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UNSC Pillar of Autumn: Difference between revisions

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{{Era|FOR|TF|H1|H2|FA}}
{{Title|UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn''}}
<center>''Looking for "Pillar of Autumn," the level? [[Pillar of Autumn (Level)|Click here]].''</center>
{{Status|Canon}}{{Status|Featured}}
{{Individual ship infobox
{{Center|'''''Pillar of Autumn''' redirects here. For more articles of the same name, see [[The Pillar of Autumn|Pillar of Autumn (disambiguation)]].''}}
|name=UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn''
{{Center|'''''C709''' redirects here. For the longsword variant, see [[C709 Longsword]].''}}
|image=[[Image:poawbkgrd.jpg|300px]]
{{Infobox/Ships
|class=Modified {{ShipClass|Halcyon|Cruiser|}} cruiser
|name           = UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn''
|manufacturer=
|image           = [[File:PoA Reach.jpg|300px]]
|modifier=
|caption        =  
|sysmods=
|modules        =  
|length=1170 meters
{{Infobox/Ships/Individual
|width=352 meters
|country              = [[Unified Earth Government]]
|height=414 meters
|country flag        = {{Icon|UEG}}
|max accel=
|name                = Pillar of Autumn
|max speed space=
|class                = {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|max speed air=
|namesake            =  
|engine=
|identification      = C-709{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|slipspace drive=Yes
|operator            = [[UNSC Navy]]
|slipspace speed=
|manufacturer        = [[Reyes-McLees Shipyards]], [[Mars]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|poweroutput=
|architect            = *[[Robert McLees (ship designer)|Dr Robert McLees]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|power=
*[[Adam Crokett|Senior Engineer Crokett]] {{C|refit}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|shield gen=No
|laid down            =  
|hull=
|launched            = December 1, 2510<ref name= "data drop"/>
|sensor=
|commisioned          =
|target=
|decommissioned      =  
|navigation=
|fate                = Self-destructed on September 22, 2552 to destroy [[Alpha Halo]]
|avionics=
|status              =  
|countermeasures=
|captains            = [[Captain (NAVCOM)|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]]
|armament=*Modified [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] (1)
|ai                  =  
*[[Shiva-class nuclear warhead|Shiva Missile]]s (4)
*[[Cortana]]
*[[Archer Missile Pod]]s (128)
*[[Wellsley]]
*50mm auto-cannons (40)
|motto                = ''Ad Arcendam Hostium'' (''To Repel the Enemy'')<ref name="Mythos95">'''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos]]''', ''pages 94-95''</ref>
|complement=*[[Longsword Interceptor]]s (7)
|badge                =  
*[[Pelican|Pelican Dropship]]s
*[[Scorpion Tank]]s (4) <ref> [[Halo: The Flood]] page 136 </ref>
*[[Warthog]]s
|crew=
|skeleton=
|passengers=
|capacity=
|consumables=
|othersystems=
|role=
|commission=
|firstsight=[[Battle of Reach]]
|destroyed=[[Battle of Installation 04]]
|retired=
|lastsight=
|battles=[[Battle of Reach]], [[Battle of Installation 04]]
|affiliation=[[United Nations Space Command]]
|fleet=
|taskforce=
|owners=
|namedcrew=
|captains=Captain [[Jacob Keyes]]
}}
}}
The '''UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn''''' was a heavily modified [[UNSC|United Nations Space Command]] {{ShipClass|Halcyon|Cruiser|}} cruiser. It was informally referred to as the '''''Autumn''''' by [[UNSC]] personnel.
|hide-characteristics=
|nocollapse      =
|type            = [[Cruiser]]
|length          = {{Convert|1171|m|ft|sp=us}}<ref name= "data drop"/>
|width          = {{Convert|352|m|ft|sp=us}}<ref name= "data drop"/>
|height          = {{Convert|398|m|ft|sp=us}}<ref name="Warfleet">Halo: Warfleet, pg. 25</ref>
|mass            =*'''Pre-[[2552]] refit''': 11 million tonnes{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
*'''Post-2552 refit''': 9 million metric tons{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|power          =*'''Pre-2552 refit''': 3 [[Fusion drive#Mark II Hanley-Messer DFR|Mark II Hanley-Messer DFR]]s<ref name= "data drop"/>
*'''Post-2552 refit''': Experimental reactor set {{C|1 primary, 2 secondary}}{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}}{{Ref/Note|On page 274 of ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', it is stated that ''Pillar of Autumn''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s refit power plant consists of a single main reactor linked to two secondary ones; this arrangement is referenced again later on when Cortana gives a damage assessment of the ship to Captain Keyes. However, in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', it is implied that each of the four exhaust manifolds is linked to an individual fusion reactor, each of which is destroyed by John-117 in the [[The Maw|final level]]. This page follows the information given in ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', as the novel describes the reactor system in more detail.}}
|maneuver drive  =*'''Pre-2552 refit''': 3 Mark II Hanley-Messer DFR<ref name= "data drop"/>
*'''Post-2552 refit''':
**2 [[Boglin Fields|Boglin Fields']] Starfire-IV [[Fusion drive|fusion rockets]] {{C|primary}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
**8 [[R7 thrust coupling]]s
**[[Emergency thruster]]<ref name="FoRC33">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''Chapter 33''</ref>
|slipspace drive = [[Kawanishi Engineering|Kawanishi Engineering's]] [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine#CODEN series|SED-2550X]] {{C|Series V CODEN}}{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|crew            = *1,000 Naval personnel{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|complement      =
*800 Marines{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
**400 ODSTs{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*Army personnel (unknown complement)<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''The Pillar of Autumn''</ref>
|troops          =
*20 [[M808B Scorpion]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*60 [[M12 Warthog]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*9+ [[M145D Rhino]]s <small>(previously)</small>
*[[79th Infantry Battalion]]
|hull            = [[Titanium-A armor|Titanium-A battleplate]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|shielding      = <!--Describes shielding-->
|sensors        = <!--Describes sensors and whatnot-->
|ew              = <!--Describes electronic warfare capabilities-->
|armaments      =
'''Post-[[2550]] refit''': {{Ref/Reuse|data drop}}
*1 [[MAC]]<ref name= "data drop">[https://www.halopedia.org/File:DDR-A340024-1115-08-27-52.pdf '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Data Drop 5'']</ref>
*10 [[Archer missile#M58 Archer|M58 Archer missile pods]]{{Ref/Reuse|data drop}}
*40 [[M910 Rampart point defense network|M910 Rampart point defense guns]]{{Ref/Reuse|data drop}}
'''Post-2552 refit''':
*1 [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon#Specialized and modified versions|Mark II, Light Coil - 56A2D4/MAC]]<ref name="waypointarticle">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/pillar-of-autumn '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Pillar of Autumn'']</ref>
*4 [[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]s mounting [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK warhead]]s<ref name="FoRC29">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', Chapter 29</ref>
*32 M58 Archer missile pods{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*18 M910 Rampart point defense guns<ref name= "Warfleet" />
*8 [[Spitfire naval coilgun battery#Mark 33 Spitfire|Mark 33 Spitfire naval coilgun batteries]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*6 [[M66 Sentry autocannon]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
|aircraft        = *5 [[GA-TL1 Longsword]] fighters{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*12 [[D77-TC Pelican]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*2 [[D96-TCE Albatross]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*At least 18 [[Class-3 Bumblebee]]s
*216 [[drop pod]]s ([[M8823 drop pod|M8823 HEV]]{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} and [[M8900 drop pod|M8900 SOEIV]]){{Ref/Level|HFR|Rubble}}
*[[UH-144 Falcon]]s<ref name="FTR"/>
|air facilities  =
}}
 
{{Quote|multi=more|q1=There was only one ship.|[[Thel 'Vadam]]ee|q2=One? Are you sure?|[[High Prophet of Truth]]|q3=Yes. They called it the ''Pillar of Autumn''.|Thel 'Vadamee|Conversation between 'Vadamee and the High Prophet of Truth.<ref name="Heretic">'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[The Heretic]]''</ref>}}
'''UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn''''', ([[hull classification symbol]] '''C-709'''),<ref name="HCESGuide">'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved: Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets]]''', ''page 60''</ref><ref name="BN">[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=BWU_012910 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update 01.29.10'']</ref> was a {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} in the [[UNSC Navy]]. It was informally referred to as the ''Autumn'', and, in some cases, the ''Pillar''.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 13''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]'' (objective description)</ref><ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 103''</ref> It was the sister ship of {{UNSCShip|Dawn Under Heaven}}<ref name="interview">[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=6 '''Bungie.net''': ''Jason Jones Interviewed By You'' (12/18/2001)]</ref> and {{UNSCShip|Toulouse}}.<ref name="canon fodder">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/rockin-railin '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Halo Community Update - Rockin' & Railin{{'}}'']</ref>
 
Prior to the [[Fall of Reach]] ''Pillar of Autumn'' was selected to support [[Operation: RED FLAG]], a [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] mission to capture [[Covenant]] [[Hierarchs|leaders]]. [[UNSC rank structure#Officer ranks|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] was placed in command. The operation was forestalled by the Covenant assault on Reach; the cruiser carried some of the few UNSC survivors and fled the system having lost most of its intended SPARTAN-II passengers.
 
