Editing Battle of the greater Ark

{{Status|Canon}}

{{Battle infobox

|prev=[[Jad Sappar|Battle of Jad Sappar]]

|image=[[File:HM Ark destruction.png|350px]]

|date=[[97,445 BCE]]

|result='''Decisive Flood victory'''

*Greater Ark and Omega Halo destroyed

*Majority of Forerunner population killed

*[[Mendicant Bias]]

|forces2=*Over a million converted vessels<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 267''</ref>

|casual1=*Near total

|casual2=*Minimal

The '''Battle of the greater Ark''' was the penultimate battle in the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], fought around the [[greater Ark]].<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 30''</ref>

The greater Ark, the original [[Ark]] installation and the primary facility of the [[Conservation Measure]], had become the last line of defense for the [[Forerunner]] [[ecumene]] after the Forerunners were forced to abandon the galaxy itself in the face of the unstoppable [[Flood]] onslaught. However, the placement of all Forerunner governing functions, strategic command and the majority of their population as well as military forces also made it an attractive target for the Flood, which could, through a concentrated assault, deliver a crippling blow to their enemy. There was one other motivator: [[Omega Halo]], the last of the original twelve [[Halo Array|Halos]] (except for the modified [[Installation 07]]), was stationed along with the greater Ark and was a threat serious enough to warrant trapping the entire region of space in a "bubble" of [[star road]]s.

An enormous Flood-controlled fleet coordinated by the [[Gravemind]]s and the traitorous Forerunner AI [[Mendicant Bias]], supported by numerous [[Precursor]] [[star road]]s, attacked the Greater Ark and the nearby [[Omega Halo]]. Despite the Forerunners' efforts at defending the Greater Ark with their remaining military assets, under the command of the [[Metarch-class ancilla|metarch-class]] [[ancilla]] [[Offensive Bias]], their forces were quickly overwhelmed not only by the Flood's vast numerical superiority but also the power of the star roads. Although Omega Halo was fired, decimating a small portion of the star roads as well as purging the [[Magellanic Clouds|satellite galaxy]] of [[Path Kethona]] of sentient life, the star roads soon destroyed both the Halo and the greater Ark.{{Ref/Reuse|ReferenceA}}

With the loss of the greater Ark and Omega Halo's defensive systems, there was little hope for the remaining Forerunner forces under the command of Offensive Bias. While Offensive Bias put up a desperate running fight, it was hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed thanks to the near-indestructible nature of the star roads. Still, its capability was demonstrated by its managing to extricate several thousand warships from what should have been an inescapable trap.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 315''</ref><ref name="terminal6">'''Halo 3''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminal 6]]''</ref>

The battle marked a catastrophic defeat for the Forerunners, who lost the vast majority of their remaining population, leadership, and military strength. Additionally, a large portion of the [[Lifeworker]]s' biological samples of the galaxy's species stored on the greater Ark and Omega Halo were lost; in addition to the destruction wrought by the star roads, the [[Ur-Didact]] used a [[Composer]] to harvest Omega Halo's sizable transplanted [[human]] population, severely complicating the [[Librarian]]'s plans for mankind and the galaxy on the whole.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 31''</ref> The Librarian and her aide, [[343 Guilty Spark|Monitor Chakas]], managed to salvage a few of the specimens; Chakas also saved a handful of Forerunners, including the [[IsoDidact]] from Omega Halo, aboard a {{Class|Gargantua|transport}}.{{Ref/Reuse|ReferenceA}} Using coordinates provided by the [[Master Builder]], [[Faber]] - killed during Omega Halo's destruction - the few survivors traveled to [[Installation 00]], the lesser Ark, its location still secret from the Flood, for the moment. The IsoDidact, the last legal commander of the Forerunner race, accepted that a true victory was now impossible. As such, the final [[Halo Array]] would be distributed across the galaxy by Offensive Bias and fired by the IsoDidact, killing most of the Flood and starving those that survived, ending the war.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 36''</ref>

The Battle of the greater Ark also seemed to have another effect: when Mendicant Bias [[Battle of the Maginot Sphere|attacked the portal]] leading to the lesser Ark, it did not use star roads or any Precursor artifacts.{{Ref/Reuse|terminal6}} Whether due to arrogance, disdain, overwhelming rage, or a simple desire for a "personal" kill, this omission would enable Mendicant's defeat by the "inferior metarch", Offensive Bias.

{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Battles|Greater Ark]]