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This article is about the final battle of the Human-Covenant War. For other battles on Installation 00, see Battle of Installation 00 (disambiguation).

Previous:	Battle for Earth Operation: MARSH FLASH
Concurrent:	Operation: SUNSPEAR
Next:	Raid on UNSC Infinity Operation: FAR STORM (Installation 00)
Battle of Installation 00
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War Great Schism
Date:	December 11, 2552
Location:	Installation 00 (the "Ark")
Outcome:	Decisive UNSC/Sangheili victory End of the Human-Covenant War Death of the Prophet of Truth All Covenant forces defeated Overall collapse of the Covenant Truth prevented from firing the Halo Array Flood-infested High Charity destroyed Proceeded with the Raid on Installation 08, leading to the destruction of Installation 08, severe damage to the Ark and total defeat of the Flood
Details Belligerents UNSC UNSC Navy UNSC Marine Corps UNSC Air Force Covenant separatists Fleet of Retribution Forerunner constructs Covenant† Flood Commanders CDR Miranda Keyes† Fleetmaster Rtas 'Vadum Arbiter Thel 'Vadam SGTMAJ Avery Johnson MCPO John-117 Cortana 000 Tragic Solitude 343 Guilty Spark High Prophet of Truth† Chieftain Cethegus† Shipmaster Hekabe Gravemind† Strength Fleet of Retribution/Seventh Fleet 18+ ships 1 Sangheili battle group 1+ CAS-class assault carrier 9+ CCS-class battlecruisers Battle Group Victory 2+ Charon-class light frigates Many air vehicles Numerous GA-TL1 Longsword fighters Numerous D77-TC Pelicans D77H-TCI Pelicans Numerous AV-14 Hornets 1+ D96-TCE Albatross Many T-31 Seraph fighters Kai-pattern Seraphs Numerous T-52 Phantom Numerous Tarasque heavy fighters Many ground forces 1 SPARTAN-II supersoldier Numerous marines Numerous ODSTs Numerous Sangheili Ground vehicles Several M12 Warthogs M12 Chaingun Warthogs M12G1 Gauss Warthogs M274 Mongooses M808 Scorpions M808C Scorpions Numerous Sentinels Numerous Aggressor Sentinels Numerous Constructors Automated turrets Mendicant Bias Truth's fleet† 53+ ships 1 Forerunner keyship 3+ CAS-class assault carriers 1+ ORS-class heavy cruiser 47+ cruisers Multiple CCS-class battlecruisers 1+ frigate Many air vehicles Many T-31 Seraph fighters Kai-pattern Seraphs Many T-26 Banshees T-26C Banshees Many T-52 Phantoms Many ground vehicles 3+ T-47B Scarabs T-25 Choppers T-26 Wraiths T-52 AA Wraiths T-32 Ghosts T-52 Prowlers Numerous ground forces Jiralhanae Kig-Yar Unggoy Yanme'e Mgalekgolo High Charity† Multiple dispersal pods Multiple combat forms Multiple carrier forms Multiple pod infectors Multiple pure forms Casualties Moderate Miranda Keyes Unknown amount of Sangheili and human ships Numerous infantry losses Many Sentinels Near total Prophet of Truth Most ships, if not all (save for Anodyne Spirit and Gathering of Praise) Most ground forces, if not all Near total High Charity Gravemind

"Our fight is through the Portal, with the Brutes and the bastard Truth!"

— Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum

The Battle of Installation 00, also known as the Ark Conflict, and designated by United Nations Space Command forces as Operation: BLIND FAITH, was a large battle between the UNSC-Fleet of Retribution alliance, the Covenant, the Flood, and Forerunner Sentinels on December 11, 2552. It was the final overarching battle of the Human-Covenant War and was the last stand of the Covenant, making it one of the few major engagements in the entire war in which the Covenant were on the defensive.

After the collapse of the Covenant and the Battle of Installation 00, the Great Schism would continue as the Sangheili-Jiralhanae war and still ongoing as of 2559, after the Created uprising in late 2558.

Background

Battle of Installation 04 and 05

Main articles: Battle of Installation 04, Battle of Installation 05

During the Battle of Installation 04 in September 2552, the UNSC AI Cortana intercepted the Installation's Index as it was being inserted by John-117 into the Core in the control room. Having prevented the activation of the ring, she kept the index even after she had been removed from the Installation's control room. She had also spent over twelve hours inside the control room's computer, gaining an incredible amount of information about the Halo installations, making her possibly the most knowledgeable regarding the operation of the Halo rings, the Forerunners, and the Ark - perhaps even more so than 343 Guilty Spark, who admitted he was quite ignorant of the Forerunner structures beyond Installation 04.