The cruiser was guided to the [[Soell system]] by the [[smart AI]] [[Cortana]]. There it was engaged by a [[Fleet of Particular Justice|Covenant fleet]] guarding [[Installation 04]]. Keyes crash-landed the ship on the installation where the surviving crew continued the battle against the Covenant, and later, the [[Flood]]. The ship's sole remaining combat-effective SPARTAN-II, [[John-117]], was forced to destabilize the ''Autumn''{{'}}s fusion reactor, destroying both the ship and the ringworld, to prevent the Installation from being fired.
 
==Service history==
 
===Construction===
UNSC ''Pillar of Autumn'' was constructed at the [[Reyes-McLees Shipyards]] on [[Mars]]. The ship began construction in [[2507]],{{Ref/Reuse|Mythos95}} and was launched on [[2510|December 1, 2510]].<ref name= "data drop"/>
 
===Human-Covenant War===
{{Main|Battle for Arcadia}}
During the [[Battle for Arcadia]] in [[2531|February 2531]], ''Pillar of Autumn'' engaged two {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s alongside the {{UNSCShip|Belfast}}, {{UNSCShip|Texas}} and {{UNSCShip|Armstrong}}. Along with the other three ships, ''Pillar of Autumn'' destroyed the battlecruiser designated ''[[CCS-U321]]'' after catching it with its shields down, but the battlecruiser designated ''[[CCS-U624]]'' was able to make it to the surface of [[Arcadia]]. In the battle between the UNSC and Covenant forces, ''Pillar of Autumn'' was badly damaged along with ''Armstrong'' while ''Texas'' and ''Belfast'' were destroyed. Upon the arrival of the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}, the [[smart AI]] [[Serina]] reported on these events to Captain [[James Cutter]].{{Ref/Level|HW|[[Arcadia City]]}} Later in the battle, at the request of ''Spirit of Fire'', ''Pillar of Autumn'' contributed several [[M145D Rhino]]s to the ground battle, enabling ''Spirit of Fire''{{'}}s forces to take down a Covenant energy shield.<ref name="H:W_DomeOfLight">'''Halo Wars''', level ''[[Dome of Light]]''</ref>
 
The cruiser was decommissioned with the remaining {{class|Halcyon|light cruiser}}s, but was reactivated as the war worsened. ''Pillar of Autumn'' was pulled from long-term storage and was refitted in [[2550]] to serve as an emergency support ship in a conflict near [[Zeta Doradus]].{{Ref/Reuse|HCESGuide}}{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}}
 
===A chariot for Spartans===
By [[2552]], it was obvious to the UNSC that the war could not be ended with conventional military action. A desperate plan, known as [[Operation: RED FLAG]] was conceived to end the war by capturing Covenant leaders and forcing the enemy to the negotiating table. [[Reach|A colony world]] would be sacrificed to the Covenant to allow SPARTAN-II commandos to board and disable a Covenant ship, locate the Covenant [[High Charity|homeworld]], and abduct the targets. ''Pillar of Autumn'' was selected on August 25 by the AI Cortana to disable an enemy ship and deliver the Spartans aboard; the ship was selected for the ''Halcyon''-class's durability, despite its class's usual lack-luster offensive capabilities.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}} Command of the ship was given to [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Jacob Keyes]].
 
The cruiser received another refit designed by Senior Engineer Adam Crokett{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} for the new mission, including a state-of-the-art fusion power plant and improved weaponry.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}} Furthermore, the command bridge was upgraded with a Tier III datacore to house Cortana and the drop pod bays were significantly expanded.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} After the refit, Cortana was transferred to handle the shakedown.
 
===Fall of Reach===
{{main|Fall of Reach}}
[[File:HM-PoA-escape.jpg|300px|thumb|''Pillar of Autumn'' pushes through the Covenant blockade and escapes Reach.]]
''Pillar of Autumn'' was prepared to deploy on August 30. However, before it could depart the [[Epsilon Eridani system]] it was recalled to Reach; the UNSC fleet was mustering in preparation for an imminent Covenant attack on the planet. However, Cortana remained in control as the ship's normally assigned AI was not yet operational. At the opening of the battle, the ''Pillar of Autumn'' was engaged by a {{Pattern|Ruma|light carrier}} and quickly destroyed it with its modified MAC gun.
 
It was hoped an opportunity to capture an enemy ship would present itself, however, the course of the battle forced the Spartans to deploy on other missions. [[Blue Team]] went to Reach's [[Gamma Station]] to enforce the [[United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1|Cole Protocol]], while [[Red Team]] went planetside to reinforce the [[orbital defense generator]]s. While the cruiser performed well, the battle was lost as the [[orbital defense platform]]s fell silent. There was only time to recover the remnants of Blue Team (John-117 and the clinically dead [[Linda-058]]) and a Marine fireteam led by [[Avery Johnson]] that was also onboard Gamma Station, before the ship was forced to flee the system.
 
During the battle over Reach, the ''Pillar of Autumn'' attacked and destroyed a [[Kewu-pattern battleship|Covenant "sniper ship"]] in single combat. This prototype vessel was responsible for the destruction of many powerful UNSC warships. The unlikely victory of the ''Pillar of Autumn'', for a brief moment, left her as one of the most successful and resilient ships in the Navy. However, the ship was heavily damaged in the fight and its main reactor was rendered inoperable.
 
{{Main|Battle of Asźod}}
At some point during the conflict, the ''Pillar of Autumn'' executed a [[Class-L flash-dock]], landing at the [[Asźod ship breaking yards]] to rescue any survivors on the planet and retrieve [[Cortana|a package]] which the remnants of [[NOBLE Team]] were tasked with delivering.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[The Package]]''</ref> During [[Battle of Asźod|the battle]], as NOBLE Team approached, the ''Pillar of Autumn'' used its point-defense guns to help clear the skies and sent forces into the drydocks to hold them. When [[SPARTAN-B312|Noble Six]] and [[Emile-A239]] arrived, Emile manned an [[Mark 2488 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|Onager mass driver]] set up by the UNSC forces to hold off the Covenant air support. After the UNSC forces took out Covenant attackers on a landing platform, Keyes personally led a Pelican to get the package. However, Emile was killed by a [[Sangheili Zealot]] and a {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} arrived to prevent the ''Pillar of Autumn'' from escaping. Using the mass driver, Noble Six destroyed the battlecruiser and the ''Pillar of Autumn'' was able to escape into space using [[R7 thrust coupling]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref>
 
[[File:H2A - Autumn.jpg|300px|left|thumb|''Pillar of Autumn'' prior to making a slipspace jump.]]
The ''Pillar of Autumn'' was supposed to have made a random [[Slipstream space|Slipspace]] jump in accordance with the Cole Protocol. However, Cortana surreptitiously guided the ship to the [[Soell system]] and, ultimately, to [[Installation 04]] instead. The AI used coordinates obtained from two [[Forerunner]] artifacts: [[Sigma Octanus IV artifact|one]] on [[Sigma Octanus IV]],<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', Epilogue, page 336</ref> and [[Babd Catha Forerunner complex|one]] underneath [[Reach]]. The Covenant pursued along the cruiser's exit vector and arrived at Soell first with a battle group of {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s.
 
