Editing Battle of Installation 00

{{Era|HCW}}
{{Battle Infobox
|prev=[[Battle of Earth]]
|conc=[[Battle of the Citadel]]
|next=[[Raid on High Charity|Raid on ''High Charity'']]
|name= Battle of Installation 00
|image=[[Image:H3 E3 Orbital Battle.jpg|440px]]
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]], [[Great Schism]]
|date= [[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]<ref name="Fortitude">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herofortitude/bfe5038b-314a-4f17-a6be-f7613e0e3788 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Hero-Fortitude'']</ref>
|place= [[Installation 00]] (the "Ark")
|result= Decisive [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]/[[Swords of Sanghelios|Sangheili]] victory 
*Death of Prophet of Truth and Gravemind 
*End of the Human-Covenant War 
*Overall collapse of the Covenant.
*Flood forces completely wiped out 
*All Forerunner constructs destroyed, including 343 Guilty Spark
*Destruction of [[Installation 04B]]<ref name="halo">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref> and severe damage done to [[Installation 00]]<ref name="Array">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/the-halo-array/7ec5ea56-3d8c-4644-a760-5baa8f35166c '''Halo Waypoint:''' ''The Halo Array'']</ref>
|side1=*[[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] <br>
*[[Swords of Sanghelios]]
|side2=*[[Covenant]]
|side3=*[[Flood]]
|side4=*[[Forerunner]] constructs
|commanders1=*[[Commander|CDR]] [[Miranda Keyes]]†
*[[Sergeant Major|SgtMaj]] [[Avery Junior Johnson|Avery Johnson]]†
*[[Master Chief Petty Officer|MCPO]] [[John-117]]([[Missing in action|MIA]])
*[[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]
*[[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]
*[[Cortana]] (MIA)
|commanders2=*[[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]†
|commanders3=*[[Gravemind]]†
|commanders4=*[[000 Tragic Solitude]]
*[[343 Guilty Spark]]†
|forces1=*[[Fleet of Retribution]]/[[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]]
**''[[Shadow of Intent]]''
**9 [[CCS-class battlecruiser|CCS-class Battlecruisers]]
***''[[Pious Inquisitor]]''
**{{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}
**[[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword]] fighters
**[[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]]s
**[[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantom]]s
*Ground forces
**[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
***[[S4/BLCE/1/7]]
***[[S4/BRT/1/7]]
****[[Alpha Company, S4/BRT/1/7|Alpha Company]]
****[[Charlie Company, S4/BRT/1/7|Charlie Company]]
***[[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]]s
****[[11th Marine Force Reconnaissance/ODST|11th MFR/ODST]]
**[[Sangheili]]
*Vehicles
**[[AV-14 Hornet]]s
**[[M12 Warthog]]s
**[[M12G1 Gauss Warthog]]s
**[[M274 Mongoose]]s
**[[M808 Scorpion|M808 Scorpion Tank]]s
**[[Type-52 Phantom]]s
|forces2=*[[Truth's fleet]]
**3 [[Covenant assault carrier|Assault carrier]]s<ref name="theark"/>
**27 [[CCS-class battlecruiser]]s<ref name="theark"/>
**Many [[Type-31 Exoatmospheric Multi-role Fighter|Seraph]] fighters
**Many [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantoms]]
**[[Forerunner Dreadnought]]
*Ground forces
**[[Jiralhanae]]
**[[Kig-yar]]
**[[Unggoy]]
**[[Yanme'e]]
**[[Mgalekgolo]]
*Vehicles
**At least 3 [[Type-47 Scarab]]s
**[[Type-25 Chopper]]s
**[[Type-26 Banshee]]s
**[[Type-26 Wraith]]s
**[[Type-32 Ghost]]s
**[[Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Wraith]]s
**[[Type-52 Prowler]]s
|forces3=*[[High Charity]]
*Numerous [[The Flood|Flood]] forms
|forces4=*Numerous Sentinels
|casual1=
*Moderate amount of Sangheili and Human ships
**''Forward Unto Dawn''
*Numerous infantry losses.
|casual2=*Most, if not all ships
*Most ground forces
|casual3=*All 
*High Charity
|casual4=*Many Sentinels
}}
{{Quote|Our fight is through the Portal, with the Brutes and the bastard Truth!|[[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref>}}

