Editing Battle of Voi

|side3 = *[[Flood]] {{c|late in battle}}

|commanders1=*[[Fleet Admiral|FADM]] [[Terrence Hood|Lord Terrence Hood]]

*[[Commander|CDR]] [[Miranda Keyes]]

*[[Colonel|COL]] [[Rochambeau]]{{Ref/Reuse|HMA5}}

***[[M12 Chaingun Warthog|Chaingun Warthogs]]{{Ref/Reuse|tsavo}}

**[[M274 Mongoose|Mongooses]]{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}

*[[Civilian|Armed civilians]]{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}

----

**1 [[battle group]]{{Ref/NoteReuse|composition}}

***1+ {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}}{{Ref/Level|Id=ark|Game=Halo 3|Level=The Ark}}{{Ref/NoteReuse|fleetsize}}

*Ground forces

**[[Covenant Special Operations|SpecOps]] [[Special Operations Sangheili|Sangheili]]{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}

**1+ [[Sangheili Major]]{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}

|forces2=*[[Truth's fleet]]

***1 [[Forerunner]] [[keyship]]{{Ref/Reuse|tsavo}}

***1+ {{Pattern|Varric|heavy cruiser}}{{Ref/Generic|Id=loot5|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #5]]|Detail=[[:File:LC 05 Doc1.jpg|Apollo Leader To CDR S. Palmer]]}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=envoy|Novel=Halo: Envoy}}

***1+ [[Covenant frigate|frigate]]{{Ref/Reuse|loot5}}

*Many air vehicles

**[[Irdnekt-pattern Banshee|T-26C Banshees]]{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}

*Many ground vehicles

**[[Ogab'd-pattern anti-aircraft Wraith|T-52 AA Wraiths]]{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}

**1+ [[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|T-47B Scarab]]{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}

**[[Yanme'e]]

**[[Mgalekgolo]]

*[[Pod infector]]s{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}

*[[Flood combat form|Combat forms]]{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}

==Background==

[[File:Portal odst.png|thumb|left|250px|Truth's fleet excavating the portal to the Ark.]]

Over the next month, fighting would [[Battle for Earth|spread across]] the planet, as Covenant warships continued to arrive, attacking targets such as [[North America]],<ref name="loot2">''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'', [[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]</ref> [[Australia]]<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', page 287 (2011)</ref> and the [[Wikipedia:Antarctica|Antarctic]], as well as the [[Yucatán Peninsula|Yucatán]] and [[Cuba]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''Chapter 23''</ref> Despite the widespread combat across the globe, the Covenant under command of the Prophet of Truth and his Jiralhanae loyalists continued to focus most of their attention in eastern Africa, deploying an array of extensive defences around the excavation site around the ruins of Mombasa and [[Battle of Kenya|heavily occupying]] the surrounding region of Kenya, including the [[Tsavo highway (location)|Tsavo Highway]] and the industrial city of [[Voi]].<ref name="tsavo">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Tsavo Highway]]''</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|storm}} The final remaining [[UNSC]] stronghold in the region by mid-November was the 20th century [[Military base|airbase]] [[Crow's Nest (location)|Crow's Nest]]. During the latter days of the Battle of Kenya, the base would house large numbers of [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] wounded during the ongoing conflict.<ref name="crows"/>

While [[Sangheili]] warships remained in the [[Coelest system]] to quarantine the Flood-infested Installation 05 and High Charity, Commander Keyes and Sergeant Johnson, along with Thel 'Vadam and [[343 Guilty Spark]], the monitor of the [[Battle of Installation 04|destroyed]] [[Installation 04]] departed for Earth in pursuit of the Prophet of Truth. While Truth's arrival at Africa would be [[Scramble onboard Forerunner Dreadnought|delayed]] as the Covenant forces on the ''Anodyne Spirit'' attempted to repel the Spartan, Keyes and her forces would arrive on Earth around November 15.{{Ref/Reuse|coastal}} Keyes would quickly take command of Crow's Nest, coordinating UNSC resistance against the Covenant and devising a plan to assault the Covenant excavation site beneath the ruins of Mombasa.{{Ref/Reuse|crows}} On November 17, the ''Anodyne Spirit'' would descend into Earth's atmosphere, ultimately coming to rest on the now-mostly excavated portal while John-117 was forced to bail out of the ship, landing in the jungles of [[Tanzania]]. The Spartan was easily located due to the efforts of UNSC forces battling in [[Pakistan]],<ref>'''[[Halo: Landfall]]''', ''[[Halo: Last One Standing|Last One Standing]]''</ref> and several squads of Marines led by Sergeant Johnson managed to [[Recovery of John-117|recover]] John-117 and bring him to Crow's Nest.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Arrival]]''</ref>{{Ref/Level|Id=sierra117|Game=Halo 3|Level=Sierra 117}}

[[File:H3 TsavoBattle.png|thumb|left|250px|UNSC forces attacking the Covenant-held Tsavo Highway.]]

