Goliath" would be that evening.<ref group="note">Though the time at which Veta approached Nyeto was only a little after 1430 hours [[Military Standard Time|MST]], it was evening in New Tyne at that time.</ref> Veta approached the Goliath, who was in fact [[Ross Nyeto]], the son of [[Ross Nyeto|a famous]] [[lieutenant commander]] that had defected from the [[UNSC Navy]] to take up the cause of the [[Insurrection]]. She revealed that she knew who he was to set him and his three men on edge and offered to pay for the transport of her crew aboard one of his {{class|Razor|prowler}}s, the ''[[Ghost Flag]]''.<ref group="note">[[Hector Nyeto]] and his theft of the Prowlers, including the ''Ghost Flag'', happened during [[Operation: SILENT STORM]] in [[2526]] as seen in ''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''.</ref> Nyeto was resistant to her offer since he was not accustomed to transporting people as opposed to contraband and also had little interest in being paid in [[boson bead]]s, which she had produced whilst stating her case. The beads did, however, provoke [[Marco|one of Nyeto's men]] to place a beefy hand over Veta's when she tried to gather them up off the gunrunners' table. Veta did not hesitate to use a pain-compliance technique on the man that caused all eyes in the restaurant to focus on them and for some patrons to nervously exit. Her Spartans also drew their sidearms at this time. The situation was diffused by the owner of the establishment, [[Georgi Baklanov]], who assured his wary customers that the Goliath would be paying for everyone's tabs. Veta noticed [[Gyasi|two]] [[Ruuht]]ian [[Kig-Yar]] take their seats at a table closer to her than the one they had been at previously, and surmised from this that they could be affiliates of the Keepers and therefore the ones this whole show was for. Continuing her conversation with Nyeto, she casually let it be known to all within earshot that the reason her crew needed transportation was due to a problem with their [[S77 Crow]], which also had been modified to sport Archer missiles and a mini-MAC. The Goliath put the pieces together immediately and changed his tune, now making an offer of his own wherein he would take them to their destination in exchange for ten of the ''Taulanti'''s nukes.<ref name="R1"/> | ||
Feeling that the narrative about who she and her team were had been effectively communicated, she signaled Blue Team to move into position by working a certain phrase into her talk with Nyeto. They would be breaching the trattoria in four minutes and it did not take long before lookouts paid by Baklanov spotted [[M121 Jackrabbit]]s driven by [[Fred-104]] and [[Kelly-087]] turning onto [[Via Notoli]]. The place cleared out due to fear of the encroaching Spartans and threats from its owner. Among those that hurriedly left were the two suspicious Kig-Yar. Now all the [[Ferret]]s had to worry about was making their escape convincing. A deal was struck between Veta and the Goliath, who came up with the idea to have his [[Jiralhanae]] bodyguard, [[Picus]], knock a hole in one of the exterior walls so that they wouldn't be flushed right through a doorway where an ONI [[sniper]] could be waiting for them. Things would have gone well enough had Baklanov interfered by making it clear that such an affront to his building would not be tolerated. He believed that he only needed to turn over these troublemakers to the Spartans to make them go away. He and his henchmen drew on Veta's team and though she convinced him he was in danger as well, it was too late. The delay made it so that her team was still present when Fred and Kelly crashed their Jackrabbits through the Georgi's front window and began a firefight. In the carefully-controlled engagement that resulted, [[Mark-G313]] was hit in the shoulder and everyone but Veta, Ross, and the [[Spartans]] were killed, including Georgi Baklanov, who was shot by Kelly as a target of opportunity as soon as she rolled away from her vehicle. Picus did manage to create an exit before being taken out by [[Linda-058]], who had been well aware that Veta and others weren't going to be coming out a door thanks to all the UNSC operatives being linked via an encrypted comm net. Nyeto glimpsed Linda briefly nodding at Veta before the Spartan-II knocked him out with a clean strike to the hinge of his jaw with her [[assault rifle]]. The Ferrets sprinted away from the wreckage of the restaurant, as Blue Team could only give them so much time before the need to make all this believable required that they pursue. Linda did fire a single shot at the fleeing "pirates" that tore into one of [[Olivia-G291]]'s thighs before giving her full attention to securing Nyeto for transport to an ONI interrogation facility. Capturing the Goliath had not been a primary objective of the operation, but it was a bonus. A shallow-draft airboat had been left floating on the water beneath a trapdoor in a building ahead of the running Ferrets. The plan was for them to use it to escape through the swamp that this part of New Tyne had been built on. Before they could reach it, however, a tri-wheeled minivan driven by a Kig-Yar screeched to a halt in front of the Ferrets. The side door opened, and another Jackal told them to climb inside if they wanted to live.<ref name="R1"> | Feeling that the narrative about who she and her team were had been effectively communicated, she signaled Blue Team to move into position by working a certain phrase into her talk with Nyeto. They would be breaching the trattoria in four minutes and it did not take long before lookouts paid by Baklanov spotted [[M121 Jackrabbit]]s driven by [[Fred-104]] and [[Kelly-087]] turning onto [[Via Notoli]]. The place cleared out due to fear of the encroaching Spartans and threats from its owner. Among those that hurriedly left were the two suspicious Kig-Yar. Now all the [[Ferret]]s had to worry about was making their escape convincing. A deal was struck between Veta and the Goliath, who came up with the idea to have his [[Jiralhanae]] bodyguard, [[Picus]], knock a hole in one of the exterior walls so that they wouldn't be flushed right through a doorway where an ONI [[sniper]] could be waiting for them. Things would have gone well enough had Baklanov interfered by making it clear that such an affront to his building would not be tolerated. He believed that he only needed to turn over these troublemakers to the Spartans to make them go away. He and his henchmen drew on Veta's team and though she convinced him he was in danger as well, it was too late. The delay made it so that her team was still present when Fred and Kelly crashed their Jackrabbits through the Georgi's front window and began a firefight. In the carefully-controlled engagement that resulted, [[Mark-G313]] was hit in the shoulder and everyone but Veta, Ross, and the [[Spartans]] were killed, including Georgi Baklanov, who was shot by Kelly as a target of opportunity as soon as she rolled away from her vehicle. Picus did manage to create an exit before being taken out by [[Linda-058]], who had been well aware that Veta and others weren't going to be coming out a door thanks to all the UNSC operatives being linked via an encrypted comm net. Nyeto glimpsed Linda briefly nodding at Veta before the Spartan-II knocked him out with a clean strike to the hinge of his jaw with her [[assault rifle]]. The Ferrets sprinted away from the wreckage of the restaurant, as Blue Team could only give them so much time before the need to make all this believable required that they pursue. Linda did fire a single shot at the fleeing "pirates" that tore into one of [[Olivia-G291]]'s thighs before giving her full attention to securing Nyeto for transport to an ONI interrogation facility. Capturing the Goliath had not been a primary objective of the operation, but it was a bonus. A shallow-draft airboat had been left floating on the water beneath a trapdoor in a building ahead of the running Ferrets. The plan was for them to use it to escape through the swamp that this part of New Tyne had been built on. Before they could reach it, however, a tri-wheeled minivan driven by a Kig-Yar screeched to a halt in front of the Ferrets. The side door opened, and another Jackal told them to climb inside if they wanted to live.<ref name="R1">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 1''</ref> | ||
===Among the enemy=== | ===Among the enemy=== | ||