The '''Battle of Installation 00''' was a large battle between the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]-[[Swords of Sanghelios]] alliance, the [[Covenant]], the [[Flood]], and [[Forerunner]] [[Sentinel]]s on [[2552#December|December 11, 2552]].<ref name="Fortitude"/><ref name="theark">'''Halo 3''', campaign level, ''[[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]''</ref><ref name="cov">'''Halo 3''', campaign level, ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref><ref name="halo"/> It was the final battle of the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref name="epi">'''Halo 3''', ''Epilogue''</ref> This battle and the last stand of the Covenant marked one of the few major engagements in the entire war in which the Covenant were on the defensive.

==Background==
===Battle of Installation 04===
{{Main|Battle of Installation 04}}
During the [[Battle of Installation 04]], [[Cortana]] intercepted the [[Installation]]'s [[Activation Index|Index]] as it was being inserted by [[John-117|Spartan-117]]. She continued to hold on to it after she had been removed from the Installation's [[Control Room]]. She also had spent over twelve hours inside the Control Room's computer, gaining an incredible amount of information about the [[Halo Array|Halo]] installations, making her possibly the most knowledgeable regarding the operation of the Halo rings, the Forerunners and the Ark perhaps even more so than [[343 Guilty Spark]] who admitted he was quite ignorant of the [[Forerunner]] structures beyond Installation 04.

===Battle of Installation 05===
{{Main|Battle of Installation 05}}
The [[Battle of Installation 05]] included many events that would become major factors in the Battle of Installation 00.

The [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[Artificial intelligence|AI]], [[Cortana]], remained aboard the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] holy city, ''[[High Charity]]'' as the Flood and its central consciousness, the [[Gravemind]], took control of it. From there, the Gravemind interrogated her, and she willingly answered its questions.

The aborted activation of Installation 05 had set all of the Halo rings to standby, where they could be activated from the central location of the [[Installation 00|Ark]].

Finally, the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] civil war, termed the [[Great Schism]], and the [[human]]-separatist alliance began in the space around Installation 05.

===Battle of Earth===
{{Main|Battle of Earth}}
The [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] had arrived on [[Earth]] with the rest of his fleet, to complete the digging of a [[The Portal|Forerunner structure]] under the planet surface. Eventually they uncovered and activated it, opening a [[slipspace portal]] that would take them to the [[Installation 00|Ark]], a Forerunner structure from which Truth can fire all of the Halo installations at once. As he departed through the Portal, a [[The Flood|Flood]]-[[Unidentified Flood-captured battlecruiser|captured ship]] arrived on Earth and crashed. From it, John and the Arbiter were able to extract a message from [[Cortana]], alerting them that ''[[High Charity]]'' was heading for Earth and indicating that the solution to the problem of the Flood lay beyond the portal.

While [[Terrence Hood|Lord Hood]] was suspicious of [[Cortana]]'s warning and objected to going through the portal, [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]], Spartan-117 and [[Shipmaster|Ship Master]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] all indicated their wish to proceed through the Portal. Lord Hood gave Miranda Keyes command of the ''[[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn|Forward Unto Dawn]]'' for the human commitment to the mission and the fleet of ships chased after the High Prophet of Truth.

==Battle==
{{Quote|Brute ships. Staggered line! Shipmaster, they outnumber us, three-to-one!|Sangheili Major}} 
{{Quote|Then it is an even fight. All cruisers, fire at will! Burn their mongrel hides!|Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum}}

