Editing Truth's fleet

{{Era|HCW}}

{{Articlename|1}}

{{Military infobox|variant=Cov

|image=[[File:Truth's Fleet.jpg|300px]]

|type=[[Fleet]] {{c|Combined during the Operation: FIRST STRIKE}}

**Around 12 ships {{c|post-FIRST STRKE}}{{Ref/Reuse|first}}

**One enormous excavation fleet{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}}

***Unknown large numbers of ships

**[[High Charity defense fleet]] remnants{{Ref/Reuse|H2TA}}{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}}

*[[High Prophet of Truth]]

[[File:HM-UnyieldingHierophant.jpg|290px|thumb|left|The massive space station ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' leading a combined [[Jiralhanae]]-controlled assault armada of over 500 warships assembled by Prophet of Truth.]]

Due to Truth's devious plans for the Covenant, this fleet was commanded exclusively by the [[Jiralhanae]] and featured only few [[Sangheili]] in its ranks; an arrangement unheard of in the Covenant before the [[Great Schism]]. For similar reasons, Truth kept the existence of this fleet, and the fact he had discovered humanity's homeworld, secret even from his fellow [[Hierarchs]].{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}} This would make it a simple matter to turn the fleet against the Sangheili once the [[human]]s will be wiped out. This plan had more immediate advantages as well; leaving the Sangheili to scour Earth in search of the most sacred [[Forerunner]] artifact in existence, the mammoth structure and [[Portal at Voi|portal generator]] that is served as the gateway to the [[Installation 00|Ark]], would have placed Truth's plan upon the shoulders of a species he had already decided to cast aside.{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}}{{Ref/Reuse|bungie}}

However, Truth's plan was slowed down when a small group of human survivors from [[Reach]] and [[Installation 04]] discovered the fleet, leading to the [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|destruction]] of the ''Unyielding Hierophant'' at the hands of a team of [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]]. Only a dozen ships survived the station's explosion though were left heavily damaged and were limped back to [[High Charity]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=first|Halo: First Strike|Page=333}} For a moment, the imminent assault on Earth had been postponed.{{Ref/Book|Id=Mythos|Book=Halo Mythos|Page=??}} Following the loss of ''Unyielding Hierophant'', in High Charity the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]] arrived to [[Sanctum of the Hierarchs]], where Truth waited in, to inform the destruction of his armada. After being disturbed by the disaster but otherwise regarded it as a minor setback, Truth told Tartarus to have the surviving ships rendezvous at their designated coordinates. He also ordered the reward and secret execution of the remaining pilots from [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]], so as not to cause panic in the Covenant by stories of how the [[Demon]]s had obliterated an entire fleet of hundreds of warships.{{Ref/Novel|Novel=Halo: First Strike|Pages=406-408}} Knowledge of the ''Unyielding Hierophant''{{'}}s ultimate goal, and its eventual destruction, were eliminated by the Prophet of Truth to keep his plans as a secret to the rest of the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}}

After the ''Unyielding Hierophant'' was destroyed, the [[Prophet of Regret]], completely oblivious of Truth's plan, discovered the location of the [[Portal at Voi|gateway]] to [[Installation 00|the Ark]] by via a Forerunner [[Luminary]] that was found on [[Meridian]] at the end of [[Battle of Meridian|3-years-long siege]] on the planet in [[2551]]; coincidentally, this structure was located on a planet known as "Erde-Tyrenne" by the Forerunner, which was in fact the human's homeworld, Earth. Unaware of the human presence, Regret led a [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|detachment of fifteen ships]] to Earth. While he learned of the human presence upon arrival on October 20th, he was so blinded by his religious fervor he ignored Earth's orbital defenses and jumped to the planet's surface, immediately deploying troops to the [[Africa]]n city of [[Mombasa]] in search of the Forerunner artifact, while his ships fought the [[UNSC Home Fleet]], including the [[Fifth Fleet]] and the [[Seventh Fleet]], in orbit.{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}}

[[File:Portal odst.png|thumb|250px|right|The fleet joining Regret's fleet remnants to excavate the Portal shortly after its arrival, forcing the [[Alpha-Nine]] to retreat.]]

Immediately after the Prophet of Truth learned of Regret's departure to Earth and rebuilding his fleet as a large support and excavation fleet for the [[Portal at Voi|Portal]] to the [[Installation 00|Ark]], he sent his fleet after him and initialed his plan to [[Changing of the Guard|replace]] the Sangheili by the Jiralhanae as the Covenant's primary warrior while doubting the reliability and loyalty of the Sangheili earlier.{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}} These forces of Truth's renewed fleet led by the Jiralhanae was both archaeological and military.<ref>halo3.com - About Halo, Characters, Humans ([https://archives.halopedia.org/halo3/ Archive])</ref> While Truth's fleet was on its way after Regret's [[Solemn Penance|carrier]] was forced to retreat as [[UNSC]] forces retook the city, the remaining Covenant forces, now without a leader, continued to [[Space warfare|engage]] the [[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]] in space.{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}} Shortly after, the Jiralhanae that were left behind by Regret were given orders to eliminate the Sangheili still in command of what was left of Regret's fleet and kill any remaining Sangheili troops still stationed on or above the planet; an order they would willingly obey.{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}}

