Task Force Yama

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Task Force Yama
Active:	March 2526
Affiliation:	United Nations Space Command
Branch:	UNSC Navy
Type:	Task force
Role:	Insertion Support
Size:	1 Point Blank-class prowler UNSC Vanishing Point Three squadrons of prowlers 3 Sahara-class heavy prowlers Eclipse-class prowlers Razor-class prowlers UNSC Starry Night
Engagements:	Operation: SILENT STORM Battle of Seoba Battle of Biko Battle over Etalan Battle of Zhoist
Commanders:	Captain Halima Ascot

Task Force Yama was a splinter group of the UNSC Navy's Battle Group X-Ray, under the command of Captain Halima Ascot. The Point Blank-class prowler UNSC Vanishing Point would serve as a logistics-support ship, while the Razor-class prowler UNSC Starry Night served as Ascot's flagship. In 2526, the Task Force participated in the Battle of Biko and Operation: SILENT STORM.

History

Operation: SILENT STORM

Main article: Operation: SILENT STORM

In early March 2526, Task Force Yama split off from Battle Group X-Ray under the orders of Vice Admiral Preston Cole. The task force's main objective was to escort the SPARTAN-IIs led by John-117 and the ODSTs of the 21st Space Assault Battalion into battle against the Covenant fleet so that they could board as many of their vessels and stations as possible. Then, using nuclear weapons and other high-yield explosives, they would destroy the ships from the inside, within their nearly impenetrable energy shields. If successful, this operation would disrupt Covenant supply lines and weaken their forward fleets, giving the United Nations Space Command more time to prepare. Captain Halima Ascot, commander of the UNSC Starry Night was selected to take command of the entire task force for the duration of Operation: SILENT STORM.

The leadership personnel for this operation were briefed by Vice Admiral Cole aboard the UNSC Vanishing Point on March 8, as the task force rested in deep space within the Polona sector. Soon after the briefing, the task force entered slipspace for Biko in the Kolaqoa system. With a Covenant fleet already glassing the nearby colony of Etalan, Biko was expected to be the next target and the perfect place to initiate Operation: SILENT STORM. As such, an ice quarry on its moon of Seoba was selected to be Task Force Yama's staging ground as they awaited the Covenant fleet's arrival.

During the ten-day voyage through slipspace, the Spartans trained with the ODSTs in the Vanishing Point's mission preparation hold. The Spartans made short work of the marines in every exercise until Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson taught them new, unorthodox strategies that were much more effective against the supersoldiers. After four days of training, Colonel Marmon Crowther had them all gather in the drop hangar to discuss the specifics of the plan. Despite their performance against his ODSTs, Crowther was skeptical about deploying the Spartans to the front lines due to their inexperience on the battlefield as well as their apparent young age, much to John-117's frustration.

Battle of Seoba

Main article: Battle of Seoba

On March 18, Task Force Yama arrived in the Kolaqoa system and set course for Seoba, with Colonel Crowther planning to practice the mass deployment of the Spartans and his ODSTs into the ice quarry there. Led by Lieutenant Commander Hector Nyeto, the Razor-class prowlers of Ghost Flight would be responsible for delivering these forces. However, Operation: ICE DANCE quickly became a warzone when the prowlers detected the insurgent aligned with the Biko Independence Army hidden amidst the ice. The Vanishing Point hung back to block the insurrectionists' transmissions, while Ghost Flight continued its insertion run. As the prowlers dropped off their complement, the entrenched insurrectionists tore the ODSTs to shreds with M41 Vulcans. Meanwhile, a strike managed to damage the insurgents' communications relay that sat atop the quarry, preventing them from calling for help. In the chaos, John-117 disobeyed orders and leapt from the UNSC Ghost Song to face the insurgents head-on, with the rest of Blue Team following his lead. During an attack run, the UNSC Ghost Star was lost to anti-aircraft fire, prompting Nyeto to pull Ghost Flight out until the skies were made more safe. With Blue Team unknowingly used as a diversion, Lieutenant Nelly Hamm and her men from the Black Daggers' Alpha Company cleared out many of the anti-aircraft emplacements and destroyed a convoy of Civets that had been rising out of the quarry to repair the relay. This allowed Nyeto to deliver more ODSTs, which resulted in the capture of the quarry.

