Editing UNSC Pillar of Autumn

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<center>'''''Pillar of Autumn''' links here. For the Halo: Combat Evolved level, see [[The Pillar of Autumn (Level)]].''</center>

{{Individual ship infobox
|name            = {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}
|image           = [[Image:The Pillar of Autumn.jpg|300px]]
|class           = {{Class|Halcyon|Cruiser}}
|manufacturer    = [[Reyes-McLees Shipyards]]
|modifier        = [[Dr. Halsey]], [[ONI]]
|sysmods         =
|length          = {{Convert|1.17|km|ft}}
|width           = {{Convert|352|m|ft}}
|height          = {{Convert|414|m|ft}}
|destroyed       = September 2552
|max accel       =
|max speed space =
|max speed air   =
|engine          = Fusion drive
|slipspace drive = [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]]
|slipspace speed = 2.1LY/Day 
|poweroutput     =
|power           = *One primary fusion reactor
*Two secondary fusion reactors
|shield gen      = None
|hull            = 2 meter thick plating 
|sensor          = *Radar
*Spectroscopes
|target          = Shipboard AI
|navigation      = Radar
|avionics        =
|countermeasures = Emergency thrusters (port/starboard)
|armament        = *Modified [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] (1)
*[[Shiva-class Nuclear Missile]]s mounting 30 megaton [[HAVOK Nuclear Warhead]]s (3)
*[[Archer Missile Pods]] (300)
*[[Point Defense Gun|50mm Point Defense Guns]](40)
|complement      =*[[Longsword Interceptor]]s (1 Squadron)
*[[Pelican Dropships]] (15)
*[[Scorpion Tanks]] (8+) <ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', page 136</ref>
*[[Warthogs]] (40+)
*[[Rhinos]][Previously] (9 minimum)
*[[Lifepods]] (18+)
|crew            = *300-400 Naval personnel 
* 2000 [[Marine]]s: 1 [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODST]] Battalion, 1 [[Marine]] Battalion
|passengers|
|capacity        =
|consumables     =
|othersystems    = Two warship [[AI]]
|role            = Warship, Special operations, Makeshift thermonuclear bomb
|commission      =
|firstsight      = [[Battle of Arcadia]] (2531)
|destroyed       = [[Battle of Installation 04]] (2552) 
|retired         =
|lastsight       = September 22, 2552
|battles         = [[Battle of Arcadia]]<br/>[[Fall of Reach]]<br/>[[Battle of Installation 04]]
|affiliation     = [[United Nations Space Command]]
|fleet           =
|taskforce       =
|owners          = [[UNSC Navy]]
|namedcrew       = [[#Known Crew|See below]]
|captains        = Captain [[Jacob Keyes]], [[Cortana]]
}}

{{Quote|There was only one ship.|[[Thel 'Vadamee]]}}
{{Quote|One? Are you sure?|[[Prophet of Regret]]}}
{{Quote|Yes. [[UNSC|They]] called it the Pillar of Autumn.|[[Thel 'Vadamee]]}}

The '''UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn''''' (UNSC Cruiser C709)<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved: Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets]]''', page 60</ref> was a {{Class|Halcyon|Cruiser}} serving in the [[UNSC Navy]]. Informally, it was simply referred to as the ''Autumn'' or abbreviated as the "PoA". The ''Autumn'' was retrofitted with advanced weaponry and technology in preparation for a special operation to seize a [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] warship and subsequently capture the Covenant leadership.  Prior to the launch of this mission, the Covenant fleet attacked [[Reach]], during which the ''Autumn'' was a major participant.  

Following the [[Fall of Reach]], the ''Pillar of Autumn'' jumped to the [[Threshold]] system, where she encountered a pursuing Covenant fleet and [[Installation 04]].  Her captain, [[Jacob Keyes]], landed the ship on the [[Halo Array|Halo]] installation, where her surviving complement mounted a resistance against the Covenant and later the [[Flood]].  Following the release of the Flood, the [[Master Chief]] detonated the ''Autumn'''s fusion reactors in order to destroy Installation 04.  