{{clear|left}}

==Battle==

===Beginning===

{{Quote|Chief, the Prophet of Truth has found the Ark. Our only chance of stopping him is a surprise aerial assault. Clear this sector of Covenant anti-air defenses. Make a hole for the Admiral’s ships. Good hunting. Keyes out.|[[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]] to [[John-117]] as he begins his mission.}}

[[File:Voi 2.jpg|thumb|left|250px|John-117 and Marines fighting Covenant forces in the Traxus facility.]]

{{clear|left}}

{{Quote|no=four|q1=Kilo 023, this is Forward Unto Dawn. I need a sit-rep, Commander.|[[Terrence Hood|Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood]]|q2=Atmospheric disturbance is intensifying above the artifact, Admiral.|[[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]]|q3=And Sierra-117?|Fleet Admiral Hood|q4=Moving as fast as he can, sir. I know he’ll get it done.|Commander Keyes|Admiral Hood and Commander Keyes discuss John-117's progress.}}

[[File:Anti-Air Fire.jpg|thumb|left|250px|An Anti-Aircraft Wraith firing at a Hornet in the first lake bed.]]

In the next section of the Traxus facility, a small group of Marines defending the gate with a [[AIE-486H machine gun|machine gun turret]] were attempting to hold out against a group of Covenant forces led by a Jiralhanae [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain|War Chieftain]]. The Covenant had entrenched themselves in a nearby office preventing the Marines from flushing them out and forcing them to defend against repeated assaults while further down the factory, in an an adjacent tunnel, an anti-tank unit was assembling to assault the next lake bed, where the Covenant had stationed a pair of Anti-Aircraft Wraiths and more vehicles. Fortunately for the UNSC forces, John arrived along with the forces from the now-secure first lake bed. After wiping out the Covenant infantry guarding the entrance, John made his way inside. The beleaguered Marines on the machine gun encouraged the Spartan to use a nearby door to flank the Covenant in the office and drive them out into the open where they could be cut down by the machine gun. Between John-117 and the Marine heavy machine gun, the Covenant soldiers soon fell.{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}

With the area secure, the Marines opened up the gate for the Spartan and his forces to continue. While passing through the next room, where the UNSC had been stockpiling weaponry, a Phantom appeared above, shattering the glass roof and disgorging a swarm of [[Yanme'e]] to ambush the UNSC forces. Despite the overwhelming number of the insectoid Covenant soldiers, John-117 and the Marines were able to inflict heavy losses on the swarm, forcing the Phantom to withdraw and the surviving Drones to retreat too. As John-117 moved down the tunnel towards the Marine anti-tank unit, he was confronted by a [[Character interludes|hallucinatory]] vision of [[Cortana]] stating that she had "defied gods and demons", hinting to her struggle with the [[Gravemind]] on [[High Charity]]. As the anti-tank unit mounted up; a force of four [[M274 Mongoose|Mongoose]] ATVs with personnel wielding [[M41 SPNKR|rocket launcher]]s, one of the drivers offered his vehicle to the Spartan, who obliged. With this, the unit moved into the second lake bed.{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}   

[[File:Voi 6.jpg|thumb|left|250px|An Anti-Aircraft Wraith is destroyed by the UNSC anti-tank unit in the second lake bed.]]

===Assault on the anti-aircraft cannon===

{{Quote|no=four|q1=Admiral, a single Covenant ship has slipped in-system.|[[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]]|q2=Just one? What's its range and disposition?|[[Terrence Hood|Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood]]|q3=Above the artifact, inside the orbital line. Seems to be holding steady.|Commander Keyes|q4=The attack proceeds as planned, Commander. We’re not going to get another shot at Truth.|Fleet Admiral Hood|Admiral Hood and Commander Keyes discuss the arrival of the ''Indulgence of Conviction'' in the Sol system.}}  

[[File:H3 TraxusHunters.png|thumb|left|250px|John-117 fighting a Mgalekgolo pair in the Traxus facility.]]

[[File:Storm1.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The ''Anodyne Spirit'' departing through the now-opened portal to Installation 00]]

The team arrived at the base of the hill on which the Covenant anti-aircraft cannon stood, witnessing it shooting down an approaching [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword]]. Commander Keyes urged John-117 to destroy the cannon as Hood's [[Battle Group Victory|battle group]] was quickly approaching. With that, the group pushed up the hill, wiping out Unggoy and Kig-Yar forces that tried to stop them. Cresting the hill, John and Thel did battle with the final contingent of Covenant troops defending the cannon - a Jiralhanae War Chieftain and his assortment of bodyguards. After a furious battle, the Chieftain and his forces fell to the Master Chief and Arbiter. At Johnson's insistence, the Spartan unloaded his arsenal into the exposed heat-vent on the underside of the cannon. The cannon exploded violently, the top portion of the gun toppling off the cliff. With the threat eliminated, Battle Group Victory made its final approach.{{Ref/Reuse|storm}}

{{Quote|no=four|q1=The Flood - it's spreading all over the city.|[[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]]|q2=How do we contain it?|[[Terrence Hood|Admiral Terrence Hood]]|q3=Find the crashed Flood ship; overload its engine core. We either destroy this city, or risk losing the entire planet.|Commander Keyes|q4=Do it.|Admiral Hood|Commander Keyes and Admiral Hood realize the severity of the Flood threat, and order the destruction of Voi to stop it.{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}}}

[[File:Voi 7.jpg|thumb|left|250px|John-117 and Thel 'Vadam watch the Flood-infested ''Indulgence of Conviction'' arriving at Earth.]]