The next day, Captain Ascot called for a debriefing in one of the quarry's old assembly chambers. While discussing what went wrong during the battle, the conversation soon turned to John and his fellow Spartans' apparent young ages. It was revealed that they were all roughly fifteen years old, leading to Crowther's refusal to put them into harm's way. With this decided, the topic of how the insurgents had seemingly been prepared for their arrival was brought up. John-117 observed that they might have been waiting for someone other than the UNSC. The group soon realized that the insurrectionists had instead been preparing to meet with the Covenant, in an attempt to form an alliance. Just then, a Covenant flotilla arrived in the system, with a course set for Seoba. Captain Ascot and Lieutenant Nyeto rushed back to their ships to prepare them for battle. Mere minutes later, much of Task Force Yama had launched from Seoba, taking the Black Daggers along with them in hopes that a boarding opportunity would present itself. First Blade Tel 'Szatulai aboard the Sacred Whisper noticed their departure even with the corvette's sensors failing to detect the prowlers' presence. Stunned by the seemingly superior stealth technology employed by the humans, 'Szatulai ordered the Bloodstar Flotilla to fire blindly on the ice quarry, hoping to down one of the vessels to recover and study. Captain Ascot's Starry Night and the rest of Night Flight received the last company of ODSTs as Ascot was informed of the incoming bombardment. With the plasma heading right for them, Ascot ordered Night Flight to launch immediately. As the Starry Night rose into the Seoban sky, one of the blasts hit the prowler, causing it to crash back into the quarry. The impact killed Ascot and much of her crew, only leaving five survivors. Nyeto frantically reported over the task force's command channel that the vessel was still intact when Crowther interrupted him, informing the lieutenant commander that he would advise if more information about Ascot's flagship was needed, reminding him of Protocol Echo when he protested. Crowther attempted to hail the Starry Night, but received no response. Fearing the worst, he began searching for a Black Dagger unit that could be sent to the crash site. However, all of his ODSTs had already launched with prowlers. Those aboard the other three prowlers of Night Flight were eager to assist, but it would require sending them back into an increasingly intense plasma bombardment. He denied their offers, not wanting to lose any more ships.

As no other units were available, John-117 decided that he would divert his Spartans to search for the Starry Night and recover any survivors. He accessed Task Force Yama's command channel to request a waypoint leading to the prowler's projected crash site. After some convincing, Crowther allowed John and his Spartans to investigate, insisting that they not engage any Covenant forces unless it could not be avoided. He also informed the Spartans of Biko's naval response to the bombardment of Seoba and that Nyeto believed the alien flotilla would either be in full retreat or destroyed within the hour by the overwhelming force. Nyeto reaffirmed this estimation and told John not to worry, as Task Force Yama would have the Spartans' backs. Upon reaching the Starry Night's crash site, they found that it was intact, but that a Covenant corvette was attempting to recover it. John contacted Crowther once again to inform him of the situation. The prowler now needed to be destroyed to prevent the information within its computers from falling into enemy hands. However, the vessel's self-destruct could not be remotely activated without Captain Ascot or the captain of the Vanishing Point, which was holding station too far out to contact quickly enough. John assured Crowther that his Spartans would handle it, but requested that Nyeto support them by distracting the two corvettes that were now attacking the Spartans. However, support from Task Force Yama was too slow in arriving, forcing John to take drastic measures to prevent Covenant incursion into the Starry Night.

