Battle for the Cartographer (Installation 00): Difference between revisions

The '''Battle for the Cartographer''' was an engagement during the initial stages of the [[Battle of Installation 00]] in which [[UNSC]] ground forces led by [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] neutralized [[Covenant]] anti-aircraft defenses on the surface of the Ark, allowing the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} to deploy armor in order to assault a Covenant-held [[Cartographer]] facility to locate the [[Installation 00 Citadel|whereabouts]] of the [[Hierarch|High Prophet]] of [[Prophet of Truth|Truth]].<ref name="ark">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]''</ref>

Following his discovery of the location of the [[Portal at Voi|portal]] that led to [[Installation 00]] in [[2552#October|October, 2552]], the [[Covenant]] [[Hierarch|High Prophet]] of [[Prophet of Regret|Regret]] hastily assembled a [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|fleet]] of fifteen warships and, without consulting his fellow Hierarchs, took the task force to the planet on which the portal was located.<ref>'''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''' - ''[[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminal]] "Beholden"''</ref> This was, unbeknownst to the Prophet, the [[Earth|homeworld]] of [[human]]ity. During the [[Battle of Earth|battle]] that followed, the heavily-outnumbered Fleet of Sacred Consecration was decimated by Earth's [[UNSC Home Fleet|defensive fleet]] and Regret was forced to flee, [[Solemn Penance|his]] {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} performing a [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] jump in atmosphere over the city of [[New Mombasa]].<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[Metropolis]]''</ref> Immediately afterwards, a larger [[Jiralhanae]]-controlled [[Truth's fleet|fleet]] sent by the [[Prophet of Truth]] arrived to take control of the battle, driving out remaining UNSC forces while beginning to excavate the long-buried portal beneath Mombasa.<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', campaign level, ''[[Coastal Highway]]''</ref>  

Over the course of the next month, the fleet would successfully uncover the artifact, and the Prophet of Truth himself would arrive on [[2552#November|November 17, 2552]] on board the [[Forerunner]] [[keyship]] ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]''. [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]], who had stowed away on board the vessel during it's departure from [[High Charity]] amidst the chaos of the [[Great Schism]] and the city's fall to the [[Flood]], bailed out as the keyship entered Earth's atmosphere, landing in the jungles of [[Tanzania]].<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Arrival]]''</ref> The Spartan was successfully [[Recovery of John-117|recovered]] by UNSC forces.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Sierra 117]]''</ref> During the ensuing [[Battle of Kenya|battle]], the UNSC would [[Attack on Crow's Nest|destroy]] their local command center, [[Crow's Nest]], to prevent its fall to the Covenant, before mobilizing for an assault on Covenant anti-aircraft defences in the city of [[Voi]].<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Crow's Nest (level)|Crow's Nest]]''</ref> After [[Assault on the Tsavo Highway|clearing]] the Covenant-held [[Tsavo Highway]], a UNSC assault force spearheaded by John-117 [[Battle of Voi|pushed into]] Voi.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Tsavo Highway (level)|Tsavo Highway]]''</ref> While they managed to successfully destroy a number of [[Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Wraith|Anti-Aircraft Wraiths]] as well as a [[Type-27 Mantis|Mantis Anti-Aircraft Cannon]], the subsequent strike by [[Battle Group Victory]] failed to destroy the keyship and Truth successfully activated the portal.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[The Storm]]''</ref> The Prophet fled through the portal along with his fleet while the UNSC were forced to deal with the arrival of the Flood-controlled {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}} ''[[Indulgence of Conviction]]''. With the assistance of the newly-arrived [[Sangheili]] [[Fleet of Retribution]], the Flood outbreak was contained before it could spread across the planet. After a short meeting on board the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', [[Terrence Hood|Admiral Terrence Hood]] allowed the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} to accompany the Sangheili through the portal in pursuit of the Prophet of Truth while he remained behind to coordinate the remaining UNSC defences at Earth.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref>  

Upon their arrival at the Ark, the Prophet of Truth's fleet remained in orbit above the installation to face the human and Sangheili forces they knew would follow, while the Hierarch fortified himself within [[Installation 00 Citadel|one]] of the Ark's superluminal communication arrays. The Prophet activated a defensive barrier around the citadel and the Ark's [[Foundry]], while deploying large numbers of ground forces around the [[barrier tower]]s maintaining the shield as well as sending a contingent of Covenant troops led by the ambitious [[Jiralhanae]] [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Cethegus]] to a nearby [[Cartographer]] facility, in order to keep his location hidden while he prepared to activate the [[Halo Array]] and commence the Covenant's [[Covenant religion#The Great Journey|"Great Journey"]].<ref name="ark"/><ref name="covenant">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref>

