Operation: ATHENA: Difference between revisions

*[[United Nations Space Command]]  

|side2='''[[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]]'''

After the events on the [[shield world]] of [[Requiem]], [[Jul 'Mdama]] and Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]] allied themselves to recover both halves of the [[Janus Key]] and discover the location of the Absolute Record.<ref>'''[[Spartan Ops]]''', [[S1/Exodus|Episode 10 ''Exodus'']]</ref> On [[Aktis IV]], they planned to steal the UNSC's half of the Janus Key, but a rebellion led by the [[Sangheili]] [[Sali 'Nyon]] threatened their plans.<ref name="HE14">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 14|Issue #14]]''</ref> Halsey was able to recover the second half of the Janus Key thanks to a [[Unidentified Sangheili Minor|Minor]] who betrayed 'Nyon. Even when Commander Sarah Palmer captured Halsey, the Covenant was able to rescue the doctor and recover the Janus Key, emerging victorious. Days later, Jul and Halsey discovered the location of the Absolute Record using the combined Janus Key.<ref name="HE16">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 16|Issue #16]]''</ref> Unknown to them, [[Ayit 'Sevi]], a Sangheili working with the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], was able to infiltrate inside Jul's faction and provided ONI with information about their plans. The UNSC then formed a specialist team of Spartans [[Sarah Palmer]], [[Gabriel Thorne]] and [[Holly Tanaka]], Dr. [[Henry Glassman]] and 'Sevi.<ref name="HE19"/>  

On September 17, 2558, Ayit 'Sevi's Phantom entered ''Breath of Annihilation'', just before the fleet made the slipspace jump toward the Absolute Record. Upon their exit from slipspace three hours later, 'Mdama's fleet entered the upper atmosphere of an unusually hot gas giant with a metallic hydrogen core, noted by Dr. Halsey as being likely artificial. The Janus Key began to react, leading Halsey to conclude that they were close to their destination — a slipspace portal to the Absolute Record. As the portal began to form, however, slipspace ruptures materialized into several ships of the fleet, tearing them apart. ''Breath of Annihilation'' was damaged as well and the Spartans and Glassman were thrown about uncontrollably in their crate. 'Sevi blew the box open and told the others that they must move out as the entire ship was breaking apart. The telemetry probe was destroyed in the chaos as well, meaning the team had no way to contact the UNSC.<ref name="HE19"/> The ''Annihilation'''s crew attempted to remediate damages done to their ship while the Spartans, Glassmand and Ayit discussed their next course of action. 'Sevi decided to steal another Phantom in a nearby hangar and ordered the rest of the team to follow him to the hangar a minute after he left, giving him time to take out the Covenant soldiers outside of their Phantom.<ref name="HE20">'''Halo Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 20|Issue #20]]''</ref>

To prevent giving away their position, 'Sevi armed the humans with Covenant weaponry and left the Phantom to engage the Covenant soldiers in the hangar alone. Creating a smoke screen, 'Sevi was able to begin eliminating all hostiles without alerting any unwanted attention. Inside the Phantom, Glassman was knocked unconscious when the damaged carrier shuddered and threw him against the Phantom's hull. Palmer had Tanaka carry Glassman and orders the Spartans to forego 'Sevi's wait time. Exiting their Phantom, Palmer killed the last remaining Kig-Yar in the hangar and the Spartans and Glassman escaped just as their dropship exploded behind them. Traveling down a hallway to the next hangar bay, 'Sevi's smoke screen provided the Spartans cover but also impaired their vision. Thorne activated his [[Z-5080 Promethean vision|Promethean vison]] and discovered that they were surrounded by oncoming Covenant forces. A firefight ensued and the Spartans managed to fight their way to the hangar. As a Wraith appeared and prepared to fire upon the Spartans, the tank was destroyed by a Phantom manned by 'Sevi. The team decided to travel to the ''Song of Retribution''.<ref name="HE20"/>

Aboard ''Breath of Annihilation'', Thorne decided to follow 'Sevi's plan and he began attacking the Sangheili, with 'Sevi directing Thorne around the ship. 'Sevi had Thorne go into hiding again, as numerous Sangheili and Kig-Yar soldiers began searching for him. As a result, a mutiny was carried out by those who believed that the Didact's Hand lied to them about the presence of Spartans aboard the ship. A Zealot brutally beat a Sangheili Storm, demanding the answer of why their Supreme Commander lied to them, but the Sangheili Storm claimed 'Mdama knew nothing about the attack and he would gain nothing from the deception. The Storm then said the traitors were the only ones who would benefit about the truth of those rumors, and was then executed by Ayit 'Sevi. A Zealot then ordered him to join several other Covenant forces near the main gravity lift to hunt for Spartan Gabriel Thorne. Ayit warned Thorne that he was about to be surrounded by the Covenant, only for the Spartan to come under fire from three Type-26 Wraiths operating by Kig-Yar. Thorne escaped ''Breath of Annihilation'' through a breach in the carrier's hull and dove into a swamp on the moon where the ship was undergoing repairs. Type-26 Banshees and Kig-Yar soldiers searched for Thorne in the swamps. The Spartan managed to kill two of the Kig-Yar with his combat knife, but one of the Kig-Yar was able to wound him with a Type-33 Needler. Meanwhile, Ayit traveled to the carrier's holding cells, where he killed the guards and released ex-rebellion leader [[Sali 'Nyon]] to create more chaos on the ship. Though Sali was doubtful of his ability to lead Covenant rebels after he failed to do so the first time, Ayit manipulated him into doing so by using his zeal to inspire him.<ref name="HE22"/>