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Veta threw open the passenger's side door and climbed in whilst the Spartan-IIIs entered the back where two Kig-Yar were. The van then sped away toward the [[New Tyne Airfield]]. The driver revealed herself to be [[Sarch|Chur'R-Sarch]], commander of her own starship. As the minivan approached [[Ziggy's Hangar]] at the airfield, Sarch told Veta she wanted the same deal that had been given to the Goliath: phase pearls in exchange for transportation. The Kig-Yar steered the van to the back corner of the hangar past several craft before arriving at [[Stolen Faith|a]] [[Mudoat starsloop]], parking the vehicle in a parking bay within its cargo hold. Veta was still unsure whether these Kig-Yar were members or even associates of the Keepers of the One Freedom, but given that most Kig-Yar on Venezia had at least a casual relationship with the group, the chances were good. In order to keep up appearances, Veta urged that they hurry in leaving. She stated that she wished to be taken to [[Shamsa]] to meet the [[Banished]] there. Chur'R-Sarch bristled at this and said that by no means would she allow them to sell their HAVOKs to the Banished. To Veta, this reaction implied a sense of rivalry which all but confirmed to her that they were on the right track and this gang could lead them to the Keepers. Lopis adamantly maintained that they must be taken to Shamsa and threatened to find someone else who could accommodate her wishes. When it seemed to Sarch that the humans were about to walk right off the ship, she relented and said she could take them. It was obvious to Veta and Olivia, however, that Sarch had no such intentions and would probably double-cross them at the opportune moment. Even Veta's stipulation that she only pay half of what she would have to Nyeto for the ''Ghost Flag'' went unchallenged, which only made this conclusion more likely.<ref name="R3"/> | Veta threw open the passenger's side door and climbed in whilst the Spartan-IIIs entered the back where two Kig-Yar were. The van then sped away toward the [[New Tyne Airfield]]. The driver revealed herself to be [[Sarch|Chur'R-Sarch]], commander of her own starship. As the minivan approached [[Ziggy's Hangar]] at the airfield, Sarch told Veta she wanted the same deal that had been given to the Goliath: phase pearls in exchange for transportation. The Kig-Yar steered the van to the back corner of the hangar past several craft before arriving at [[Stolen Faith|a]] [[Mudoat starsloop]], parking the vehicle in a parking bay within its cargo hold. Veta was still unsure whether these Kig-Yar were members or even associates of the Keepers of the One Freedom, but given that most Kig-Yar on Venezia had at least a casual relationship with the group, the chances were good. In order to keep up appearances, Veta urged that they hurry in leaving. She stated that she wished to be taken to [[Shamsa]] to meet the [[Banished]] there. Chur'R-Sarch bristled at this and said that by no means would she allow them to sell their HAVOKs to the Banished. To Veta, this reaction implied a sense of rivalry which all but confirmed to her that they were on the right track and this gang could lead them to the Keepers. Lopis adamantly maintained that they must be taken to Shamsa and threatened to find someone else who could accommodate her wishes. When it seemed to Sarch that the humans were about to walk right off the ship, she relented and said she could take them. It was obvious to Veta and Olivia, however, that Sarch had no such intentions and would probably double-cross them at the opportune moment. Even Veta's stipulation that she only pay half of what she would have to Nyeto for the ''Ghost Flag'' went unchallenged, which only made this conclusion more likely.<ref name="R3"/> | ||
Over two hours later, the Kig-Yar vessel still had yet to jump to [[slipspace]]. It had been necessary to retrieve the HAVOKs and bring them aboard after the deal was struck. Unknown to the Jackals, each of them was inoperable and one was in reality a disguised starship emergency locator beacon, or "slipbeacon". Once they arrived at a new destination, it would be able to transmit that location to the {{UNSCShip|Silent Joe}}, the {{Class|Sahara|heavy prowler}} that had brought them to Venezia and which Blue Team was aboard. Around an hour after first arriving at Ziggy's hangar, [[spy gnat]]s covertly placed by [[Ash-G099]] transmitted a conversation between Chur'R-Sarch and her crew in the form of a microburst of data to the ''Silent Joe''. Rear Admiral Osman, Blue Team, and the ship's captain and senior intelligence analyst were present to overhear the Kig-Yar planning to deliver their cargo straight to the Keepers and to murder their guests with [[ostanalus]] gas. Captain [[Piers Ewen]] believed they had no choice but to extract the Ferrets, which was seconded by [[Lieutenant]] [[Anki Hersh]]. Fred was confident in the team's abilities and believed they could handle themselves. Osman and the Spartan-IIs were the only ones that knew about the [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|unique augmentations]] Mark, Ash, and Olivia had undergone that marked them as members of the [[SPARTAN-III program]]'s [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]]. The decision was made to withhold from interfering due to Fred's confidence and a sense of owing it to [[Admiral]] [[Graselyn Tuwa|Tuwa]] to take risks in order to see her family returned safely.<ref name="R4"> | Over two hours later, the Kig-Yar vessel still had yet to jump to [[slipspace]]. It had been necessary to retrieve the HAVOKs and bring them aboard after the deal was struck. Unknown to the Jackals, each of them was inoperable and one was in reality a disguised starship emergency locator beacon, or "slipbeacon". Once they arrived at a new destination, it would be able to transmit that location to the {{UNSCShip|Silent Joe}}, the {{Class|Sahara|heavy prowler}} that had brought them to Venezia and which Blue Team was aboard. Around an hour after first arriving at Ziggy's hangar, [[spy gnat]]s covertly placed by [[Ash-G099]] transmitted a conversation between Chur'R-Sarch and her crew in the form of a microburst of data to the ''Silent Joe''. Rear Admiral Osman, Blue Team, and the ship's captain and senior intelligence analyst were present to overhear the Kig-Yar planning to deliver their cargo straight to the Keepers and to murder their guests with [[ostanalus]] gas. Captain [[Piers Ewen]] believed they had no choice but to extract the Ferrets, which was seconded by [[Lieutenant]] [[Anki Hersh]]. Fred was confident in the team's abilities and believed they could handle themselves. Osman and the Spartan-IIs were the only ones that knew about the [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|unique augmentations]] Mark, Ash, and Olivia had undergone that marked them as members of the [[SPARTAN-III program]]'s [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]]. The decision was made to withhold from interfering due to Fred's confidence and a sense of owing it to [[Admiral]] [[Graselyn Tuwa|Tuwa]] to take risks in order to see her family returned safely.<ref name="R4">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 4''</ref> | ||
[[File:H2A M7S-SMG.png|250px|thumb|right|The Ferret team smuggled four [[M7S SMG|M7S submachine gun]]s onto the Kig-Yar ship within the deactivated HAVOK devices.<ref name="R6"/>]] | [[File:H2A M7S-SMG.png|250px|thumb|right|The Ferret team smuggled four [[M7S SMG|M7S submachine gun]]s onto the Kig-Yar ship within the deactivated HAVOK devices.<ref name="R6"/>]] | ||
The Kig-Yar's starsloop, ''[[Stolen Faith]]'', eventually departed Venezia for [[Pydoryn]] in the [[Shaps system]]. Having learned of the aliens' plan for them, the Ferrets devised a plan of their own. Before heading off to sleep, Mark secretly killed one crew member and switched out the ostanalus so that the dispersal of gas would be completely harmless. After it was released, the four humans played dead: Veta and Olivia in a sleeping compartment and Mark and Ash in the cargo hold, where they had been permitted to stay to guard the HAVOKs. All caught their would-be murderers by surprise. Veta and Olivia killed three Kig-Yar that came to check on them in their compartment and Mark and Ash did likewise to five more. Inside the casings of the inert nukes were four disassembled [[M7S SMG]]s and ammunition, which the Ferrets at this time put back together. With five Kig-Yar left aboard the ship to subdue, the females made for the flight deck where Chur'R-Sarch was sure to be while the boys went to put down any others. Veta and Olivia surprised one individual in the galley, who had no chance to defend himself whatsoever before three silenced rounds from Veta ended him. Sarch and a co-pilot were seated on the flight deck. The [[Chur'R]] was attempting to reason with Approach Control on the moon, [[Taram]], evidently the location of the Keepers' [[Salvation Base]]. The human on the other end of the communication channel was nervous about the Kig-Yar's stated intention to "deliver" nuclear devices to Castor. After being told they would have to wait for a vigilance squad to inspect their vessel, Sarch tossed her headset away in frustration and turned to find herself face-to-face with the human females. Olivia dropped the copilot as soon as she reached for something, presumably a weapon, but Sarch made excuses for why they had not traveled to Shamsa and denied ever trying to gas them. Her defenses fell away quickly, however, and once she was told they had been playing her all along, she said it was regretful the ostanalus did not work. She was shot and killed while diving for her copilot's controls.