Editing Halo: Silent Storm

{{Title|''Halo: Silent Storm''}}

{{Status|RealWorld}}

|name=''Halo: Silent Storm''

{{Article quote|[[2526]]. It has been almost a year since humanity engaged in its destructive [[First Battle of Harvest|first contact]] with a theocratic military alliance of alien races known as the [[Covenant]]. Now the hostilities have led to open war, and the [[United Nations Space Command]] understands virtually nothing about its new enemy. There are only two certainties—the Covenant is determined to eradicate humanity, and they have the superior technology to do just that. The UNSC's only hope lies with the [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartans]]: enhanced super-soldiers trained from childhood via a clandestine black-ops project to be living weapons. Their designated commander, Petty Officer [[John-117]], has been assigned to lead the Spartans on a desperate counterattack designed to rock the Covenant back on its heels, and to buy humanity the time it needs to gather intelligence and prepare its defenses.

But not everyone wants the Spartans to succeed. A coalition of human rebel leaders believes an alliance with the Covenant to be its best hope of finally winning independence from the [[Unified Earth Government]]. To further their plans, the [[insurrectionists]] have dispatched a sleeper agent to sabotage the UNSC counterattack—and ensure that John-117 and the Spartans never return from battle....<ref name=amazon/>}}

The book begins in early [[2526]], only a few months after [[First Battle of Harvest|first contact]] at [[Harvest]] and the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] boarding of the Covenant vessel ''[[Unrelenting]]'' at [[Chi Ceti IV]]. The SPARTANs are now attached to {{UNSCShip|Starry Night}}, a {{Class|Razor|prowler}}, as part of a mission to board and capture a [[Covenant frigate]] known as ''[[Radiant Arrow]]'', in an effort to know more about the aliens' technology. The SPARTANs, consisting of [[Blue Team]], [[Green Team]] and [[Gold Team]], perform an [[Extra-vehicular activity|spacewalk]] to board the frigate, entering the ship through the hatch in its hangar by following the flight path of several [[Elsedda-pattern Banshee|Banshees]]. The SPARTANs proceed to clear the bay, using [[M99 Stanchion]]s and [[M41 SPNKR]]s to quickly eliminate the Covenant defenders. The group then begin to start clearing the ship of hostiles, with Blue Team heading for the [[bridge]] and Green Team heading for the ship's engineering section, with Gold acting as support. [[John-117]] is heavily concerned on keeping each [[Spartan-II]] alive on his team; due to the loss of [[Samuel-034]] weeks before during the first [[Spartan-II]] deployment. The plan goes awry when a flight officer aboard one of the [[prowler]]s supporting the operation accidentally broadcasts over general channels, alerting the Covenant to the operation and mobilising the defenders aboard the ship. When Blue Team arrives at the bridge, they dispatch of the crew before discovering that the [[shipmaster]] activated a dead-man's switch in his chair, leading to the ship's self-destruct being activated. The SPARTANs exfiltrate from the ship and are picked up by ''Starry Night''.

Meanwhile, Sergeant [[Avery Johnson]] arrives on the {{UNSCShip|Everest}}, flagship of [[Battle Group X-Ray]] and seat of Admiral [[Preston Cole]]. Having survived the initial Covenant attack on Harvest and even boarded a Covenant ship, ''[[Minor Transgression]]'', Johnson is effectively the most experienced human in fighting the Covenant. Coupled with his experience as part of the [[ORION Project]], Johnson is summoned to a meeting with Admirals Cole and [[Michael Stanforth|Stanforth]] alongside Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]] where he is briefed on their intentions. With the [[UNSC Navy]]'s ineffectiveness in direct [[Space warfare|space battles]] against the Covenant, other means must be sought at leveling the playing field. Following the successful prior boarding actions, the intent is to use the SPARTAN-IIs to board a number of Covenant craft and plant [[nuclear weapon]]s aboard, destroying them before they can be a threat to human spacecraft. This operation is deemed [[Operation: SILENT STORM]].

The Sergeant is introduced to the personnel involved in the planned operation; the SPARTAN-IIs, Captain [[Halima Ascot]] - leader of [[Task Force Yama]], a prowler task force used for the mission and Colonel [[Marmon Crowther]] - leader of the [[ODST]] [[21st Space Assault Battalion]]. The group formalize the plan, with Ascot in charge of the naval complement and Crowther in charge of the 400-strong ground troops, with the SPARTANs under Crowther's operational command. With his experience, Johnson is to advise the SPARTANs and help them in learning to work with standard UNSC enlisted personnel. With the Covenant war machine advancing toward [[Biko]], the operation intends to let Cole's naval forces engage the Covenant with the prowlers inserting their troops while the aliens are distracted. If the prowlers get an opportunity first, they proceed with their plan and Cole's group engages the distracted aliens.  

Meanwhile, a group of [[insurrectionist]]s meet aboard the frigate ''[[Bellicose]]'' to discuss the emerging Covenant threat, with several groups represented. The meeting is led by [[Lyrenne Castilla]] and General [[Harper Garvin]]. The conference eventually agrees to stage a coup of Biko, intending to offer the planet to the Covenant in return for the Covenant sparing the world. [[Petora Zoyas]] of the [[Gao Liberation Force]] offers up intel about the SPARTANs and Operation: SILENT STORM, gathered from a turncoat contact inside the task force. As part of the insurrectionist ploy, they agree to alert the Covenant to the UNSC plan at Biko and, if successful, continue to drip-feed the Covenant intelligence about the UNSC war effort and eventually, the location of [[Earth]], in return for their continued survival. To stage this coup, the insurrectionist factions contribute forces to join the [[Biko Independence Army]] at a base established in an [[Seoba ice quarry|abandoned ice quarry]] on the Bikon moon of [[Seoba]].  

Task Force Yama unknowingly select this same location to stage their operation, leading to the task force attempting to land at the ice quarry. When they discover the rebel presence, the Task Force prepares to take the quarry. Against the SPARTANs' suggestions, Colonel Crowther assigns one SPARTAN to each ODST [[platoon]] to carry heavy weapons. The {{UNSCShip|Ghost Star}} is taken out by return fire from concealed [[M41 Vulcan]] cannons, with many ODSTs killed during the initial drop. Another flight of prowlers take out an insurrectionist communication facility at the top of the quarry, prompting a convoy of [[Civet]] AFVs to begin transporting a group of engineers to fix the array. The prowlers begin to turn around and retreat, cancelling the deployment. Seeing the few soldiers who did manage to successfully land and are now taking fire, [[John-117]] decides to take the initiative against orders and drops out of the drop bay, leading to the remaining forces joining him. With the botched landing, the troops begin taking heavy casualties but are able to eventually find cover. John forms a plan with Lieutenant [[Nelly Hamm]] and Captain [[Zelos Cuvier]]; the quarry is lined by a mass driver leading up to the surface, with bunkers lining all sides. The SPARTANs intend to climb the inside of the mass driver and prevent the insurrectionists from fixing the comms facility and leaking the secrecy of the operation, with the ODSTs launching a mock assault to distract the defenders.

***[[Colonial Military Authority]] {{Mo}}

***{{Pattern|Rasus|interdictor}} {{Mo}}

***{{Pattern|Mjern|agricultural support ship}}

*{{Pattern|Elsedda|Banshee}}

*{{Pattern|Karo'etba|Ghost}}

***{{Class|Point Blank|prowler}}

*[[Shrieker missile|M28 Shrieker missile]] {{1st}}

*{{Pattern|Anskum|plasma grenade}}

*{{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}

*{{Pattern|Vostu|carbine}}

*[[Stealth ablative coating]]