{{clear}}
 
===Battle of Installation 04===
[[File:Autumn Arrival.png|thumb|250px|''Pillar of Autumn'' approaches Halo [[Installation 04]].]]
{{main|Battle of Installation 04}}
''Pillar of Autumn'' was almost immediately engaged upon arriving at Threshold. The [[Prophet of Stewardship]], who feared stray [[plasma turret|plasma torpedo]] fire might damage the holy artifact, ordered the boarding and capture of the cruiser. Fleet Master [[Thel 'Vadamee]] ignored this order and returned fire aggressively. Even so, the ''Autumn'' was able to destroy four ships and damage ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' before boarders disabled its [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] with an [[antimatter charge]].
 
Captain Keyes ordered the crew to abandon ship. John-117 was given Cortana for safekeeping, and ordered to keep the AI out of enemy hands. The crew left the ship for the ring in whatever craft were available and the [[cryo-chamber|cryo pods]] were jettisoned. Keyes directed ''Pillar of Autumn'' on a course to crash land on the ring. The Covenant finally began hitting the ship with plasma torpedoes, but the cruiser survived the landing reasonably intact, though damaged beyond repair. The Covenant soon swarmed the ship and installed a security detail of two Banshees and six Ghosts to patrol the ship, though a massive [[Raid on the Pillar of Autumn|raid]] led by Lieutenant [[Melissa McKay]] unseated the Covenant from the ship temporarily, allowing the survivors to transfer supplies from the ship to [[Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base]].<ref>''Halo: The Flood, chapter six''</ref>
 
[[File:AutumnMawCEA.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The ''Autumn''{{'}}s final resting place, shortly before its destruction.]]
 
The release of the Flood added an unexpected dimension to the battle. [[Monitor]] [[343 Guilty Spark]] was preparing to fire the Installation in response to the outbreak; in conjunction with the entire [[Halo Array]] this would wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy. John-117 and Cortana returned to ''Pillar of Autumn'' to destroy the ring by detonating the still-functioning fusion reactors. An attempt to activate the cruiser's self-destruct from the bridge failed due to 343 Guilty Spark's interference. The Spartan was forced to manually destabilize the reactors with tactical ordnance.
 
John-117 and Cortana escaped the subsequent detonation and the ring aboard a [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword fighter]] still docked in [[Launch Bay 7]]. ''Pillar of Autumn'' exploded moments after their escape, blowing up a segment of the ring causing the entire Halo to fall apart; ultimately destroying Installation 04. The detonation itself left a huge crater, almost covering the entire width of the Installation itself.
{{Clear}}
 
===Legacy===
[[File:H2A-AlphaHaloDestruction.jpg|thumb|300px|Installation 04 breaks apart as a result of the ''Autumn''{{'}}s detonation.]]
The {{Class|Autumn|heavy cruiser}}, which entered service as the replacement for the {{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser|}} after the Covenant War, was partially designed after the refitted ''Pillar of Autumn''. Due to the instrumental role the ''Autumn'' played in the war, the lead ship of the new class was named {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn II}} in honor of the original.<ref name="VIS">'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 191''</ref>


== History ==
In [[2556]], a fragment of the ring that escaped destruction called [[Alpha Shard]] was discovered. The [[supernova]]-like effects of the ''Autumn's'' detonation created [[Element 120.V|a new element]] unique to the shard fatal only to humans. This element was mined by smugglers from [[Aleria]] and transformed into a [[bioweapon]] [[Terrorist attack on Sedra City|used]] on the [[Outer Colony]] of [[Sedra]] by [[terrorist]]s. After the element was traced to Alpha Shard, Private [[Talitha Macer]] correctly surmised that the element was created by the explosion created when the ''Pillar of Autumn'' was destroyed. After this theory was confirmed, a joint [[ONI]]-[[Sedran Colonial Guard]] team underwent [[Mission to Alpha Shard|a mission]] to Alpha Shard, destroying the deposits of the new element with a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]] at the cost of most of the team.<ref name="Nightfall">'''[[Halo: Nightfall]]'''</ref>
[[Image:The Pillar of Autumn.jpg|left|thumb|210px|The ''Pillar of Autumn'' and Longsword escorts.]]
{{Clear}}
Mothballed and due to be scrapped like the remainder of the ''Halcyon''-class, the [[Human-Covenant War]] saw the reactivation of the ''Pillar of Autumn''. The refit she subsequently received rectified a number of deficiencies in the original design and made her a competitive re-addition to the sorely pressed [[UNSC Navy]]. At the time of her destruction in [[2552]] she was 43 years old.<ref>[[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>
[[Image:Reach.jpg|left|thumb|250px| A vessel which appears to be ''Pillar of Autumn'' pushes through the Covenant blockade and escapes Reach.]]
The ''Pillar of Autumn'' saw action at the [[Battle of Reach]] and was one of the two ships to escape the disaster. Although the [[Cole Protocol]] demanded a random [[Slipspace|Slipstream]] jump, the [[AI]] [[Cortana]], unbeknownst to the crew, purposely guided the ship to the planet [[Threshold]] based on map coordinates extracted from a [[Forerunner]] artifact.<ref>[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]] Epilogue</ref> The result was the discovery of [[Installation 04]], or "[[Fortress World|Halo]]".
[[Image:Pillar.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The ''Pillar of Autumn'' taking plasma impacts at the [[Battle of Installation 04]].]]
A brief and uneven [[Battle_of_Installation_04|battle]] against a [[Covenant]] battle group of a dozen superior {{ShipClass|CCS|Battlecruiser|}} battlecruisers in near-[[Threshold]] space resulted in critical damage being inflicted upon the ''Pillar of Autumn''. Enemy boarding parties disabled the [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]'s fire control with a demolition charge, but not before she made a good account of herself by destroying four enemy warships and damaging several others. The ''Pillar of Autumn'''s survival against superior forces was due in part to a [[Prophet]]'s directive to disable, rather than destroy, her out of fear that her destruction might harm "Halo", which had religious significance to the [[Covenant]]. The ship was then crash landed onto "Halo" by her [[Jacob Keyes|captain]], coming to rest upright and balanced over a cliff on a barren peninsula.


Prior to the crash much of her crew had taken to the [[Bumblebee|escape pods]], including the [[Master Chief]] whose suit was carrying [[Cortana]] in a bid to prevent the AI's capture. Others evacuated by [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]] dropship or even in [[Human Entry Vehicle|drop pods]], as was the case for a complement of [[ODST]]s. Despite the confusion most of the crew survived to reach "Halo" and engage Covenant ground forces, Pelicans were employed to retrieve munitions from the crashed ship to sustain this effort.
==Design details==
[[File:HWF PillarOfAutumn CrossSection.jpg|thumb|left|300px|A cross-sectioned view of the ''Pillar of Autumn''.]]
''Pillar of Autumn'' was roughly 43 years old at the time of its escape from Reach and later destruction on Installation 04. It was a cruiser of the ''Halcyon''-class, the lightest cruisers in the UNSC Fleet.<ref name="FoRC25">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', Chapter 25</ref>


Despite the abuse sustained during the space battle and the following crash the ''Pillar of Autumn'' remained intact, and was subsequently occupied by investigating Covenant forces and later by [[Flood]]. The threat posed by the latter was deemed sufficiently great for the Master Chief and Cortana to detonate the ship's still-functioning fusion power cores in a bid to destroy "Halo", thus preventing the Flood from escaping.
The ''Pillar of Autumn'' was one of only eleven ''Halcyon''-class cruisers to be built with a unique internal frame that was designed by [[Robert McLees (ship designer)|Doctor Robert McLees]]. Incorporating a series of interstitial honeycombs and cross-bracings, it was deemed unnecessarily over-massed and costly due to a series of cross-bracings and interstitial{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}} [[Titanium-A armor]] honeycombs.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}} This led to the design being dropped from future models of ''Halcyon''-class ships,{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}} and quickly led to most of these ships being removed from service.{{Ref/Reuse|data drop}} However, this unusual framing scheme allowed the ship to function even after sustaining critical levels of damage.{{Ref/Reuse|HCESGuide}} This offset its usage of older, heavier armor patterns,{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} which provided inferior protection than what was considered standard in 2552.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}}


Having manually triggered a destabilization of the power cores, the Master Chief and Cortana commandeered a [[C709 Longsword-class Starfighter|Longsword]] from one of the ''Pillar of Autumn'''s docking bays and achieved a safe minimum distance before the ship exploded, causing the ring-world to fragment.
These protective qualities were improved as part of the ''Autumn''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> refit in 2552. The hull was upgraded to the latest Titanium-A ablative armor plating, which resulted in great savings in terms of volume and mass.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Hydraulic reinforcements activated during emergencies complemented the existing toughness of its frame.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}} The refit substantially expanded both the [[SOEIV]] launch bays and hangar capacity, with the latter made possible by sacrificing long-term accommodations. It also received an Omega-pattern bridge with a Tier-III datacore.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Id=Enc22|Chapter=Human Ships, Cruisers|Page=119}} Protruding from its front face is a foremast that is equipped with [[slipspace]] navigation sensors and hardened [[UNSC battle network|battlenet]] transponders. A planetary scanning array is mounted just below its bridge, which is outfitted with planetary survey sensors and probe/satellite launchers. Four compact auxiliary fusion rockets are installed on either side of the cruiser, and while they are capable of a high-thrust, they are considered inefficient in their design. At the very top of the engine cowling is a multipurpose scan array, which contains tactical sensors and an electronic eavesdropping suite.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}.