As ordered by Truth, the Jiralhanae assumed the total command of the remainder of [[CCS-class battlecruiser|cruisers]] of Regret's [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]], including the ''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'', battling UNSC forces above and within [[New Mombasa]]. They as well aggressively occupying the city with significant infantry until Truth's reinforcements arrival to ensure that the arrival of the Prophet to the Portal nearly a month later will be fully secured by his true loyalists as the Covenant forces on the city was needed to be led by the Jiralhanae and not the Sangheili to avoid his aspirations upon the shoulders of a species he had planned to expel them from the Covenant and eliminate them.{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}}{{Ref/Reuse|bungie}}

Later, the cruisers were gathered over the industrial center and started excavating the Forerunner structure by [[glassing]] the planet surface around it, including Mombasa, starting from the crater created by the in-atmosphere [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] jump of Regret's ship. Eventually the next day on October 21st, the Prophet of Truth's fleet arrived to join Regret's fleet remnants for excavation of the excession to the Ark while more and more other Covenant reinforcements later arrived and launched a large full-scale assault on the planet.<!--Halo Waypoint confirms that Truth's fleet arrived on October 21st-->{{Ref/Site|Id=waypointvergil|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-vergil-reality|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Vergil Reality|D=15|M=06|Y=2021}}{{Ref/Reuse|Oct20}}{{Ref/Level|Id=CoastalHighway|Game=Halo 3: ODST|Level=Coastal Highway}} While the majority of Covenant forces that were under Truth's command, including his most of his fleet, was preoccupied and focusing their primary objective for the excavation of the portal as the largest and most organized Covenant stronghold on the planet,{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}} only a handful of vessels of Truth's fleet and its deployed forces attacked the UNSC forces,{{Ref/Book|Id=mythos|Book=Halo Mythos|Page=117}} including those at the outskirts of Mombasa during the [[seven]]-day-long [[Second Battle of Mombasa|second battle of the city]].{{Ref/Film|Film=Believe|Story=Museum}} However, some of these forces were disorganized and sometimes less effective against the UNSC.{{Ref/Generic|Id=lootcrate2|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]}}

[[File:H2A - Earth and Dreadnought.jpg|270px|left|thumb|Truth's forces and the [[UNSC Home Fleet]] engaging each other as the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] exited [[slipspace]].]]

In [[2552#November|November 2552]] after the [[Flood]] overwhelmed [[High Charity]], the surviving ships and fleets of the [[High Charity defense fleet]], including the [[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]], that are loyal to the Prophets managed to follow the Prophet of Truth and his [[Forerunner Dreadnought|Dreadnought]] to Earth, where they joined the fleet that had arrived earlier. While the Dreadnought, along with a Covenant escorting fleet,{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI1|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 1|1]]}}{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI2|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 2|2]]}} traveled through the system for a period of nine days as it was [[Scramble onboard Forerunner Dreadnought|delayed]] by the presence of the [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan-II]] [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]] before eventually jumping to Earth on November 17,{{Ref/Site|Id=bungie|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=16989|Site=bungie.net|Page=Bungie Weekly Update 01/23/09}}{{Ref/Site|Id=lrh|URL=https://youtu.be/8K3hG76Ctmo?t=164|Site=YouTube|Page=Halo 101: Long Road Home|D=14|M=06|Y=2021}} the Covenant loyalist armada led by the Prophet of Truth arrived and breached [[Luna]]r perimeter and then battled the horribly-outnumbered and outgunned UNSC Home Fleet that was already weakened by waves of Covenant fleets over Earth. Shortly after, the Dreadnought jumped to Earth where it was later surrounded by the massive space battle between the opposing fleets.{{Ref/Level|Id=TGJ|Game=Halo 2|Level=[[The Great Journey (level)|The Great Journey]]}}{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI3|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 3|3]]}}{{Ref/Reuse|HUI4}} Ultimately, the UNSC defending orbital forces was unsuccessful as too much of the [[UNSC fleet]], including many [[Dead fleet|smaller remaining fleets]], and defense forces despite having strong defense was completely obliterated by the overwhelming Covenant fleet but it is likely that countless Covenant vessels, especially the [[capital ship]]s, was in return destroyed, mainly because of the planet's unusually strong defense, including hundreds of [[orbital defense platform]]s equipped with [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon#Mark V|"Super" MAC]] guns.{{Ref/Level|Id=H2TA|Game=Halo 2|Level=The Armory|Quote=The ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo]]'' is just one of ''three hundred'' geosync platforms. That MAC gun can put a round clean through a Covenant capital ship. With coordinated fire from the ''[[Athens Station|Athens]]'' and the ''[[Malta Station|Malta]]'', nothing's getting past this battle cluster in one piece.}} Soon after the remnants of the Covenant fleet move in and began to massively [[orbital bombardment|bombard]] Earth, destroying an extreme number of Earth population, including the most of scattered and remaining UNSC resistance forces.{{Ref/Level|Id=H3CN|Game=Halo 3|Level=Crow's Nest}} However, act of self-sacrifice of [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]], who was present during the Covenant [[Battle of Mare Erythraeum|assault]] on [[Mars]],{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}} that of his civilian brother, [[Ruwan Ackerson|Ruwan]], managed to halt most of Covenant occupation of Earth after the destruction of the ''[[Harbinger of Piety]]'', hence the death of one of Covenant [[Minister of Inquisition|Ministers]], and the fact that a supposed Forerunner artifact, known as the [[Key of Osanalan]], was not real at the end of the [[Battle of Cleveland|Battle of]] [[Cleveland]] in [[North America]].{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI4|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 4|4]]}} As a result, the Martian valiant defense forces despite being defeated by the Jiralhanae-led [[Fleet of Furious Redemption]], which sympathized Truth's forces, were credited for delaying the Covenant from pressing their siege on Earth.{{Ref/Site|Id=mars|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/mars|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Mars|Y=2021|D=14|M=06}}