In November 2552, another battle on the next discovered Halo ring, the Battle of Installation 05, included many events that would become major factors in the Battle of Installation 00. Cortana remained aboard the Covenant holy city, High Charity, as the Flood and its central consciousness, the Gravemind, took control of it. From there, the Gravemind interrogated her, and she willingly answered its questions. Meanwhile, the Covenant civil war, termed the Great Schism, begun in High Charity and the space around Installation 05. The recently-appointed Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and his Sangheili allies, in an effort to prevent Chieftain of the Jiralhanae Tartarus from activating the ring, formed an alliance with humans on the surface of Installation 05. With the help of Thel 'Vadam, Commander Miranda Keyes aborted the activation of Installation 05, but the installation's failsafe protocol had set all of the Halo rings to standby, where they could be activated from the central location of the Installation 00.

Battle for Earth

Main article: Battle for Earth

Shortly after escaping the Flood on High Charity, the High Prophet of Truth had arrived on Earth, along with the rest of many Covenant loyalist ground and naval survivors from the Battle of Installation 05, where the excavation of a Forerunner structure under the planet surface was almost completed by the Jiralhanae-led support and excavation fleet sent by Truth earlier. Eventually Truth's forces uncovered and activated the structure, opening a slipspace portal that would take them to Installation 00, the Forerunner structure from which Truth can fire all of the Halo installations at once. As he departed through the Portal, the Flood-captured ship Indulgence of Conviction arrived on Earth and crashed, though its arrival was followed by a portion of the Sangheili Fleet of Retribution of at least 16 warships, led by Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum. From it, John-117 was able to extract a message from Cortana, alerting them that High Charity was heading for Earth and cryptically stating that the "solution" to the problem of the Flood lays beyond the portal.

While Lord Terrence Hood was suspicious of Cortana's warning and objected to going through the portal, Commander Keyes, John-117, and Rtas 'Vadum all indicated their wish to proceed through the Portal. Unwilling to leave Earth defenseless against the incoming Flood threat, Lord Hood remained on Earth. He gave Miranda Keyes command of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn for the human commitment to the mission and the fleet of ships chased after the High Prophet of Truth.

Battle

Space battle

Truth's Jiralhanae fleet confronts the Sangheili Fleet of Retribution

Sangheili Major: "Brute ships. Staggered line! Shipmaster, they outnumber us, three-to-one!"

Rtas 'Vadum: "Then it is an even fight... All cruisers, fire at will! Burn their mongrel hides!"

— Rtas' Vadum and a Sangheili Major upon reaching the Ark.

The Fleet of Retribution exited slipspace in the vicinity of the Ark on December 11, 2552, where they found the Prophet of Truth's fleet waiting for them. Despite being outnumbered three-to-one, Rtas 'Vadum declared that they were fairly matched, and the Sangheili ships and the Forward Unto Dawn promptly engaged Truth's fleet. In the ensuing space battle, the Jiralhanae and Sangheili cruisers blended into each other. 'Vadum and Keyes coordinated their attacks against the Covenant fleet; whereas the Sangheili ships and the Dawn focused their attacks on the Covenant cruisers, the Dawn's Longsword fighters engaged the Seraphs. However, the Dawn was ill-equipped to fight against large opponents like CAS-class assault carriers and CCS-class battlecruisers. Thus, at the start of the battle, the Dawn deployed six D77H-TCI Pelicans to the surface to search for a landing zone for the Dawn and gather intelligence on Truth's location. battle: The Forerunner Keyship, Anodyne Spirit, did not participate in the space battle. Instead, it landed amidst a Forerunner city within a region of the Ark later referred to as Mahsko by the Banished. A detachment of Covenant warriors were assigned to protect the vessel as Truth left to activate the Halo Array.

Although the space battle went on concurrently with the opening skirmishes on the surface of the Ark, the Sangheili fleet would make short work of the Covenant fleet due to the Jiralhanae being outmatched by the Sangheili in their knowledge of naval warfare. At least two Sangheili ships would survive the battle: the flagship CAS-class assault carrier Shadow of Intent and the CCS-class battlecruiser Pious Inquisitor.

Search for the Cartographer

Main article: Battle for the Cartographer (Installation 00)

The Pelicans deployed by the Forward Unto Dawn arrived on the surface of the Ark, where they deployed Marines and UNSC vehicles to search for a landing zone for the Dawn. Kilo 023 and another Pelican deployed Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and a squad of ODSTs at a cliff edge, near a series of Forerunner structures built into the desert terrain. Nearby, a third Pelican, which carried an M12 Chaingun Warthog, two M274 Mongooses, and Marines including Chips Dubbo, found a wide cliff which could serve as a landing zone for the Dawn, but the Pelican was shot down by Covenant anti-air defenses.