== Upgrades ==
===Power plant===
[[Image:PoA.jpg|250px|left|thumb|The refitted ''Pillar of Autumn'']][[Image:POA-Full-Int-Ext.jpg|thumb]][[Image:POA-Full-Int-Ext-pers2.jpg|thumb]][[Image:POA-Full-Int-Ext-pers3.jpg|thumb]][[Image:POA-Full-Int-Ext-pers1.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:POA Panorama.jpg|thumb|250px|The refitted ''Pillar of Autumn''.]]
=== Power Plant ===
Prior to being refit for the Spartan mission, ''Pillar of Autumn'' was equipped with three Mark II Hanley-Messer deuterium [[Fusion drive|fusion engines]], which supplied only 10% the power of the standard [[2552]] UNSC Navy reactor. ''Pillar of Autumn'' was refitted with a set of improved nuclear fusion engines 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.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}}


The ''Pillar of Autumn'' was refitted with an improved nuclear fusion engine that featured two smaller reactors around a larger one, capable of boosting power out by 310%. An upgraded cooling system was also retrofitted, featuring "a laser-induced optical slurry of ions chilled to near-absolute zero" that removed the reliance on depleteable chemical temperature-control agents. In essence, the new system provided increased waste heat removal as power output increased. This self-regulating and self-cooling system was critical in combat since it virtually eliminated a commander's concerns about overheating and slagging a ship's engines.
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 was 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.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}}


=== Armament ===
''Pillar of Autumn's'' reactors were able to be [[Fusion drive#Use as improvised weapons|overloaded by explosives]], either grenades or rockets, destroying the vulnerable vent cores. Once these were destroyed, the reactors began to go critical, resulting in temperatures of over one hundred million degrees and a thermonuclear explosion large enough to tear apart a Halo installation.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level ''[[The Maw (Level)|The Maw]]''</ref> This explosion was later revealed to be similar in nature to a [[supernova]] and resulted in the creation of [[Element 120.V|a new element]] on [[Alpha Shard|a surviving shard]] of the installation.{{Ref/Reuse|Nightfall}}


The primary weapon was a single [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] capable of firing three "shredder shots" on a single charge.<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> Available ordnance included 4 [[Shiva Nuclear-tipped missile|Shiva Missiles]] and 300 [[Archer Missiles|Archer missile]] pods containing 26 missiles each<ref>[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]], page 272</ref>, enough for over three massed salvos of 1000 missiles. Finally, point defense was provided by forty 50mm auto cannons.
===Armament===
In 2550, the ''Pillar of Autumn'' was reactivated in order to support operations near the Zeta Doradus system. As part of this refit, which had also been applied to other ''Halcyon''-class cruisers, it received one MAC and six additional [[Archer missile#M58 Archer|M58 Archer missile]] pods,{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC25}} bringing its total missile arsenal to 10 pods. Each of these pods carried a total of 24 missiles. For anti-aircraft and anti-missile protection, it retained its existing 40 [[M910 Rampart point defense network|M910 Rampart point defense gun]]s.<ref name= "data drop"/>


==Story==
A subsequent refit was given to the ''Pillar of Autumn'' to prepare it for its role in Operation: RED FLAG in 2552. As part of this, its arsenal was drastically expanded, resulting in a final armament of:
*One [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|Mark II, Light Coil - 56A2D4/MAC gun]]{{Ref/Reuse|waypointarticle}} that ran two-thirds the length of the cruiser{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} fired lighter projectiles compared to most ship grade MACs, but these rounds worked much like [[shredder round]]s. Each charge was able to fire 3 rounds,{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}} thanks to the addition of prototype power capacitors and rapid-cycling MAC coils.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
*Thirty-two M58 Archer missile pods.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*Four [[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]s, equipped with thirty-megaton HAVOK warheads. One was loaded onto a remote-controlled Longsword interceptor, while the other three were 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 Longswords is equipped with a [[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]; it can be remote piloted. We also have three HAVOC Warheads on board"'').</ref>
*Eighteen M910 point defense guns with overlapping fields of fire for point defense against single ships. These benefitted from a new software updated added as part of the refit.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} Few of the guns were mounted on the bottom-fore section, as transient magnetic bursts from the MAC tended to magnetize the guns.{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}} Two of these cannons were later salvaged by the surviving UNSC personnel for [[Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base]].{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*Eight [[Spitfire naval coilgun battery#Mark 33 Spitfire|Mark 33 Spitfire naval coilgun batteries]].{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}
*Six [[M66 Sentry autocannon]] turrets.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}}


After escaping Reach, this ship disabled 4 [[CCS-Class]] cruisers and damaged several others. Later, it was borded by several [[Covenant]] pods and had to be evacuated. After Captain [[Jacob Keyes]] crash-landed the Autumn on [[Halo]], it was used as a resupplying post. Later, in order to destroy Halo, [[Master Chief]] and [[Cortana]] used several explosives to damage the [[fusion cores]] enough so that they destabalized and went critical, detonating within approx. 6 minutes (5 minutes on Legendary difficulty). Before the event of the detonation that destroyed [[Halo]], the [[chief|Master Chief]] and [[Cortana]] escaped the Autumn in a Longsword fighter. The monitor [[343 Guilty Spark]] survived the detonation and escaped to [[Threshold]]
===Engine room===
{{#widget:Vimeo|id=285590020|thumb|width=200px|caption=The Pillar of Autumn burning up in Installation 04's atmosphere.}}
{{main|Fusion drive}}
''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}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 John-117 ultimately destroyed the ship and Installation 04. This room is the largest room in ''Pillar of Autumn'' with the exception of the hangar bay and the "leap of faith" room.


== Engine Room ==
===Airlocks===
:'''Airlock 31, 32''': Lifeboats destroyed by the Covenant to make way for boarding craft.
:'''Airlock 51''': Lifeboat destroyed as it departed from the airlock.
:'''Airlock 52, 53, 61, 62, 63''': Lifeboats escaped from the vessel.


