Editing Battle of Requiem

{{Era|Post}}

{{Under Construction}}

{{Battle Infobox

|prev=[[Mission to Alpha Shard]]

|date=July 21-23, 2557

|place=[[Requiem]], [[Epoloch system]], [[Milky Way galaxy]]

|result='''Promethean/Covenant victory'''

*UNSC forces leave Requiem, John-117 fails to prevent the Didact's departure

*Requiem remains under Promethean/'Mdama's Covenant control

|side1=*[[United Nations Space Command]]<br>

*[[Reclaimer]]-allied [[Sentinels]]<br>

[[Lifeworker]]s

|side2=*[[Promethean#Mechanical Prometheans|Promethean]]s<br>

*[[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction]]

|commanders1=[[Andrew Del Rio|CAPT Andrew Del Rio]]<br>

[[Thomas Lasky|CMDR Thomas Lasky]]<br>

[[John-117|MCPO John-117]]<br>

[[Librarian#Imprint_on_Requiem|Librarian imprint]]

|commanders2=[[Ur-Didact]]<br>

[[Supreme Commander]] [[Jul 'Mdama]]

|forces1=*{{UNSCShip|Infinity}}

*Ten internally docked {{Class|Strident|heavy frigate}}s

*Two {{Class|Paris|heavy frigate}}s<ref name="The Commissioning">''[[The Commissioning]]''</ref>

*Multiple [[D79-TC Pelican]]s

**At least one [[G79H-TC Pelican]]

*Several [[F-41 Broadsword]]s

*At least one [[M510 Mammoth]]

*Multiple [[M808C Scorpion]]s

*At least one [[Mantis]]

*Multiple [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog]]s

*Multiple [[M12 Warthog LRV]]s

*One [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]]

*300-500 [[SPARTAN-IV program|SPARTAN-IV]]s

*[[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] expeditionary personnel

*[[UNSC Army|Army]] expeditionary personnel

|forces2=*[[Promethean]] forces

**[[Promethean Watcher|Watche]]s

**[[Promethean Crawler|Crawler]]s

*Jul 'Mdama's fleet

**[[Song of Retribution|One]] {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}}

**At least two {{Class|RCS|armored cruiser}}s

**Numerous {{Class|CRS|light cruiser}}s

*At least one [[Type-56 Lich]]

*Multiple [[Type-44 Phantom]]s

*Multiple [[Type-26 Banshee|Type-26B Banshee]]s

*Multiple [[Type-26 Wraith]]s

*Multiple [[Type-32 Ghost]]s

*Thousands of Covenant infantry

**[[Lekgolo]]

*Combat [[Cryptum]]

|casual1=*Both ''Paris''-class frigates<ref name="The Commissioning"/>

*Several SPARTAN-IVs

*Unknown number of Marine and Army personnel

*Multiple Pelicans

*''Infinity'' AI Aine<ref name="Waypoint">[https://www.facebook.com/HaloWaypoint/posts/10152099361122679 '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Today in Halo: 12/05/2557'']</ref>

|casual2=*Large number of Promethean forces

*Large number of 'Mdama's forces

**Several ''CRS''-class light cruisers

**Multiple [[Type-56 Lich]]es

{{Quote|Non-believers walk the sacred ground. Purge the heretics, so they not foul the air of Paradise. The time has come to enter the Great Light. The Promethean awakening is nigh, our reward is at hand.|A Covenant transmission (translated by [[Cortana]]) on their [[battlenet]]}}

The '''Battle of Requiem''' was a series of skirmishes on the [[Forerunner]] [[shield world]] [[Requiem]] beginning on [[2557|July 21, 2557]]. It was waged between the [[Promethean]]s occupying Requiem, [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction]] and the [[United Nations Space Command]].<ref name="Dawn">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Dawn (level)|Dawn]]''</ref> Shortly after the beginning of the battle, the Prometheans and 'Mdama's Covenant would join forces against humanity.<ref name="Infinity">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Infinity (Halo 4 level)|Infinity]]''</ref> These events marked the continuation of an [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|ongoing conflict]] with Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction and the UNSC, and the days following would see the conflict spread to ''[[Ivanoff Station]]'' orbiting [[Installation 03]], and the [[human]] homeworld, [[Earth]].<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Midnight]]''</ref> Requiem would again become a battleground over six months after the initial battle in [[2558|February 2558]] when the UNSC launched [[Requiem Campaign|a lightning-strike]] expedition to the surface of Requiem.<ref name="SOE1">[[S1/Departure|'''Spartan Ops:''' ''S1E1 Departure'']]</ref>