==History==
The ship was constructed over Mars in [[2509]].<ref name="page238"/> Early on in the [[Human-Covenant War]], the ''Pillar of Autumn'' participated in the [[First Battle of Arcadia]] in [[2531|February 2531]].<ref>'''[[Halo Wars]]''', level ''[[Arcadia City (Level)|Arcadia City]]'' </ref> She along with three other ships, managed to fire on a Covenant [[CCS-U321|ship]] that was still recharging its shields. Though she was heavily damaged, the ''Autumn'' delivered experimental [[Rhino]] units to Arcadia to penetrate Covenant shield defenses on the colony world's surface.

Mothballed and due to be scrapped like the remainder of the ''[[Halcyon]]''-class cruisers, the ''Autumn'' was again brought in to active duty. She had undergone a refit in [[2550]] to serve in the [[Zeta Doradus|Zeta Doradus System]]. She was then relocated to the UNSC stronghold Reach in preparation for her role as a launch pad for a covert operation under the command of Captain [[Jacob Keyes]].  The initial plan of the mission was to have the ''Autumn'', retrofitted with state-of-the-art technology, disable a Covenant warship intact.  [[SPARTAN-II]]s assigned to the ''Autumn'' would then board the ship, locate the Covenant [[High Charity|homeworld]], and capture the Covenant leadership to force a truce. Dr. Halsey asked which ship Cortana chose for the original mission. Cortana chose the Pillar of Autumn for the skeletal structure, designed by [[Dr. Robert McLees]]. "...At the time, deemed unnecessarily over massed and costly due to series of cross-bracing and interstitial honeycombs... Halcyon-class ships, however, have a reputation for being virtually indestructible. Reports indicate these ships being operational even after sustaining breaches to all compartments and losing ninety percent of their armor." This, obviously, implies that the Pillar of Autumn can take an immense beating, therefore being a good choice on Cortana's part.

[[Image:Autumn Legends.jpg|220px|thumb|left|The ''Pillar of Autumn'' in an asteroid field near Reach, moments before a Covenant ships exits Slipspace and attacks.]]
[[Image:Battle of Reach.jpg|220px|left|thumb| The ''Pillar of Autumn'' pushes through the Covenant blockade and escapes Reach.]]

Before the ''Pillar of Autumn'' could embark on this operation, a Covenant armada [[Fall of Reach|attacked and subsequently destroyed Reach]].  The SPARTANs aboard the ''Autumn'' were either sent to Reach's surface or accompanied John-117 to destroy the navigation data of a ship that failed to enact the Cole Protocol; the former were presumed KIA when the Covenant [[glassing|glassed]] the planet while only 117 survived the latter.  Meanwhile, the ''Autumn'' managed to severely damage several enemy ships over Reach before enacting the [[Cole Protocol]], attempting to lead the Covenant fleet away from Earth.  Instead of using a random vector, the AI [[Cortana]] guided the ship to the Threshold system based on coordinates obtained from a [[Forerunner]] artifact on [[Sigma Octanus IV]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', Epilogue, page 336</ref>  The result was the human discovery of a [[Halo Array|Halo]] ringworld, Installation 04.  

Upon arrival in-system, the ''Autumn'' encountered a large battle group of Covenant {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s that had followed her vector from Reach.  The Covenant High Command, reluctant to use [[plasma torpedo]]es near Halo, instead send boarding parties to disable the warship.  The ''Autumn'' destroyed four enemy vessels over Installation 04 before Covenant soldiers disarmed her [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]], rendering the ship defenseless.  Keyes then gave the order to abandon ship, sending [[John-117]], the only active SPARTAN left aboard, on a lifeboat to Halo's surface with Cortana to prevent her capture.  The ''Autumn'' then jettisoned its [[cryo-chamber|cryo pods]] before Keyes crash-landed the ship on the ringworld's surface.  

Many of the ''Autumn'''s crew had evacuated the ship through life boats, [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]] drop ships, or [[Human Entry Vehicle|ODST drop pods]].  One group of survivors established [[Alpha Base]] on Installation 04, using Pelicans to transport materiel from the relatively intact warship to sustain the humans' guerrilla war against the Covenant.  

[[Image:Pillar.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The ''Pillar of Autumn'' taking plasma impacts at the [[Battle of Installation 04]].]]
After the release of the [[Flood]] and the Monitor [[343 Guilty Spark]]'s subsequent attempt to activate Halo, Cortana reasoned that she and SPARTAN-117 needed to destroy the installation, determining that detonating the ''Autumn'''s fusion reactors would be the best way to do so.  Cortana's attempt to set off the reactor core from the bridge failed when 343 Guilty Spark stopped the self-destruct sequence from the Engineering section.  The Master Chief used explosives to destroy the engine shields and force a chain reaction.  After [[Echo 419]] was downed after an aborted extraction of SPARTAN-117 from the ''Autumn'', Cortana and the Master Chief made their way to a docked [[C709 Longsword-class Starfighter|Longsword]] fighter and used it to escape Halo's destruction.