The ''Pillar of Autumn'''s engine room, or just "Engineering", 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".
==Units==
[[Image:Pillar2.jpg|right|250px]][[Image:PoA Crewmen.jpg|right|250px]][[Image:Cortana on Autumn.jpg|right|250px]][[Image:Keyes1.jpg|right|250px]]
[[File:HR Autumn Longsword.png|thumb|250px|A Longsword flanking the drydocked ''Autumn''.]]
===Marine units===
The ''Pillar of Autumn'' had a complement of eight hundred Marines and four hundred ODSTs, totaling 1,200 fighting personnel.{{Ref/Reuse|Warfleet}} The ship's Marine complement were divided into the following units;
*[[79th Infantry Battalion]]<ref>''Halo: The Flood'', [[Halo: The Flood#2010 bonus content|Adjunct]], [[Entry 47-2396/10763]]</ref>
*[[5th Platoon]]<ref name="CEPOA">''Halo: Combat Evolved'', campaign level, ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref>
*[[14th Platoon]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[22nd Tactical]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Second squad (Pillar of Autumn)|2nd squad]]{{Ref/Reuse|flood6}}
*[[Fire Team Charlie]]{{Ref/Reuse|flood6}}
*[[Fireteam Zulu]]


== Crew ==
The [[67th Marine Regiment]], [[3rd Battalion (Pillar of Autumn)|3rd Battalion]] led by Colonel [[Barry Bizzell]] may have been assigned to the ''Pillar of Autumn'', but the canon status of this unit is dubious.<ref>''Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo'' - Early revision of the ''Pillar of Autumn' page ([[:File:WF EarlyAutumn Page.jpg|file link]])</ref>{{Ref/Note|Due to this unit only being mentioned in a cut page from ''Halo: Warfleet'', the canon status of this unit is unknown.}}


=== ''Pillar of Autumn'' Command Crew ===
===ODST units===
The ship's 400 ODSTs were divided under the following units;{{Ref/Note|In Chapter 2 of ''Halo: The Flood'', Silva sends B and C companies away for various tasks, commenting that his camp only has half of its strength left at 200 personnel This means each company has roughly 100 personnel. Later statistics given on ODST [[combat team]] organisation place ODST company sizes at 60-112 personnel, in keeping with this information.}}


*[[Captain Jacob Keyes]] -- Ship Captain
*1st Battalion{{Ref/Note|The ''Halo Encyclopedia'' pages 54-55 clarify that the twelve companies of a given regiment are named phonetically, with the first battalion taking A-D, second battalion taking E-H and so forth. Given Silva's battalion's subordinate companies are named A-D in Chapter 2 of ''Halo: The Flood'', this means they must be in the 1st battalion of the parent regiment.}} - Commanded by Major Antonio Silva.
*[[Cortana]] -- Spartan AI
**[[A Company (Pillar of Autumn)|A Company]]{{Ref/Reuse|flood2}}
*[[Lieutenant Dominique]] -- Communications Officer
**[[B Company (Pillar of Autumn)|B Company]] - Commanded by First Lieutenant Melissa McKay<ref name="flood2">''Halo: The Flood'', Chapter 2</ref>
*[[Lieutenant Hikowa|Lieutenant Aki Hikowa]] -- Weapons Officer
***[[1st Platoon (Pillar of Autumn)|1st Platoon]] - Commanded by Second Lieutenant [[Oros]]<ref name="flood5">''Halo: The Flood'', Chapter 5</ref>
*[[Lieutenant Hall]] -- Operations Officer
****[[3rd Squad]]<ref>''Halo: The Flood'', Chapter 9</ref>
*[[Ensign William Lovell|Ensign William Michael Lovell]] -- Navigation Officer
***[[2nd Platoon (Pillar of Autumn)|2nd Platoon]] - Commanded by Second Lieutenant [[Dalu]] (later replaced by Company Master Sergeant [[Lister (Marine)|Lister]] during the [[Raid on the Pillar of Autumn]])<ref name="flood6">''Halo: The Flood'', Chapter 6</ref>
*[[Lieutenant Commander Gail Purdy]] -- Chief Engineer
***[[3rd Platoon (Pillar of Autumn)|3rd Platoon]] - Commanded by First Lieutenant Melissa McKay{{Ref/Reuse|flood6}}
*[[Crewman]] [[Abiad]]
**[[C Company (Pillar of Autumn)|C Company]]{{Ref/Reuse|flood2}}
*[[Crewman]] [[Wang]]
**[[D Company (Pillar of Autumn)|D Company]]{{Ref/Reuse|flood2}}
*[[Crewman]] [[Singh]]


=== Other Naval Personnel ===
The following ODST units have a currently undefined place within the existing command structure;
*[[Fireteam Raven]]<ref name="FTR">''[[Halo: Fireteam Raven]]''</ref>
*[[Combat Team Alpha]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}{{Ref/Note|Combat teams are an organisational unit found within the ODST ranks. While combat teams in the level ''Pillar of Autumn'' are never explicitly stated to be ODSTs, it can be reasonably inferred that these teams are not marine units.}}
*[[Combat Team Baker]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team Charlie]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team Echo]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team Foxtrot]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team November]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team Oscar]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team Romeo]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team Sierra]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team Tango]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team Victor]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}
*[[Combat Team X-Ray]]{{Ref/Reuse|CEPOA}}


*[[Tech Chief Thom Shepard]] -- Cryogenics Technician
===Navy units===
*[[Tech Officer First Class Mary Murphy]] -- Air Traffic Technician
Naval Pelican dropship pilots were assigned to the ''Pillar of Autumn'' from the [[23rd Naval Air Squadron]].
*[[Tech Officer Sam Marcus]] -- Cryogenics Technician
*[[Petty Officer Third Class Pauley]] -- Radio Technician
*[[Petty Officer Third Class Cho]] -- Radio Technician
*[[Foehammer|Flight Officer Captain Carol "Foehammer" Rawley]] -- Pelican Pilot
*[[Lieutenant "Cookie" Peterson]] -- Pelican Pilot
*[[Lieutenant Rick Hale]] -- Pelican Pilot
*[[Flight Officer Mitchell]] -- Pelican Pilot
*[[Polaski|Warrant Officer Shiela Polaski]] -- Pelican Pilot
*[[Lieutenant Frye]] -- Pelican Co-Pilot
*[[Crew Chief Cullen]] -- Pelican Communications Officer
*[[Lieutenant Haverson]]


=== Marines and ODSTs ===
==Crew==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Pillar of Autumn Command===
*[[Jacob Keyes|Captain Jacob Keyes]] — ''Commanding officer'' (August - September 2552)
*[[Cortana]] — ''Temporary shipboard AI''
*[[Wellsley]] — ''ODST battalion AI assistant''


==== Individuals ====
===Officers===
*[[Lieutenant]] [[Dominique]] — ''Communications officer''
*[[Aki Hikowa|Lieutenant Aki Hikowa]] — ''Weapons officer''
*[[Hall|Lieutenant Hall]] — ''Operations officer''
*[[Ensign]] [[William Lovell]] — ''Navigation officer''
*[[Ellen Dowski|Ensign Ellen Dowski]] — ''Junior bridge officer''
*[[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Gail Purdy]] — ''Chief engineer''


*[[Private Bisenti]]
===Office of Naval Intelligence===
*[[Company Sergeant Tink Carter]]
*[[Elias Haverson|Lieutenant Elias Haverson]]
*[[Sergeant Corly]]
 
*[[Second Lieutenant Dalu]]
===Crewmen===
*[[Chips Dubbo|Private Chipps Dubbo]]
*[[Thom Shepard|Chief Petty Officer Thom Shephard]] — ''Cryogenics Technician''
*[[Private First Class M. Fitzgerald]]
*[[Mary Murphy|Petty Officer First Class Mary Murphy]] — ''Air Traffic Technician''
*[[Private First Class Hosky]]
*[[Samuel N. Marcus|Petty Officer Third Class Samuel N. Marcus]] — ''Technicians Officer''
*[[Wallace Jenkins|Private First Class Wallace A. Jenkins]]
*[[Pauley|Petty Officer Third Class Pauley]] — ''Radio Technician''
*[[Sergeant Johnson]]
*[[Cho (Navy technician)|Petty Officer Third Class Xaing Cho]] — ''Radio Technician''
*[[Lance Corporal "Snaky" Jones]]
*[[R. Abiad]] — ''[[Coda]]'' shuttle pod copilot
*[[Private Kappus]]
*[[Wang (crewman)|Wang]]
*[[Master Sergeant Lister]]
*[[Singh]]
*[[Corporal Locklear]]
 
*[[Corporal Lovik]]
===Other Naval Personnel===
*[[First Lieutenant Melissa McKay]]
*[[Carol Rawley|Captain Carol Rawley]] — ''Flight officer, 23rd Naval Air Squadron'' (Pelican Pilot - Echo 419)
*[[Private Manuel Mendoza]]
*[[Peterson|Lieutenant Peterson]] — ''Flight officer, 23rd Naval Air Squadron'' (Pelican Pilot - Echo 136)
*[[Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto]]
*[[Rick Hale|Lieutenant Rick Hale]] — ''Flight officer, 23rd Naval Air Squadron'' (Pelican Pilot)
*[[Private O'Brien]]
*[[Frye|Lieutenant Frye]] — Pelican Co-Pilot
*[[Second Lieutenant Oros]]
*[[Sheila Polaski|Warrant Officer Shiela Polaski]] — ''Flight officer'' (Pelican Pilot)
*[[Sergeant Parker]]
*[[Mitchell]] — ''Flight officer'' (Pelican Pilot)
*[[Private Marie Postly]]
*[[Cullen|Crew Chief Cullen]] — Communications Officer
*[[Private Riley]]
 
