Battle of Trove: Difference between revisions

*[[Operation: SMOKING ACES]] {{C|[[Insurrection]]}}

**[[D77 Pelican]]s

*{{Pattern|Zurdo|Wraith}}s

*[[Barukaza Workshop Chopper]]s

*{{Pattern|Karo'etba|Ghost}}s

Forge's team and the Spartans moved to investigate, encountering the Flood for the first time, including dozens of [[Pod infector|infection forms]] that resulted in a large number of Marines being lost. However, they successfully recovered both teams' Elephants and retreated back to the [[Firebase]] being constructed at the beacon site.{{Ref/Reuse|signal}} UNSC forces began to have problems with air transport, as the exterior surface's atmosphere was thick with dust, which caused the engines on [[D77 Pelican|Pelican dropships]] to fail within three flights.{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}

The remaining UNSC forces on the Shield World's surface, composed of [[Alpha Platoon]], [[Bravo Platoon]], and [[Charlie Platoon]], had less than twenty minutes to fight their way past hundreds of Flood forms before being airlifted back to the ''Spirit of Fire''. [[Flood swarm]]s made air support almost useless, forcing the Marines to use large numbers of [[M9 Main Anti-Aircraft Tank|Wolverines]] to clear the air before tanks and infantry could clear landing zones of Flood growths. They managed to slow down the ''Spirit of Fire's'' descent by disabling Forerunner pylon towers powering the docking system with [[XRP12 Gremlin]]s, giving them a little longer. After evacuating the first two platoons, the team had to escort the final platoon back to the firebase for extraction after their [[D77 Pelican|Pelican]] was forced to abort its run. After extracting all UNSC forces, the firebase was abandoned to the Flood and the ''Spirit of Fire'' began her descent.<ref>'''Halo Wars''' campaign level, ''[[Shield World (level)|Shield World]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo Wars''' ''cutscene [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKbH5aXZgbw&feature=player_embedded "Descent"]''</ref>

When the UNSC forces had secured the area, the ''Spirit'' put down close to the surface, to deliver Slipspace drive to the ground. It was attached to two [[D77 Pelican|Pelicans]], which were to be used to transport it to the Apex main platform. On their way however, they were shot down, just under a towering hill comprised of a series of ramps, on top of which there was a teleporter which led to the Apex's control center.{{Ref/Reuse|reactor}}

[[File:Hw-prima-blog-04-01.jpg|thumb|250px|Red Team ready for combat at the Apex.]]

With no ability to enter [[Slipstream space]], and the journey back to UNSC space likely to take years, if not decades, the ''Spirit of Fire's'' crew went into [[Cryo chamber|cryostasis]]. The UNSC [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] declared the ''Spirit'' and crew to be [[missing in action]]. In [[2534]], the ''Spirit of Fire'' was declared to be "lost with all hands" by the UNSC. The reason for this change was kept top secret. A memorial service was held for the people aboard the vessel, but many of the crew's family members chose not to attend, holding out hope that their loved ones are still alive.{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}} The ship would not make contact with the outside world until [[2559]], when it was unexpectedly transported to [[Installation 00]].{{Ref/Level|HW2|[[The Signal]]}}

The [[The Assembly|Assembly]], having intercepted transmissions from the [[proselytization network]], noted the presence of the Flood as a "third variable". Due to the third participant being a terrifying opponent to the Covenant, the [[Assembly Minority]] suggested the possibility of forming an association - even a union - with it. However, due to the risks involved, the Assembly chose not to attempt contact with the Flood.{{Ref/Reuse|Assembly}}

In early [[2557]], nearly twenty-six years after the shield world's destruction, the ''[[Ace of Spades]]'', a [[salvager]] vessel captained by Sergeant John Forge's daughter [[Rion Forge]], visited the debris field and recovered [[Little Bit|a fragment]] of the shield world's custodian AI.<ref>'''Halo: Smoke and Shadow'''</ref> Several months later, ONI conducted a [[Mission to the Korinth Prior system|mission]] within its debris field to search for evidence of the ''Spirit of Fire'',<ref>''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'', ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #4]]''</ref> having learned of it from data stolen from the ''Ace of Spades''. Shortly after the ''Ace of Spades'' was returned to the debris field by [[343 Guilty Spark]], a massive UNSC fleet emerged from slipspace and nuked the debris field. The nuclear bombardment was expected to blow the field to bits and disrupt its orbit around the system's star. Anything that survived would most likely be pulled into the star's gravity well and destroyed, completely eradicating the remnants of Trove.{{Ref/Novel|Ren}}