Editing 21st Space Assault Battalion

{{Era|UNSC|HCW}}

*[[Lieutenant]] [[Nolan Connor]] - Alpha Company, First Platoon CO (Hamm's replacement)

The Black Daggers have a long history of [[Insurrection|combating]] [[Insurrectionist]]s. In [[2525]] alone, they stormed and captured eighteen insurrectionist facilities, in locations ranging from low planetary orbit to deep transitional space.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS5|HSS|Chapter=5}} At some point prior to [[2526#March|March 2526]], they led a raid on a [[United Rebel Front]]-controlled supply depot at [[Bomogin]], capturing it before the rebels even knew they were there.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS6|HSS|Chapter=6}}

By [[2526#March|March 8, 2526]] they were assigned to [[Captain]] [[Halima Ascot]]'s [[Task Force Yama]] for the duration of [[Operation: SILENT STORM]], a mission with the goal of stealthily boarding and destroying as many [[Covenant]] vessels as possible and buy time for [[Human|humanity]]. At this time, the battalion was led by [[Colonel]] [[Marmon Crowther]]. Although Captain Ascot had full authority over the task force, once the ODSTs and the complement of twelve [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartans]] were deployed, command would transfer to Colonel Crowther. During the slipspace journey to [[Biko]], [[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery Johnson]] began working with the Black Daggers as they trained against the Spartans. At first, the marines proved to be no match for the Spartans, but that all changed when Johnson introduced some new, unorthodox strategies. He began spending the "lives" of his men like coins, buying opportunities to deal hard blows to the Spartans. This was a tactic that no sane UNSC commander would utilize except in the most dire circumstances, but it was one that the Covenant was known to use often. While the Spartans continued to outclass the individual ODSTs, victory was no longer certain when facing large numbers who now knew how to coordinate an effective assault. Four days into the training, Colonel Crowther had the entire battalion of Black Daggers gather to be briefed on his plan to board and destroy Covenant vessels. The Spartans would be split up, with each of the twelve being assigned to a single platoon. They would be the ones carrying the nukes. However, [[John-117]] disagreed with this plan and Johnson backed him up. Ultimately the plan would change to one more suited to the Spartans' skills.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS5}}

===Seoba and Biko===

{{Main|Battle of Seoba|Battle of Biko}}

While on approach, Task Force Yama intercepted [[COM|communications]] from the [[Biko Independence Army]], revealing that they were in the process of preparing a coup against Biko's chancellor and that these insurrectionists were presently occupying the very same quarry that they were approaching. With the ''Vanishing Point'' doing its best to block any transmissions from the moon, Crowther announced to his men that Operation: ICE DANCE was no longer a drill and that their insertion would likely be hot. He also ordered them to eliminate any communications equipment that they came across while on the ground, in the event that the insurgents had found a way around the jamming. For operational security, all Black Daggers would identify themselves as members of the [[Chancellor's Guards]] to any insurrectionist captives.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS7}}

Once the prowlers reached their designated drop off zones and began deploying off their infantry complement, the entrenched insurrectionists tore into the ODSTs with [[M41 Vulcan]]s. As [[Lieutenant]] [[Nelly Hamm]] of Alpha Company's First Platoon was busy tending to a wounded trooper he had handed her, John-117 disobeyed orders and leapt from the {{UNSCShip|Ghost Song}} to face the insurgents head-on, with the rest of [[Blue Team]] following his lead. They softened up the insurrectionists enough for many of the Black Daggers to deploy safely. [[Ghost Flight]] managed to disable the enemy's communications center in their attack run, but the Spartans soon had to focus on preventing them from repairing it to call for reinforcements.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS8|HSS|Chapter=8}} As a form of payback for disobeying orders, Lieutenant Hamm tricked the Spartans into being a distraction so that her men could stop the insurgents from repairing the relay themselves. With the relay permanently disabled and enough ODSTs safely deployed, the ice quarry soon fell under UNSC control.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS10|HSS|Chapter=10}} During the battle, [[Captain (UNICOM)|Captain]] [[Zelos Cuvier]], the commanding officer of the Black Dagger's Alpha Company, was killed, resulting in Crowther promoting Lieutenant Hamm to the rank of captain and the new commanding officer of Alpha Company.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS11|HSS|Chapter=11}}

The very next day, Crowther's men had repurposed the quarry's [[Assembly Chamber 4L430]] for an informal debriefing led by Captain Ascot. A UNSC flag was hung on the chamber's polycrete-coated walls, with portable standing lights and a folding conference table also set up for the debriefing. Along with Captain Ascot and Colonel Crowther, the meeting also included [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Hector Nyeto]] of Ghost Flight, now-Captain Nelly Hamm, Avery Johnson, John-117, and [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]]. Here, they discussed the difficulties with the previous day's battle, particular those faced by Alpha Company. They had suffered a thirty-two percent casualty rate and lost their captain, while the rest of the battalion only saw a loss of six percent of their men and did not lose a single captain. After John's maverick action aboard the ''Ghost Song'' came up, the discussion turned to the young Spartan's age. Ultimately, the truth was revealed that John and his fellow Spartans were all around the age of fifteen, and Crowther refused to send them into battle again as a result. The conversation then turned to why the insurrectionists had seemingly been ready for their arrival, with John realizing and convincing the others that they had instead been waiting for the Covenant, with the intent to meet them for negotiations and to perhaps form an alliance. While they were planning for the Covenant's inevitable arrival, [[Bloodstar Flotilla|a flotilla]] of the alien ships appeared in-system and set course for Seoba. The other UNSC leaders then rushed out of the chamber to ready their forces for the imminent continuation of the battle, as Crowther remained where he was to talk with John. He assigned the Spartans to guard and load the captured insurrectionists into a transport as the Black Daggers mobilized to ambush the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS11}}

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{{Main|Attack on Zhoist}}

After Operation: SILENT STORM, the remaining members of the battalion were dispersed to train other units. As a result, during [[Operation: OBLIVION]], Admiral Cole didn't have anyone available to send with [[Blue Team]] and instead had to rely on regular infantry Marines.<ref>'''[[Halo: Oblivion]]''', ''page 64''</ref>

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