With support from his accompanying ODST squad and his SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle, John-117 cleared out two Covenant camps of Jiralhanae, Unggoy, and Kig-Yar. At the second camp, they disrupted the Covenant's efforts to assemble a Type-27 Mantis. Emerging on the other side of the Forerunner structures, they linked up with Dubbo and other survivors seeking refuge from the downed Pelican, where a lance of Covenant searched for survivors. Dubbo informed John-117 of the potential landing zone for the Dawn. Upon defeating the Covenant patrol at the Pelican, a pair of Prowlers arrived at the area, but their operators were eliminated by the UNSC. Salvaging both UNSC and Covenant vehicles, John-117 and his team advanced into the Covenant-occupied canyon.

At this point, the Covenant have set up an attack force of infantry and Type-29 Shades at a nearby Forerunner wall, which was defended by Aggressor Sentinels. John-117 and his team eliminated the Covenant attackers, and the Sentinels, recognizing the humans as Reclaimers, withheld their attacks. Avery Johnson arrived in Kilo 023, informing the Master Chief that he had spotted a structure that was similar to the Cartographer of Installation 04 on the other side of the wall, and Keyes set it as their objective. The Forward Unto Dawn would need to land first however, in order to deploy a vehicular force that would defeat the Covenant forces in front of the Cartographer.

The team fought through Covenant patrols before assisting a group of Marines pinned down at the cave entrance leading to a landing zone, which was occupied by Ghosts, a Wraith, several deployable lookout towers and a pair of Anti-Air Wraiths that were firing into an aerial battle between Banshees and Hornets. Despite staunch opposition, the UNSC force was able to clear the landing zone, allowing the Forward Unto Dawn to disengage from the space battle and descend to the surface of the installation, landing safely.

UNSC ground forces battling in the desert.

From the Forward Unto Dawn's hangar, the UNSC was reinforced with three Scorpion tanks, a Warthog and a unit of Marines led by Gunnery Sergeant Marcus Stacker. With 343 Guilty Spark having arrived to guide them, the mechanized force then fought their way back to the Forerunner wall, destroying numerous Covenant vehicles and ground troops. The Covenant had retaken the wall, reinforcing their defenses with Wraiths, Choppers, and Shade turrets, but they were still destroyed by the UNSC troops. The Chief, along with 343 Guilty Spark, went through the upper, smaller doorway into the wall, while the rest of the UNSC force, now reinforced with two more Warthogs, went through the larger, lower doorway.

Inside the wall, John-117 activated a light bridge preventing the UNSC vehicles from crossing over a chasm, allowing the rest of the force to move onward. On the other side, the UNSC encountered a Type-47B Scarab. Although the Scarab quickly left the area, the canyon leading from the wall to the Cartographer was defended by a battalion-sized force of Covenant heavy armor, including Choppers, Ghosts, Wraiths, and infantry with heavy weapons, reinforced by a Phantom. Two of the three Warthogs, which emerged from the wall first, were quickly overwhelmed, and their operators killed. A single M12G1 Gauss Warthog, harassed by Ghosts and losing its gunner, took a winding path to the side and made its way to John-117. The Spartan commandeered the vehicle and regrouped with the Scorpion tanks.

John-117 and Gunnery Sergeant Stacker then led the Scorpions against Covenant armor. When the UNSC forces broke through the Covenant defenses, the Scarab returned to the area, with Choppers as its escorts. Stacker ordered Marines from Bravo unit to flank the Scarab to cover John-117's assault on the Scarab. They succeed, with John-117 personally taking down the Scarab. After the Scarab's destruction, the Shadow of Intent arrived at the Cartographer, and Rtas 'Vadum announced that his fleet had destroyed Truth's fleet.

Scorpion Tanks battle a Scarab in the desert.

Encountering resistance from Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar on the way, John-117 climbed a series of ramps towards the entrance to the Cartographer. At the top, he met with Thel 'Vadam, who dismounted from Kilo 023 along with a pair of Marines. While Commander Keyes assembled an air support force to prevent Covenant reinforcements, 343 Guilty Spark unlocked the sealed door at the entrance, allowing John-117 and Thel 'Vadam to advance inside. Their arrival caught most of its Covenant occupants off-guard, and they eventually arrived at an exterior platform hosting the Cartographer terminal. The Chief and 343 Guilty Spark accessed the terminal, learning the installation as the "Ark" and that Truth had already fortified himself at the core of the Ark, where he could remotely activate the entire Halo Array. Furthermore, Truth had activated a large barrier around the entire core to ward off the attacking forces.

