Operation: ATHENA

Operation: ATHENA was an engagement fought at the Forerunner installation known as the Absolute Record in 2558.^[1]

Prelude

Main articles: Requiem campaign, Battle of Aktis IV

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.^[2] 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.^[3] Halsey was able to recover the second half of the Janus Key thanks to a Minor who betrayed 'Nyon. Even when Commander Sarah Palmer captured the doctor, 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.^[4] 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.^[1]

The human members of the team would infiltrate the Breath of Annihilation in a Covenant box with a cloaked interior compartment, transported to the ship aboard a Type-44 Phantom piloted by 'Sevi. Once at the Absolute Record they would separate from the fleet and find a place to land. Because they lacked real-time superluminal communications options, they planned to use a state-of-the-art model of telemetry probe that would transmit their location back to the UNSC.^[1]

The battle

Initial stages

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.^[1] The Annihilation's crew attempts to remediate damages done to their ship while the Spartans, Glassmand and Ayit discuss their next course of action: 'Sevi decides to steal another Phantom in a nearby hangar and orders the rest of the team to follow him to the hangar a minute after he leaves, giving him time to take out the Covenant soldiers outside of their Phantom.^[5]

The Covenant fleet being devastated by the emerging slipspace portal.

To prevent giving away their position, 'Sevi arms the humans with Covenant weaponry and leaves the Phantom to engage the Covenant soldiers in the hangar alone. Creating a smoke screen, 'Sevi is able to begin eliminating all hostiles without alerting any unwanted attention. Inside the Phantom, Glassman is knocked unconscious when the damaged carrier shudders and throws him against the Phantom's hull. Palmer has Tanaka carry Glassman and orders the Spartans to forego 'Sevi's wait time. Exiting their Phantom, Palmer kills the last remaining Kig-Yar in the hangar and the Spartans and Glassman escape just as their dropship explodes behind them. Traveling down a hallway to the next hangar bay, 'Sevi's smoke screen provides the Spartans cover but also impairs their vision. Thorne activates his Promethean vison and discovers that they are surrounded by oncoming Covenant forces. A firefight ensues and the Spartans manage to fight their way to the hangar. As a Wraith appears and prepares to fire upon the Spartans, the tank is destroyed by a Phantom manned by 'Sevi. The team decides to travel to the Song of Retribution.^[5]

On Song of Retribution' bridge, 'Mdama is enraged about the damage done to his fleet caused by the portal's activation. Furious, 'Mdama throws Doctor Halsey against a wall, whom he blames for the incident. 'Mdama and Halsey argue about their situation and Halsey reminds 'Mdama that once they travel to the Absolute Record, they will discover technology beyond their comprehension that will more than compensate for the ships that were destroyed when the portal opened. To further calm the irate 'Mdama, Halsey claims that once he is in control of the Absolute Record's "treasures", 'Mdama will be seen as a god. 'Mdama decides to make another attempt to travel to the Absolute Record, though only Song of Retribution will enter the portal while Breath of Annihilation makes emergency repairs at a nearby moon.^[5]

The Song of Retribution entering to the Absolute Record.

'Sevi learns of 'Mdama's intentions and informs the rest of the team. Glassman reminds them that once they enter the portal, they will have even less of a chance at re-establishing contact with ONI. Palmer orders 'Sevi and Thorne to travel back to Breath of Annihilation to attempt to contact ONI, while the rest of the team remains on Song of Retribution to travel through the portal. As the two travel back to the damaged carrier in the Phantom, 'Sevi informs Thorne that there is rumors of a possible Spartan attack spreading aboard the ship. 'Sevi discovers that prisoners from Retribution are being temporarily transferred to Annihilation, one of which is traitor Sali 'Nyon. 'Sevi considers using 'Nyon to create a distraction for them. Aboard Retribution, the rumors of the Spartan attack reaches 'Mdama. Halsey dismisses 'Mdama's worries and states that the Spartans would be unable to stop them from reaching the Absolute Record, and the carrier promptly enters the portal. Retribution arrives at the Absolute Record and a Forerunner Contender-class artificial intelligence detects the human presence aboard the carrier, nothing the presence of Reclaimers aboard the ship.^[5]