The High Prophet of Truth, having successfully activated the artifact in [[Voi]], left Earth through a slipspace portal to the Ark, a Forerunner structure that can be used to fire all of the Halo installations at once. Despite Lord Hood's skepticism, Commander Keyes took the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' with a small fleet of separatist [[cruiser]]s led by the [[Covenant assault carrier|assault carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' and proceeded through the Slipspace portal, arriving at the Ark. The separatists immediately engaged the [[Jiralhanae|Brute]] fleet stationed to protect the [[Hierarchs|Prophet]] while the ''Dawn'' deployed the [[John-117|Master Chief]] and [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]]s in six [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]] to locate Truth. Despite being outnumbered three-to-one in space, the separatist fleet made short work of the Covenant space forces, likely due to the [[Sangheili]]'s remarkable tactical adeptness. The Covenant loyalist fleet had been destroyed and the only loyalists left alive were Truth and his forces on the Ark. Also, presumably Truth landed the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] on the Ark although it was never seen again and was specifically said not to take part in the battle above the Ark.<ref name="theark"/>

[[File:923831-Full.jpg|thumb|300px|Truth's Jiralhanae fleet confronts the Sangheili Fleet of Retribution]]

===Operation: BLIND FAITH===
As part of an operation called Operation: BLIND FAITH,<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 57'', "11th Marine Force Reconnaissance Unit/ODST" within "ODST Units"</ref> five of the Pelicans deployed by the human frigate ''Forward Unto Dawn'' had made it to the Ark. The Master Chief and four [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODSTs]] were deployed, ambushing a group of [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]], [[Unggoy|Grunts]], and [[Kig-Yar|Jackals]] listening to a message from Truth. They then proceeded to ambush another group of Covenant loyalists building an Anti-Aircraft Gun. They entered a small cave, where the Chief first accessed the Forerunner [[Terminal/Halo 3|Terminal]] network. On the other side of the cave they met a pair of [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] survivors from a second shot down Pelican and witnessed a [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword]] fighter crashing. After being informed of a possible landing zone for the ''Forward Unto Dawn'', the humans ambushed the Brutes and Grunts searching the crashed Pelican, then destroyed a pair of [[Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle|Brute Prowlers]] that attacked. Now with [[M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle|Mongooses]] and Prowlers, they continued past the crashed Longsword, a pair of [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|HEVs]] that had landed and had the ODSTs which had once occupied them killed once they left their pods, and a crashed [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantom]] to a battle between Covenant and Sentinels outside a Forerunner barrier. [[Avery Junior Johnson|Avery J. Johnson]] informed that he had spotted a structure that was similar to the [[Cartographer]] of Installation 04 on the other side of the wall, and Keyes set it as their objective. The ''Dawn'' would need to land first however. After meeting another group of Marines being attacked, the vehicles led by the Chief then moved to the sighted Landing Zone, which was occupied by a pair of Anti-Air Wraiths. After they cleared the LZ, the ''Dawn'' disengaged from the space battle and dived onto the surface of the installation, landing safely.<ref name="theark"/>

[[Image:Ark Level Scorpion.jpg|thumb|left|300px|UNSC ground forces battling in the desert.]]

From the ''Dawn'''s hangar, the Master Chief, ODSTs, and Marines were reinforced with three [[M808B Main Battle Tank|Scorpion]] tanks and a [[M12 Warthog|Warthog]]. The human force then fought their way through a large reinforcements force back to the Forerunner wall. The Chief went through the upper, smaller doorway while the armor and vehicles (reinforced with one more Warthog and a [[M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle|Gauss Warthog]]) went through the larger, lower doorway. After activating a light bridge the [[Spartan]] went through the wall, only to see a [[Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform|Scarab]] and a Covenant armored force destroy the Warthogs. He then fought his way to the lower doorway, which then finally opened fully, letting the tanks through. [[Sergeant]] [[Stacker]] and the Chief led the [[M808B Main Battle Tank|Scorpions]] and a Warthog]] through two Covenant defense lines of [[Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle|Choppers]], [[Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle|Ghosts]], [[Type-26 Assault Gun Carriage|Wraiths]], and infantry with heavy weapons, reinforced by a Phantom. When the Scarab returned, the humans then proceeded to destroy it, plus the Choppers and infantry reinforcing it. By now the Elites had defeated the entirety of Truth's remaining fleet. The ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' landed near the Cartographer.<ref name="theark"/> Rtas 'Vadum likely ordered all his remaining ships except for the ''Shadow of Intent'' to go back to [[Earth]] and wait for his return.