[[File:H3 Truths fleet vs Fleet of Retribution.jpg|thumb|300px|Truth's Jiralhanae fleet confronts the Fleet of Retribution and the Battle Group Victory]]

On [[2552#December|December 11]], the fleet used this time to deploy ground forces to the Ark, while Truth and his [[Jiralhanae Bodyguard|bodyguard]] of Jiralhanae moved to [[the Citadel]] to activate the [[Halo Array|Halo rings]].

After the humans and Sangheili contained the Flood on Earth, a joint UNSC-Sangheili effort, consisting of the [[Battle Group Victory]], and a [[battle group]] of [[Covenant separatists|Seperatist]] [[Fleet of Retribution]], spearheaded by the [[CAS-class assault carrier|assault carrier]], ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', managed to follow the Covenant ships a few hours after their initial retreat through the portal. Upon arriving above the Ark on December 11, the Jiralhanae fleet [[Battle of Installation 00|engaged]] the Fleet of Retribution, backed up by the UNSC frigates. While Truth's fleet outnumbered the UNSC-Sangheili fleet three to one, the Sangheili's tactics proved superior to that of the Jiralhanae, eventually obliterating the entirety of the loyalist fleet except at least [[Foebane|one]] [[ORS-class heavy cruiser|heavy cruiser]] that abandoned the other Covanant forces to their doom earlier.{{Ref/Level|Id=TheArk|Game=Halo 3|Level=The Ark}} Together with the utter defeat of the Jiralhanae-led forces on the Ark itself during the conflict on the installation and Truth's eventual death at the hands of the [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]], this signalled the final and pyrrhic UNSC-Sangheili victory over the [[Covenant]] and the end of the 27-years-long [[Human-Covenant War]].{{Ref/Level|Id=TheCovenant|Game=Halo 3|Level=[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]}}{{Ref/Level|Id=Halo|Game=Halo 3|Level=[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]}}

Although only few forces of the second and excavation fleet engaged the UNSC forces on Earth while most of Prophet of Truth's excavation fleet remained preoccupied with the Portal,{{Ref/Reuse|mythos}}{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}} numerous other Covenant forces, [[Covenant fleet|fleets]] and [[Covenant starship|vessels]] were deployed during the Covenant [[Battle for Earth|assault]] on Earth and the rest of the Sol system, such as [[Mount Erebus]], the [[Yucatan Peninsula]] and [[Havana]], [[Wikipedia:Cuba|Cuba]], [[Luna]], and [[Mars]] with a number of Covenant warships engaged 3 UNSC fleets of the [[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]] over Earth on November 3.{{Ref/Novel|Id=goo204|Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Page=204-205}} However, it is unknown if they were part of the forces led by the Prophet of Truth and his Jiralhanae loyalists as they were maybe led independently by other Covenant leaders but less organized than Truth's forces,{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}} possibly even led by Sangheili commanders until their betrayal at the time of the [[Great Schism]] when the Jiralhanae then assumed the total command of Covenant forces on the Sol system, including the [[Fleet of Furious Redemption]], and sympathized the Prophet of Truth and his forces.{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}}{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}}

====''ORS''-class heavy cruiser====

*Jiralhane-controlled [[High Charity defense fleet]]{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}}{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}}

**Jiralhane-controlled [[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}}{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}}

File:PL Banished.jpg|A hologram of one of Truth's destroyed ''CCS''-class battlecruisers near the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} in ''[[Halo Wars 2]]''.