Editing Black Team

{{Era|UNSC|HCW|Post}}

|image=[[File:Black Team.png|265px]]

*[[Skirmish on Installation 03]]

'''Fireteam Spartan: Black''',<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Blunt Instruments", ''page 193''</ref> often referred to as '''Team Black''' or '''Black Team''',<ref name="HE8">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 8|Issue 8]]''</ref> was an unconventional warfare unit of four [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II supersoldiers]] who reported directly to the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], unlike their [[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Weapons]] comrades.<ref>[http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.6832.NYCC_~apos~09~colon~_Two_New_Halo_Series_on_the_Way NYCC '09: Two New Halo Series on the Way]</ref><ref name="Halopedia Interview SPB">[[Halopedia:News/21 May 2009/Fred Van Lente and Spartan Black|Halopedia News - Fred Van Lente and Spartan Black]]</ref><ref name="EVO">'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''Blunt Instruments''</ref>

Late in the [[Human-Covenant War]] the team was issued [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Black|MJOLNIR: Black]], which included components later incorporated into the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|MJOLNIR Mark VI armor]].<ref name="Halopedia Interview SPB"/> Their armor was painted matte black rather than the green color scheme normally used by mainline SPARTAN-IIs.<ref name="EVO"/>

*[[Margaret-053|Margaret-053 (Black-One)]] - leader

*[[Roma-143|Roma-143 (Black-Two)]] - intelligence specialist

*[[Otto-031|Otto-031 (Black-Three)]] - heavy weapons specialist

*[[Victor-101|Victor-101 (Black-Four)]] - sniper

While being trained by [[Senior Chief Petty Officer|SCPO]] [[Franklin Mendez]], Margaret and Otto secretly had a romantic relationship. Victor was jealous of them and reported them to Mendez, who sent both to the brig. [[Red Team]] heard of this and tracked down Margaret. In the ensuing struggle, Margaret lost her left eye to send the message that her team should take their training seriously. Soon, Black Team gave Red Team a beating in return and were given a ten-day stint in the brig as a result. The team would never speak of the incident again.<ref name="issue3">'''Halo: Blood Line''' ''[[Halo: Blood Line Issue 3|Issue 3]]''</ref><ref name="issue4">'''Halo: Blood Line''' ''[[Halo: Blood Line Issue 4|Issue 4]]''</ref><ref name="issue5">'''Halo: Blood Line''' ''[[Halo: Blood Line Issue 5|Issue 5]]''</ref>

During the [[Human-Covenant War]], Team Black participated in numerous operations against the Covenant, including one where they destroyed a [[Citadel (Covenant)|Covenant Citadel]]<ref name="issue5"/> and another in which they boarded a [[Covenant cruiser]] using [[C-12 shaped charge]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Blunt Instruments", ''page 202''</ref>

[[File:Bloodline Verge.png|thumb|Black-Two rescues Three on Verge.]]

In [[2552#August|mid-2552]], Team Black was sent to destroy a heavily fortified [[Beacon|Covenant mining device]] within the ruins of [[Ciudad de Arias]] on the UEG colony world of [[Verge]], to cut off the supply of energy to ships [[Battle of Tribute|blockading]] [[Tribute]]. Roma encountered an apparently non-hostile [[Yanme'e]], and convinced the other members that they could trust the alien for intelligence on the area. [[Hopalong]], as the Yanme'e was nicknamed, led Team Black through underground tunnels that were hollowed out by swarms of Yanme'e. Roma, during their attack on the [[Mgalekgolo]] and [[Kig-Yar]] positioned by each anti-gravity pylon, discovered that the Yanme'e were [[Unmutuals|psychopathic prisoners]] rather than slaves as Hopalong led them to believe. Team Black was able to set C-12 explosives just before Hopalong freed the hostile Yanme'e inmates. Although Otto struggled with the swarm and was ultimately rescued by Roma, the team escaped the area and the charges on the pylons were detonated.<ref name=EVO/>

Some time after the mission on Verge, Team Black was assigned to [[Operation: BLOWBACK]], a covert mission to [[Sub-Sector 35]] in uninhabited space, believed to be a significant Covenant supply route. They were assigned aboard the ONI-commissioned [[civilian]] mining vessel ''[[Long Time Coming]]'', with their [[cryo chamber]]s hidden among prospecting equipment, with a mission to board or allow themselves to be "captured" by any Covenant vessels in the area, gather intelligence and then destroy the ships from the inside. The [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] construct [[Iona]] was also assigned to assist the team in their mission. However, on its way to Sub-Sector 35 in slipspace, the ''Long Time Coming'' was significantly damaged by unknown bursts of energy.