In [[2552#December|December 2552]], the aft half of the {{UNSCship|Forward Unto Dawn}}, carrying [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] and AI [[Cortana]], was transported via slipspace on a course toward Requiem after the [[Raid on Installation 04B|last battle]] of the [[Human-Covenant War]]. Cortana activated ''Forward Unto Dawn'''s [[emergency locator beacon]] while the Spartan entered cryostasis.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref> Within the next year, [[Jul 'Mdama]] led his forces, a partly reunited offshoot of the Covenant, to Requiem in search of the shield world's "treasure": he sought the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]], the leader of the [[Warrior-Servant|Forerunner military]], due to their mutual hatred of humanity. However, 'Mdama could not find a way into Requiem, so the fleet held station in orbit. On July 21, 2557, the ''Dawn'' entered the planet's gravity well; 'Mdama sent his forces to board the frigate to keep any humans away.<ref>'''Halo 4''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 4|Prologue Terminal "Jul 'Mdama"]]''</ref> As Covenant troops entered the ship, Requiem began to scan the ''Dawn'' for a "[[Reclaimer]]".<ref name="Dawn"/>

==History==

{{Quote|If you haven't mastered even these primitives, then Man has not attained the [[Mantle]]. Your ascendance may yet be prevented. Time was your ally, human. But now it has abandoned you. The Forerunners... have returned.|The Ur-Didact to John-117, declaring the return of the Forerunners}}

Cortana awoke John-117 from cryostasis and informed him of intruders on the ''Forward Unto Dawn''. When the duo found out that there was a Covenant fleet around the ''Dawn'' and one of the {{Class|CRS|light cruiser}}s was moving into a intercept course, Cortana instructed John to fire one of ''Dawn'''s missiles at the cruiser. The Spartan battled through the wreckage and managed to destroy the cruiser moments before it fired its energy projector. While on the outer hull, John was scanned by a beam coming from Requiem, which then opened its interior for the Reclaimer. ''Forward Unto Dawn'', along with several Covenant cruisers, was pulled into Requiem's interior.<ref name="Dawn"/>

John-117 and Cortana survived the fall into Requiem's middle shell. They decided to hijack one of the surviving Covenant ships to return to Earth, where they would be able to find [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] to assess Cortana's [[rampancy]]. However, {{UNSCship|Infinity}} had picked up ''Forward Unto Dawn'''s distress beacon and was approaching the shield world. While looking for a way to contact ''Infinity'', John and Cortana accidentally triggered Requiem's guardians, the Prometheans.<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Requiem (level)|Requiem]]''</ref> The Prometheans attacked the Spartan as well as the Covenant. In an effort the warn ''Infinity'' of Requiem's gravity well, the Spartan-AI team disabled two energy pylons inside [[Core of Requiem|Requiem's core]] in order to eliminate interference emitted from a satellite in the core. When John attempted to contact ''Infinity'' in the satellite, it was revealed that the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] had purposely manipulated ''Infinity''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s signal to trick John-117 into releasing him from his [[Cryptum]]. The Didact openly declared war on humanity and reassumed control of his mechanized Prometheans; viewing the Didact as a living god, the Covenant forces followed suit. John escaped Requiem's core just as ''Infinity'' entered Requiem's outer shell.<ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Forerunner (level)|Forerunner]]''</ref>

===''Infinity''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s arrival===

''Infinity'' crashed into a jungle inside Requiem and was immediately attacked by Promethean and Covenant forces. During the attack, ''Infinity''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> commanding officer, [[Andrew Del Rio|Captain Andrew Del Rio]], deployed [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] and [[SPARTAN-IV Program|SPARTAN-IVs]] for reconnaissance, believing that the ''Infinity'' would be able to fend off her attackers while providing support for ground forces. The ill-prepared Marines were overwhelmed by the unfamiliar Prometheans and suffered heavy casualties. In addition to losing their landing zones, many [[D79-TC Pelican|Pelican dropships]] were shot down. ''Infinity'' was eventually boarded, allowing the Didact to extract information about the [[Composer]], a Forerunner superweapon, from the ship's mainframe. John-117 joined Commanders [[Thomas Lasky]] and [[Sarah Palmer]] just as Captain Del Rio recalled ground forces to ''Infinity''. John cleared a landing zone for the UNSC forces and headed to ''Infinity''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> crash site. There, John-117 and a squad of SPARTAN-IVs broke through to one of ''Infinity''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> hangar bays. John piloted a [[HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Armor Defense System|Mantis assault mech]] and fought through ''Infinity''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> maintenance corridors to some of the ship's weapon systems. After John destroyed the Covenant jammers near the control terminals, ''Infinity'' disabled two ''CRS''-class light cruisers and damaged the Didact's Cryptum, prompting the Forerunner to retreat.<ref name="Infinity"/> The repaired ''Infinity'' left her crash site, but since she was still under the effect of the Requiem's gravity well, Captain Del Rio sent John-117 and [[Gypsy Company]] to take down the Forerunner anti-air particle cannons near the gravity well generator.<ref name="rec">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer]]''</ref>

{{Quote|Priority is to free ''Infinity'' from Requiem's gravity well and file a threat assessment back at FLEETCOM.|Captain Del Rio prioritizing the ''Infinity'''s safety to John-117}}

Gypsy Company, aboard a [[Mobile Anti-Aircraft Weapons Platform M510 Siegework/Ultra-Heavy|Mammoth]] and led by Commander Lasky, destroyed the first and second anti-air particle cannons. However, a Covenant [[Deployment Platform Type-56 Ground Support/Ultra Heavy|Lich]] heavily damaged the Mammoth. Even though John-117 and a SPARTAN-IV team destroyed the Lich, the Mammoth was forced to stop when it approached a Forerunner structure.<ref name="rec">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer]]''</ref>