<ref name="R6"> | The Kig-Yar's starsloop, ''[[Stolen Faith]]'', eventually departed Venezia for [[Pydoryn]] in the [[Shaps system]]. Having learned of the aliens' plan for them, the Ferrets devised a plan of their own. Before heading off to sleep, Mark secretly killed one crew member and switched out the ostanalus so that the dispersal of gas would be completely harmless. After it was released, the four humans played dead: Veta and Olivia in a sleeping compartment and Mark and Ash in the cargo hold, where they had been permitted to stay to guard the HAVOKs. All caught their would-be murderers by surprise. Veta and Olivia killed three Kig-Yar that came to check on them in their compartment and Mark and Ash did likewise to five more. Inside the casings of the inert nukes were four disassembled [[M7S SMG]]s and ammunition, which the Ferrets at this time put back together. With five Kig-Yar left aboard the ship to subdue, the females made for the flight deck where Chur'R-Sarch was sure to be while the boys went to put down any others. Veta and Olivia surprised one individual in the galley, who had no chance to defend himself whatsoever before three silenced rounds from Veta ended him. Sarch and a co-pilot were seated on the flight deck. The [[Chur'R]] was attempting to reason with Approach Control on the moon, [[Taram]], evidently the location of the Keepers' [[Salvation Base]]. The human on the other end of the communication channel was nervous about the Kig-Yar's stated intention to "deliver" nuclear devices to Castor. After being told they would have to wait for a vigilance squad to inspect their vessel, Sarch tossed her headset away in frustration and turned to find herself face-to-face with the human females. Olivia dropped the copilot as soon as she reached for something, presumably a weapon, but Sarch made excuses for why they had not traveled to Shamsa and denied ever trying to gas them. Her defenses fell away quickly, however, and once she was told they had been playing her all along, she said it was regretful the ostanalus did not work. She was shot and killed while diving for her copilot's controls.<ref name="R6">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 6''</ref> | ||
===A less-than-warm welcome=== | ===A less-than-warm welcome=== | ||
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===Truths revealed=== | ===Truths revealed=== | ||
{{Quote|It's Gao. The crime scene is on Gao.|Inspector Lopis comes to a realization concerning the Tuwas' murders.}}<ref name="R17"/> | {{Quote|It's Gao. The crime scene is on Gao.|Inspector Lopis comes to a realization concerning the Tuwas' murders.}}<ref name="R17"/> | ||
[[File:H5G - Second creature 3.png|thumb|300px|left|By [[2557]], ONI kept at least four individuals aboard the ''[[Argent Moon]]'' with [[Wikipedia:Delta-beta thalassemia|delta-beta thalassemia]] that had been exposed to [[asteroidea merozoite]] and become severely deformed as a result.<ref name="R17"/><ref name="blue"> | [[File:H5G - Second creature 3.png|thumb|300px|left|By [[2557]], ONI kept at least four individuals aboard the ''[[Argent Moon]]'' with [[Wikipedia:Delta-beta thalassemia|delta-beta thalassemia]] that had been exposed to [[asteroidea merozoite]] and become severely deformed as a result.<ref name="R17"/><ref name="blue">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' campaign level, ''[[Blue Team (level)|Blue Team]]''</ref><ref name="TDTwit">[[Troy Denning]] on Twitter [https://twitter.com/TDenningauthor/status/905509666750332928]</ref>]] | ||
Veta and the Spartans were ordered to the infirmary for a full evaluation after stepping foot on the ''Silent Joe''.<ref name="R17"/> Following that, they all were permitted to change into appropriate outfits for a debriefing with Captain Ewen in the ship's wardroom. In attendance were a smattering of other naval personnel as well as analysts, technicians, and others from the UNSC's [[Covert Services]] branch. Veta was angry with herself for having not considered doing anything to rescue the Keepers' prisoners until it had been too late. She surmised that Fred and the captain had engaged in a heated exchange concerning her last-minute protestations on Taram, and she was certain that Osman would have been informed. Veta was roused from her thoughts in the midst of the briefing by the captain, who had noticed she hadn't been paying attention to what the surgeon, Doctor [[Krosbi]], had been saying. Reorienting herself, Veta said she agreed with his assessment that the Tuwas had only been killed within the last day or two. This meant that the murder scene had to be somewhere within that range from Taram, in terms of the time it would take to travel there. Unfortunately, Olivia had been unable to get a proper navigation history from the Turaco before Argie had erased herself and the nav logs with her. Having only the physical evidence to build a case around, Veta was able to determine that the Tuwas had been killed while lying on their backs, that their organs had been harvested soon after, and that they had already been dead by the time they were put on a ship for at least interplanetary travel. The cargo hold of the Turaco showed signs of having been used for just such a purpose, but the confirmatory DNA analysis had not yet been completed.<ref name="R17"/> The bodies were still in full rigor mortis and had evidently been left long enough to develop fixed lividity before accelerating during interstellar travel, so Lopis was able to narrow the list of potential kill sites to under fifty. It was the fact that they would have needed to be killed in a sterile environment to have had their organs harvested and still lack any insectoid colonization that made Veta conclude her home world, [[Gao]], was the answer they were looking for. The planet boasted plenty of large [[Drugs|pharmacology]] laboratories where the Tuwas could have been kept alive for weeks before their harvesting.<ref name="R17"/> | Veta and the Spartans were ordered to the infirmary for a full evaluation after stepping foot on the ''Silent Joe''.<ref name="R17"/> Following that, they all were permitted to change into appropriate outfits for a debriefing with Captain Ewen in the ship's wardroom. In attendance were a smattering of other naval personnel as well as analysts, technicians, and others from the UNSC's [[Covert Services]] branch. Veta was angry with herself for having not considered doing anything to rescue the Keepers' prisoners until it had been too late. She surmised that Fred and the captain had engaged in a heated exchange concerning her last-minute protestations on Taram, and she was certain that Osman would have been informed. Veta was roused from her thoughts in the midst of the briefing by the captain, who had noticed she hadn't been paying attention to what the surgeon, Doctor [[Krosbi]], had been saying. Reorienting herself, Veta said she agreed with his assessment that the Tuwas had only been killed within the last day or two. This meant that the murder scene had to be somewhere within that range from Taram, in terms of the time it would take to travel there. Unfortunately, Olivia had been unable to get a proper navigation history from the Turaco before Argie had erased herself and the nav logs with her. Having only the physical evidence to build a case around, Veta was able to determine that the Tuwas had been killed while lying on their backs, that their organs had been harvested soon after, and that they had already been dead by the time they were put on a ship for at least interplanetary travel. The cargo hold of the Turaco showed signs of having been used for just such a purpose, but the confirmatory DNA analysis had not yet been completed.<ref name="R17"/> The bodies were still in full rigor mortis and had evidently been left long enough to develop fixed lividity before accelerating during interstellar travel, so Lopis was able to narrow the list of potential kill sites to under fifty. It was the fact that they would have needed to be killed in a sterile environment to have had their organs harvested and still lack any insectoid colonization that made Veta conclude her home world, [[Gao]], was the answer they were looking for. The planet boasted plenty of large [[Drugs|pharmacology]] laboratories where the Tuwas could have been kept alive for weeks before their harvesting.<ref name="R17"/> | ||
