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| {{Status|Canon}} | | {{Era|HCW}} |
| {{Disambig header|the larger battle to control the cruiser later on in the conflict|the first raid conducted by John-117 to rescue Captain Keyes|Raid on the Truth and Reconciliation}} | | {{References}} |
| {{battle infobox | | {{battle infobox |
| |name = Battle for the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' | | |name = Raids on the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' |
| |image = [[File:HCEA 2ndBattleOfTheTruthAndRec.jpg|300px]] | | |image = |
| |prev = [[Battle for the Control Room]] | | |previous = [[Battle of Reach]] |
| |conc = [[Battle of Installation 04 #Destroying the Autumn|Mission to destroy Halo]] | | |conc = [[Battle of Installation 04]] |
| |next = [[Skirmish over Threshold]] | | |next = [[Battle of Alpha Base]] |
| |conflict = [[Human-Covenant War]] | | |conflict = [[Human-Covenant War]] |
| *[[Battle of Installation 04]]
| | |date = September 19 - 22, 2552 |
| |date = [[2552#September|September 22, 2552]]{{Ref/Site|Id=Raven|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/thats-so-raven|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - That's So Raven|D=02|M=11|Y=2021}} | | |place = [[Installation 04]] |
| |place = ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' landing zone, [[Installation 04]] | | |result = Human victories |
| |result = | | *Captain Keyes rescued |
| *Initial UNSC victory{{Ref/Reuse|TF12}} | | *Hundreds of Covenant dead |
| *Total destruction of ''Truth and Reconciliation'' and all forces involved{{Ref/Reuse|TF12}} | | *Capture of the vessel |
| |side1={{Icon|UNSC HCW}} [[United Nations Space Command]] | | |side1=[[United Nations Space Command]] |
| |side2={{Icon|Covenant FB}} [[Covenant]] | | |side2=[[Covenant]] |
| |side3=[[Flood]]
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| |commanders1= | | |commanders1= |
| *[[Major|Maj.]] [[Antonio Silva]]†{{Ref/Reuse|TF12}} | | *First and second raids |
| |commanders2= Minor [[Prophet of Stewardship]]{{Ref/Reuse|Priority}} | | **[[Captain (Navy)|CAPT]] [[Jacob Keyes]] |
| |commanders3= [[Proto-Gravemind]]†{{Ref/Reuse|Keyes}}
| | **[[Master Chief Petty Officer|MCPO]] [[John-117]] |
| | **[[Cortana]] |
| | *Third raid |
| | **[[Major|Maj.]] [[Antonio Silva]]† |
| | |commanders2= [[Lat 'Ravamee]]† (First raid only) |
| |forces1 = | | |forces1 = |
| *[[John-117]] | | First raid |
| *Three [[D77-TC Pelican]]s | | *Pelican [[Echo 419]] |
| *312 [[human]]s | | **ODSTs |
| **235 [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] and [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers|ODST]]s | | **SPARTAN-II supersoldier |
| **76 [[UNSC Navy|Naval]] personnel | | *Second raid |
| | **SPARTAN-II supersoldier |
| | *Third raid |
| | **Numerous Pelicans |
| | **UNSC Marines |
| | ***ODSTs |
| | **Surviving ''Pillar of Autumn'' crewmen |
| |forces2= | | |forces2= |
| *[[Sangheili]] | | *First Raid |
| *[[Unggoy]] | | **[[Sangheili]] |
| *[[Kig-Yar]] | | **[[Unggoy]] |
| *[[Mgalekgolo]] | | **[[Kig-yar]] |
| *[[Covenant Special Operations]] strike team | | **[[Mgalekgolo]] |
| **[[Special Operations Sangheili]]
| | *[[Type-28 Troop Carrier]]s |
| **[[Special Operations Unggoy]] | | *[[Type-29 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun]]s |
| |forces3=
| | *Second raid |
| *[[Pod infector]]s | | **Sangheili |
| *[[Flood combat form|Combat forms]] | | **Unggoy |
| *[[Flood carrier form|Carrier forms]] | | **Kig-yar |
| |casual1= | | **Mgalekgolo |
| *All UNSC forces destroyed | | **Type-29 Anti-Infantry Stationary Guns |
| |casual2= | | **[[Covenant Special Operations|SpecOps]] strike team |
| *All remaining forces destroyed | | *Third raid |
| **''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' | | **Few remaining Covenant forces |
| |casual3=
| | |casual1=*First raid |
| *All remaining forms killed | | **All ODSTs killed |
| | *Second raid |
| | **None |
| | *Third raid |
| | **All UNSC forces destroyed |
| | |casual2=*First Raid |
| | **Large number of infantry killed |
| | **[[Shipmaster]] [[Lat 'Ravamee]] |
| | *Second raid |
| | **Heavy casualties inflicted by Flood and [[John-117]] |
| | *Third raid |
| | **All remaining forces destroyed |
| }} | | }} |
| During the [[Battle of Installation 04|ongoing campaign]] on [[Installation 04]], the {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' became the focus of an '''ongoing battle''' between the forces of the [[Covenant]] defenders, the [[Flood]] and the [[United Nations Space Command]]. The majority of the battle focused on a protracted struggle between the Flood and the Covenant for control of the ship, though the arrival of an ODST force late in the battle ultimately saw the vessel's capture and destruction.