Using their grenade launchers, Blue Team caused an avalanche that brought the prowler to them, but also buried half of the Spartans in ice. Finding that Fred-104 had escaped being caught under the ice flow, John ordered him to board and destroy the Starry Night as he switched back to the command channel to report. When he asked yet again where their support was, Nyeto told him that it was on the way and that he should not worry. Growing increasingly frustrated, John made it clear to him that the support was needed immediately. Still, Nyeto assured him that he had a plan. While Fred led a small team inside of the Starry Night, the other Spartans were fending off armored vehicles and three intrusion corvettes. Finally, Nyeto made his move and sent multiple of the task force's prowlers on a strafing run, destroying two of the corvettes and chasing away the third. However, the original corvette that was still attempting to capture the Starry Night was left unscathed. When it began to levitate the prowler into it cargo hold, John ordered Fred's team to activate the prowler's Fury tactical nuclear weapon and escape with the few survivors they had found. Fred decided that they would use one of the vessel's escape pods to flee the blast radius. When it launched from the prowler and soared out of the quarry pit through Seoba's low gravity, Crowther was surprised and asked what that was. John informed him that it was some of his Spartans and survivors from the crash, and that the Starry Night would self-destruct in twenty-five seconds. Nyeto sarcastically thanked John for the short notice, to which the Spartan responded in kind regarding the delayed support. Acting offended by the remark, Nyeto began to remind him of the two corvettes he shot down, but Crowther interrupted to tell them to can the chatter. To ensure that none of Task Force Yama would be caught in the blast or its effects, Nyeto had all the prowlers pull back. Each of the twelve Spartans and the five survivors from the Starry Night made it away safely before the detonation, which also destroyed the Covenant corvette that was attempting to take possession of the prowler. After the nuke's electromagnetic pulse had dissipated, Crowther had some prowlers land to extract them. Before boarding the prowlers, the Spartans investigated the wreckage of the intrusion corvette, finding and extricating an intact starholo from its bridge. They returned the device to the Vanishing Point for Dr. Catherine Halsey to examine.

On March 20, the two-hundred-and-three men and women of Task Force Yama who had died at Seoba were cremated with their ashes placed into interment capsules. These containers were arranged in the command hangar of the Vanishing Point, where a large honor company of officers and enlisted personnel attended a funeral service led by Major Ojombo. After she gave an emotional speech about the honor of service and sacrifice, Lieutenant Commander Nyeto—now the de facto commander of the task force after Ascot's death—ordered Staff Sergeant Johnson to call the company to attention, lift the AlON pressure barrier, and have the outer hatch be opened to let the capsules float out into space. While this was going on, Nyeto delivered his prepared Committal speech. After this was finished and all the capsules had been jettisoned, he had Johnson order the hatch closed and the pressure barrier retracted. The staff sergeant then dismissed the honor company, with most promptly leaving the hangar and returning to their duty stations.

A handful of senior officers and the six Spartans that were not in the infirmary remained to hear their action from Nyeto. The lieutenant commander approached John-117 and complemented him on actions the previous day, promising that he and his compatriots would continue to see action despite their young ages. Colonel Crowther contested this yet again, saying that the Spartans reported to him. In response, Nyeto reminded Crowther that he now reported to him as commander of the task force, and that Admiral Cole surely knew about their unique situation before assigning them to the operation. What followed was a heated debate that ultimately ended in Nyeto conceding to Crowther after being threatened with a report to a UNSC board of inquiry. As the remaining personnel departed from the hangar in a shocked silence, Johnson was joined by Crowther during the walk back to the Black Daggers' quarters. Crowther apologized to him for having that exchange in front of everyone, but he told the colonel that he had seen worse. He also warned Crowther that his argument with Nyeto was not one he was going to win, as it had been decided far above his pay grade that the Spartans were not children and that they were the right fit for the mission. Crowther agreed with this sentiment, saying that the young supersoldiers had saved them at Seoba and that they were ready for battle. He then revealed that he was suspicious of Nyeto and his strange attitude toward the Spartans. It had seemed to him that Nyeto had purposefully stalled in supporting them during the previous day's battle. As such, Crowther wanted to keep the Spartans away from Nyeto until he figured out what was going on. To keep the Spartans away for a time, the colonel informed Johnson that he was sending them on a mission to sabotage the Covenant's supply chain at Etalan.