[[File:Banshee cov.jpg|thumb|300px|Covenant air forces engaging UNSC/Sangheili forces.]]

[[343 Guilty Spark]], now working with the UNSC-separatist alliance, led [[John-117|Spartan-117]] and the Arbiter [[Thel 'Vadam]], plus a pair of Marines, to the Ark's Cartographer. Fighting their way through several incompetent and unprepared forces that were asleep, they get back outside where they pinpointed the Prophet's location. By then Truth had already holed himself in a secure facility in the core of the Ark and had activated a large barrier around the entire core to ward off the attacking forces. After discovering Truth's location, the UNSC-separatist troops were attacked by a large Covenant air force. Johnson led the air battle against them, and 'Vadam stole a [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Banshee]] to help him. The Chief, with the pair of Marines, fought his way past a group of [[Jiralhanae Stalker|Stalker Brutes]]. He then dueled with a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Brute Chieftain]] and defeated a squad of [[Jump Pack Jiralhanae|Jump Pack Brutes]] before being picked up by Pelican [[Kilo 023]] after the Covenant air force was dealt with. The humans and Elites set forth to attack Truth to stop him from activating the rings.<ref name="theark"/>

===Battle of the Citadel===
{{main|Battle of the Citadel}}
[[Image:Trident11.jpg|thumb|right|300px|UNSC and Separatist forces begin their assault on Truth.]]

The UNSC ground forces, carried in five Pelicans, along with Sangheili reinforcements in a pair of green Phantoms, assaulted three emitter pylons that powered a small section of the barrier. The Master Chief and a small squad of three of [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODSTs]] were deployed a distance from the first tower by a Pelican after hostile fire shot down a second Pelican carrying Marines and a Warthog. The crashing Pelican also took out the ODSTs' Warthog. [[Thel 'Vadam]] and Elites assaulted the second tower. Sergeant Johnson took four Marines and attacked the final tower. Clearing the Covenant loyalist heavy weapons on the beach, a new Warthog and a Mongoose were deployed and taken through heavy resistance to the tower. Clearing it, the Chief learned that the separatists had taken down the second tower, but Johnson had been ambushed by enemy reinforcements. The Chief returned to the beach, commandeered a [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornet]] and helped destroy Covenant Banshees and a Phantom, securing air control for the UNSC-Sangheili forces outside the barrier. Destroying the Brute defenders outside the third tower with Hornets and Pelicans, Master Chief, Thel 'Vadam, and a team of five Elites discovered the corpses of the Marine team, except for Johnson's. When the defending forces were eliminated and the barrier deactivated, the ''Shadow of Intent'' prepared to bombard the Citadel, but was prevented from doing so by the arrival of the [[The Flood|Flood]]-infested ''[[High Charity]]'', which launched debris that crippled the Sangheili carrier and spread Flood across the Ark. Keyes insisted that this would only pressure Truth into activating the rings, and ordered the remaining forces to attack him directly.

Fighting through a group of Flood, the Elites and the Chief met up with Sergeant Stacker's Marines, supported by a Scorpion, a Gauss Warthog, and a Mongoose. The humans and Elites fought through the cliffs to the area outside the [[Citadel]], the structure which could remotely activate all of the [[Halo Array]]. The Covenant attempted to reinforce their troops by a large amount of Phantom transports gathered from around the installation, but the UNSC air forces countered this by attacking the Phantoms and their Banshee escorts with Hornets and Pelican Gunships. The ground forces managed to destroy the remaining Covenant armor on the mountainside. Given another Gauss Warthog and air support from a flight of Hornets and a Pelican, the Marines destroyed Banshees, Ghosts, a Prowler, plus a pair of Scarabs dropped in front of the Citadel by Brutes. After the destruction of the Scarabs, the Covenant had lost their grip on the Citadel area. Without any heavy support, Spartan-117 and 'Vadam personally attacked the facility where Truth was to activate the Halo installations.<ref name="cov"/>

[[File:Scarab explodes.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Covenant ground forces are defeated.]]