==Specifications==
The ''Pillar of Autumn'' was roughly 43 years old at the time of her escape from Reach and later destruction on Installation 04. She was a cruiser of the ''Halcyon''-class, the smallest cruisers in the UNSC Fleet.<ref name="page238">'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', page 238, paragraph 4: ''The ''Pillar of Autumn'' is forty-three years old," Cortana said. "''Halcyon''-class ships were the smallest vessel ever to receive the cruiser designation. It is approximately one-third the tonnage of the ''[[Marathon]]''-class cruiser currently in service."</ref>  Like other ''Halycon'' ships, the ''Autumn'' was equipped with a honeycombed internal bracing structure that allowed it to function even after sustaining critical levels of damage.

===Power Plant===
[[Image:PoA.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The refit ''Pillar of Autumn''.]]
The '''Pillar of Autumn''' was refitted with an improved nuclear fusion engine that featured two smaller reactors around a larger one, which were capable of boosting the overall power output by 300% for a short time if needed.

Fusion reactors generate extreme heat which must be removed in order for them to remain active without overheating. The Autumn's overhauled reactors were an especially severe case of this. Usually, the excess heat was conducted to a chemical agent which would then vent into space. However, the ''Autumn'''s upgraded specifications also included an upgraded cooling system, which featured a "laser-induced optical slurry of ions chilled to near-absolute zero", which is far more efficient than the typical method and removed the reliance on expendable chemical temperature-control substances. In essence, the amount of excess heat removed by the new system increased as the reactors' output did. This self-regulating and self-cooling power plant was critical in combat since it virtually eliminated a commander's concerns about overheating and slagging a ship's engines. 

The Pillar of Autumn's reactor was able to be overloaded by explosives, either grenades or rockets, destroying the vulnerable vent cores. Once these were destroyed, the reactor began to go critical, resulting in temperatures of over 100,000,000 degrees and a thermonuclear explosion that tore apart a Halo Installation.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', level ''[[The Maw (Level)|The Maw]]''</ref>

===Armament===
The upgraded '''Pillar of Autumn''' received extensive refits, including several to its weapons systems. Eventually, it was host to a very powerful armament; far in excess of the original ''Halcyon''-class ships.
*With extra power capacitors and power recycling systems, the ''Pillar of Autumn'' could fire three consecutive shots per charge. 
*The MAC gun fired lighter projectiles compared to most ship grade MACs, but these rounds worked much like [[Shredder Rounds]]. Each charge was able to fire 3 rounds.
*300 [[Archer Missile|'''Archer Missile Pods''']] which were arranged in thirty columns and ten rows. Each pod contained 26 individual devices, equaling 7800 missiles<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', pages 274-275: [[Captain Keyes]] mentions performing a fly-by inspection of the starboard shuttle bay and counting Archer Missile Pods thirty across and ten down, making for 300 [[Archer Missile]] Pods. The next sentence then reads "''Each pod held dozens of missiles.''" The count of 128 Archer Missile Pods with 30 missiles each must be a severe under-estimation of the ship's missile payload.</ref>.
*Four [[Shiva-class Nuclear Missile|'''''Shiva''-class Nuclear Missile''']], one loaded onto a remote-controlled [[Longsword]] interceptor, and three ship-launched.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', Chapter 29, page 275: In response to [[Captain Keyes]]' question about the small single ships in the launch bay, [[Lieutenant]] [[Aki Hikowa|Hikowa]] states,''"Yes Sir. One of the'' [[Longsword]]s ''is equipped with a'' [[Shiva Nuclear-tipped missile|Shiva Nuclear Warhead]]; ''it can be remote piloted. We also have three HAVOC Warheads on board"''.</ref>.
*Forty '''50mm MLA Auto-cannons''' with overlapping fields of fire for point defense against single ships. These cannons were later scavenged by the surviving humans on [[Installation 04]] for [[Alpha Base]].