Battle of Biko

Main article: Battle of Biko

Later that same day, the expected Covenant fleet arrived at Biko and prepared to assault the planet. As planned, Task Force Yama deployed with the Black Daggers in tow, hoping to insert the ODSTs onto as many vessels as possible. The Vanishing Point stayed back to observe the battle from afar, taking position at liberation point three on the opposite side of Biko from Seoba. Thanks to the insurrectionists, the Covenant had learned of the task force's plan, and expected the Spartans to board their warships. To try to prevent this, they kept a tight fighter screen around their capital ships so that no prowlers could slip past undetected. This forced Crowther to delay boarding actions until an opportunity presented itself. Meanwhile, the Covenant fleet of about one hundred vessels accelerated to meet Biko's meager navy.

The battle continued for five days, and an opportunity to board at least one Covenant vessel did indeed present itself. The prowlers of Task Force Yama successfully delivered a detachment of Black Daggers onto the warship Purifying Flame, but the ODSTs were captured before they could destroy the vessel. The prisoners were subjected to "mind melting" techniques as well as the Jiralhanae "game" known as tossers in order to extract information from them. However, all that the interrogators could extract from them were names of their task force, their ODST battalion, and the Spartans attached to Task Force Yama. Before the battle came to an end and Biko's defense forces were obliterated, the task force had lost five additional prowlers.

Battle over Etalan

Main article: Battle over Etalan

As the battle raged in orbit over Biko, the Vanishing Point and two escort prowlers broke from Task Force Yama and left the Kolaqoa system. During the two-day journey, Blue Team discussed which vessels of the logistics fleet they should designate as priority targets. Ultimately, they decided that they would target the munitions supply vessels first and the food supply vessels second, as the loss of those necessities would bring the Covenant offensive in this part of human space to a standstill.

On March 22, the Vanishing Point and its escorts arrived at Etalan, spending the next four days observing the logistics fleet's movements and trying to discern which vessels served each function. By March 26, the Vanishing Point's analysts felt confident that four of the fifteen Covenant vessels were equipment freighters that carried spare parts and other materials used to maintain the Fleet of Inexorable Obedience. At this point, the logistics fleet seemed to be preparing to break from orbit over the planet to rejoin the main fleet at Biko. Since time was evidently running short, Gold and Green Teams were deployed in S-14 Baselards to destroy the freighters while Blue Team was still discussing which vessels they should target during the second phase of the attack. The plan called for each of them to fly one of the Banshees they had captured at Netherop into the hangars of the target vessels, crash the fighters with a HAVOK nuke planted in the cockpit, and then go EV to be recovered by the escort prowlers. For the purpose of this mission, each member of Blue Team was equipped with an M99 Stanchion and M41 SPNKR. Ultimately, Dr. Halsey informed the group that she had identified the fleet's munition supply vessels as the three large "air-skimmers" that were dipping in and out of Etalan's upper atmosphere. Despite having come to this conclusion only minutes after they had arrived at Etalan, she explained that she had kept it to herself so as to not alert Nyeto and his subordinates—whom she had deduced were Insurrectionist spies—to their plan. With this new information, Blue Team prepared to follow through on their part of the mission, now targeting the three "air-skimmers" instead.

As the Vanishing Point neared the designated drop-off point, Blue Team grabbed their HAVOKs and boarded their Banshees while a remotely-piloted Baselard powered up on the hangar deck just ahead of them. Moments before launch, a decoy flight of three manned Baselards soared past the hangar aperture with a Banshee squadron hot on their tails. The Vanishing Point cold-launched a salvo of pre-targeted M42 Archer missiles, and an instant later, the remote Baselard shot out of the hangar. It fired its two Archer missiles at the Banshee squadron as the Vanishing Point's missiles activated and flew after the Banshees as well. The Banshees scattered, giving the three manned Baselards a chance to escape. John gave Blue Team the order to launch their Banshees and fall in behind the alien fighter squadron before firing on the remote-controlled Baselard until it self-destructed into a fireball that helped distract the Covenant forces as the Vanishing Point slipped away.