[[Sergeant Major]] Johnson, who had disappeared during the assault, was in fact captured by Truth's forces and was being tortured into pressing the final switch to activate the other Halos. With Spartan-117 and the Arbiter too far away to stop High Prophet of Truth, Commander Keyes grabbed a Pelican dropship and crashed into the facility to rescue Johnson, but was killed soon after by Truth himself. However, her actions delayed Truth long enough for Spartan-117 and the Arbiter to stop him. The [[Gravemind]] dispatched Flood forces to assist Spartan-117 and the Arbiter in preventing the Halos' activation and the Arbiter personally killed Truth. However, the Gravemind betrayed them soon after and while Johnson managed to escape with Commander Keyes' body in the Pelican, Spartan-117 and the Arbiter had to fight their way outside with the assistance of some Sentinels. 

[[File:TruthDeath-large.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Arbiter killing the Prophet of Truth.]]
343 Guilty Spark had managed to facilitate the making of a new Halo through the Ark, explaining that a tactical pulse from it would eliminate the Flood infestation. However, this new Halo lacked an Activation Index. The only way they could get another Index was to rescue Cortana from ''High Charity'' since she still possessed the Index from Installation 04.<ref name="cov"/> 

Johnson picked up the Arbiter and the Chief while Guilty Spark went off to the new Installation. The party then headed to the Shadow of Intent, where Johnson, 'Vadam, and Ship Master 'Vadum rounded up the UNSC and Sangheili forces. Meanwhile, Master Chief [[Raid on High Charity|infiltrated]] ''High Charity'', successfully recovering Cortana and the Index and sabotaging the city's reactors. He escaped with the help of 'Vadam and fled onboard a crashed Pelican as the station exploded, ostensibly destroying the Gravemind.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]''</ref>

===Finishing the fight===
{{Main|Raid of Installation 04B}}
With the Index secure, Thel 'Vadam ordered Rtas 'Vadum (who has safely evacuated humans and Sangheili back onboard the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'') to escape back through the slipspace portal to Earth while he, Spartan-117, and Sergeant Major Johnson moved in on the Control Room of the incomplete Halo. The ''Dawn'' was left behind for them to use to escape. The Gravemind, meanwhile, had begun to rebuild itself on the new ring, and sent [[Flood dispersal pod]]s to kill the three interlopers. The Chief, 'Vadum, and Johnson, with the assistance of local [[Sentinel]]s and 343 Guilty Spark, fought through the Flood and entered the Control Room. Spark explained that the new Halo would be ready to fire within days, to which the group, particularly Johnson, protested. When Guilty Spark informed the three that activating Halo now would destroy both the Ark and the installation, Johnson told him to "deal with it" and prepared to activate the ring.<ref name="halo"/>

{{Quote|Send me out, with a bang.|[[Avery Junior Johnson|Johnson]]'s last words}}

Unwilling to let "his" ring be destroyed again, 343 Guilty Spark went rampant, mortally wounded Johnson, took down Spartan-117's shields and blew the Arbiter out of the room. However, with the help of a dying Sergeant Johnson and his [[M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle|Spartan Laser]], Spartan-117 managed to destroy Guilty Spark and start the firing sequence of the new Halo. He and the Arbiter then took Johnson's Warthog and rushed towards the ''Dawn'' as the incomplete Halo powered up and started breaking apart. The two drove their way through hordes of battling Flood and [[Sentinel]] drones, with the world literally falling to pieces around them. The two heroes made it onto the ''Dawn'', where the Arbiter was almost crushed by a Scorpion Tank due to the sudden acceleration of the ship. Agility and a pair of crates saved him. Spartan-117 then inserted Cortana into a holotank and she activated the ''Dawn's ''engines. The Arbiter made his way to the bridge of the ''Dawn'' and took her into Slipspace just as the new Halo fired, with Master Chief almost being crushed by the same tank which descended through the cargo hold and into space.<ref name="halo"/> However, the Slipspace portal collapsed as the ''Dawn'' entered it and while the forward half with the Arbiter made it to Earth, the rear half fell out of Slipspace with Cortana and Spartan-117 floating into the dark abyss.