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Mark and Ash, hidden by the [[photoreactive panel]]s of their SPI armor, flanked the eight people at the tree line's edge.<ref name="R18"/> [[Miguel|One]] was armed with an [[SAD-8|8mm Sevine Arms Defender]] but otherwise they carried [[Wikipedia:Panga|panga]]s or kitchen cutlery. Veta slowly began making her way toward the group whilst giving her [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gammas]] instructions on what to investigate. At this point, Kelly announced that she had found [[Jiralhanae]] tracks. [[Kig-Yar]] and human prints from what must have been ten attackers in total were also present. Though it now looked as if Dark Moon had intentionally framed the Keepers for what happened to the ''Donoma'', signs pointed to this being an actual Keeper raid. The evidence indicated that [[Castor]] had learned about this location from the operatives he had gotten away with and had just managed to beat the ''Silent Joe'' there.<ref name="R18"/> Lopis handed Olivia her [[M6C/SOCOM]] [[Suppressor|suppressed]] automatic pistol. When he was just five meters away from the civilians, one of them, a stocky woman in her forties named [[Nita]], called for her to halt. The group was made up of service workers who had worked at the field complex and had been assisting survivors of the raid get to safety before the Turaco had shown up. They were under the impression that the UNSC had sent the Keepers to strike them. Veta's accent betrayed her as a Gao native, and for that she was labeled a traitor by Nita. Keeping a cool head, Veta managed to talk the survivors into divulging a good amount of information about the operations at New Leaf, mainly by inventing an armored track-shovel she named "the M606" that they would supposedly need to dig out the lab, in addition to an imagined resolution referred to as "the [[Ganymede]] Accords" that she used to threaten Nita and the others with. She convinced them that if they did not share what they knew, she could have them arraigned as co-conspirators to an illegal [[bioweapon]] plot per the accords. Through these tactics she learned that for the past two weeks, the service crews had been banned from the laboratory itself. It was also shared that the Keepers had entered the lab during the attack seemingly intent on recovering something within and had taken the lab's director, [[Agnes Sabara]], with them when they left. Veta pressed for information about the presence of any [[cryo-jar]]s, and [[Miguel]], the man with the SAD-8, revealed that they had been gone before the Keepers showed up. Nita corroborated this, saying that she had personally seen a Dark Moon team leave with cryo-jars the previous night. Kelly, speaking on [[TEAMCOM]], asked if the situation might be developing into a [[Hydra (code)|Code HYDRA]] problem. Veta believed it could be. It was also now clear to her that President Casille must be involved in some fashion, but she wasn't convinced he was behind it all. She told Fred she wanted to question him. At the mention of the president's name, the eight civilians reacted in a way that Veta read as indicative of the fact that they wouldn't need to hunt down Casille, as he was actually coming to them right that minute.<ref name="R18"/> | Mark and Ash, hidden by the [[photoreactive panel]]s of their SPI armor, flanked the eight people at the tree line's edge.<ref name="R18"/> [[Miguel|One]] was armed with an [[SAD-8|8mm Sevine Arms Defender]] but otherwise they carried [[Wikipedia:Panga|panga]]s or kitchen cutlery. Veta slowly began making her way toward the group whilst giving her [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gammas]] instructions on what to investigate. At this point, Kelly announced that she had found [[Jiralhanae]] tracks. [[Kig-Yar]] and human prints from what must have been ten attackers in total were also present. Though it now looked as if Dark Moon had intentionally framed the Keepers for what happened to the ''Donoma'', signs pointed to this being an actual Keeper raid. The evidence indicated that [[Castor]] had learned about this location from the operatives he had gotten away with and had just managed to beat the ''Silent Joe'' there.<ref name="R18"/> Lopis handed Olivia her [[M6C/SOCOM]] [[Suppressor|suppressed]] automatic pistol. When he was just five meters away from the civilians, one of them, a stocky woman in her forties named [[Nita]], called for her to halt. The group was made up of service workers who had worked at the field complex and had been assisting survivors of the raid get to safety before the Turaco had shown up. They were under the impression that the UNSC had sent the Keepers to strike them. Veta's accent betrayed her as a Gao native, and for that she was labeled a traitor by Nita. Keeping a cool head, Veta managed to talk the survivors into divulging a good amount of information about the operations at New Leaf, mainly by inventing an armored track-shovel she named "the M606" that they would supposedly need to dig out the lab, in addition to an imagined resolution referred to as "the [[Ganymede]] Accords" that she used to threaten Nita and the others with. She convinced them that if they did not share what they knew, she could have them arraigned as co-conspirators to an illegal [[bioweapon]] plot per the accords. Through these tactics she learned that for the past two weeks, the service crews had been banned from the laboratory itself. It was also shared that the Keepers had entered the lab during the attack seemingly intent on recovering something within and had taken the lab's director, [[Agnes Sabara]], with them when they left. Veta pressed for information about the presence of any [[cryo-jar]]s, and [[Miguel]], the man with the SAD-8, revealed that they had been gone before the Keepers showed up. Nita corroborated this, saying that she had personally seen a Dark Moon team leave with cryo-jars the previous night. Kelly, speaking on [[TEAMCOM]], asked if the situation might be developing into a [[Hydra (code)|Code HYDRA]] problem. Veta believed it could be. It was also now clear to her that President Casille must be involved in some fashion, but she wasn't convinced he was behind it all. She told Fred she wanted to question him. At the mention of the president's name, the eight civilians reacted in a way that Veta read as indicative of the fact that they wouldn't need to hunt down Casille, as he was actually coming to them right that minute.<ref name="R18"/> | ||
After confirming her intuition was correct, the civilians were secured to make sure they didn't cause any problems for the teams and Veta and the Spartans hastily put a trap into motion.<ref name="R19"/> Just under five kilometers remained along [[Yosavi Route 4]] when a [[Wikipedia:Cyathea|cyathea]] tree fern was felled to split up a convoy that was driving on the jungle track. The convoy had been led by a disaster-response [[Bronto]] and followed by a [[Roamer]] sandwiched front and back by two [[Murat]] gun trucks. The tree fern cut off the rest of the convoy from the Bronto, which continued to barrel on ahead once its driver realized they were under attack. A Spartan-III had no trouble subduing the lead Murat's gunner and taking over the [[20mm Sawtooth chaingun]]. In a panic, the Roamer's [[Ramond|driver]] put the vehicle in reverse but another tree fern dropped behind the aft Murat, cutting off an escape in both directions. Another Spartan-III took over the other Murat and both Fred and Linda handled their drivers. Kelly pacified the Roamer's driver and [[Rodas|guard]] and Olivia pulled [[Duena Sandos]], the Republic's [[Minister of the Environment]], from the backseat. That left only President Casille himself, who was naturally surprised when Veta Lopis seated herself where Sandos had been a moment prior. She immediately began to question him about his role in the murders of Admiral Tuwa and her family, but Arlo denied any involvement.