Operation: TORPEDO: Difference between revisions

{{Status|Canon}}

|prev=[[Battle of Actium]]

|next=[[Battle of Skopje]]

|name=Operation: TORPEDO

|date=[[2545|July 3, 2545]]

|place=[[Target Area Apache]], [[Pegasi Delta]], [[51 Pegasi System]]

|result=UNSC strategic and Pyrrhic victory

|forces1=*One [[UNSC carrier]]

*[[SPARTAN-III Beta Company]] - 300 [[SPARTAN-III program|SPARTAN-IIIs]]

|forces2=*Seven large [[Covenant cruiser|cruisers]]

*Several squadrons of [[Seraph]]s

**[[Sangheili]]

**[[Kig-Yar]]

**[[Unggoy]]

|casual1=*298 SPARTAN-IIIs

*Seven {{Class|Black Cat|subprowler}}s unaccounted for

*300 [[Long range stealth orbital drop pod]]s destroyed during use

|casual2=*Several squadrons of Seraphs

**Many Sangheili

**Many Unggoy

**Many Kig-Yar

== Prelude ==

Long-range [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear bombardments]] were met with failure as the Covenant ships shot the weapons out of the sky, and neither a regular invasion nor an [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]] insertion were considered worth the attempt. The operation was then assigned to the newly commissioned [[SPARTAN-III program|SPARTAN-III]] [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]], attached to the {{UNSCShip|All Under Heaven}}.

At 1135, the 300 SPARTAN-IIIs of Beta Company landed on Pegasi Delta via [[Long range stealth orbital drop pod]]s. Nine SPARTANs died immediately, either killed on impact or by Covenant forces. Initial resistance was light, as the Covenant had not yet realized how large the attacking force was. Soon, however, Covenant [[Seraph]]s began making strafing runs, prompting the hiding SPARTANs to abandon their stealth and rush to the factory for safety. As more Seraphs appeared, a few SPARTANs attempted to hold them back with [[M19-B Surface-to-Air Missile Launcher|missile launchers]], and succeeded in destroying two, forcing the remaining Seraphs to cancel their runs.

The Seraphs began bombing the SPARTANs, killing dozens of them. Thousands of [[Sangheili]] and [[Kig-Yar]] joined the defense. In response, the surviving SPARTANs charged, their speed and reflexes helping them kill hundreds of Covenant soldiers in a brief matter of time.

Suddenly, [[seven]] [[Covenant cruiser]]s were revealed, immediately deploying thousands of reinforcements. Half of the survivors of Beta Company turned to face the new threat in an attempt to buy time for their fellow soldiers. [[Team Foxtrot]] rushed to the factory. [[Adam-B004]] was mortally wounded, but stayed back to hold off the Covenant forces so his team could rush ahead. When the remaining members arrived, they immediately began to set explosive charges on the core. [[Min-B174]] was setting his timer when an electromagnetic field triggered his charge, vaporizing him.

The last two members of Team Foxtrot, [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]], then jumped off a cliff and into the ocean to escape from the explosion of the core. The two nearly drowned, but managed to swim ashore, where they found that everything else had been vaporized, including the cruisers. Eventually, they made it to a waiting ''Black Cat''-class sub-prowler, and were extracted from the planet.

 

Although the UNSC gained a strategic victory, it lost almost all of Beta Company. The Covenant suffered a heavy blow that would prevent them from refueling close to UNSC space.

 

Additionally, Lucy suffered from [[post-traumatic vocal disarticulation]], preventing her from speaking for many years.<ref name= "Onyx27" />

 

 

*The SPARTANs regroup into fireteams. Covenant Seraphs begin strafing runs, killing dozens.

 

 

 

*The SPARTANs panic and declare code [[Omega Three]]. Seven Covenant cruisers descend from above the factory.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 22''</ref>

*The cruisers launch dropships and deliver troops to the surface via [[gravity lift]]s. The Covenant reinforcements engage the remaining SPARTAN-IIIs.

*Team Foxtrot arrives at the facility core. [[Adam-B004]] is shot while holding off pursuing Covenant forces and [[Min-B174]] is killed by a premature charge explosion. Last two remaining SPARTAN-IIIs, [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]], successfully overload the refinery's reactor core and escape over a cliff into the ocean.

*The survivors of Beta Company are slaughtered. The facility explodes, destroying all Covenant forces within range, including the seven Covenant cruisers.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 25-26''</ref>

*Tom-B292 and Lucy-B091 retreat aboard one of the pre-inserted ''Black Cat'' subprowlers and fall back to UNSC-controlled space.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 27''</ref>

*The date of the battle, July 3, is possibly a reference to [[wikipedia:Pickett's Charge|Pickett's Charge]], a Confederate infantry assault on the Union lines during the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, which occurred on July 3, 1863.

*In the [[Halo: Reach Video Games Awards Trailer|''Halo: Reach'' VGA trailer]], [[SPARTAN-B312]] was said to have survived Operation: TORPEDO. However, the SPARTAN was actually taken out of Beta Company immediately before TORPEDO commenced. This line was removed from the final game.

*The presence of 300 SPARTANs in Operation: TORPEDO, along with [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]], is likely a reference to the historical [[Wikipedia:Battle of Thermopylae|Battle of Thermopylae]].

*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{1st}}

*''[[Halo Mythos]]'' {{Mo}}

**''[[Lessons Learned]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==

[[Category:Battles of the Human-Covenant War|TORPEDO]]

[[Category:UNSC victories|TORPEDO]]

[[Category:Operations|TORPEDO]]