After the ship crashed on an [[Unidentified moon|uncharted moon]], Victor was assigned to carry Iona within his MJOLNIR suit.<ref>'''Halo: Blood Line''', ''[[Halo: Blood Line Issue 1|Issue 1]]''</ref> After Margaret was captured by mechanical [[Gatherer]]s, Victor and Otto reluctantly allied with the Covenant forces also on the moon in order to rescue their captured comrades and proceeded inside the vast [[Line Installation 1-4]].<ref>'''Halo: Blood Line''', ''[[Halo: Blood Line Issue 2|Issue 2]]''</ref>

While they were closing on the chamber where the captives were being held, the [[Forerunner]] [[monitor]] of the installation, [[686 Ebullient Prism]], hacked into Victor's and Roma's MJOLNIR HUDs, tricking them into attacking each other.<ref name="issue3"/> Four was also reminded of his grudge against Otto and attacked him, before Three and Iona managed to remind him of the importance of his adopted family and snap him out of his tantrum. Meanwhile, Margaret managed to escape her cell with a [[Sangheili]], [[Reff 'Talamee]], and they found their way into the control room of the facility.

Otto, Victor, and Roma then assisted Margaret against Prism in the installation's control room. Margaret managed to destroy the monitor with the installation's main gun, simultaneously bringing an entire Covenant fleet crashing down. Team Black then went out to fight the survivors so as to commandeer a functional slipspace drive to get off the moon.<ref name="issue5"/> Team Black ultimately escaped the moon and returned to UNSC-controlled space.<ref name="catalog">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2963929_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2963929 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction - Page 6'']</ref>

{{Main|Skirmish on Installation 03}}

By [[2557#July|July 2557]], Black Team had been assigned to [[Installation 03]].<ref name="catalog"/> On [[2557#July|July 25]], shortly after the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s [[Raid on Ivanoff Station|attack]] on [[Ivanoff Station]], Team Black was serving as security detail for a science camp in a desert on the Halo's surface. Unaware of the recent attack on Ivanoff, the Spartans were attempting to establish contact with the station when they noticed a large number of objects exiting [[slipspace]] and falling from the sky; one of the objects crashed nearby, prompting Black to investigate. The team made their way to the impact crater and discovered an unconscious [[Ur-Didact]], who had been knocked into a slipspace rupture by [[John-117]] during the [[New Phoenix Incident]]. Unaware of who the Didact was, Team Black speculated the arriving objects to be an invasion force, though one member questioned the efficacy of the invaders given the Didact's unresponsive state. However, the Didact suddenly awoke. Furious at the sight of more [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartans]], the Didact deemed the humans' presence unacceptable and savagely killed Team Black along with the nearby scientists.<ref>'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 9|Issue 9]]''</ref>

Following the loss of contact with Black Team as well as the scientists, [[Terrence Hood|Admiral Terrence Hood]] sent [[Blue Team]] to Installation 03 to investigate the disturbance. Upon their arrival the next day, Blue Team found all four members of Team Black dead and were attacked by Promethean constructs shortly after.<ref name="HE8"/>

File:BL_Black_vs_Red.png|Team Black training against Red Team with [[paint pellet gun]]s

File:Control room battle.png|Black Team fighting in the Line installation's control center

File:All_Together_Now_by_PORTELA.jpg|Black Team engages Covenant forces gathered outside the installation

File:Halo Escalation Team Black dead.jpg|Team Black's corpses are found by Blue Team.

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