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| ==Prelude==
| | Numerous '''raids''' took place over [[Installation 04]] as the Marines of the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} boarded the damaged {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}, the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]''. |
| On September 19, 2552, the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' was one of the several {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s to take part in a [[Battle over Installation 04|space engagement]] over [[Installation 04]]. During the fighting, the ''Reconciliation'' was heavily damaged by {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} and forced to land to conduct maintenance and repairs, leading to the vessel being employed as a base of operations for Covenant ground forces on the ring.{{Ref/Generic|[[The Halo Conflict]]|Truth and Reconciliation}} That evening, the ship was the subject of a [[Raid on the Truth and Reconciliation|raid]] conducted by a team led by [[John-117]], using the simultaneous [[Raid on the Pillar of Autumn|raid on the downed ''Autumn'']] as a distraction.{{Ref/Level|HCE|The Truth and Reconciliation}}
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| The raid was very damaging to the Covenant on the ring, with the ship's [[shipmaster|commanding officer]] [[Lat 'Ravamee]] killed and the fact proven that humans could trick the Covenant's detection systems. In response, the perimeter surrounding the ship's [[gravity lift]] was fortified and teams began a compartment-by-compartment sweep of the ship to ensure no humans remained in hiding.{{Ref/Novel|Id=TF|HTF|Chapter=4}}
| | ==First raid - rescuing the Captain== |
| | Shortly after the evacuation from the ''Pillar of Autumn'', Captain Jacob Keyes was captured by Covenant forces and taken to the ''Truth and Reconciliation'', where he was promptly imprisoned in one of its detention centers.<ref name="tr">'''Halo: Combat Evolved''' campaign level, ''[[The Truth and Reconciliation]]''</ref> |
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| Later on in the [[Battle of Installation 04|conflict]], a series of [[Battle of Installation 04#Covenant fleet unrest|squabbles]] between the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]]'s [[fleetmaster]], [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee and the assigned [[Minor Prophet]], the [[Prophet of Stewardship]], saw the former attempt to board the carrier ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' - resulting in the Minor Prophet retreating groundside and establishing the still-grounded ''Truth and Reconciliation'' as his base of operations.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Priority|HTF|Section=Adjunct|Detail=[[Priority Broadcast Log/Eleventh Cycle, Third Unit]]}}
| | After word got out of his capture when AI Cortana hacked into the [[Covenant battle network]], a force of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers assisted Master Chief Petty Officer [[John-117]]; a SPARTAN-II, in the initial boarding of the ship. Using faked signals and an opening in the Covenant ship's sensor network to their advantage,<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 99''</ref> the UNSC forces inserted to a nearby plateau and took out the ground forces guarding the ship's [[gravity lift]]. Entering the ship, the group was attacked by numerous waves of the ship's military complement.<ref name="tr"/> |
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| ==The battle==
| | Leaving the ODSTs in the ship's control center, the Master Chief proceeded to hunt for Captain Keyes solo. Eventually finding him and several imprisoned marines, the group headed back to the control room. However, in the time it took John to find Keyes and head back, the ODSTs guarding the rally point had been slaughtered by Energy Sword-wielding zealots.<ref name="tr"/> |
| ===Flood attack===
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| As the conflict on Alpha Halo bore on into its later stages, the fleet's command element issued a general order to evacuate the ring due to the ever-increasing growth of the [[Flood]] parasite. However, the parasite ultimately was able to attack the cruiser, ultimately managing to disable it before it could comply with the order. As a consequence, the Covenant deployed a strike team to begin the process of eradicating the infestation and readying the ship for lift-off. What followed was a long and bloody engagement, as Covenant forces fought to clear the ship's many compartments while the Flood continued to pour into the canyons surrounding the landing site.{{Ref/Level|Id=Keyes|HCE|Keyes}}
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| ===John's return===
| | After Covenant Banshees located the Pelican ''Echo 419'', which was giving support for the mission, Keyes changed the objective. Rather than waiting for Echo 419 to return safely, the group went to one of the Truth and Reconciliation's [[hangar bay]]s, where they stole a [[Type-25 Troop Carrier]].<ref name="tr"/> |
| Having successfully escaped the clutches of [[343 Guilty Spark]] and temporarily disabled the ring's [[Phase pulse generator|firing mechanisms]], [[Cortana]] was able to use the internal [[fusion reactor]] in the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|armour]] of John-117 to [[Slipspace translocation|teleport]] the Spartan to the ''Truth and Reconciliation''. Having established the need to destroy the ring, the duo determined that the best outcome was to use Captain [[Jacob Keyes]]' [[Command neural interface|CNI transponder]] to detonate the ''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}s fusion drives; hopefully blowing up the ring in the process. However, the Captain had been regarded as MIA since his disappearance in the [[Outbreak at the Containment Facility|Flood facility outbreak]] - with the only clue to his location being his CNI interface's transmission being located at the ''Truth and Reconciliation''.{{Ref/Reuse|Keyes}}
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| The [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN]] was ultimately able to fight through the ship's seemingly-endless waves of Flood and Covenant attackers to the [[bridge]] - where he discovered that he was too late to save Keyes. Instead, the Flood had begun amassing biomatter in the bridge to construct a [[Proto-Gravemind]], with Keyes at its centre. With no other options left, John punched through Keyes' skull to recover his neural interface, before escaping to the hangars to steal a [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]] and escape to the crash site of the ''Pillar of Autumn''.{{Ref/Reuse|Keyes}}{{Ref/Book|HM|Section=The Battle For Alpha Halo|Page=98}}
| | ==Second raid - return to the Captain== |
| | During the UNSC raid on the Flood containment facility, Captain Keyes was infected by the flood super cell via an Infection Form. Initially becoming a Combat form, his tactical knowledge was considered important to the parasitic organisms, and he was converted into a [[Proto-Gravemind]] along with a Sangheili officer after the Flood began to take over the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' on September 21st. |
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| ===UNSC capture===
| | In order to destroy the ''Pillar of Autumn'' and sterilize the Flood outbreak, John-117 and AI Cortana required Captain Keyes' [[command neural interface]], which contained the code for the ''Autumn'''s auto-destruct system. Initially arriving just outside of the control room, John had to escape from a seemingly infinite number of Flood attackers in a locked-down part of the ship by jumping out of it; a pool of the ship's reactor coolant broke his otherwise fatal fall. Returning up the gravity lift, John searched for an open door for the control room. The Captain managed to hold onto his humanity long enough to communicate with John via a UNSC comm system, confirming his survival. However, his orders to leave him and escape were taken less seriously and thought of by Cortana as evidence of being mentally disturbed.<ref name="keyes">'''Halo: Combat Evolved''' campaign level, ''[[Keyes]]''</ref> |
| While they attempted to rescue Keyes, Cortana was also able to link back up with the UNSC forces at [[Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base]] and inform them of the current situation; the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' was spaceworthy and the ring was soon to be imminently destroyed. Consequently, Major [[Antonio Silva]] began to plan an operation to let his [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers|ODST]] [[battalion]] escape the ring, by capturing the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' for themselves. If all went well, either Cortana or [[Wellsley]] would be able to fly the cruiser, at which point they would return to [[Earth]] with an intact Covenant vessel full of data on the Covenant and the ringworld, Flood and Covenant prisoners and a myriad of technology samples to reverse engineer.{{Ref/Novel|HTF|Chapter=11}}
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| On September 22, seventy-six hours after the initial [[Landing on Installation 04|landing]] on the Installation, the operation commenced, despite warnings by Wellsley that the Flood's continued presence aboard the ship could well endanger all life on Earth. However, Silva rejected the AI's suggestion, due to the officer's own ego and hubris.{{Ref/Novel|Id=TF12|HTF|Chapter=12}}
| | Finally reaching the center, they found that they were too late: Keyes had fully merged with the calcium blob and became a part of the Proto-Gravemind. With no other option, John punched through the former Captain's head and took out the neural interface. The two commandeered a Banshee flown into the hangar by Covenant Special Operations personnel and headed straight for the ''Pillar of Autumn'''s crash site.<ref name="keyes"/> |
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| In total, the human force consisted of fifteen scavenged Banshees, 236 [[UNSC Marine Corps|marines]] armed with close-quarters weaponry (the total surviving infantry complement under Alpha Base's command), 76 [[UNSC Navy|Naval]] personnel armed with scavenged Covenant [[Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols]] and [[Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle|rifles]] and three [[D77-TC Pelican]] with which to transport them. The Naval personnel were lightly armed as to allow them to carry supplies, and a group of sixteen individuals were deemed to have critical skills essential enough to warrant two Marine bodyguards each.{{Ref/Reuse|TF12}}
| | ==Third raid - capture== |
| | Not long after the Master Chief's departure, he alerted [[Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base]] of his intent to destroy the ringworld. The relatively large force of Marines; ODSTs and crewmen deemed too important to be put into cryonic suspension -and thus were not ejected into space, were evacuated on the remaining few Pelican dropships as their home since the 19th was finally abandoned.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 316-317''</ref> |