<ref name="R19"/> Through threatening him with incarceration at a fictitious "Borodyne facility", Veta eventually got Casille to admit that he had agreed to allow Dark Moon to use the lab on Gao. He adamantly maintained that he hadn't known about any bioweapons or their plans to target a UNSC admiral, however. He relayed that Dark Moon had promised to get the UNSC to handle his "Keeper problem" in exchange for the use of the facilities, in addition to other compensation they provided. He claimed that he had only learned two weeks ago that UNSC captives were being held on his planet. Lopis believed his story and pressed for further information concerning how they could find the ones responsible. To that end, Casille let her know that he had originally been introduced to [[Dark Moon Enterprises]] through the [[smart AI|A.I.]] boss of [[Pinnacle Station]] on [[Meridian]], Administrator [[Sloan]].<ref name="R19"> | After confirming her intuition was correct, the civilians were secured to make sure they didn't cause any problems for the teams and Veta and the Spartans hastily put a trap into motion.<ref name="R19"/> Just under five kilometers remained along [[Yosavi Route 4]] when a [[Wikipedia:Cyathea|cyathea]] tree fern was felled to split up a convoy that was driving on the jungle track. The convoy had been led by a disaster-response [[Bronto]] and followed by a [[Roamer]] sandwiched front and back by two [[Murat]] gun trucks. The tree fern cut off the rest of the convoy from the Bronto, which continued to barrel on ahead once its driver realized they were under attack. A Spartan-III had no trouble subduing the lead Murat's gunner and taking over the [[20mm Sawtooth chaingun]]. In a panic, the Roamer's [[Ramond|driver]] put the vehicle in reverse but another tree fern dropped behind the aft Murat, cutting off an escape in both directions. Another Spartan-III took over the other Murat and both Fred and Linda handled their drivers. Kelly pacified the Roamer's driver and [[Rodas|guard]] and Olivia pulled [[Duena Sandos]], the Republic's [[Minister of the Environment]], from the backseat. That left only President Casille himself, who was naturally surprised when Veta Lopis seated herself where Sandos had been a moment prior. She immediately began to question him about his role in the murders of Admiral Tuwa and her family, but Arlo denied any involvement.<ref name="R19"/> Through threatening him with incarceration at a fictitious "Borodyne facility", Veta eventually got Casille to admit that he had agreed to allow Dark Moon to use the lab on Gao. He adamantly maintained that he hadn't known about any bioweapons or their plans to target a UNSC admiral, however. He relayed that Dark Moon had promised to get the UNSC to handle his "Keeper problem" in exchange for the use of the facilities, in addition to other compensation they provided. He claimed that he had only learned two weeks ago that UNSC captives were being held on his planet. Lopis believed his story and pressed for further information concerning how they could find the ones responsible. To that end, Casille let her know that he had originally been introduced to [[Dark Moon Enterprises]] through the [[smart AI|A.I.]] boss of [[Pinnacle Station]] on [[Meridian]], Administrator [[Sloan]].<ref name="R19">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 19''</ref> | ||
===Meridian=== | ===Meridian=== | ||
{{Quote|no=two|q1=Where are the Papa-10 survivors now?|Veta Lopis|q2=Not on Pinnacle Station|Sloan|Inspector Lopis is briefed by Administrator Sloan.}}<ref name="R22"/> | {{Quote|no=two|q1=Where are the Papa-10 survivors now?|Veta Lopis|q2=Not on Pinnacle Station|Sloan|Inspector Lopis is briefed by Administrator Sloan.}}<ref name="R22"/> | ||
[[File:Halo 5 - Meridian space elevator.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Pinnacle Station, pictured here in [[2558]], was still being built at the end of [[2553]].<ref name="R20"> | [[File:Halo 5 - Meridian space elevator.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Pinnacle Station, pictured here in [[2558]], was still being built at the end of [[2553]].<ref name="R20">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 20''</ref>]] | ||
Less than two days after the run-in with President Casille on Gao, the ''Silent Joe'' arrived at Meridian, a moon of [[Hestia V]] in the [[Hestia system]].<ref name="R22"/> The Turaco was used to dock at Berthing Bay 12 on [[Pinnacle Station]], an under-construction [[space elevator]] extending from the moon's surface. Veta and Olivia disembarked while the remainder of the Spartans waited in full armor for a signal to join them. It had been decided that the two would pose as UNSC security inspectors on a surprise construction review. Upon moving beyond the berthing bay, they noticed [[Pinnacle Station Security Force|station security]] swarming around a [[Liang-Dortmund]] cargo transport that had evidently seen violence recently. They attempted to use their hastily forged credentials to gain access to its hold, but were initially rebuffed. Only after a supervisor cleared them for entry were they then given jumpsuits to be worn by visitors and allowed free reign of the station, including the transport in question. Inside, they found another Dark Moon Enterprises Turaco and dead bodies, whom they presumed had belonged to the couriers of the cryo-jars they were after. Following a path of carnage, emergency services personnel, and security officers led them to the ''[[True Light]]'', a {{Class|Laden|freighter}}. Using thruster harnesses to maneuver in the microgravity, inside they found horribly mangled and burned bodies of Kig-Yar and Jiralhanae. Agnes Sabara was also floating amidst the alien corpses and while still clinging to life, she had been hurled against a hatch jam so hard that her torso had folded backward and she had sustained a dent to her skull that caused her to lose brain matter.<ref name="R22"/> Inspector Lopis let a guard positioned outside the freighter know about Director Sabara, but he told her that neither he not any other Pinnacle Station personnel were interested in helping anyone but their own. He clicked his mic off to tell Veta plainly that her cover wasn't fooling anyone. He said he knew they were ONI and that they could clean up their own messes. Veta replied that she would still like to be able to interrogate the woman, but at that moment they were interrupted by the voice of Administrator Sloan, which boomed from the guard's helmet and from deep within the ''True Light''. Sloan offered to tell Veta everything he knew about the current situation. She instructed the guard to kill anyone that followed them aboard, signaled Fred to be ready, and made for the freighter's flight deck. There, a [[holographic]] projection of Sloan stood upon a [[Holotable|holoplinth]].<ref name="R22"/> Veta began with an attempt at blackmail thanks to what she knew about his creation, but he let her knew that was unnecessary and that he was intending to be fully cooperative. He mentioned that he had honored their arrangement and that an ONI unit called [[Papa-10]] had hit the Dark Moon couriers, which caught Veta by surprise. She covered for her lack of understanding by claiming to have simply been trailing the Keepers when a call came in for the services of a relief team being needed. He claimed that the Dark Moon operatives had paid for a hidden berth which he had provided, knowing that ONI would then be taking possession of the jars. He had not expected the couriers to be executed or for the Keepers of the One Freedom to show up, however. He said that last he knew, there were three survivors from Papa-10 that had gone to the surface with the jars and that four Keepers were chasing after them.<ref name="R22"/> | Less than two days after the run-in with President Casille on Gao, the ''Silent Joe'' arrived at Meridian, a moon of [[Hestia V]] in the [[Hestia system]].<ref name="R22"/> The Turaco was used to dock at Berthing Bay 12 on [[Pinnacle Station]], an under-construction [[space elevator]] extending from the moon's surface. Veta and Olivia disembarked while the remainder of the Spartans waited in full armor for a signal to join them. It had been decided that the two would pose as UNSC security inspectors on a surprise construction review. Upon moving beyond the berthing bay, they noticed [[Pinnacle Station Security Force|station security]] swarming around a [[Liang-Dortmund]] cargo transport that had evidently seen violence recently. They attempted to use their hastily forged credentials to gain access to its hold, but were initially rebuffed. Only after a supervisor cleared them for entry were they then given jumpsuits to be worn by visitors and allowed free reign of the station, including the transport in question. Inside, they found another Dark Moon Enterprises Turaco and dead bodies, whom they presumed had belonged to the couriers of the cryo-jars they were after. Following a path of carnage, emergency services personnel, and security officers led them to the ''[[True Light]]'', a {{Class|Laden|freighter}}. Using thruster harnesses to maneuver in the microgravity, inside they found horribly mangled and burned bodies of Kig-Yar and Jiralhanae. Agnes Sabara was also floating amidst the alien corpses and while still clinging to life, she had been hurled against a hatch jam so hard that her torso had folded backward and she had sustained a dent to her skull that caused her to lose brain matter.