After learning of Truth's location, they were attacked by a Phantom, which came as part of the Covenant's aerial attack on the Cartographer. Thel 'Vadam drew the Phantom's fire, allowing the Chief to escort Spark clear. 'Vadam then hijacks a Banshee and joins Keyes' air support to repel the Covenant attack. John-117 was instructed to descend to the lower level platform underneath the Cartographer for extraction. The Spartan fought his way down, defeating a War Chieftain, his Bodyguards, and a group camouflaged of Jiralhanae Stalkers along the way.

At the platform underneath the Cartographer terminal, Jiralhanae Chieftain Cethegus regrouped with the Jumpers from his pack. Cethegus and the members of his pack were charged with halting the UNSC-Sangheili progress. When John-117 approached Cethegus, Truth ordered Cethegus to kill the Spartan himself, to which the Chieftain readily agreed. Believing he would ascend to the title of Chieftain of the Jiralhanae for killing the Spartan, the ambitious Chieftain charged at John-117. Despite being outnumbered, John-117 defeated Cethegus' pack as well as two Kig-Yar marksmen. Meanwhile, the Hornets have destroyed the Banshee attack force.

Kilo 023 arrived to pick up John-117, but a massive swarm of Sentinels approached the Pelicans. The UNSC initially prepared to attack, but they stopped when 343 Guilty Spark asked them not to attack the Sentinels, stating that the Sentinels had a "priority task" of unknown nature. Instead of attacking, the Aggressors flew off into the distance, and the UNSC and Sangheili followed suit, making their way to the Installation 00 Citadel, where the Prophet of Truth was located.

Battle of the Citadel

Main article: Battle of the Citadel

UNSC and Sangheili forces spearhead their final assault on The High Prophet of Truth.

The UNSC assault team, travelling in five Pelican dropships, along with a pair of Sangheili Phantoms began their attack on a trio of towers that, once disabled, would drop a section of the barrier protecting the Citadel in which the Prophet of Truth was located. As the assault force closed in, they split up. Two Pelicans, including Kilo 023 containing the Master Chief and a squad of ODSTs would hit the first tower. The Phantoms, which carried Thel 'Vadam and his Sangheili, would assault the second and the other Pelicans, ferrying Sergeant Johnson and his squad would disable the third tower. As Kilo-023 and her wingman approached the first tower, they started to take fire from an Anti-Aircraft Wraith stationed on a beachhead near the tower. Kilo-023's wingman was struck in her right wing by AA fire, which rocketed her forward into Kilo-023, crushing the Warthog that was slung underneath before she spiraled into the ground. Kilo-23 was able to continue forward and landed on the beach nearby. John-117, carrying a Spartan Laser, led the ODSTs against a large Covenant force that was protecting the AA Wraith. Fighting their way past the crashed Pelican, the team was able to take down a War Chieftain and his entourage before the Master Chief neutralized the Wraith. With the beachhead secure, Commander Keyes arrived in her Pelican to deliver a Warthog and Mongoose for the team to use in their assault on the tower. At the same time, the Shadow of Intent began a diversionary bombardment against the barrier, firing plasma torpedoes at the barrier shield.

The team soon arrived at the entrance to the first tower, finding it heavily defended with a Wraith, a pair of Prowler, numerous Ghosts, Shade turrets and other infantry. As the battle around the tower raged, Keyes' Pelican returned to drop ordnance pods containing weapons for the team. Eventually clearing the area, the team proceeded inside, where they fought through more Covenant forces. Making their way to the elevator that would lead to the tower controls, John-117 went alone while the rest of the team waited behind to watch for hostiles. Before he could deactivate the tower however, the Spartan had to contend with a Jiralhanae pack lead by a Chieftain. Eventually clearing the room, John-117 located the controls and shut the tower down. At the same time, Thel 'Vadam and his Sangheili disabled theirs. Unfortunately, Sergeant Johnson and his team ran into heavy resistance at the third tower. Johnson managed to make a final transmission warning Keyes to keep her Pelican clear because of the number of hostiles before he was cut off. Commander Keyes then ordered the Chief to meet up with Thel 'Vadam and jointly assault the third tower. The Chief returned down to the lower level, where he helped his team fight off a small group of Covenant trying to reactivate the tower. They then returned to their vehicles and made their way back to the beachhead. There, a UNSC pilot offered his Hornet to the Chief. The Spartan, with the aid of several other Hornets and Pelicans, made their way to the airspace around the second tower where the Sangheili Phantoms were under heavy attack from a large number of Banshees and a Covenant Phantom. The UNSC air force promptly engaged the Covenant, allowing the Sangheili to engage their Phantom's cloaking systems to escape. The UNSC were able to clear the vicinity of the second tower before making their way onward to the third. The third tower was heavily defended by a pair of AA Wraiths, Shades, another standard Wraith and a huge group of Jiralhanae lead by a fuel rod gun-wielding War Chieftain. The Chief managed to knock out the anti-air, allowing the Sangheili Phantoms to return, where they disgorged Thel 'Vadam and his men to begin a ground-side push. Ultimately, the combined assault from the air and the ground managed to collapse the Covenant defenses.