*[[Private Satha]]
===Spartans===
*[[Major Antonio Shiva|Major Antonio Silva]]
*[[John-117|Master Chief Petty Officer John-117]]
*[[Sergeant Stacker (Halo 1)|Sergeant Stacker]]
*[[Linda-058|Petty Officer Second Class Linda-058]]
*[[Gunnery Sergeant Waller]]
{{col-2}}
*[[Corporal Wilkins]]
 
===Marines===
*[[Cammarano|Major Cammarano]]
*[[Avery Junior Johnson|Staff Sergeant Avery Junior Johnson]]
*[[Marvin Mobuto|Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto]]
*[[Stacker|Staff Sergeant Stacker]]
*[[Lovik|Corporal Lovik]]
*[[Wilkins|Corporal Wilkins]]
*[[M. Fitzgerald|Private First Class M. Fitzgerald]]
*[[Chips Dubbo|Private First Class Chips Dubbo]]
*[[Wallace A. Jenkins|Private First Class Wallace A. Jenkins]]
*[[Bisenti|Private Bisenti]]
*[[Kappus|Private Kappus]]
*[[Manuel Mendoza|Private Manuel Mendoza]]
*[[O'Brien (Marine)|Private O'Brien]]
*[[Riley|Private Riley]]
*[[Unidentified private]]
 
====ODSTs====
*[[Antonio Silva|Major Antonio Silva]] — ''Commanding officer, ODST Battalion''
*[[Melissa McKay|First Lieutenant Melissa McKay]] — ''Executive officer, ODST Battalion''
*[["Doc" Valdez|Valdez]] - ''Hospital corpsman''
*[[Dalu|Second Lieutenant Dalu]] — Supply officer; formerly platoon commander (replaced by Lister)
*[[Oros|Second Lieutenant Oros]] — ''Platoon commander''
*[[Master Sergeant]] [[Lister (Marine)|Lister]] — ''Platoon commander'' (replaced Dalu)
*[[Tink Carter|First Sergeant Tink Carter]] ''Company sergeant, ODST Battalion''
*[[Waller|Gunnery Sergeant Waller]]
*[[Corly|Sergeant Corly]]
*[[Parker|Sergeant Parker]]
*[["Snaky" Jones|Lance Corporal Jones]]
*[[Locklear|Corporal Locklear]]
*[[Unidentified corporal]]
*[[Hosky|Private First Class Hosky]]
*[[Marie Postly|Private Marie Postly]]
*[[Satha|Private Satha]]
*[[Al-Thani]]
*[[Al-Thani]]
*[[Ethan Graves]]
*[[Marcus Hudson]]
*[[Dawkins]]
*[[Dawkins]]
*Medic [["Doc" Valdez]]
*[[Ava Lang]]
*[[Mary Murphy]]
*[[Victor Ramos]]
*[[Suzuki]]
*[[Suzuki]]
{{col-end}}


==== Units ====
==Trivia==
 
===Production notes===
*830 [[Marine]]s-1 [[ODST]] Battalion, 1 Marine Battalion
*When designing the ship, [[Lorraine McLees]] took inspiration from the [[MA5B assault rifle]] and from images of ''[[wikipedia:Mobile Suit Gundam|Mobile Suit Gundam]]''. She described the ''Autumn'' as being "essentially a big gun with engines".<ref>'''Halo: The Great Journey: The Art of Building Worlds''', ''page 140''</ref>
*[[Combat Team Alpha]]
*''Pillar of Autumn'' was modeled by former Bungie employee Adam Crokett.<ref>[http://www.adamcrockett.com/resume.html '''Adam Crockett''': ''Resume'']</ref>
*[[Combat Team November]]
*[[Combat Team Sierra]]
*[[Combat Team Victor]]
*[[Fire Team Charlie]]
*[[Fire Team Zulu]]
*[[Fourteenth Platoon]]
*[[Twenty-Second Tactical]]
[[Image:Autumn.jpg|right|350px]]
 
=== Others ===
 
*[[Spartan-058]]
*[[Master Chief|Spartan-117]]
*[[Wellsley (A.I.)]]


== Trivia ==
===Miscellaneous===
[[File:Bulletin board compare.jpg|thumb|200px|The Bulletin Board on the ''Autumn's'' bridge in both ''[[Halo Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary|Anniversary]]''.]]
*In ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', the description of ''Pillar of Autumn'' is considerably different from its ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' incarnation. The bridge is described as having a command chair and a curved viewport; in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', this chair is absent and the window consists of several flat sections. The novel also describes the bridge as being extremely cramped, with only a meter of space between the command chair and the other stations,<ref name="for277">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 277''</ref> while in the game, the bridge is clearly more spacious. According to the novel, there is also an elevator leading directly from the engine room to the bridge.{{Ref/Reuse|for277}} In the game, the engineering and the bridge are on the same level, and there are no doors which may belong to an elevator adjoining the bridge. In addition, the engine room is described as being "hexagonal", while in the game,{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}} it consists of two vaguely rectangular chambers with the engine core in the middle. The ship is also described as having rotating centrifuges to generate [[artificial gravity]];{{Ref/Reuse|FoRC29}} no rotating sections are present in the game, unless they are located within the hull.
*''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}s was approximately 1.17&nbsp;km long, a reference to John-117.<ref>[http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_poaconundrum '''halo.bungie.org''': ''The Pillar of Autumn Conundrum'']</ref> The ship's length is exaggerated in the final level of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' to a length of three kilometers, likely to add urgency and suspense to the escape sequence.
*In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the ship's [[Ship emblem|emblem]] is the ''[[Marathon]]'' logo. In ''Halo: Reach'', the ship's emblem is retconned into the Seventh Column logo. In ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'', the Seventh Column emblem is replaced by a similar-looking gear, since the Seventh Column is an affiliate of Bungie.
*The [[bulletin board]] just outside the bridge of the ship contains a number of amusing clips, some throwbacks to ''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. The board also has a flier telling Marines to [[Keep It Clean (Trailer)|'Keep it Clean']], a quote later used in ''[[Halo 3: ODST]].''
**The re-textured bulletin board in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' includes a classic Internet gag image of a "cat found" poster mistaking an opossum for a cat, as well as a poster labelled "Dark Planetoid Rising", featuring the Forerunner planet [[Requiem]] as it appeared in the Legendary ending to ''[[Halo 3]]''.
*During the brief cutscene in ''[[Halo 2]]'' where ''Pillar of Autumn'' escapes, it is portrayed by a ''Marathon''-class heavy cruiser, rather than a ''Halcyon''-class light cruiser; this is because the ''Halcyon'' was not coded into the game for the sake of saving resources; this error is rectified in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
*In its appearance in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', the ship went through many changes, including that the Marathon symbol is replaced by the Seventh Column symbol, and the bridge has been shrunken to a smaller scale.
*''Pillar of Autumn'' is available as a prop for [[Avatar (Xbox 360)|Xbox 360 Avatars]].<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/blogs/Headlines/post/2012/01/18/Halo-Avatar-Collection-January.aspx '''Halo: Waypoint:''' ''Halo Avatar Collection - January'']</ref>
*''Pillar of Autumn'' plays a role in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', ''[[Halo Reach]]'' and ''[[Halo Wars]]''. In the first two, the player has to deal with various objectives surrounding the ship and crew. In ''Halo Wars'', ''Pillar of Autumn'' contributes to the [[Battle for Arcadia]] before the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} arrives and then provides the player with support during the battle in the form of experimental [[M145D Rhino|Rhinos]].
*Although total deck count is unknown, there are a minimum of 75 decks on the ''Pillar of Autumn'', as indicated by the [[Bulletin board|Bulletin Board]] note ''Cat Found'' found near the ships bridge.