<ref name="R22"/> Inspector Lopis let a guard positioned outside the freighter know about Director Sabara, but he told her that neither he not any other Pinnacle Station personnel were interested in helping anyone but their own. He clicked his mic off to tell Veta plainly that her cover wasn't fooling anyone. He said he knew they were ONI and that they could clean up their own messes. Veta replied that she would still like to be able to interrogate the woman, but at that moment they were interrupted by the voice of Administrator Sloan, which boomed from the guard's helmet and from deep within the ''True Light''. Sloan offered to tell Veta everything he knew about the current situation. She instructed the guard to kill anyone that followed them aboard, signaled Fred to be ready, and made for the freighter's flight deck. There, a [[holographic]] projection of Sloan stood upon a [[Holotable|holoplinth]].<ref name="R22"/> Veta began with an attempt at blackmail thanks to what she knew about his creation, but he let her knew that was unnecessary and that he was intending to be fully cooperative. He mentioned that he had honored their arrangement and that an ONI unit called [[Papa-10]] had hit the Dark Moon couriers, which caught Veta by surprise. She covered for her lack of understanding by claiming to have simply been trailing the Keepers when a call came in for the services of a relief team being needed. He claimed that the Dark Moon operatives had paid for a hidden berth which he had provided, knowing that ONI would then be taking possession of the jars. He had not expected the couriers to be executed or for the Keepers of the One Freedom to show up, however. He said that last he knew, there were three survivors from Papa-10 that had gone to the surface with the jars and that four Keepers were chasing after them.<ref name="R22"/> | ||
[[File:Halo Waypoint - Meridian surface.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Meridian was [[glassing|glassed]] by the [[Covenant]] in [[2551]], leaving sites such as [[Wikipedia:Tantalite|tantalite]] mines abandoned.<ref name="h2a"> | [[File:Halo Waypoint - Meridian surface.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Meridian was [[glassing|glassed]] by the [[Covenant]] in [[2551]], leaving sites such as [[Wikipedia:Tantalite|tantalite]] mines abandoned.<ref name="h2a">''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|terminal 14]]''</ref>]] | ||
Veta and Olivia returned to the Turaco and before long Taj was piloting it through Meridian's atmosphere in hot pursuit of Papa-10 and the Keepers.<ref name="R23"/> All Spartans and Veta were now fully armed and armored. Fred cautioned Veta against her direct participation in their mission's next stage but was rebuffed. The ''Silent Joe'' had been informed regarding the latest developments and to the teams' surprise, Captain Ewen broke comm silence to order them via microburst to provide combat support to the ONI survivors. The Turaco's atmospheric entry caused an ionization blackout which allowed Veta to speak freely without having to worry about anyone on the prowler listening, so she took the opportunity to express her suspicion concerning Papa-10. The others agreed that something was off, but Fred reminded them that Osman might be working an angle unknown to them and that their orders did not involve capturing fellow naval operatives. He ultimately decided that they would give whatever support they could to Papa-10, but that the cryo-jars would be taken from their possession until someone with more authority could decide what to do with them. Once the landing zone atop a mountain terrace was less than a kilometer below them, two personnel shuttles could be seen. One still had a number of workers from Pinnacle Station aboard, but there were no signs of hostilities. Taj had been expecting a hot drop, and the lack of any immediate danger made him nervous.<ref name="R23"/> He took a sheltered approach around the mountain and dropped everyone off quickly. Footprints showed humans pursued by Jiralhanae into one of two [[Wikipedia:Adit|adits]] that ended at a cliff face where they were. Blue Team entered first, followed by the near-invisible Gammas in a five-second staggered formation. Just before Ash was to bring up the rear behind Olivia and in front of Veta, he noticed what appeared to be a map. It showed an extensive network of underground passageways they were once part of the [[Jenny Lynn Tantalite Mine]]. Veta got permission from Fred for she and Ash to use their hand-lamps to illuminate it. The details were transmitted to Veta's [[TACMAP]] and shared with everyone else via [[TEAMCOM]]. [[Damon]] analyzed it and concluded there were ninety-seven kilometers of mapped passageways within the mine.<ref name="R23"/> | Veta and Olivia returned to the Turaco and before long Taj was piloting it through Meridian's atmosphere in hot pursuit of Papa-10 and the Keepers.<ref name="R23"/> All Spartans and Veta were now fully armed and armored. Fred cautioned Veta against her direct participation in their mission's next stage but was rebuffed. The ''Silent Joe'' had been informed regarding the latest developments and to the teams' surprise, Captain Ewen broke comm silence to order them via microburst to provide combat support to the ONI survivors. The Turaco's atmospheric entry caused an ionization blackout which allowed Veta to speak freely without having to worry about anyone on the prowler listening, so she took the opportunity to express her suspicion concerning Papa-10. The others agreed that something was off, but Fred reminded them that Osman might be working an angle unknown to them and that their orders did not involve capturing fellow naval operatives. He ultimately decided that they would give whatever support they could to Papa-10, but that the cryo-jars would be taken from their possession until someone with more authority could decide what to do with them. Once the landing zone atop a mountain terrace was less than a kilometer below them, two personnel shuttles could be seen. One still had a number of workers from Pinnacle Station aboard, but there were no signs of hostilities. Taj had been expecting a hot drop, and the lack of any immediate danger made him nervous.<ref name="R23"/> He took a sheltered approach around the mountain and dropped everyone off quickly. Footprints showed humans pursued by Jiralhanae into one of two [[Wikipedia:Adit|adits]] that ended at a cliff face where they were. Blue Team entered first, followed by the near-invisible Gammas in a five-second staggered formation. Just before Ash was to bring up the rear behind Olivia and in front of Veta, he noticed what appeared to be a map. It showed an extensive network of underground passageways they were once part of the [[Jenny Lynn Tantalite Mine]]. Veta got permission from Fred for she and Ash to use their hand-lamps to illuminate it. The details were transmitted to Veta's [[TACMAP]] and shared with everyone else via [[TEAMCOM]]. [[Damon]] analyzed it and concluded there were ninety-seven kilometers of mapped passageways within the mine.<ref name="R23"/> | ||
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{{Quote|Take cover! Papa-10 hostile. Repeat--|Veta's warning is cut off by the blasts from gelignite grenades.<ref name="R24"/>}} | {{Quote|Take cover! Papa-10 hostile. Repeat--|Veta's warning is cut off by the blasts from gelignite grenades.<ref name="R24"/>}} | ||
[[File:Lopis-Cutout.png|thumb|left|200px|Since taking work for ONI, Inspector Veta Lopis has been gifted her own suit of semi-powered infiltration armor.<ref name="R26"/>]] | [[File:Lopis-Cutout.png|thumb|left|200px|Since taking work for ONI, Inspector Veta Lopis has been gifted her own suit of semi-powered infiltration armor.<ref name="R26"/>]] | ||