John entered the structure and, with Cortana's help, disabled the last two anti-air cannons. Cortana suddenly disappeared, so John searched the structure for her. He was taken to an archived personality of the [[Librarian]], the Didact's wife and the one who saved humanity from the [[Halo Array|Halos]]. The Librarian informed John of the Didact's plan to imprison humanity into digital form with the Composer. In doing so, she altered John-117's genes, an action that would prove itself useful when the Didact's forces [[Raid on Ivanoff Station|raided Ivanoff Station]]. John-117 returned to a UNSC convoy led by [[Master Sergeant]] [[Marcus Stacker]] and eventually reached Requiem's gravity well generator. Using targeting data provided by the Spartan, ''Infinity'' destroyed the generator.<ref name="rec"/>

{{Quote|Do you truly believe these theatrics can prevent my departure? Embrace your sad fate and retain your nobility - I am already beyond you.|The Didact to Master Chief}}

Following the destruction of the gravity well generator, the Master Chief and Cortana began to push for Captain Del Rio and ''Infinity'' to assault the Didact's Cryptum and destroy it to keep the Didact from leaving Requiem. However, Del Rio refused to believe the two, calling their encounter with the Librarian "the hallucinations of an aging Spartan and his malfunctioning AI." This was furthered when Cortana's [[rampancy]] caused her to have an angry outburst. While Del Rio ordered Commander Lasky to remove Cortana's data chip to be destroyed, the Master Chief took it instead, telling Del Rio that if he wouldn't stop the Didact, the Master Chief would do it himself. The Master Chief refused Del Rio's orders to stand down and ordered Lasky to warn Earth of the coming threat from the Didact. Lasky was then ordered to prevent the Master Chief's departure by any means necessary but recognized that it was too dangerous to risk the Chief being wrong about the Didact. Instead, Lasky had a [[D79-TC Pelican#Gunship variant|Pelican gunship]] prepared for full combat pursuit of the Master Chief but instead gave the dropship to the Spartan.

The Master Chief departed ''Infinity'' in the Pelican as ''Infinity'' and her crew made their escape from Requiem. Without ''Infinity's'' firepower to back them up, Cortana suggests instead disrupting the communications at two of the towers near the Didact's Cryptum which would allow her to forge an override code and lower the Didact's shields so they could reach him. Using the Pelican's cannons, the Master Chief was able to destroy the [[Phantom]] dropships guarding each tower and make his way within. Inside each tower, the Master Chief fought his way through determined Covenant and Promethean defenders and used an EMP in one tower to destroy a carrier wave generator and destroyed the attenuators in another tower, giving Cortana the opportunity to lower the Didact's shields. All through this, the Didact telepathically taunted the Master Chief about the futility of his actions.

With the Didact's shields down, Cortana suggested another course of action: reach the tower that controlled the spires surrounding the Didact's Cryptum and use the controls to encase the Cryptum in the towers and keep it from leaving Requiem. The Master Chief returned to his Pelican gunship and used it to reach the third tower, encountering no further aerial resistance along the way. Inside the tower, the Master Chief came up against a massive Covenant force defending both levels of the tower including two [[Hunter]]s and several [[Shade]] turrets and [[Banshee]]s. The Master Chief was eventually able to reach the control panel where he inserted Cortana who took control of the tower system. Cortana initially moved the towers to imprison the Didact's Cryptum, but her rampancy got the best of her and instead she dropped the towers.

Unable to imprison the Didact any longer, the Master Chief decided to move across some nearby [[Lich]]es heading for the Cryptum to reach the Didact. However, after he landed on the first Lich, the Cryptum merged with the Forerunner ship ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'' and joined a fleet heading out into space. Unable to stop the Didact from leaving, the Master Chief hitched a ride on the Lich as it followed the Didact's ship into [[slipspace]]. <ref name="rec"/>

The Didact would arrive at Ivanoff Station and despite the efforts of the UNSC, he obtained the Composer and digitized everyone on the station excluding John-117, who was saved thanks to genetic augmentations provided by the Librarian. The Didact then set course for Earth, with the intent of digitizing its population, but was ultimately stopped and defeated by John-117. With the ''Infinity'' and the Master Chief gone, Requiem remained under Promethean and Covenant control. The UNSCDF would not return to Requiem until six months later, when the ''Infinity'' was again deployed to the shield world to establish research bases and obtain useful Forerunner technologies.<ref name="SOE1"/>

File:Covenant fleet surrounding FUD.jpg|Covenant vessels intercepting the UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn'''s wreckage.

File:H4 campaign dawn.jpeg|The Covenant boarding the ''Forward Unto Dawn''.

File:H4 John-117 Didact first encounter.jpg|John encountering the Ur-Didact for the first time.

File:H4-E3-Campaign-6.jpg|Covenant forces converge towards ''Infinity'''s crash site.

**''[[Terminal/Halo 4|Terminals]]''

*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]''

<references/>