Battle of Netherop (2559)

This article is based on canon information, but the article's title is conjectural and/or uses descriptions as the title, as there is currently no official name for the subject.

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Battle of Netherop
Crei 'Ayomuu, Olympia Vale and Thel 'Vadam on Netherop during the Created conflict.
Conflict:	Post-Covenant War conflicts Created uprising
Date:	November 22-23, 2559
Location:	Netherop, Ephyra system, Polona sector/Out Sectors
Outcome:	Banished victory Divine Hand successfully acquired by the Banished. Death of Nizat 'Kvarosee and destruction of his supporters Defection of Blademaster Meduz 'Ra'ashai to the Swords of Sanghelios Rescue of Lieutenant Commander Amalea Petrov and the UNSC forces stranded on Netherop in 2526
showDetails Belligerents UNSC UNSC Navy UNSC Marine Corps Swords of Sanghelios Banished Created Defenders of the Sanctum Commanders Spartan Olympia Vale Lieutenant Commander Amalea Petrov Arbiter Thel 'Vadam Kaidon Ghe 'Talot† High Kaidon Olabisi Varo'dai Warmaster Atriox Tovarus High Auxiliary Sloan Kathara Worldmaster Nizat 'Kvarosee† Strength 1 Point Blank-class prowler UNSC Hidden Point 40 Pelicans 10 D81 Condors 1 D102 Owl 815 ODSTs Tango Team 1 Spartan-IV Olympia Vale 3 mountain runners 4 Makar-pattern light corvettes 1 A'uzr-pattern sword frigate Sword of Harmony 1 Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette 1 Covenant Destroyer 3 Phantoms 6 Ghosts 60+ Sangheili 1 Drekar Hammer of Fate 6 Karves 10 Eklon'Dal Workshop Liches Hundreds of Gydrozka Workshop Breaching Pods Hundreds of Jiralhanae warriors 3 Acolyte-class harriers Several weapon-ships 1 mountain runner 7 Sangheili Casualties UNSC Hidden Point 40 Pelicans 5 D81-LRT Condors Over 800 ODSTs 4 Makar-pattern light corvettes Sword of Harmony 1 Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette 1 Covenant Destroyer Several Sangheili Ghe 'Talot Hammer of Fate 2 Karves 2 Acolyte-class harriers Several weapon-ships Total

The Battle of Netherop occurred after the discovery of an ancient weapon that destroyed a Guardian Custode. An operation on Netherop to claim it started a conflict between the UNSC and the Swords of Sanghelios, the Banished, and Defenders of the Sanctum which was made up of surviving rogue Covenant soldiers exiled on the planet in 2526.

Background

Netherop

During the Forerunner-Precursor war, Precursor fugitives known as "Nothing" took refuge on the planet Netherop with the Tier 6 civilization already inhabiting it. When a Guardian Custode attacked, the Precursors used their weapon, the Divine Hand, to destroy the Guardian. However, the weapon also destroyed the local civilization and the planet, turning Netherop from a lush garden world into a barely-habitable wasteland.

In 2526, Netherop was the site of two battles between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant. In the second, a rogue faction of the Covenant led by Fleetmaster Nizat 'Kvarosee who sought to destroy the Office of Naval Intelligence after his humiliation in Operation: SILENT STORM, seeing them as the greatest threat to the Covenant. However, Nizat's rogue actions led to the Hierarchs sending a fleet to stop him, leading to the destruction or retreat of the flotilla. Nizat and his ground forces were marooned on Netherop's surface with an orbital mine shell placed in orbit of the planet in order to prevent anyone from coming back for him. In addition, Lieutenant Commander Amalea Petrov and some of her forces were left stranded on Netherop as well. Over the next thirty-three years, the UNSC and Covenant survivors fought each other, resulting in the death of most of Nizat's forces, leaving only Nizat himself and six others while the humans' numbers continued to grow as the stranded survivors had children and families.

The Created

Main article: Created conflict

In October 2558, a force of artificial intelligences known as the Created, led by Cortana, rose up and began to subjugate the Milky Way galaxy. A year following this rise, the UNSC and their Sangheili allies were still trying to find a way to stop Cortana's rule. A xenoarchaologist, Keely Iyuska, was interested in learning and study the remnants of the ancient non-Forerunner civilization on the planet Netherop, recorded by the UNSC and the Covenant decades earlier. When the Created uprising began, she couldn't realise her plans. On November 2559, however, Iyuska was contacted and founded by a benefactor to study Netherop and its technology. During her studies, Iyuska managed to find records indicated that a Guardian Custode was sent to subdue Netherop, and that the planet's civilization had managed to defeat the construct. Instead of informing her benefactor, Iyuska travelled to Sanghelios and inform Spartan Olympia Vale about her discovery.

The Banished

During his time on Installation 00, Atriox was able to find records about an ancient weapon on Netherop that managed to destroy a Guardian Custode. The record was discovered in the cockpit of a Phaeton fighter salvaged by the Banished and contained a holographic recording of the Divine Hand being used to destroy the Guardian in ancient times. After finding the record and becoming aware of such a powerful tool, Atriox immediately made plans to return back to the galaxy and recover it. Although concerned that the weapon could have been destroyed, or lost, in the many millennia since the recording, he was countered by his studymaster Eto 'Saljhoo, who noted that if there was not a reasonable chance of its existence, then the Created would not have assigned three Acolyte-class harriers to guard Netherop.

Months later, during Operation: WOLFE, Atriox was able to return to the Milky Way via a portal complex under the Menachite Mountain on Reach, where he began his plans to claim the weapon on Netherop and then start his campaign to take Installation 07 from Cortana. On November 5, he held a war council meeting aboard his personal dreadnought Ghost of Helotry, in which he, Escharum, Hyperius, Tovarus, 'Saljhoo, and War Chief Severan of the Vanguard of Zaladon plotted their next moves. Severan had uncovered intelligence from a prisoner taken by his clan near Joyous Exultation that the UNSC were planning to strike at Zeta Halo within the month, news which alarmed Atriox and Escharum both. This forced Atriox to move his timeline up, as he felt that he could not risk the UNSC somehow defeating Cortana and gaining control of Zeta Halo: instead, the Banished would need to strike first, allowing them to defeat Cortana with the Divine Hand and then lie in wait for the inevitable UNSC fleet that followed. As such, Atriox split the Banished into a number of forces: a large fleet under Escharum's command which would prepare to strike at Zeta Halo, the rest of the Banished navy now under Severan's command, and a small contingent that would go with Atriox himself to Netherop to retrieve the Divine Hand before reuniting with Escharum.

At this point, Atriox also ordered Eto 'Saljhoo to get in touch with his contact, a human xenoarchaeologist named Keely Iyuska - Atriox intended to begin the mission to Netherop imminently, and was willing to pay any price to ensure completion. 'Saljoo, as an intermediary for Atriox, funded Keely Iyuska's investigation about the former civilization on Netherop, with the condition that any artifacts Iyuska would find, it would be delivered to him. When Iyuska didn't hold her promise, 'Saljhoo hired the Oath Warden Crei 'Ayomuu to track Iyuska.

Battle

Banished battlefield preparations (November 5-18)

The forces mustered by Atriox to Netherop included six karves and a single drekar stealth ship, Hammer of Fate. To begin the operation, Atriox sent a reconnaissance yawl to the edge of the Ephyra system to gather intelligence on the system. The yawl identified a single superluminal communications beacon under Created control that periodically sent an OK signal to the Created once every five cycles (roughly 55 days). Once they detected a signal being sent, the task force emerged into the system, sending three of the karves on a gravitational slingshot around Netherop to draw off any Created defenders and leave an opening to begin operations. Two of the karves picked up trailing cloaked harriers and moved to the edge of the system, dropping communications beacons, planting space mines, and generally being a nuisance to keep the harriers' attention away from Netherop itself. Both ships were to remain communications-silent, though had orders to immediately return to Netherop should the harriers stop following them.

Hammer of Fate then slipped into Netherop orbital space and destroyed the Created communications beacon alongside a third harrier that had remained in close proximity to the world. The rest of the flotilla then entered orbit and began the arduous task of clearing the dozens of leftover satellites from the 2526 battle to ensure none contained any hidden AI that might give away the plan.

Swords of Sanghelios/UNSC arrival (November 18-22)

After the Banished cleared Netherop of Created presence, the first Swords of Sanghelios ships arrived in the system, arriving around November 18. This first flotilla consisted of five corvettes (four light and one heavy) under the command of Kaidon Ghe 'Talot, of Feldokra. In response to this, the Banished moved their flotilla onto the surface Netherop's first moon, hiding four karves and Hammer of Fate underneath a cloaking generator; this proved sufficient to protect the flotilla from being noticed by all-but the most attentive eyes.

After 25 units (around a day) spent mapping Netherop's surface terrain, 'Talot's fleet was joined in orbit by a single medium destroyer, Raider's Creche, commanded by High Kaidon Olabisi Varo'dai. The two kaidons disagreed on how to proceed with dealing with Netherop's mine shell, with 'Talot wanting to identify the site of the Divine Hand from orbit before clearing sufficient space in the orbital minefield, whereas Varo'dai preferred to clear the mines and grant the fleet more operational freedom. As such, both kaidons elected to do what they saw fit for the next 75 units; 'Talot surveying the world from orbit and 'Varo'dai using her destroyer and its escort Seraphs to clear the mines. The Arbiter himself arrived on November 22 aboard the A'uzr-pattern sword frigate Sword of Harmony, having spent nine Sanghelios days in transit since their departure from Sanghelios: the first five being tailed by (and attempting to evade) a Created harrier, and then a further four spent in transit from Wedob to Netherop. Once they arrived at Netherop, Thel 'Vadam called both kaidons aboard Sword of Harmony to discuss their next steps.

Surface actions (November 22-23)

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Production notes

While no specific date for the events of Halo: Outcasts are provided in the text, context clues in combination with the dates provided in Halo: Empty Throne can be used to discern the date of the battle. In chapters 1-3 of Outcasts, the Sangheili council meeting on Sanghelios is noted to occur three days after the destruction of Doisac by the Created, on November 8. The Arbiter's journey from Sanghelios to Netherop is then noted in chapter 4 as taking 9 days in total, or a total of 12 days after the destruction of Doisac. However, these days are Sanghelios days, which are 29.5 hours long - or 1.23 times the length of a standard Earth day. 12 Sanghelios days are approximately 354 hours, or around 14.75 Earth days. As such, this puts the battle of Netherop as beginning somewhere around November 22 on the Military Calendar. A later Canon Fodder confirmed the battle as taking place on November 22-23.

List of appearances

• Halo: Outcasts (First appearance)
• Halo: Battle for the Blood-Moon (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Empty Throne (Indirect mention)