About a hundred paces into the adit the teams came upon a charging station stocked with vehicles used for mining.<ref name="R24"/> A [[JOTUN]] [[Arilus]] and a [[Traxus]] [[powder wagon]] both bore tires that had been recently slashed, and someone had evidently taken [[laser drill]]s from the Arilus' [[Wikipedia:Drilling jumbo|drilling jumbo]]. The powder wagon's loading hatch had been jimmied, which indicated to Veta and the Spartans that [[Papa-10]] had been looking for explosives. Newly-made tire tracks from a missing vehicle also led away from an empty equipment bay deeper into the adit. The map of the mine Veta had acquired showed that there should be a explosives storage magazine about two-hundred meters further ahead of them. At that moment, however, she and the others were suddenly thrown off their feet by a powerful pressure wave. The blast knocked out Ash's [[HUD]], disabled Olivia's mic, and rendered the photoreactive panels on Mark's SPI armor incapable of camouflaging him. Fred, Kelly, and Linda confirmed in rapid succession that no hostile contacts were immediately present and Damon suggested that a [[Wikipedia:Gelignite|gelignite]] packet had been made into a makeshift grenade. And explosions within the confines of the mine's narrow passageways would naturally result in very focused pressure waves like the one that had just struck them all. Mark and Ash joined the [[Spartan-II]]s in pursuing the source of the blast while Veta and Olivia hung back somewhat to provide counter-ambush cover. Olivia occasionally made sure diverting passages were clear as they moved forward, beginning with an access tunnel leading to Adit 1 on their left and then continuing with multiple [[Wikipedia:Stoping|stopes]] that had been dug to a large cavern where the ore body had once been extracted by the mining operation. Veta eventually joined her in this endeavor, as the two took turns clearing the many stopes before continuing behind the others. At last, the teams came upon both survivors of Papa-10 and their Jiralhanae pursuers, who had cornered the humans at the site of a cave-in. Both sides appeared to be out of ammo, as the Brutes were chucking rocks at the humans who were defending themselves with laser drills. Blue Team moved to eliminate the Jiralhanae while Mark and Ash went to relieve and resupply the other ONI team.<ref name="R24"/> The Jiralhanae realized what was happening as soon as the Spartans began to fire. Fred was struck in his helmet by a large boulder hurled at him by [[Castor]], who had been hidden within the darkness of a stope Fred had been trying to clear.<ref name="R25"> | About a hundred paces into the adit the teams came upon a charging station stocked with vehicles used for mining.<ref name="R24"/> A [[JOTUN]] [[Arilus]] and a [[Traxus]] [[powder wagon]] both bore tires that had been recently slashed, and someone had evidently taken [[laser drill]]s from the Arilus' [[Wikipedia:Drilling jumbo|drilling jumbo]]. The powder wagon's loading hatch had been jimmied, which indicated to Veta and the Spartans that [[Papa-10]] had been looking for explosives. Newly-made tire tracks from a missing vehicle also led away from an empty equipment bay deeper into the adit. The map of the mine Veta had acquired showed that there should be a explosives storage magazine about two-hundred meters further ahead of them. At that moment, however, she and the others were suddenly thrown off their feet by a powerful pressure wave. The blast knocked out Ash's [[HUD]], disabled Olivia's mic, and rendered the photoreactive panels on Mark's SPI armor incapable of camouflaging him. Fred, Kelly, and Linda confirmed in rapid succession that no hostile contacts were immediately present and Damon suggested that a [[Wikipedia:Gelignite|gelignite]] packet had been made into a makeshift grenade. And explosions within the confines of the mine's narrow passageways would naturally result in very focused pressure waves like the one that had just struck them all. Mark and Ash joined the [[Spartan-II]]s in pursuing the source of the blast while Veta and Olivia hung back somewhat to provide counter-ambush cover. Olivia occasionally made sure diverting passages were clear as they moved forward, beginning with an access tunnel leading to Adit 1 on their left and then continuing with multiple [[Wikipedia:Stoping|stopes]] that had been dug to a large cavern where the ore body had once been extracted by the mining operation. Veta eventually joined her in this endeavor, as the two took turns clearing the many stopes before continuing behind the others. At last, the teams came upon both survivors of Papa-10 and their Jiralhanae pursuers, who had cornered the humans at the site of a cave-in. Both sides appeared to be out of ammo, as the Brutes were chucking rocks at the humans who were defending themselves with laser drills. Blue Team moved to eliminate the Jiralhanae while Mark and Ash went to relieve and resupply the other ONI team.<ref name="R24"/> The Jiralhanae realized what was happening as soon as the Spartans began to fire. Fred was struck in his helmet by a large boulder hurled at him by [[Castor]], who had been hidden within the darkness of a stope Fred had been trying to clear.<ref name="R25">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 25''</ref> The Papa-10 operatives took this opportunity to make a move of their own as well. The massive ten-ton [[Wikipedia:LHD (load, haul, dump machine)|load, haul, dump machine]] the three had hijacked lurched forward and ran right over the [[MJOLNIR]]-clad Spartan without a second thought given by its operators for him. Olivia managed to hit the [[dokab]] with a few shots as he jumped onto the back of the vehicle.<ref name="R26">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 26''</ref> Veta spied one of the two men in the LHD's loading bucket preparing a gelignite grenade, but still gave them the benefit of the doubt, as she could also see that Olivia was shooting at someone else. Lopis switched off her SPI armor's [[active camouflage]] and ran into the path of the oncoming LHD in the hopes that she could signal its driver to stop. When instead she accelerated and raised its loader bucket to shield herself from attack, Veta instantly knew that Papa-10 was not friendly. She could do nothing else to save herself from the LHD barreling down on her but to throw herself prone in the center of the adit. The LHD passed overtop of her harmlessly, but not before she grabbed a cross member on its underside with both hands to be yanked along for the ride.<ref name="R24">''[[Halo: Retribution]]'', ''chapter 24''</ref> | ||
Improvised gelignite grenades were used to cover the LHD's escape as Fred wearily recovered from being run over.<ref name="R25"/> He had sustained injuries to his right collarbone, ribs, and arm but had received a [[biofoam]] injection from his armor. The armor itself had lost all [[energy shielding]] capabilities, was not allowing Damon to reboot, had nonfunctional reactive circuits, excess pressure bleeding from the [[hydrostatic gel]] layer, and had suffered the loss of the cooling system for its compact fusion reactor. An injured Jiralhanae was attempting to drag him into a stop to finish him off with a rock, but Fred overcame the gel layer's pressure to fight back by headbutting the Brute, as his [[assault rifle]] had been crushed and reaching across his body for an [[M6C magnum]] that was likely clogged with mud would have alerted his enemy to what he was doing. The Keeper still managed to smash the rock over the Spartan's head, but two well-placed kicks allowed Kelly to land a line of shots from her [[MA5K]] that killed the alien. Fred warned her concerning the imminent overheating of his armor's reactor so that she proceeded to help him shut it down. [[File:Castor.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Castor is one of the Keepers of the One Freedom's leading dokabs. Following Operation: RETRIBUTION, he was left alone and injured but alive on Meridian's surface.<ref name="R27"/>]]The other Spartans confirmed that three of the four Keepers had been killed but that the one that surprised Fred had seemingly gotten away. Veta's hitching of a ride on the underside of the LHD had also gone unnoticed, so her status was unknown to them.<ref name="R25"/> | Improvised gelignite grenades were used to cover the LHD's escape as Fred wearily recovered from being run over.<ref name="R25"/> He had sustained injuries to his right collarbone, ribs, and arm but had received a [[biofoam]] injection from his armor. The armor itself had lost all [[energy shielding]] capabilities, was not allowing Damon to reboot, had nonfunctional reactive circuits, excess pressure bleeding from the [[hydrostatic gel]] layer, and had suffered the loss of the cooling system for its compact fusion reactor. An injured Jiralhanae was attempting to drag him into a stop to finish him off with a rock, but Fred overcame the gel layer's pressure to fight back by headbutting the Brute, as his [[assault rifle]] had been crushed and reaching across his body for an [[M6C magnum]] that was likely clogged with mud would have alerted his enemy to what he was doing. The Keeper still managed to smash the rock over the Spartan's head, but two well-placed kicks allowed Kelly to land a line of shots from her [[MA5K]] that killed the alien. Fred warned her concerning the imminent overheating of his armor's reactor so that she proceeded to help him shut it down. [[File:Castor.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Castor is one of the Keepers of the One Freedom's leading dokabs. Following Operation: RETRIBUTION, he was left alone and injured but alive on Meridian's surface.<ref name="R27"/>]]The other Spartans confirmed that three of the four Keepers had been killed but that the one that surprised Fred had seemingly gotten away. Veta's hitching of a ride on the underside of the LHD had also gone unnoticed, so her status was unknown to them.<ref name="R25"/> | ||