Covenant air forces engaging UNSC/Sangheili forces.

Landing his Hornet, the Chief, along with Thel 'Vadam and a unit of Sangheili made their way into the tower, engaging the surviving Jiralhanae from the battle outside the tower. Here they discovered the corpses of several of the Marines from Johnson's group, but the Sergeant himself wasn't among them. Inside the tower, the team was confronted by a Mgalekgolo pair and a massive swarm of Yanme'e who descended from above. After a protracted battle, the team was able to wipe out the Mgalekgolo and most of the Yanme'e, the survivors retreating from the way they came. As they made their way up to the elevator, another pack of Jiralhanae as well as the surviving Yanme'e vainly tried to halt their progress but failed. Once more, the Chief proceeded to the tower controls by himself, wiping out a group of Stalkers and their War Chieftain commander. Once the Spartan activated the controls, the barrier dissipated immediately. The Shadow of Intent prepared to bombard the Citadel, but was prevented from doing so when the Flood-infested High Charity arrived, launched debris that crippled the Sangheili carrier and spread Flood across the Ark. Keyes insisted that this would only pressure Truth into activating the rings, and ordered her remaining forces to attack him directly.

During this time, the Jiralhanae Chieftain Hekabe decided to use the distraction from the Flood arrival to locate the vertex hidden on the Ark. The control device for the Sharquoi, the vertex would allow Hekabe to control the creatures. Though the Prophets had some Sharquoi themselves, they had lacked the vertex and so could not control them and never unleashed them. Hekabe intended to use the vertex and the Sharquoi to gain power for himself and so fled the Ark with his loyalists before the battle ended despite fighting on the side of the Covenant.

One of the pieces of debris from High Charity crashed through the window of the room John-117 was in. In moments, the Spartan was swarmed by Flood forms, with Pod infectors reanimating the fallen Jiralhanae into combat forms. Fighting through the Flood, the Chief returned to the lower level where he found 'Vadam and his Sangheili engaging more Flood. Pushing through numerous Flood forces, the team made it outside where Pelicans were in the process of deploying armored vehicles for the push towards the Citadel. John-117 and Sergeant Stacker lead the assault force, which included a Scorpion tank, a Gauss Warthog and a Mongoose. The assault force fought through the cliffs to the cliffside near the Citadel. Here, the Jiralhanae threw everything they had at them - Wraiths, Ghosts, Prowlers, Shade turrets and heavy weapon-wielding infantry attempted to counter the UNSC armored vehicles while Banshees and Phantoms fought against Hornets and Pelicans for superiority in the air. After a tough battle, the UNSC ground forces pushed through to a break in the cliffs that would allow them to make their way to the entrance to the Citadel. Sergeant Stacker called in more Hornets to land nearby for the Chief to use as a pair of Scarabs arrived in front of the Citadel as the Covenant's last line of defense. After a lengthy battle, John-117 was able to take out one of the Scarab walkers. At this point, Commander Keyes ordered all forces to focus their fire on the second Scarab. Under the sustained assault, it didn't take long for the Scarab to buckle, before John-117 finished it off. With the Scarabs down, any remaining Covenant stragglers were soon moped up by the UNSC.

The massive final battle of the Human-Covenant war on Truth's doorstep.

A Phantom dropped Thel 'Vadam and 343 Guilty Spark in front of the Citadel, where they met up with John-117. Spark activated a light bridge and the Spartan and Sangheili entered the Citadel alone. As they made their way in, several viewscreens light up showing the Prophet of Truth giving a speech attempting to reassure his remaining followers to hold firm and also declaring that he was about the activate the Halo Array. Realizing that they had very little time left, Spartan-117 and Thel 'Vadam hastily made their way to the elevator that would carry them to Truth's level.

File:Scarab explodes.jpg

The Covenant ground forces are defeated.