*The ''Pillar of Autumn'' is approximately 1.17 km long. [http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_poaconundrum/] 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.
==Gallery==
*The [[Marathon]] logo is prominently displayed on the ''Pillar of Autumn'''s starboard and port sides. The ship's official [[Ship Emblem|emblem]] has the Marathon logo as well.
<gallery>
*The bulletin board just outside the bridge of the ship contains a number of amusing clips, some throwbacks to Marathon. These can be examined on the first level of Halo: Combat Evolved.
File:HCE_AutumnFront_Concept.jpg|Concept art for the front of the ship.
*The length is said to be 1.17 km long, which is the ID number of Master Chief, 117.
File:HCE_PillarOfAutumn_Bridge_Concept.jpg|Concept art of the ship's bridge.
*In reference to Halo: The Flood, when Master Chief is to escape after blowing the engines of the Autumn the Grunt Yayap said to his superior that he will need to escape Exit E-117.  117 is another reference to Master Chiefs number John-117.
File:HCE_PillarOfAutumn_Corridor_Concept.jpg|Concept art of a corridor on the ship.
*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, hot tea, hot chocolate, iced tea, and Chef's Suprise.
File:HCE AutumnCrash Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the ship's final resting place.
*The ''Pillar of Autumn'' was capable of reaching interstellar speeds of 1,454 meters-per-second.
File:HCE AutumnCrash Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the cliff where the ''Autumn'' crashed.
*While the Fall of Reach mentioned the Autumn having a command chair, in Halo: Combat Evolved, such a chair is absent.
File:HCE-PillarOfAutumnSide.png|Profile view of ''Pillar of Autumn'' in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:HCE UNSCPillarofAutumn.jpg|The ''Autumn'' arrives at Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:The Pillar of Autumn.jpg|''Pillar of Autumn'' approaching Installation 04.
File:HCE-PillarOfAutumn-Angle.png|Another view of the ''Autumn'' near Installation 04.
File:POA-InterdeckStructure.jpg|Speculative internal schematic by Stephen Loftus of the Pillar of Autumn's honeycomb-like bracing structures.  
File:POA-Full-Int-Ext.jpg|The outline of ''Halo Combat Evolved''{{'}}s [[The Maw]] level. 
File:POA-Full-Int-Ext-pers2.jpg|A closer look of the outline of the final level. 
File:PoaVending321.jpg|The vending machines in the Cafeteria aboard the ''Autumn''. Note that water is listed twice in "Drinks". 
File:Cortana on Autumn.jpg|Cortana, the AI assigned to the Pillar of Autumn.   
File:Autumn Legends.jpg|''Pillar of Autumn'' in an asteroid field near Reach, moments before a Covenant ship exits Slipspace and attacks in ''[[Halo Legends]]'': ''[[Origins]]''.
File:HaloCE-PoA-Damaged.jpg|''Pillar of Autumn'' taking plasma impacts at the [[Battle of Installation 04]].
File:HaloCE-Maw-PoA-Fore-Crash.jpg|The crashed ''Autumn'' in the desert of Alpha Halo, seen in the level ''[[The Maw]]''. 
File:HaloCE-Maw-PoA-Critical.png|''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}s fusion reactors go critical. 
File:PoA logo.png|''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}s [[ship emblem]] as seen in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. In ''Halo: Reach'', the emblem was replaced by the Seventh Column logo.
File:Poa wreckage.JPG|A piece of wreckage from the Pillar of Autumn floating in Installation 04's debris field in ''[[The Mona Lisa]]''.
File:Reach-Concept-Autumn-Depart.jpg|Concept art of ''Pillar of Autumn'' in ''[[Halo: Reach]]''.
File:HR_Autumn_Launch_Concept.jpg|Concept art of the ''Autumn'' taking off from the Asźod drydock in ''Halo: Reach''.
File:HR_PillarofAutumn_Drydock.jpg|''Pillar of Autumn'' dry-docked in Asźod.
File:HR-HalcyonLightCruiser-POA-LeftSide.jpg|Left view of the refit ''Autumn''.
File:HR-UNSCPillarOfAutumn-RightSide.jpg|Right view of the refit ''Autumn''.
File:HR-PillarOfAutumn-HD-Panorama.jpg|The ''Autumn'' sitting in drydock.
File:HaloReach - PoA.png|''Pillar of Autumn'' taking off from Reach during the Fall of Reach.
File:HR-UNSCPillarOfAutumn-Side.png|Right-side view of the ''Halcyon''-class light cruiser ''Pillar of Autumn'' in ''Halo: Reach''.
File:HReach-PillarofAutumnCruiser.png|An angled view of ''Pillar of Autumn'' in ''Halo: Reach''.
File:Reach 3893592 Full.jpg|Hull-classification information on the ''Autumn''{{'}}s outer hull. The Seventh Column symbol is also visible.
File:HCEA AutumnInterior Concept 1.jpg|Interior concept art for ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''.
File:HCEA AutumnInterior Concept 2.jpg|Interior concept art for ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''.
File:HTMCC HCEA Achievement DearDiary.png|Concept art of the crashed ''Pillar of Autumn'' for ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''.
File:2817468-gallery.jpg|''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}s bridge, as seen in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''.
File:AutumnDamagedCEA.png|''Pillar of Autumn'' under attack.
File:H5POAHolo.png|A hologram of ''Pillar of Autumn'' on the ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' multiplayer map [[Truth (level)]].
File:HFB-EpochPOA&Paris.jpg|''Pillar of Autumn'' in formation with an ''Epoch'' and several ''Paris''-class frigates in ''Halo: Fleet Battles''.
File:HFR PillarOfAutumn CrashSite.jpg|The downed ''Autumn'' on Installation 04.
File:HFR Warthog Charge.jpg|The ''Autumn'', grounded on Installation 04 as the UNSC moves in to raid it.
File:HFR PrepareToDrop.jpg|The SOEIV bay on the ''Autumn''.
File:HTVS2 PillarOfAutumn Render.png|A render of the ''Pillar of Autumn'' asset created for ''[[Halo: The Television Series Season Two]]''.
</gallery>
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes}}
{{Clear}}


== Sources ==
==List of appearances==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach#2010 bonus content|Adjunct]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[Halo 2]]'' {{C|Flashback}}
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
**''[[Odd One Out]]'' {{C|Non-canon appearance}}
{{col-3}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''
**''[[The Mona Lisa]]'' {{C|motion comic only}}
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]'' {{mo}}
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]'' {{Im}}
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' {{C|Flashback}}
*''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]''<ref name="orders">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-taking-orders '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Taking Orders'']</ref>
{{col-3}}
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{C|Hologram}}
*''[[Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Fireteam Raven]]''
*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''
*''[[Halo Infinite: Memory Agent]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Mo}}
{{col-end}}


<references/>
==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}


==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}


[[Category:Human Starships|Pillar of Autumn]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillar of Autumn}}
[[Category:Halcyon-class light cruisers|Pillar of Autumn]]
[[Category:UNSC ships|Pillar of Autumn]]

Latest revision as of 23:08, September 24, 2024

Pillar of Autumn redirects here. For more articles of the same name, see Pillar of Autumn (disambiguation).
C709 redirects here. For the longsword variant, see C709 Longsword.
UNSC Pillar of Autumn
PoA Reach.jpg
Ship history
Unified Earth Government

Name:

Pillar of Autumn

Class:

Halcyon-class light cruiser[1]

Identification:

C-709[1]

Operator:

UNSC Navy

Manufacturer:

Reyes-McLees Shipyards, Mars[1]

Naval architect:

Launched:

December 1, 2510[2]

Fate:

Self-destructed on September 22, 2552 to destroy Alpha Halo

Captain(s):

Captain Jacob Keyes

Artificial intelligence(s):

Motto:

Ad Arcendam Hostium (To Repel the Enemy)[3]

General characteristics

Type:

Cruiser

Length:

1,171 meters (3,840 ft)[2]

Width:

352 meters (1,150 ft)[2]

Height:

398 meters (1,310 ft)[1]

Mass:

  • Pre-2552 refit: 11 million tonnes[4]
  • Post-2552 refit: 9 million metric tons[1]

Power plant:

Maneuver drive:

Slipspace drive:

Kawanishi Engineering's SED-2550X (Series V CODEN)[1]

Crew:

  • 1,000 Naval personnel[1]

Complement:

  • 800 Marines[1]
  • Army personnel (unknown complement)[7]

Troops:

Hull:

Titanium-A battleplate[1]

Armaments:

Post-2550 refit: [2]

Post-2552 refit:

Air wing:

 

Thel 'Vadamee: "There was only one ship."
High Prophet of Truth: "One? Are you sure?"
Thel 'Vadamee: "Yes. They called it the Pillar of Autumn."
— Conversation between 'Vadamee and the High Prophet of Truth.[11]

UNSC Pillar of Autumn, (hull classification symbol C-709),[12][13] was a Halcyon-class light cruiser in the UNSC Navy. It was informally referred to as the Autumn, and, in some cases, the Pillar.[14][15][16] It was the sister ship of UNSC Dawn Under Heaven[17] and UNSC Toulouse.[18]

Prior to the Fall of Reach Pillar of Autumn was selected to support Operation: RED FLAG, a SPARTAN-II mission to capture Covenant leaders. Captain Jacob Keyes was placed in command. The operation was forestalled by the Covenant assault on Reach; the cruiser carried some of the few UNSC survivors and fled the system having lost most of its intended SPARTAN-II passengers.