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When an internal investigation was done within [[ONI]], the evidence pointed to Craddog having acted alone to weaponize [[asteroidea]]. He was judged to have been a brilliant yet unstable individual who may have been seeking to initiate [[Project SLEEPING STAR]] under his own authority.<ref name="R27"/> The only sufficient conclusion for his motivation was that he had sought to aggrandize himself through creating such a perilous weapon. Craddog's complete file was forwarded to [[ONI#Section Two|Section Two]] for further evaluation. Blue Team, Lopis' Ferret team, and the crew of the ''Silent Joe'' all recieved congratulations and notes of commendation for their part in exposing and stopping SLEEPING STAR. Veta herself was awarded a [[Military Star]] in recognition of her leadership in defeating an existential danger to humanity, but she was not made aware of the award due to her civilian status. Admiral Osman completed a directive on [[2554#January|January 19, 2554]] that officially abolished Project: SLEEPING STAR. [[Intrepid Eye]] deemed asteroidea to be too effective of a culling agent for her plans to plan to make humanity worth of the [[Mantle]], however. She secretly altered the directive so that instead of being outright ended, the project was made into a Top Secret Level Zero asset and placed on a black-ops list with an unlimited [[Wikipedia:Black budget|black budget]].[[File:KY-victim.png|thumb|right|250px|When Blue Team [[Raid on Argent Moon|boarded]] ''Argent Moon'' in [[2558]], it came upon the infected corpses of [[Kig-Yar]] test subjects.<ref name="blue"/>]] Instead of being terminated with prejudice, [[Ensign]]s [[Jess Wallace]] and [[Kris Gaston]] were also promoted through Intrepid Eye's manipulation to Lieutenant Commanders and were given authorization to seek out new donor specimens with asteroidea antibodies. In addition, they were given authorization to test the weaponized form of the organism on all "enemy species" of the [[UNSC]]. In the midst of making these changes, Intrepid Eye was accosted by [[Rooker]], ''[[Argent Moon]]'''s shipboard A.I. He was no match for the [[archeon-class ancilla]], who easily used a control worm, a deception routine, a logic trap, and a memory leech to make him passively deliver the altered directive to Admiral [[Friedel]] without any recollection of ever catching her in the act.<ref name="R27"/> | When an internal investigation was done within [[ONI]], the evidence pointed to Craddog having acted alone to weaponize [[asteroidea]]. He was judged to have been a brilliant yet unstable individual who may have been seeking to initiate [[Project SLEEPING STAR]] under his own authority.<ref name="R27"/> The only sufficient conclusion for his motivation was that he had sought to aggrandize himself through creating such a perilous weapon. Craddog's complete file was forwarded to [[ONI#Section Two|Section Two]] for further evaluation. Blue Team, Lopis' Ferret team, and the crew of the ''Silent Joe'' all recieved congratulations and notes of commendation for their part in exposing and stopping SLEEPING STAR. Veta herself was awarded a [[Military Star]] in recognition of her leadership in defeating an existential danger to humanity, but she was not made aware of the award due to her civilian status. Admiral Osman completed a directive on [[2554#January|January 19, 2554]] that officially abolished Project: SLEEPING STAR. [[Intrepid Eye]] deemed asteroidea to be too effective of a culling agent for her plans to plan to make humanity worth of the [[Mantle]], however. She secretly altered the directive so that instead of being outright ended, the project was made into a Top Secret Level Zero asset and placed on a black-ops list with an unlimited [[Wikipedia:Black budget|black budget]].[[File:KY-victim.png|thumb|right|250px|When Blue Team [[Raid on Argent Moon|boarded]] ''Argent Moon'' in [[2558]], it came upon the infected corpses of [[Kig-Yar]] test subjects.<ref name="blue"/>]] Instead of being terminated with prejudice, [[Ensign]]s [[Jess Wallace]] and [[Kris Gaston]] were also promoted through Intrepid Eye's manipulation to Lieutenant Commanders and were given authorization to seek out new donor specimens with asteroidea antibodies. In addition, they were given authorization to test the weaponized form of the organism on all "enemy species" of the [[UNSC]]. In the midst of making these changes, Intrepid Eye was accosted by [[Rooker]], ''[[Argent Moon]]'''s shipboard A.I. He was no match for the [[archeon-class ancilla]], who easily used a control worm, a deception routine, a logic trap, and a memory leech to make him passively deliver the altered directive to Admiral [[Friedel]] without any recollection of ever catching her in the act.<ref name="R27"/> | ||
Project SLEEPING STAR moved forward unimpeded from that point aboard the ''Argent Moon''. By [[2557]], [[Creatures aboard Argent Moon|at least four]] [[human]]s with [[Wikipedia:Delta-beta thalassemia|delta-beta thalassemia]] that had been exposed to [[asteroidea merozoite]] had been brought aboard the ''Argent Moon''. They had become severely deformed as a result of their prolonged infection and were kept within large tanks within one of the station's laboratories.<ref name="R17"/><ref name="blue"/><ref name="TDTwit"/> [[Kig-Yar]] prisoners were also being actively experimented on with asteroidea.<ref name="blue"/> On March 3 of that year, an accident caused the protist to be unintentionally released throughout the ''Argent Moon'' via its ventilation system, killing everyone aboard by March 17.<ref name="blue team intel"> | Project SLEEPING STAR moved forward unimpeded from that point aboard the ''Argent Moon''. By [[2557]], [[Creatures aboard Argent Moon|at least four]] [[human]]s with [[Wikipedia:Delta-beta thalassemia|delta-beta thalassemia]] that had been exposed to [[asteroidea merozoite]] had been brought aboard the ''Argent Moon''. They had become severely deformed as a result of their prolonged infection and were kept within large tanks within one of the station's laboratories.<ref name="R17"/><ref name="blue"/><ref name="TDTwit"/> [[Kig-Yar]] prisoners were also being actively experimented on with asteroidea.<ref name="blue"/> On March 3 of that year, an accident caused the protist to be unintentionally released throughout the ''Argent Moon'' via its ventilation system, killing everyone aboard by March 17.<ref name="blue team intel">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', campaign level, ''[[Blue Team (level)|Blue Team]]'' - [[Mission Intel]]</ref> Rooker broadcast a message warning of the disaster and put the station on a course that would keep it away from all inhabited systems.<ref name="blue team intel"/> By June, ONI had discovered Intrepid Eye's machinations and the mistakes made in dealing with the ancilla had been learned from.<ref name="HRen13">''[[Halo: Renegades]]'', ''Chapter 13''</ref> Kig-Yar scavengers chanced across the ''Argent Moon'' in [[2558#October|October of 2558]] and sold their find to [[Jul 'Mdama]]. One week later, [[Blue Team]] [[Operation: BIRD IN HAND|was deployed]] to recover the station for ONI but ended up overloading its reactor and destroying it instead due to the size of the [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|Covenant]] occupation present.<ref name="blue"/> Due to the top secret nature of SLEEPING STAR, UNSC investigators who examined the remains of ''Argent Moon'' remained unaware of the scope of the project, though they did discover that bioweapons had apparently been manufactured there.<ref name="universe">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/argent-moon Halo Waypoint: ''Argent Moon'']</ref> | ||
==Timeline of events== | ==Timeline of events== | ||