Editing Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity

{{Era|HCW}}

{{Military infobox|variant=Cov

|formed=Unknown - November 3rd, [[2552]]

|affiliation=[[Covenant]] (before Great Schism)<br>

Covenant loyalist and [[Covenant separatists|separatist]] loyalties present during Great Schism

|branch=[[Covenant Navy]]

|size=Numbering in the hundreds<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', "Epilogue"</ref>

|battles=[[Battle of Installation 05]]<br>[[Onyx Conflict]]

|commanders=[[Voro 'Mantakree]]

The '''Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity'''<ref name="goo22">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', Chapter 22</ref> was a very large [[Covenant fleet]], and was a part of the [[High Charity defense fleet]] during [[2552]]. The [[fleet]] numbered in hundreds of warships and had the sole responsibility of protecting the Covenant holy city of [[High Charity]].<ref name="regret"/>

In the [[Ages of Reclamation|9th Age of Reclamation]], the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity served as the vanguard fleet of the Covenant homeworld High Charity. It accompanied High Charity to the [[Soell system]] in [[2552#September|September 2552]], arriving shortly after the recently-discovered [[Installation 04|Installation 04's]] [[Battle of Installation 04|destruction]] at the hands of [[Spartan-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]]. High Charity and its defense fleet was still present near the shattered Halo ring by October 20, 2552, when the former [[Supreme Commander]] of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] [[Thel 'Vadam|Thel 'Vadamee]] was tried and sentenced for his failure to protect the Halo.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[The Heretic]]''</ref>

After the [[Prophet of Regret|Prophet of Regret's]] arrival at [[Installation 05]] following his [[Battle for Earth|failed assault]] on the [[Human|human]] homeworld of [[Earth]], he transmitted an apology to the other two [[Hierarchs|High Prophets]] on High Charity, apologising for his reckless actions. While the [[Prophet of Truth]] angrily condemned him, High Charity and it's defense fleet, among them the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity, hastily left the Soell System for Installation 05. They arrived just as [[Spartan-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] arrived at the [[Temple (Installation 05)|temple]] where Regret had taken refuge, seeking to [[Assassination of the Prophet of Regret|kill]] the Covenant leader. The fleet launched wave after wave of [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantoms]] to assist the [[Prophet of Regret]]. Before they could arrive to reinforce the Regret, they were recalled by the Prophet of Truth, allowing the Spartan to assassinate the Hierarch.<ref name="regret/><ref name="bc16">'''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''', Chapter 16</ref>

[[File:H2A Great Schism.png|thumb|300px|right|Jiralahanae and Sangheili-controlled ships of the fleet attacking each other during the beginning of the Great Schism]]

During the ongoing battle of Installation 05, the Prophet of Truth begun his long-planned betrayal of the [[Sangheili]], first [[Changing of the Guard|replacing]] the [[Covenant Honor Guard]]'s [[Sangheili Honor Guardsman|Sangheili]] with the [[Jiralhanae]],<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Sacred Icon (level)|Sacred Icon]]''</ref> and later ordering the execution of the Sangheili [[Sangheili High Councilor|Councilors]] at the hands of Jiralhanae [[Jiralhanae Captain|Captain]] [[Melchus]] and his troops.<ref name="bc16"/> As the holy city of High Charity erupted into [[Great Schism|civil war]], the Second Fleet similarly descended into chaos. Jiralhanae and Sangheili-controlled ships began to engage one another over High Charity.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]]''</ref> At the same time other ships were trying to keep [[the Flood]] from escaping Installation 05. Some of the ships became infected by the Flood and many were destroyed, some sacrificing themselves to save the others. [[Sangheili Major]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree|Voro 'Mantakree]] of the [[ORS-class heavy cruiser]] ''[[Incorruptible]]'' managed to negotiate a brief truce between the warring vessels to focus on eliminating the Flood threat, but the Jiralhanae attacked the Sangheili before all Flood-controlled craft had been destroyed. The ''Incorruptible'' opted to leave the ongoing fight, in order to heed the summons of [[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]],<ref name="goo22"/> but was pursued by three Jiralhanae-controlled frigates.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 25</ref>

Those Sangheili-held vessels of the Second Fleet that did not leave for the [[Salia system]] or scatter elsewhere continued to fight the Jiralhanae around High Charity even as the plantetoid itself fell to the Flood and the Prophet of Truth left for Earth on board the [[Anodyne Spirit|Forerunner Dreadnought]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]''</ref> Eventually the Jiralhanae were defeated, with some retreating to follow the Prophet of Truth's ship. The remaining Sangheili ships proceeded to [[Glassing|glass]] the surface of Installation 05 to prevent the Flood from leaving the [[Coelest system]].<ref>'''[[Eleventh Hour reports]]''', Part 5</ref> While the remaining Sangheili ships of the Second Fleet held the Flood-infested High Charity in quarantine, [[Indulgence of Conviction|a single]] Flood-controlled CCS-class battlecruiser managed to break through the blockade and make a slipspace jump to Earth, with a [[Fleet of Retribution|detachment]] of ships led by [[Rtas 'Vadum]] in pursuit.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref> The fate of the remaining vessels is unknown, as the Flood [[Gravemind]] used its knowledge of [[Precursor]] science to have High Charity perform a slipspace jump out of the system without the Dreadnought, the city's primary power source.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-feet-first '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Feet First'']</ref>