Shortly after this, Gold and Green Teams deployed from their Baselards to attack the equipment freighters as planned. Moments later, the targeted freighters began exploding while panic ensued among the Covenant fighters and across their battlenet. The fourth explosion was so close to the Banshee squadron that they were all—including the Banshees piloted by Blue Team—disabled by the resulting electromagnetic pulse. After some discussion, Blue Team decided that they would go EV and intercept the three air-skimmers as they passed by. John would board the first vessel, Kelly the second, and Fred the third while Linda and Johnson held back to cover them with their M99 Stanchions. Leaving the squadron of adrift Banshees behind, Johnson's HAVOK nuke—which he had left aboard his Banshee—detonated, killing any potential witnesses aboard the other craft and covering their approach for the air-skimmers. Meanwhile, the two escort prowlers arrived to recover Gold and Green Teams. Assuming the vessels were preparing for another attack run on the logistics fleet, the Covenant attacked the prowlers and the Baselards accompanying them. Nearing the lead bladder ship, John fired his thrusters to slow his approach, alerting the vessel's fighter screen to his presence. As he neared the vessel, he prepared his HAVOK with a timer and let it float next to him on the same trajectory. At seven kilometers above the ship, John activated his primary thruster, speeding away as fast as possible. The HAVOK detonated so close that it elevated his MJOLNIR armor's exterior temperature well above the danger level. Fred and Kelly likewise managed to destroy their targeted vessels before Blue Team was recovered by the Vanishing Point or its escort prowlers.

Rendezvous

The decimation of the logistics fleet forced the Fleet of Inexorable Obedience to call in another for resupply. Anticipating this, the Vanishing Point and its escorts remained at Etalan until the new supply convoy arrived five days later. At this point, the three stealth vessels departed the Igdras system and rendezvoused with the rest of Task Force Yama in the Polona sector on March 31, 2526. By this date, Dr. Halsey and Déjà continued to examine the captured starholo with the hope that they they could extrapolate the location of the logistics base from which the new supply convoy had been sent. Ultimately, the two came to the conclusion that the planet situated near Transit Node Bhadra was the base's likely location. As Halsey had flirtatiously requested Marmon Crowther's presence as soon as the rendezvous was complete, he returned to the Vanishing Point and visited Halsey's lab. Once they were alone in her private quarters, Halsey revealed that she was putting on a show in the event that Nyeto or one of his agents were watching; this way, they would not suspect that Halsey and Crowther were meeting to discuss their suspicions. With this established, Halsey stated that they needed to decide how to handle Nyeto before he tried to kill her Spartans again.

Battle of Zhoist

Main article: Battle of Zhoist

The task force, split into Dagger Force and Sierra Force, next launched an attack against Zhoist. By this point, it had become clear that the task force's new commander, Hector Nyeto was in fact an Insurrectionist attempting to sabotage the Spartans. Before departure, Colonel Marmon Crowther promoted John-117 to the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer and placed him in charge of Sierra Force with secret new orders that foiled Nyeto's attempt to betray the task force to the Covenant. Nyeto was forced to flee to slipspace, escaping with the three Prowlers of Ghost Flight which all turned out to be crewed by Insurrectionists. Though the Black Daggers aboard were blown into vacuum, they were later rescued by the UNSC Night Watch. Another Prowler was lost on approach to Zhoist, but the task force was able to complete its mission, destroying the Ring of Mighty Abundance, two of the Ten Cities of Edification and inflicting massive casualties upon the Covenant.

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Composition

Task Force Yama comprised of three squadrons of Eclipse-class prowlers and Razor-class prowlers, each being led by a Sahara-class heavy prowler.

• Razor-class prowlers
  • UNSC Starry Night
  • UNSC Black Widow
  • UNSC Widow Maker
  • UNSC Ghost Song
  • UNSC Ghost Star
  • UNSC Ghost Flag
  • UNSC Ghost Wind
  • UNSC Night Watch
• UNSC Quiet Death
• UNSC Quiet Man
• UNSC Hush Now
• Point Blank-class prowler
  • UNSC Vanishing Point
• Ghost Flight
• Hush Flight
• Night Flight
• Quiet Flight
• Slipper Flight
• Watch Flight
• Sierra Force
• Dagger Force
• Dozens of S-14 Baselard Space Strikers

List of appearances

• Halo: Silent Storm (First appearance)
• Halo: Oblivion (Mentioned only)