The Absolute Record

Aboard the Song of Retribution, 'Mdama and Doctor Halsey attempt to enter the installation, however, a slipspace portal opens nearby and the ship's helmsman loses control. Retribution is forced through the portal and it arrives inside a large chamber, where the carrier is held in place by a gravitational anchor. 'Mdama and Halsey decide to travel down to a platform below, where the Contender AI awaits their arrival. In one of Song of Retribution's hangar bays, Palmer, Tanaka and Glassman await their chance to leave the damaged drop pod they are hiding aboard. Glassman decides that they need to leave the carrier and find a local terminal, while Tanaka spots two nearby Type-44 Phantoms that they can steal. Meanwhile, several DSC-class support ships are repairing the hull of the damaged Breath of Annihilation on a moon. Several Sangheili inside the ship are arguing whether or not their ship and its crew were attacked by Spartans. 'Sevi listens to the heated debate before entering a nearby Phantom that Spartan Thorne is hiding in. 'Sevi decides to use use the ongoing argument as a way to instill chaos aboard the ship and initiate a mutiny. The mercenary wishes to have Thorne attack the Sangheili to create panic throughout the ship, though Thorne is reluctant to trust 'Sevi due to their previous encounter on Ven III.^[6]

Meanwhile, 'Mdama, Halsey, and numerous Sangheili Zealots arrive at the platform and meet with the AI. Halsey addresses the ancilla and claims to be chosen by the Librarian to unlock the Absolute Record. Halsey requests to be escorted to the proper area to begin their work, but the AI expresses its doubts, especially pondering why the other humans feel the need to conceal themselves. The AI uses Sentinels to transport the drop pod the other humans are hiding in to the platform, where they are dropped down beside Halsey and 'Mdama. Both groups begin to argue, with Glassman questioning Halsey's decision to defect to 'Mdama's Covenant. Halsey tells Glassman to shut up, but the AI tells her that she has no authority to silence him. It decides to let each human have a chance to account for its presence at the installation, though Halsey asserts that there is nothing to discuss as she has the Janus Key. The AI intends take as much time as it needs to question each human, as it wishes to operate with total caution after one of its fellow Contender-class AIs made the mistake of not taking the same precautions during the Forerunner-Flood war.^[6]

The Contender AI taking actions.

Aboard Breath of Annihilation, Thorne has decided to follow 'Sevi's plan and he begins attacking the Sangheili, with 'Sevi directing Thorne around the ship. 'Sevi has Thorne go into hiding again, as numerous Sangheili and Kig-Yar soldiers begin searching for him. On the Absolute Record, Glassman states that he shares the same views as the AI, as he does not want the Absolute Record to be exploited. Halsey scoffs at this claim, but the AI orders her to remain silent. Glassman insists that the UNSC intends to use the Absolute Record in a way that is consistent with the Forerunners' intentions and claims that conflict will only get worse if 'Mdama's Covenant gains access to the installation. As Halsey and Glassman begin to argue, an impatient Zealot attacks a Sentinel, leading to all the constructs attacking the humans and Sangheili. The AI removes the platform from under the feet of the Sangheili with Tanaka, Palmer, and Glassman remaining on one platform and Halsey standing on another, while 'Mdama manages to grab onto Halsey's platform while his soldiers plummet to their deaths. The AI claims that a more direct examination is in order to decide who is the legitimate steward of the Absolute Record.^[6] 'Mdama is furious about their soldier's deaths and tells the AI that he brought his forces to merely honor their gods, not fight them, and it was the Contender who provoked them to attack the Sentinels. In response, the Contender AI says its suspicious about the Sangheili's disruptive tendencies were confirmed by their reaction and only intention is to maintain the integrity of the Absolute Record and choose its proper custodian. Although Doctor Halsey claims she must be the custodian of the Absolute Record the ancilla is speaking of, because her possession of the Janus Key and being chosen by the Librarian, the Contender AI says her possession of the Janus Key proves nothing, because the Key could have been obtain by any variety of ways, even brute force and procedes to translocate them.^[7]

Onboard the Breath of Annihilation, a mutiny was carried out by those who believe that the Didact's Hand lied to them about the presence of Spartans aboard the ship. A Zealot brutally beats a Sangheili Storm, demanding the answer of why their Supreme Commander lied to them, but the Sangheili Storm claims 'Mdama knew nothing about the attack and he gains nothing from the deception. The Storm then says the traitors are the only ones who would be benefit about the truth of those rumors.^[7]