A portion of the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity were among the Sangheili-held vessels that rallied with Xytan 'Jar Wattinree and the [[Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose]] at the world of [[Joyous Exultation]] in the Salia system. Here, Wattinree proposed the creation of a new [[Joyous Exultation Covenant|Sangheili-led Covenant]] and planned to ambush and massacre the Jiralhanae and [[San'Shyuum]] leadership. He gave Voro 'Mantakree, the ''de facto'' commander of the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity the title of [[Fleetmaster|fleetmaster]] and instructed him to take the fleet to [[Onyx]] and protect the [[Forerunner]] artifacts there from falling into human hands. Immediately after the Second Fleet, composed of twenty-two ships, transitioned into [[Slipstream space|slipspace]], the majority of the Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose was destroyed by the accidental detonation of a [[NOVA bomb]] by a group of Huragok on board Wattinree's flagship ''[[Sublime Transcendence]]''.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 27</ref>

Upon their arrival at Onyx, the fleet was approached by thousands of [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinel]] constructs. 'Mantakree ordered [[Shipmaster]] [[Qunu]] of the [[Covenant destroyer|destroyer]] ''[[Far Sight Lost]]'' to supplicate the drones. As Qunu conducted the [[Fire and Repentance Codices|ritual greeting]], the drones suddenly opened fire, their combined fire quickly destroying the ''Far Sight Lost'', which had not yet activated their [[Energy shielding#Spacecraft shielding|energy shielding]]. The rest of the Second Fleet then opened fire on 'Mantakree's order, decimating the majority of the Sentinels before they broke formation and wiped out the surviving drones. 'Mantakree then ordered the destroyer ''[[Absolution]]'' to perform a precision slipspace jump to the northern polar region of the planet to scout for any targets of value. Unexpectedly, several more formations of Onyx Sentinels tapped into the ship's slipspace field, aligning themselves perfectly to destroy the ''Absolution'' as it left slipspace. 'Mantakree told the rest of the fleet not to transition to slipspace without his explicit order. The ''Incorruptible'' then identified their target: a vast Forerunner city on the surface of the planet. The fleet descended into the atmosphere, destroying a group of Sentinels that rose to challenge them. After ordering his [[Mgalekgolo]] bodyguards to prepare his ground troops for battle, 'Mantakree ordered the fleet to only use their [[Pulse laser turret|pulse lasers]] for precision destruction of the drones, to prevent collateral damage to the Forerunner structures. After pulsing the [[Greeting of Ancients]], ''Incorruptible's'' communications officer [[Y'gar 'Pewtrunoee]] detected a transmission from a [[Type-25 Spirit|Spirit]] dropship belonging to the Covenant destroyer [[Bloodied Spirit]], a vessel 'Mantakree knew to have been commandeered by human [[Covenant religion#Demons|"demons"]]. After triangulating the signal, Voro left his ship to lead the ground assault.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 31</ref> The fleet's vessels deployed masses of infantry, aerial support and even a [[Scarab]] walker into the Forerunner city.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 33</ref>  

A short time later, [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[Battle group|Battle Group]] [[Battle Group Omicron|Omicron]] arrived at Onyx and promptly engaged two of the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity's destroyers in high planetary orbit. The human battle group detonated a trio of nuclear weapons behind the vessels, destroying one of them. As the battle group opened fire with their [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC cannons]], the remaining Covenant destroyer targeted the human [[UNSC Stalingrad|flagship]], but the [[UNSC destroyer|destroyer]] {{UNSCShip|Glasgow Kiss}} intercepted the plasma charges, sacrificing itself by absorbing three of the four charges. The final plasma round got through and struck the ''Stalingrad'', but not destroying the ship. The Covenant vessel was struck by several MAC rounds and retreated down to Onyx, away from the battle group. As Battle Group Omicron chased after the damaged destroyer, the rest of the Second Fleet arrived. When the two opposing fleets clashed above Onyx, two of the Second Fleet's destroyers were damaged by MAC rounds. The fleet's return fire destroyed three of Omicron's ships. The remaining, badly damaged UNSC ships, plunged into the heart of the Second Fleet. Two of the fleet's vessels were destroyed when the {{UNSCShip|Iwo Jima}} self-destructed between them. While the Covenant vessels were momentarily confused, the remaining human ships fled around the far side of Onyx. As the Second Fleet prepared to pursue, suddenly, swarms of Onyx Sentinels appeared. The fleet attempted to fire [[Plasma torpedo|plasma torpedoes]] but the octahedral formations of Sentinels captured the energy from the projectiles, rendering them harmless. The drones then opened fire, destroying three of the Second Fleet's destroyers. Two more were destroyed while distracting the Sentinels, allowing the rest of the fleet to escape from Onyx's gravity well and escape.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 32</ref>   

==Notable vessels in the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity==

*''[[Incorruptible]]'' - {{Class|ORS|heavy cruiser}}, [[Shipmaster]] [[Tano 'Inanraree]] commanding - Sangheili held.

*''[[Lawgiver]]'' - [[Covenant carrier|Carrier]] - Sangheili held.

*''[[Far Sight Lost]]'' - [[Covenant destroyer|Destroyer]], Shipmaster [[Qunu]] commanding - Sangheili held.

*''[[Absolution]]'' - Destroyer - Sangheili held.

*''[[Rapturous Arc]]'' - Destroyer - Jiralhanae held.

*''[[Revenant (ship)|Revenant]]'' - [[Covenant frigate|Frigate]] - Jiralhanae held.

*''[[Tenebrous]]'' - Frigate - Jiralhanae held.

*''[[Twilight Compunction]]'' - Frigate, Shipmaster [[Gargantum]] commanding - Jiralhanae held.

<references/>