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| By this time, the Covenant force had been depleted enough by their fight against the Flood that only around fifteen Banshees remained in the air to conduct combat air patrol operations for the ''Reconciliation'', resulting in the craft being taken by surprise by the surprise attack launched from sunward by the fifteen human-piloted Banshees. Within a minute of fighting beginning, half of the Covenant Banshees were taken out of action, and the rest split off into individual dogfights. The attack was followed up by a rapid insertion via Pelican, with Lieutenant [[Peterson]] and his fellow pilots deploying a force of forty-five ODSTs led by Silva into the cruiser's shuttle bay to assault the ship's control room.{{Ref/Reuse|TF12}}
| | Arriving onboard via the hangar bays, the Covenant and Flood had managed to almost kill each other off. With only a few remaining enemies, the UNSC forces managed to quickly gain control over essential systems; notably the control room. They even managed to capture the [[Prophet of Stewardship]] who was aboard the vessel at the time.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 332''</ref> The Prophet sent an emergency rescue request to the fleet, but this request was denied by Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee, as the ring's destruction was imminent and the fleet proceeded to move into cover behind Threshold.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood (2011)''', Adjunct: ''[[Priority Broadcast Log/Eleventh Cycle, Third Unit]]''</ref> |
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| Simultaneously, a ground attack was launched by [[Melissa McKay]] on the gravity lift site, utilising an advantage of knowledge gathered from the previous raid on September 19. However, the ODSTs faced stubborn resistance, with the Covenant having thrice-fortified the ship compared to the defenses encountered two days prior. Rocket-equipped teams fired their rockets at the defending [[Sangheili|Elite]]s and [[Mgalekgolo|Hunter]]s before throwing [[M9 fragmentation grenade|grenades]] into the mix - clearing the defending party in thirty-six seconds. This team was designated to assault the ship's engineering bay, allowing UNSC forces effective control of the ship for flight. Thanks to the lightning attack conducted by the ODSTs, the humans were able to take control of more than 80% of the ship and capture the Prophet of Stewardship in short order, sealing off the compartments with known enemy activity for dealing with later. Instead, Silva prioritised getting the ship online and operational, vowing the make sure the cruiser was off the ground before the ring was detonated.{{Ref/Reuse|TF12}} In response to his capture, the Prophet of Stewardship sent out an emergency rescue request to the Fleet of Particular Justice, though the request was ignored as the fleet began to move to safe cover behind the gas giant [[Threshold]].{{Ref/Reuse|Priority}}
| | The mission commander; Major Antonio Silva, planned to take the ship into orbit and rendezvous with the Master Chief before jumping to Earth. His lieutenant however, disagreed with him.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 300-301''</ref> Realizing that the Flood's parasitic nature was too dangerous to let it spread, along with the potential discovery of Earth by the Covenant were the ship to enter UNSC space, she threw an [[M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenade|M9 grenade]] onto an important piece of circuitry. The grenade's detonation severed the link between the command centre and engineering, deactivating the ship's repulsor engines in-atmosphere. The ''Truth and Reconciliation'' collapsed onto the plateau it was resting on, resulting in a spectacular explosion of fire and plasma.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 332''</ref> |
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| As pre-flight preparations were conducted and personnel loaded onto the ship, the occupying humans continued to be periodically attacked by Flood hidden in the ship's access pathways. This circumstance caused McKay and Wellsley to urge Silva again to keep the ship grounded until all Flood presence could be cleared, though the request was once again refused. Ultimately, this answer came in the form of a fiber-optic cable linking the bridge to engineering, required to keep the ship operating. Initially, the now-infected [[Wallace Jenkins]] had attempted to lunge for the cable to prevent the Flood outbreak from spreading further though failed due to his restraints, ultimately inspiring McKay to do the same. The officer proceeded to detonate a grenade on the cable, causing the control links from the bridge to the engines to be severed, resulting in the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' crashing onto the surface of Installation 04.{{Ref/Reuse|TF12}}{{Ref/Book|HWF|Section=Truth and Reconciliation|Page=62-63}}
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| ==List of appearances==
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| *''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' {{1st}}
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| *''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
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| *''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
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| *''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]'' {{Mo}}
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| ==Sources== | | ==Sources== |
| {{Ref/Sources}}
| | <references/> |
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| {{Engagements in the Battle of Installation 04}} | | {{Human-Covenant War}} |
| [[Category:Engagements in the Battle of Installation 04]]
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