Editing Carrow Conflict

Back in Suraka, Hekabe had uncovered the entrance of the Sharquoi hive and used the vertex to gain access to the facility. He then led a contingent of his forces into the hive and eventually reached the center of the facility.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ENVOYC10|Env|Chapter=10}} There he found and released an army of [[Sharquoi]] warriors, which were organic Forerunner weapons that were connected to the Vertex via a hive mind. Hekabe was therefore able to connect into this hive mind and take control of the hive mind.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ENVOYC13|Env|Chapter=13}} Meanwhile on the surface, the Surakans had scored an apparent victory. Fueled by the death of her son, who was killed in a SMV probing attack, Governor Gass ordered an aggressive attack that was aimed at using controlled asteroids to disable the ''Foebane''.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ENVOYC8|Env|Chapter=8}} Dubbed [[Operation: BUZZHAWK]], this mission was a success, with the cruiser crashing into the desert just outside of the city. Surakan forces quickly overran the remaining Jiralhanae positions and secured the crater around the entrance of the Sharquoi Hive.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ENVOYC16|Env|Chapter=16}}

As these events unfolded, a chase unfolded in the Uldt Desert involving the parties that were stranded there. Gray Team and Melody made their way across the desert in order to reach Gila Station to get some help and supplies. Rojka pursued the humans with a small contingent of surviving warriors while Thars's forces attempted to track down and kill his rival. Eventually the humans reached Gila Station, where they treated Melody's injuries and were briefed about the situation in Suraka by Commander Van Eekhout. Rojka and Thars's parties both reach Gila Station and strike a deal: Rojka would infiltrate the base and kill the Spartans, then Thars would come in and kill Rojka . As Rojka's troops breached the base, Van Eekhout sent the Spartans towards Suraka in a [[Warthog]] to fight the Sharquoi while he and Melody remained behind to try to stall the Sangheili. However, Rojka decided not to hold up his end of the deal, instead having his forces remain cloaked with [[Active camouflage]] as Thars's warriors entered the base. Finding the humans still alive, he questioned them about where Rojka was, severely beating Van Eekhout before killing him. Melody explained the danger of the Sharquoi to Thars, which Rojka overheard. Viewing this as a serious matter, the Kaidon and his forces unconcealed themselves and engaged Thars's troops. They were able to escape on board a [[Phantom]] dropship and proceeded towards Suraka. At this point, with Van Eekhout's biosignature being absent for an extended period, Gila Station's self destruction sequence was enacted and the facility exploded. Thars was able to flee the scene before this happened.{{Ref/Reuse|HEnv}}  

Back in Suraka, the situation was deteriorating rapidly as Hekabe unleashed the Sharquoi on the city. Tearing through any opposition they faced, the creatures inflicted almost complete casualties on the forces that opposed them, although Governor Gass, who came down to the crater to personally oversee the attack on the hive, was able to escape the scene on a Pelican. At this point, the Spartan-IIs of Gray Team and Rojka 'Kasaan's remaining forces arrived in Suraka. After briefly meeting with Ellis, they carried an assassination attempt on Hekabe, which ultimately failed and led to the deaths of the remainder of Rojka's forces.  At this point, Ellis relinquished control of the situation to Lamar Edwards, who ordered the evacuation of the city. He began this by detonating a series of thermobaric mines that were planted around the edge of the crater, slowing down the stream of Sharquoi that were entering the city and forcing Hekabe to retreat back into the Sharquoi Hive. Lamar then redeployed most of the remaining Surakan military forces to assist with the evacuation, focusing on getting people away from the city and to various oases and settlements in the Uldt Desert.{{Ref/Reuse|HEnv}}  

After learning that Thars's fleet was almost repaired, Rojka, Melody, and the Spartans were worried that Hekabe would be able to capture the ships and use these slipspace-capable ships to wage war on the wider UNSC and Sangheili space. To try to prevent this, they came up with a plan to draw Thars out and force him to disable his ships. Rojka challenged him to a final duel and offered the Spartans as collateral. Thars accepted, and the forces met in the Uldt for the confrontation. The Spartans and Rojka then ambushed Thars and his forces with the help of Rojka's last surviving warriors. However, the Spirit dropship that they intended to capture and take to the rival Sangheili's fleet was destroyed in the battle, leaving them powerless to stop the Sharquoi from taking over Thar's fleet.{{Ref/Reuse|HEnv}}  

Gray Team, Rojka, and Melody were then met by Gass, who laid out a plan for defeating Hekabe and his forces. She had rigged a [[M68 Gauss cannon]] with a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]] as a power source, creating a device that fired a concentrated [[electromagnetic pulse]]. This blast would neutralize the vertex, leaving Hekabe unable to command the Sharquoi. Gray Team then refined the plan, suggesting that they enter the Forerunner facility via aerial insertion and mount the device on a [[M121 Jackrabbit]] as opposed to a Warthog. The team was deployed into the structure alongside a militia squad led by [[Wyse|Corporal Wyse]]. They were able to reach the base of the structure and the team advanced across a bridge towards Hekabe's position, engaging the Sharquoi along the way. After the Jackrabbit was immobilized by a falling Sharquoi, Jai ripped the device from its mount and carried it towards Hekabe's position while Adrianna and Mike provided covering fire. After Ellis fired the device and took control of the vertex for herself, Gray Team and Rojka were then immobilized by Sharquoi who were under her control.  Ellis then informed the team that she planned to detonate the nuke and they all had ten minutes to evacuate the facility. The team fled up the stairs as Ellis began tying up the loose ends. She called all Sharquoi in Suraka and surrounding it back to her position and had them attack the remaining Voice of Maardoth forces in Suraka and in the commandeered Sangheili ships. These actions would destroy the last of the Jiralhanae forces. She then detonated the HAVOK device, which destroyed herself, the Sharquoi hive, and the remaining Sharquoi on Carrow. Gray Team, Rojka, and Melody were able to escape, as they were picked up by a Pelican that was hailed for them by Ellis. That Pelican was caught in the shockwave of the nuclear blast and crashed with no casualties.{{Ref/Reuse|HEnv}}

In the aftermath of the Carrow Conflict, the Surakan and Sangheili presence on Carrow was weakened due to the conflict. Kaidon [[Akato 'Dakaj]] wrested control over Rak from his opponents. He then received Rojka back in the city and delegated him as the Sangheili's representative to Suraka. [[Lamar Edwards]] also became the Governor of Suraka after the death of Ellis Gass. Together, these two cities sought to work together in order to survive and thrive on Carrow.{{Ref/Reuse|HEnv}}

Gray Team and Melody Azikiwe were retrieved by the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] and taken aboard the {{UNSCShip|Welcome to the Snipehunt}} to a hero's welcome. They then had a meeting with [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] [[Commander]] [[Ivrin Yarick]], who informed Melody that her time working with ONI had come to an end. He then recruited Gray Team as a part of an interspecies strike team that would operate out of an ONI {{Class|Winter|prowler}}.{{Ref/Reuse|HEnv}}