===Engine Room===
The ''Pillar of Autumn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engine room was a large, three-deck high chamber allowing access to the fusion engine core. Side passages allowed for movement from the bottom deck all the way up to the catwalks on the third. The manifolds into the cores were suspended above the second deck. Controls on the third retracted these manifolds, exposing a vent that led directly into the core. It was using this method to expose the core via the vents that the [[Master Chief]] ultimately destroyed the ship and "[[Halo]]". This room is the largest room in the ''Pillar of Autumn'' with the exception of the hangar bay and the "Leap of Faith" room.

===Airlocks===
:'''Airlock 31, 32''': [[Lifeboat]]s destroyed by the Covenant to make way for a Boarding Craft.
:'''Airlock 51''': [[Lifeboat]] was destroyed by unseen Covenant artillery as it departed from the airlock.
:'''Airlock 52, 53, 61, 62, 63''': [[Lifeboat]]s managed to make it out of the vessel.<sup>1</sup>
<sup>1</sup><small>Airlock 61: the [[Master Chief]], [[Cortana]], 9 other [[Marine]]s on board and the [[Bumblebee]] pilot.</small>

== Known Crew ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===[[Marine]]s and ODSTs===
==== Individuals ====
*[[Major]] [[Antonio Silva]]
*[[First Lieutenant]] [[Melissa McKay]]
*[[Second Lieutenant]] [[Dalu]]
*[[Second Lieutenant]] [[Oros]]
*[[Staff Sergeant]] [[Marvin Mobuto]]
*[[Master Sergeant]] [[Lister (Marine)|Lister]]
*[[Company]] [[First Sergeant]] [[Tink Carter]]
*[[Sergeant]] [[Corly]]
*[[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery Junior Johnson]]
*[[Sergeant]] [[Parker]]
*[[Staff Sergeant]] [[Pete Stacker]]
*[[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Waller]]
*[[Private First Class]] [[M. Fitzgerald]]
*[[Private]] [[Bisenti]]
*[[Private First Class]] [[Hosky]]
*[[Private First Class]] [[Wallace A. Jenkins]]
*[[Corporal]] [[Locklear]]
*[[Corporal]] [[Lovik]]
*[[Corporal]] [[Wilkins]]
*[[Lance Corporal]] [["Snaky" Jones]]
*[[Corpsman]] [["Doc" Valdez]]
*[[Private]] [[Kappus]]
*[[Private First Class]] [[Chips Dubbo]]
*[[Private]] [[Manuel Mendoza]]
*[[Private]] [[O'Brien]]
*[[Private]] [[Marie Postly]]
*[[Private]] [[Riley]]
*[[Private]] [[Satha]]
*[[Al-Thani]]
*[[Dawkins]]
*[[Suzuki]]
*[[Unnamed Corporal]]

==== Units ====
*830 [[Marine]]s-1 ODST Battalion, 1 [[Marine]] Battalion
*[[Combat Team Alpha]]
*[[Combat Team November]]
*[[Combat Team Sierra]]
*[[Combat Team Victor]]
*[[Fire Team Charlie]]
*[[Fire Team Zulu]]
*[[Fifth Platoon]]
*[[Fourteenth Platoon]]
*[[Twenty-Second Tactical]]
{{col-2}}
=== ''Pillar of Autumn'' Command Crew ===
[[Image:Pistola.jpg|Crew members in the ''Autumn''.|thumb|200px|right]]
*[[Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] -- Ship Captain 
*[[Cortana]] -- Temporary ship AI
*Unknown Backup AI
*[[Lieutenant]] [[Dominique]] -- Communications Officer 
*[[Lieutenant]] [[Aki Hikowa]] -- Weapons Officer 
*[[Lieutenant]] [[Hall]] -- Operations Officer
*[[Ensign]] [[William Michael Lovell]] -- Navigation Officer 
*[[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Gail Purdy]] -- Chief Engineer
*[[Crewman]] [[Abiad]]
*[[Crewman]] [[Wang (Crewman)|Wang]]
*[[Crewman]] [[Singh]]
*[[Ensign]] [[Ellen Dowski]]