Sergeant Johnson radioed John, warning him of a large group of Covenant aircraft approaching his position, telling him to get back into the facility while the UNSC air forces took them out. At this time, the ambitious Jiralhanae Chieftain Cethegus became aware of the Spartan's intrusion and was charged with halting his progress by the Prophet of Truth. Seeking to claim the title of [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] after it's [[Tartarus|previous holder]] was slain in battle by the Arbiter, Cethegus knew that he would surely be granted this honor should he kill the "Demon". Meanwhile, John made his way back into the facility while Thel boarded a nearby [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]], killing it's Jiralhanae pilot and taking the aircraft to help Johnson deal with the Covenant reinforcements. As one of the Marines told John that ''Kilo 023'' would land to extract them on the level below their current position, the other Marine was killed by [[Type-1 plasma grenade|plasma grenades]] thrown by Unggoy soldiers. John and the remaining Marine made their way into the room, quickly avenging the fallen UNSC soldier before engaging more Jiralhanae forces led by a [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain|War Chieftain]] while 343 Guilty Spark pondered the creation of a possible replacement for Installation 04 but refusing to jump to conclusions. John reached the lower level, where the room was empty save for Cethegus on the lower level. The Chieftain taunted the Spartan before retreating out of the room. John was then attacked by a number of [[Jiralhanae Stalker|Stalkers]] left to deal with him while Cethegus regrouped with his [[Jiralhanae Jumper|flight-fighters]] on an exterior platform. John managed to defeat the [[Cloaking|camouflaged]] Jiralhanae and their Kig-Yar backup before making his way outside to where Cethegus and his pack waited. A [[holography|holographic]] projection of the Prophet of Truth instructed Cethegus to best John in combat by himself, or he would be left behind on the Covenant's "Great Journey". With the Prophet's words ringing in his ear and inspired by his pack's frenzied roars, Cethegus activated his [[Type-2 gravity hammer|gravity hammer]] and challenged the Spartan. The two then begun battle while the Jiralhanae Jumpers waited on the edge of the platform. John successfully managed to kill the Chieftain, resulting in his pack-mates and a pair of Kig-Yar marksmen attempting to avenge their fallen commander but they too were defeated by John. With the platform now secure and the Covenant presence in the air neutralized, ''Kilo 023'' arrived to pick up the Spartan. Before the Chief could board the dropship, they were caught by surprise by a massive flock of Sentinels rising up from below. As Sergeant Johnson spun the Pelican's bay-mounted [[AIE-486H machine gun|heavy machine gun]] in anticipation of a fight, Spark cautioned him not to fire, explaining that the constructs were instead leaving to fulfill a separate task elsewhere on the installation but he was unable to explain the nature of the task. Although Spark wanted to find a terminal closer to the Ark's core to learn more about [[Cortana]]'s purported "solution" to the Flood threat, Commander Keyes and Thel 'Vadam told him that their priority was stopping the Prophet of Truth from activating the Halo Array, and that until this was completed, they could not concern themselves with anything else. With his objective completed, John boarded ''Kilo 023'' and the Pelican left the Cartographer.<ref name="ark"/><ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/canon-fodder-brute-force '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Brute Force'']</ref>

After learning of the existence of Installation 08 and recognizing it as the "solution" to the Flood [[Cortana]] had mentioned in the message he had retrieved from the ''[[Indulgence of Conviction]]'' on Earth, John [[Raid on High Charity|ventured alone]] into the remains of High Charity to retrieve his missing [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] companion while the UNSC and Sangheili command coordinated the departure of their forces from the Ark. John eventually retrieved Cortana from deep within the Flood [[Flood hive|hive]] and escaped on a Pelican with the help of Thel 'Vadam.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]''</ref> While the ''Shadow of Intent'' left Installation 00 with surviving UNSC and Sangheili personnel on board, John, Thel, Cortana and Sergeant Johnson made their way to the [[Control Room (Installation 04)#Installation 08|control room]] of Installation 08 with the objective of firing the incomplete Halo ring to destroy the Flood presence on the Ark using the [[Activation Index#Installation 04|Activation Index]] that she had kept from Installation 04. While 343 Guilty Spark ultimately succumbed to [[Rampancy]] and mortally wounded Sergeant Johnson, John successfully started the Halo's activation sequence and he and Thel fled for the nearby ''Forward Unto Dawn'' on Johnson's [[M12 Chaingun Warthog|Warthog]]. They would successfully escape into slipspace while the installation fired, wiping out the [[Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|majority]] of the remaining Flood on both the Halo ring and the nearby Ark. Unfortunately, the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was sheared in half during it's escape, as the slipspace portal collapsed as the ring fired. The forward half, containing Thel 'Vadam successfully arrived at Earth while the rear section containing John-117 and Cortana fell out of slipspace in an unknown part of space, eventually arriving at the Forerunner [[shield world]] [[Requiem]] [[2557|four years later]].<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref>