Editing Battle of Netherop (2559)

|next =[[Battle over Installation 07]]

|image = [[File:HOut CoverArt.jpg|300px]]<br/>[[Crei 'Ayomuu]], [[Olympia Vale]] and [[Thel 'Vadam]] on Netherop during the [[Created conflict]].

|place =[[Netherop]]

|result='''Tactical Banished victory'''

*[[Divine Hand]] claimed by the Banished

'''Strategic UNSC/Swords of Sanghelios victory'''

*Divine Hand deliberatly turned over to the Banished in the hopes of the Banished destroying themselves

*Destruction of [[Nizat 'Kvarosee's faction]]

*Death of [[Nizat 'Kvarosee]], one of humanity's oldest and most dangerous Covenant enemies

|side4=*[[Nizat 'Kvarosee's faction]]

*High Kaidon [[Ghe 'Talot]]†

*Kaidon [[Olabisi Varo'dai]]

|casual1=*[[UNSC Hidden Point|One]] [[Point Blank-class prowler|stealth cruiser]]

*Several ODSTs

*Four Covenant corvettes

**Ghe 'Talot

|casual2=*One [[Drekar]]

|casual3=*Several [[Weapon-ship]]s

*One {{Class|Harrier|vessel}}

|casual4=Total

The '''Battle of Netherop''' occurred after the discovery of an [[Divine Hand|ancient weapon]] that destroyed a [[Guardian Custode]] was made. An operation on [[Netherop]] to claim it started a conflict between the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] and the [[Swords of Sanghelios]], the [[Banished]], and [[Nizat 'Kvarosee's faction]] which was made up of surviving [[Covenant]] soldiers exiled on the planet in [[2526]].

During the [[Forerunner-Precursor war]], [[Precursor]] fugitives 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 inhabitable world into a barely inhabitable wasteland.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Out17|Out|17}}

In [[2526]], Netherop was the site of [[Skirmish over Netherop|two]]{{Ref/Novel|SS|1}} [[Battle of Netherop|battles]] between the [[United Nations Space Command]] and the [[Covenant]], specifically [[Nizat 'Kvarosee's faction|a rogue faction]] led by [[Fleetmaster]] [[Nizat 'Kvarosee]] who sought to destroy [[ONI]] 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 of Unyielding Piety]]. Nizat and his ground forces were exiled on Netherop's surface with a mine shell being placed in orbit of the planet 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.{{Ref/Novel|Oblv}} 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.{{Ref/Novel|Out|Chapter=7}}{{Ref/Novel|Out|Chapter=9}}

During his time on [[Installation 00]], [[Atriox]] was able to find records on a crashed [[Phaeton]] about an ancient weapon on Netherop that managed to destroy a Guardian Custode. Months later, during [[Operation: WOLFE]], Atriox was able to return to the Milky Way via a [[Menachite portal complex|portal complex]] under the [[Menachite Mountain]] on [[Reach]], were he started his plans to claim the weapon on Netherop and then start his campaign to take [[Installation 07]] from Cortana. To further their plans, [[Eto 'Saljhoo]] 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. Weeks after the Warmaster's return, Cortana tried to summit Atriox and the Banished under her command, with no success; in retaliation, Cortana used her Guardian Custodes to destroy [[Doisac]] and its moons.