Sergeant Major Johnson, who had disappeared during the assault on the barrier towers, had in fact been captured by Truth's forces and was being tortured into pressing the switch to activate the Array; Truth needed a Reclaimer to perform the action. Johnson attempted to goad the Chieftain that was holding him into killing him to prevent this, but Truth realized this and stopped him. With Spartan-117 and the Arbiter too far away to stop the Prophet, Commander Keyes took her Pelican dropship and crashed it directly into the facility in an attempt to rescue Johnson. She attempted to hold off Truth's Jiralhanae Bodyguards with a shotgun and a magnum, but it became apparent that she wouldn't be able to kill all of them, and Truth taunted that either her or Johnson would activate the Array. Realizing what needed to be done, she pointed her pistol at Johnson, who encouraged her to shoot him and then herself to deny Truth a means to activate the rings. Before she could however, Truth used a Spiker to shoot Keyes in the back, killing her. Johnson, completely stuck by grief and shock, is easily made to press the panel, starting the activation sequence for the Halo Array. At this time, John-117 and Thel 'Vadam arrived on that level, where they were confronted by a pair of Flood tank forms. Instead of attacking, the Gravemind spoke to the pair through the Flood forms, offering an alliance to stop their common foe, knowing that only the Chief would be able to stop the activation sequence. Unable to see another way, the two agreed and they began a combined assault on the last bastion of Covenant soldiers protecting the Prophet of Truth.

A large group of Unggoy and Kig-Yar lead by a Jiralhanae Captain guarded the first bridge making their last stand for the Covenant Empire. The two tank forms lumbered into their midst, the huge Flood forms easily crushing the smaller Covenant soldiers. With large numbers of Pod infectors along with the efforts of the Spartan and Sangheili, the forces on the first bridge soon crumbled. On the second bridge, a pack of Jiralhanae including a unit of Jumpers fought viciously to halt the process of John-117, Vadam and the Flood, but with each Jiralhanae that fell, a new Flood combat form was produced and as a result, the Covenant forces began to collapse. Even the Chieftain and a group of fuel rod gun-wielding Unggoy Heavies failed to stop the determined assault. The Covenant defenders on the third and final bridge were slaughtered by the Flood before the Chief and Thel even arrived. With that, all Covenant in the Citadel had been eliminated, and the way to Truth was clear. Crossing the light bridge to the Citadel controls, the Chief and 'Vadam passed by several Flood corpses and found Johnson cradling the dead body of Commander Miranda Keyes. He urged John-117 to stop the rings. Thel 'Vadam approached Truth, who was on the floor and had already been partially infected by the Flood. Declaring his intent to have his revenge against the Prophet as the infection began to ravage Truth's body, 'Vadam allowed the Prophet to live long enough to see the Chief deactivate the Halo Array. In a final defiant declaration, Truth announced himself as the voice of the Covenant, before being fatally stabbed in the back by Thel's energy sword. With Truth's death, the Covenant was brought to an end.

Arbiter killing the High Prophet of Truth.

Almost immediately after the death of the Prophet of Truth, the Gravemind announced his sudden betrayal, his tentacles surrounding the platform. Johnson attempted to airlift John-117 and Thel away but one of the Gravemind's tentacles struck the Pelican, sending it spiraling out of control and knocking the pair to the ground near the platform. The two quickly got to their feet, standing back to back with their weapons ready as the Gravemind taunted them. Thel acknowledged that they had traded one villain for another. Suddenly, the Gravemind retracted his tentacles below the platform as a pair of combat forms clambered up to challenge the pair. Quickly slaying the combat forms, the Master Chief and Arbiter hastily made their way back towards the lift they had used to enter at Johnson's urging. As they went, myriad Flood forms attempted to stop their progress. On the second bridge, a squadron of Sentinels arrived to assist the duo. With the assistance of the Forerunner constructs, John-117 and Thel soon made their way back to the lift. Discovering that the controls aren't working, they opt to use a shaft at the back of the lift. The Spartan enters first. A flickering image of Cortana leads him to a control panel. Upon activating it, an incomplete Halo ring rose out of the Ark's Foundry; it was suddenly clear what Cortana's "solution" to the Flood was. Realizing what needed to be done, John-117 announced his plan to fire the ring to 343 Guilty Spark. The Monitor agreed that a tactical pulse would eradicate the local Flood infestation and made his way to the ring for final preparations. The incomplete ring lacked an Activation Index however. The only way they could get another Index was to rescue Cortana from High Charity since she still possessed the Index from Installation 04.

Master Chief's personal quest

Main article: Raid on High Charity

Johnson picked up the Arbiter and the Chief while Guilty Spark went off to the new Installation. The party then headed to the Shadow of Intent, where Johnson, 'Vadam, and Ship Master 'Vadum rounded up the UNSC and Sangheili forces. Meanwhile, Master Chief infiltrated High Charity, successfully recovering Cortana and the Index and sabotaging the city's reactors. He escaped with the help of 'Vadam and fled onboard a crashed Pelican as the station exploded, ostensibly destroying the Gravemind.

Finishing the fight

Main article: Raid on Installation 08

Rtas 'Vadum: "We are aboard, humans...and Elites. Will you not come with us, brother?"

Thel 'Vadam: "No. This is our fight. And I will see it finished."

— Thel 'Vadam wishing to finish the fight alongside John-117.

With the Index secure, Thel 'Vadam ordered Rtas 'Vadum (who had safely evacuated humans and Sangheili back onboard the Shadow of Intent) to escape back through the slipspace portal to Earth while he, Spartan-117, and Sergeant Major Johnson moved in on the Control Room of the incomplete Halo. The Forward Unto Dawn was left behind for them to use to escape. The Gravemind, meanwhile, had begun to rebuild itself on the new ring, and sent Flood dispersal pods to kill the three interlopers. The Chief, 'Vadum, and Johnson, with the assistance of local Sentinels and 343 Guilty Spark, fought through the Flood and entered the Control Room. Spark explained that the new Halo would be ready to fire within days, to which the group, particularly Johnson, protested. When Guilty Spark informed the three that activating Halo now would destroy both the Ark and the installation, Johnson told him to "deal with it" and prepared to activate the ring.

"Send me out...with a bang."

— Johnson's last words

Unwilling to let "his" ring be destroyed again, 343 Guilty Spark went rampant, mortally wounded Johnson, took down the Master Chief's shields and blew the Arbiter out of the room. However, with the help of a dying Sergeant Johnson and his Spartan Laser, the Master Chief managed to destroy Guilty Spark and start the firing sequence of the new Halo. He and the Arbiter then took Johnson's Warthog and rushed towards the Forward Unto Dawn as the incomplete Halo powered up and started breaking apart. The two drove their way through hordes of battling Flood and Sentinel drones, with the ring world literally falling to pieces around them. The two heroes made it onto the Forward Unto Dawn, where the Arbiter was almost crushed by a Scorpion tank due to the sudden acceleration of the ship. Agility and a pair of crates saved him. the Master Chief then inserted Cortana into a holotank and she activated the Forward Unto Dawn's engines. The Arbiter made his way to the bridge of the ship and took her into Slipspace just as the new Halo fired, with the Master Chief almost being crushed by the same tank which descended through the cargo hold and into space. However, the Slipspace portal collapsed as the Forward Unto Dawn entered it, and while the forward half with the Arbiter made it to Earth, the rear half fell out of Slipspace at an unknown location, with Cortana and the Master Chief floating into the dark abyss.

The Battle of Installation 00 ended the Human-Covenant War. Months later, a monument was erected near the remains of Voi in remembrance of those who died in the line of duty, including the Master Chief's who was labeled MIA. The Arbiter, Rtas 'Vadum and their brethren then departed Earth for Sanghelios.

Aftermath

"For us, the storm has passed. The war is over. But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark, and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure; sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight, our fight, was elsewhere. As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren. A memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten."

— Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood in the memorial ceremony

Installation 00 and the Flood

The firing of the Halo ring caused unprecedented damage to the Ark while sterilizing the installation of the Flood forces around and on it, including the Gravemind commanding the massing Flood amid the battle. Over two years later on March 20, 2555, during Operation: FAR STORM, Luther Mann and N'tho 'Sraom arrived at the Citadel to stop the Halos from firing. Scattered around the basin were the remains of human and Covenant vehicles left over from the battle, including the empty husks of the two Scarabs.

Forward Unto Dawn

The Portal between Installation 00 and Earth collapsed while UNSC Forward Unto Dawn was still inside it. As a result, the ship was cut in half; the front arriving at Earth and the back half being lost in space. The Arbiter, sitting on the bridge at the time, was part of the front half but, without any engines, soon crashed into the ocean. John-117 and Cortana were in the rear half, and though they survived the Portal’s collapse, they were stranded in space and declared MIA. John-117 went into cryo-sleep while Cortana activated a distress beacon indicating their status. After drifting in an unknown region of space for over 4 years, the rear half of the Dawn was caught in the gravity well of a Forerunner shield world known as Requiem.

Legacy

Jerome-092: "Isabel, where did all this wreckage come from?"

Isabel: "There was a battle here near the end of the war. The Master Chief saved us all."

Jerome-092: "It's good to know John's still out there."

— Isabel and Jerome-092 while fighting the Banished on Installation 00

A monument was made near the town of Voi, not far from the portal structure. It read, "In memory of those fallen in the defense of Earth and her Colonies. March 3, 2553." On it were photos of UNSC personnel who went through the portal but did not return; John-117 was honored with an etching of the number "117". With the exception of Thel 'Vadam, the Sangheili were not present at the dedication service, instead remaining aboard Shadow of Intent. After the ceremony, Lord Hood, despite being unable to forgive the Sangheili for what they did to humanity at the beginning of the war, shook 'Vadam's hand and thanked him for standing beside the Master Chief at the Ark. The Arbiter then departed to Shadow of Intent, and joined Rtas 'Vadum on the bridge, both agreeing to return to Sanghelios to ensure its safety. Thel 'Vadam was given command of the carrier and all Sangheili onboard departed for their homeworld.

In March 2555, the Ark's monitor, 000 Tragic Solitude, sought revenge against humanity for damaging the Ark years prior. To do so, the ancilla placed the remaining Halos on a brief countdown to activation, prompting a joint UNSC-Swords of Sanghelios mission to the installation to stop the rings from firing. After Solitude's plan was thwarted, the UNSC established research facilities on the Ark. The UNSC's research team was able to repair the Ark from the damage done in the battle by directing the Ark's Retriever Sentinels to mine lifeless systems for the needed materials for repairs.

In September 2558, the Jiralhanae Chieftain Hekabe attempted to unleash the Sharquoi on the planet Carrow, having retrieved the Sharquoi control device, the vertex, from the Ark during the Battle of Installation 00. Hekabe's plan was narrowly foiled by Gray Team, Rojka 'Kasaan and elements of the Surakan Militia Volunteers.

The Banished arrived on the fully repaired Ark in November 2558, killing UNSC personnel across the installation. In March 2559, the crew of the newly arrived UNSC Spirit of Fire engaged the Banished with help from Isabel, the logistics AI of one of the UNSC research facilities. Approximately six months after the initial hostilities with Spirit of Fire, a force of Banished warriors lead by Voridus used a Scarab to blast a hole in the containment shield around the ruins of High Charity, as they sought to scavenge materials to aid their ongoing struggle against the UNSC. However, the Banished ignored warnings about the Flood as they believed them to simply be another Covenant lie and were unaware that some of the Flood still survived in the ruined city. This inadvertently caused a Flood outbreak onto the installation, leading to a desperate struggle between the Banished and the parasite. After some time, the Banished managed to destroy a Proto-Gravemind that was moments away from becoming a Gravemind and the Ark's Sentinels and the Banished managed to once again contain the Flood.

Participants

UNSC Naval assets Starships Tactical grouping Class Name Status Seventh Fleet Charon-class light frigate UNSC Forward Unto Dawn Destroyed, split in half UNSC Aegis Fate Unknown Military personnel Branch Rank Name Status UNSC Navy Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 Survived, listed as MIA Commander Miranda Keyes KIA Lieutenant Hocus Unknown UNSC Marine Corps Sergeant Major Avery Johnson KIA Private First Class Chips Dubbo Survived Gunnery Sergeant Marcus Stacker Survived Units Ground forces UNSC Navy UNSC Marine Corps S4/BLCE/1/7 S4/BRT/1/7 Alpha Company Charlie Company Orbital Drop Shock Troopers 105th ODST Division 7th Shock Troops Battalion 11th MFR/ODST Naval forces Home Fleet Seventh Fleet Battle Group Victory Artificial intelligence Main article: Artificial intelligence Name Status Cortana Survived, listed as MIA Covenant separatists Naval assets Starships Tactical grouping Class Name Status Fleet of Retribution CAS-class assault carrier Shadow of Intent Survived CCS-class battlecruiser Pious Inquisitor Survived Military personnel Branch Rank Name Status Unknown Fleetmaster Rtas 'Vadum Survived Arbiter Thel 'Vadam Survived Special Operations Usze 'Taham Survived N'tho 'Sraom Survived Units Ground forces Fleet of Retribution Special Warfare Group Naval forces Fleet of Retribution One battle group

Covenant Naval assets Starships Tactical grouping Class Name Status Truth's fleet Forerunner keyship Anodyne Spirit Survived, assumed destroyed ORS-class heavy cruiser Gathering of Praise Escaped Covenant frigate Twilight Compunction Destroyed Military personnel Branch Rank Name Status Unknown Shipmaster Hekabe Escaped Chieftain Cethegus KIA Non-combatants Branch Rank Name Status High Council Hierach Prophet of Truth KIA Units Naval forces Truth's fleet† Hekabe's clan

Gallery

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  Concept art of the space battle above Installation 00.

List of appearances

• Halo: First Strike
  • Petra (Mentioned only)
• Halo 3 (First appearance)
• Halo Legends
  • Origins
• Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
  • From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Broken Circle (Indirect mention)
• Halo: Hunters in the Dark (Mentioned only)
• Halo Mythos (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Tales from Slipspace
  • Dominion Splinter (Flashback only)
• Halo Wars 2 (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Envoy (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Legacy of Onyx (Indirect mention)
• Halo: Bad Blood (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Shadows of Reach (Indirect mention)
  • Sacrifice (Mentioned only)