With the main door to the facility sealed, the two entered through a nearby office, arriving just in time to rescue a Marine from a swarm of Pod infectors. In the warehouse, masses of Flood combat forms were attacking scattered groups of Marines led by [[Marcus Stacker|Gunnery Sergeant Stacker]]. John and Thel engaged in combat with the large numbers of infested humans and Jiralhanae, eventually clearing the area and rescuing several survivors including the sergeant. In the next area, they arrived too late to save several Marines from the Flood, including one wielding a [[M7057 flamethrower|flamethrower]]. Despite this, the group managed to wipe out all Flood forms present and John and Thel continued on while the surviving Marines stayed behind.{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}

{{clear|left}}

{{Quote|Hail, humans, and take heed. This is the carrier ''Shadow of Intent''. Clear this sector, while we deal with the Flood.|[[Fleetmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] as the ''Shadow of Intent''{{'}}s battle group of the Fleet of Retribution arrives at Earth.}}

[[File:H3 FloodgateTank.png|thumb|left|250px|John-117 and Special Operations Sangheili engaging a Flood tank form.]]

Now accompanied by the team of Special Operations Sangheili, John-117 and Thel continued to push towards the Flood ship's crash site, making their way around the rim of the devastated lake bed while engaging numerous Flood forms that leaped up from below to attack them. After fighting their way around the lake bed, they re-entered the factory, engaging another large group of combat forms. Yet more Flood forms leapt down on them from the broken glass roof where John had fought the Yanme'e previously while another cluster of combat forms approached from the next office. Commander Keyes and Johnson then contacted the Spartan, revealing that Cortana was indeed on board the ship, and his priority was to recover the AI. As they reached the lake bed where the ''Indulgence of Conviction'' had crashed, the group was confronted by a [[Flood pure form|pure form]]: a highly-mobile [[Flood stalker form|stalker form]], upon being confronted by the team, transformed into a hulking [[Flood tank form|tank form]] which lumbered into close-quarters combat. After a scuffle, the team managed to put the pure form down. As John, Thel and the Special Operations Sangheili fought their way across the lake bed, fighting more pure forms and combat forms, now including infected Sangheili, a Phantom deployed another team of Sangheili closer to the vessel, but they were overwhelmed by massive numbers of Flood before John could reach them. The team was forced to fight through huge numbers of Flood forms including [[Flood ranged form|ranged forms]] which nestled onto walls and rooftops and fired organic projectiles at the group. Despite fierce resistance, the team managed to fight their way up to the ship, where a rent torn into the hull represented a path into the ship. Thel 'Vadam told John that he would remain behind while the Spartan ventured inside, in order to prevent any Flood forms from entering after him.{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}

As John made his way through corridors of thick with Flood biomass and [[Flood blister|blisters]], passing several Sangheili corpses as he went, he was assailed by the voice of the Gravemind. The Flood central consciousness told him in a soothing voice not to be afraid, for he offered "peace" and "salvation". Eventually reaching a ledge, John dropped down to a lower level. As he entered a larger room, he heard the Gravemind's voice again, this time being told that the Flood was infinite, and that he should join them. Regardless, John eventually arrived at a Covenant pod, in which lay a small [[Covenant storage device|storage device]]. After activating it, Cortana's avatar appeared before him. Before she could say anything more than a mention of [[High Charity]], her avatar flickered out of existence due to the damage that the storage device had sustained. At that moment, a [[Covenant separatists|separatist]] Phantom arrived, hovering over the open chamber. From the dropship's gravity lift, [[343 Guilty Spark]], the [[monitor]] of the [[Battle of Installation 04|destroyed]] [[Installation 04]] arrived. Due to their prior encounter, which had been openly hostile, John kept his [[MA5C assault rifle|assault rifle]] levelled at Spark. Without warning, the monitor fired his laser beam over John's right shoulder, burning down a Flood combat form that had appeared behind the Spartan. The monitor then proceeded to use a small repair beam to interact with the Covenant storage device. John tore him away, warning him to leave Cortana alone. When Spark attempted to interface with the unit again, John reminded him of the monitor's [[Two Betrayals|attempt]] to kill both him and Cortana. To this, Spark replied that he had only been following his assigned protocol to protect his Installation, and due to its [[The Maw|destruction]], his sole remaining purpose was to help the Spartan. Reluctantly, John allowed Spark to pick up the storage device with his beam and carry it into the Phantom's [[gravity lift]], with John following him into the ship. As the Phantom departed Voi, the Fleet of Retribution [[glassing|glassed]] the city and the surrounding countryside, in order to eliminate the Flood presence and prevent it from spreading across the planet and effectively ending the Battle of Voi.{{Ref/Reuse|flood}}

|Survived

|-

|''[[Pious Inquisitor]]''

|Survived