The Battle of the Ark ended the Human-Covenant War. Months later, a monument was erected near the remains of [[Voi]] in remembrance of those who died in the line of duty including Spartan-117 who is labeled [[Missing in action|MIA]]. The Arbiter, the Shipmaster and their brethren then departed Earth for [[Sanghelios]].<ref name="epi"/>

==Aftermath==
{{Quote|For us, the storm has passed. The war is over. But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark, and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure; sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight, our fight, was elsewhere. As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren. A memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten.|[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] in the memorial ceremony}}

===Installation 00 and the Flood===
The firing of the Halo ring caused unprecedented damage to the Ark while sterilizing the installation of the Flood forces around and on it, including the Gravemind commanding the massing Flood amid the battle.<ref name="Array"/>

===''Forward Unto Dawn''===
The Portal between [[Installation 00]] and Earth collapsed while {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} was still inside it. As a result, the ship was cut in half; the front arriving at Earth and the back half being lost in space. The Arbiter, sitting on the bridge at the time, was part of the front half but, without any engines, soon crashed. However, John-117 and Cortana were in the rear half and were declared KIA by the UNSC. In reality, they had survived the Portal's collapse. John-117 went into cryo-sleep while Cortana activated an [[emergency locator beacon]] indicating their status. After drifting in an unknown region of space for over 4 years, the rear half of the ''Dawn'' was caught in the [[gravity well]] of a Forerunner [[shield world]] known as [[Requiem]].<ref name="epi"/>

===Legacy===
A [[Voi Memorial|monument]] was made near the town of Voi where the Forerunner artifact had been built. It reads "''In memory of those fallen in the defense of Earth and her Colonies. [[2553|March 3, 2553]].''" On it were the pictures of the most outstanding UNSC personnel who went through the Portal but did not return. John-117 is honored on it by a "117" scratched onto the monument and a [[Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy]] badge taped on the monument.

With the exception of Thel 'Vadam, the Sangheili were not present at the [[Voi Memorial]], instead remaining aboard the ''Shadow of Intent''. After the ceremony, Lord Hood, despite being unable to forgive the Sangheili for what they did to humanity at the beginning of the war, shook Thel 'Vadam's hand and thanked him for standing beside the Master Chief at the Ark. The Arbiter then departed to the ''Shadow of Intent'' via Phantom, and joined [[Rtas 'Vadum]] on the bridge, both agreeing to return to [[Sanghelios]] to ensure its safety. Thel 'Vadam was given command of the carrier and all Sangheili onboard departed for their homeworld.<ref name="epi"/>

==Participants==
{{Col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Ships===
'''UNSC'''
*{{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}

'''Covenant separatists'''
*''[[Shadow of Intent]]''
*''[[Pious Inquisitor]]''

===Units===
'''UNSC'''
*[[UNSC Home Fleet]]
*[[105th Shock Troops Division|105th ODST Division]]
*[[11th Marine Force Reconnaissance/ODST]]
*[[S4/BLCE/1/7]]
*[[S4/BRT/1/7]]
**[[Alpha Company, S4/BRT/1/7|Alpha Company]]
**[[Charlie Company, S4/BRT/1/7|Charlie Company]]

'''Swords of Sanghelios'''
*[[Fleet of Retribution]]

'''Covenant'''
*[[Truth's fleet]]

{{col-2}}

===Personnel===
'''UNSC'''
*[[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]]
*[[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]]
*[[Cortana]]
*[[Lieutenant]] [[Hocus]]
*[[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Junior Johnson]]
*[[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Reynolds]]
*[[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Stacker]]
*[[Private First Class]] [[Chips Dubbo]]

'''Swords of Sanghelios'''
*[[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]
*[[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]

'''Covenant'''
*[[Prophet of Truth]]

'''Forerunner'''
*[[343 Guilty Spark]]
*[[Mendicant Bias]]

'''Flood'''
*[[Gravemind]]

{{col-end}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
**''[[Petra]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]'' {{Im}}
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
<references/>

{{Human-Covenant War}}
[[Category:UNSC Victories]]