=== Other Naval Personnel ===
*[[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[SPARTAN-II]] [[John-117]]
*[[Tech Chief]] [[Thom Shephard]] -- Cryogenics Technician
*[[Tech Officer First Class]] [[Mary Murphy]] -- Air Traffic Technician
*[[Petty Officer|Tech Officer]] [[Sam Marcus]] -- Cryogenics Technician
*[[Petty Officer Third Class]] [[Pauley]] -- Radio Technician
*[[Petty Officer Third Class]] [[Cho]] -- Radio Technician
*[[Pilot|Flight Officer]] [[Captain]] [[Carol Rawley|Carol "Foehammer" Rawley]] -- Pelican Pilot-''Echo 419''
*[[Lieutenant]] [[Peterson|"Cookie" Peterson]] -- Pelican Pilot
*[[Lieutenant]] [[Rick Hale]] -- Pelican Pilot
*[[Pilot|Flight Officer]] [[Mitchell]] -- Pelican Pilot
*[[Warrant Officer]] [[Shiela Polaski]] -- Pelican Pilot 
*[[Lieutenant]] [[Frye]] -- Pelican Co-Pilot
*Crew Chief [[Cullen]] -- [[D77-TC Pelican Dropship|Pelican]] Communications Officer
*[[Lieutenant]] Elias [[Haverson]]
*[[Petty Officer Second Class]] [[SPARTAN-II]] [[Linda-058]] (Unconscious in Cryo Tube)

=== Others ===
*[[Jonesy]] (Unknown crew member's cat)

{{col-end}}

== Trivia ==
[[Image:PoAPoster.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The Bulletin Board.]]
*The ''Pillar of Autumn'' is approximately [[seven|1.17]] km long, a reference to John-117.<ref>http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_poaconundrum</ref> This, however, contradicts the [[The Maw (Level)|final level]] of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' where the player must drive along a 3 km long service corridor that supposedly runs the length of the ship. This was probably for generating the tension and atmosphere necessary for the level.
*The ''[[Marathon (Video Game Series)|Marathon]]'' logo is prominently displayed on the ''Pillar of Autumn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s starboard and port sides. The ship's official [[Ship Emblem|emblem]] has the ''Marathon'' logo as well. The marathon logo was also visible in the window of the ship in the opening cut scene of the level [[The Maw]].
*The bulletin board just outside the bridge of the ship contains a number of amusing clips, some throwbacks to ''[[Marathon (Video Game Series)|Marathon]]''. These can be examined on the first level of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. The board has a flier for a missing cat called [[Jonesy]]. This is a reference to the ''Alien'' movies, where the cat's name was Jonesy.
*Prior to being refit for the Spartan mission, the ''Pillar of Autumn ''was equipped with Mark II fusion engines (which supplied only 10% the power of modern reactors), had only light armor, and had just one regular MAC gun and six Archer missile pods.<ref name="page238"/>
*The ''Pillar of Autumn'' mess-hall offered a choice between turkey, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, meatloaf, and a dish named Chef's Special. Beverages included cola, water, lemon/lime, lemonade, root beer, coffee, orange juice, hot tea, hot chocolate, iced tea, and Chef's Surprise. These are served in what appear to be vending machines, and are visible in the opening level in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
*In cut scenes, the ''Pillar of Autumn'' never moves, it is just a piece of BSP geometry. However, the cameras and the background moved in such a way that it gave the illusion of movement.
*The ''Pillar of Autumn'' has a sister ship known as the ''[[UNSC Dawn Under Heaven|Dawn Under Heaven]]''.
*The ''Pillar of Autumn'' supplied Rhino artillery to the ground forces on [[Arcadia]] in 2531. These were absent by 2552.
*In ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', the ''Autumn'' is described as having a command chair. In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', this chair is absent.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:POA-InterdeckStructure.jpg|Speculative internal schematic by Stephen Loftus of the Pillar of Autumn's honeycomb-like bracing structures.
Image:POA-Full-Int-Ext.jpg|The outline of ''Halo Combat Evolved''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[The Maw (Level)|The Maw]] level.
Image:POA-Full-Int-Ext-pers2.jpg|A closer look of the outline of the final level.
Image:Pillar2.jpg|The ''Pillar of Autumn''.
Image:Cortana on Autumn.jpg|Cortana, the AI assigned to the Pillar of Autumn.
Image:Halo-14.jpg|The crashed ''Autumn'' in the Desert of [[Halo]], seen in the level ''[[The Maw]]''.
File:Haloce-20090913-211522.png|The ''Pillar of Autumn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s fusion reactors go critical.
</gallery>

== Sources ==
<references/>
[[Category:Human Starships|Pillar of Autumn]]
[[Category:Starships]]