The cruiser was guided to the Soell system by the smart AI Cortana. There it was engaged by a Covenant fleet guarding Installation 04. Keyes crash-landed the ship on the installation where the surviving crew continued the battle against the Covenant, and later, the Flood. The ship's sole remaining combat-effective SPARTAN-II, John-117, was forced to destabilize the Autumn's fusion reactor, destroying both the ship and the ringworld, to prevent the Installation from being fired.

Service historyEdit

ConstructionEdit

UNSC Pillar of Autumn was constructed at the Reyes-McLees Shipyards on Mars. The ship began construction in 2507,[3] and was launched on December 1, 2510.[2]

Human-Covenant WarEdit

Main article: Battle for Arcadia

During the Battle for Arcadia in February 2531, Pillar of Autumn engaged two Ket-pattern battlecruisers alongside the UNSC Belfast, UNSC Texas and UNSC Armstrong. Along with the other three ships, Pillar of Autumn destroyed the battlecruiser designated CCS-U321 after catching it with its shields down, but the battlecruiser designated CCS-U624 was able to make it to the surface of Arcadia. In the battle between the UNSC and Covenant forces, Pillar of Autumn was badly damaged along with Armstrong while Texas and Belfast were destroyed. Upon the arrival of the UNSC Spirit of Fire, the smart AI Serina reported on these events to Captain James Cutter.[19] Later in the battle, at the request of Spirit of Fire, Pillar of Autumn contributed several M145D Rhinos to the ground battle, enabling Spirit of Fire's forces to take down a Covenant energy shield.[20]

The cruiser was decommissioned with the remaining Halcyon-class light cruisers, but was reactivated as the war worsened. Pillar of Autumn was pulled from long-term storage and was refitted in 2550 to serve as an emergency support ship in a conflict near Zeta Doradus.[12][21]

A chariot for SpartansEdit

By 2552, it was obvious to the UNSC that the war could not be ended with conventional military action. A desperate plan, known as Operation: RED FLAG was conceived to end the war by capturing Covenant leaders and forcing the enemy to the negotiating table. A colony world would be sacrificed to the Covenant to allow SPARTAN-II commandos to board and disable a Covenant ship, locate the Covenant homeworld, and abduct the targets. Pillar of Autumn was selected on August 25 by the AI Cortana to disable an enemy ship and deliver the Spartans aboard; the ship was selected for the Halcyon-class's durability, despite its class's usual lack-luster offensive capabilities.[21] Command of the ship was given to Captain Jacob Keyes.

The cruiser received another refit designed by Senior Engineer Adam Crokett[1] for the new mission, including a state-of-the-art fusion power plant and improved weaponry.[21] Furthermore, the command bridge was upgraded with a Tier III datacore to house Cortana and the drop pod bays were significantly expanded.[1] After the refit, Cortana was transferred to handle the shakedown.

Fall of ReachEdit

Main article: Fall of Reach
 
Pillar of Autumn pushes through the Covenant blockade and escapes Reach.

Pillar of Autumn was prepared to deploy on August 30. However, before it could depart the Epsilon Eridani system it was recalled to Reach; the UNSC fleet was mustering in preparation for an imminent Covenant attack on the planet. However, Cortana remained in control as the ship's normally assigned AI was not yet operational. At the opening of the battle, the Pillar of Autumn was engaged by a Ruma-pattern light carrier and quickly destroyed it with its modified MAC gun.

It was hoped an opportunity to capture an enemy ship would present itself, however, the course of the battle forced the Spartans to deploy on other missions. Blue Team went to Reach's Gamma Station to enforce the Cole Protocol, while Red Team went planetside to reinforce the orbital defense generators. While the cruiser performed well, the battle was lost as the orbital defense platforms fell silent. There was only time to recover the remnants of Blue Team (John-117 and the clinically dead Linda-058) and a Marine fireteam led by Avery Johnson that was also onboard Gamma Station, before the ship was forced to flee the system.

During the battle over Reach, the Pillar of Autumn attacked and destroyed a Covenant "sniper ship" in single combat. This prototype vessel was responsible for the destruction of many powerful UNSC warships. The unlikely victory of the Pillar of Autumn, for a brief moment, left her as one of the most successful and resilient ships in the Navy. However, the ship was heavily damaged in the fight and its main reactor was rendered inoperable.

Main article: Battle of Asźod

At some point during the conflict, the Pillar of Autumn executed a Class-L flash-dock, landing at the Asźod ship breaking yards to rescue any survivors on the planet and retrieve a package which the remnants of NOBLE Team were tasked with delivering.[22] During the battle, as NOBLE Team approached, the Pillar of Autumn used its point-defense guns to help clear the skies and sent forces into the drydocks to hold them. When Noble Six and Emile-A239 arrived, Emile manned an Onager mass driver set up by the UNSC forces to hold off the Covenant air support. After the UNSC forces took out Covenant attackers on a landing platform, Keyes personally led a Pelican to get the package. However, Emile was killed by a Sangheili Zealot and a Ket-pattern battlecruiser arrived to prevent the Pillar of Autumn from escaping. Using the mass driver, Noble Six destroyed the battlecruiser and the Pillar of Autumn was able to escape into space using R7 thrust couplings.[23]

 
Pillar of Autumn prior to making a slipspace jump.

The Pillar of Autumn was supposed to have made a random Slipspace jump in accordance with the Cole Protocol. However, Cortana surreptitiously guided the ship to the Soell system and, ultimately, to Installation 04 instead. The AI used coordinates obtained from two Forerunner artifacts: one on Sigma Octanus IV,[24] and one underneath Reach. The Covenant pursued along the cruiser's exit vector and arrived at Soell first with a battle group of Ket-pattern battlecruisers.

Battle of Installation 04Edit

 
Pillar of Autumn approaches Halo Installation 04.
Main article: Battle of Installation 04

Pillar of Autumn was almost immediately engaged upon arriving at Threshold. The Prophet of Stewardship, who feared stray plasma torpedo fire might damage the holy artifact, ordered the boarding and capture of the cruiser. Fleet Master Thel 'Vadamee ignored this order and returned fire aggressively. Even so, the Autumn was able to destroy four ships and damage Truth and Reconciliation before boarders disabled its Magnetic Accelerator Cannon with an antimatter charge.

Captain Keyes ordered the crew to abandon ship. John-117 was given Cortana for safekeeping, and ordered to keep the AI out of enemy hands. The crew left the ship for the ring in whatever craft were available and the cryo pods were jettisoned. Keyes directed Pillar of Autumn on a course to crash land on the ring. The Covenant finally began hitting the ship with plasma torpedoes, but the cruiser survived the landing reasonably intact, though damaged beyond repair. The Covenant soon swarmed the ship and installed a security detail of two Banshees and six Ghosts to patrol the ship, though a massive raid led by Lieutenant Melissa McKay unseated the Covenant from the ship temporarily, allowing the survivors to transfer supplies from the ship to Alpha Base.[25]

 
The Autumn's final resting place, shortly before its destruction.

The release of the Flood added an unexpected dimension to the battle. Monitor 343 Guilty Spark was preparing to fire the Installation in response to the outbreak; in conjunction with the entire Halo Array this would wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy. John-117 and Cortana returned to Pillar of Autumn to destroy the ring by detonating the still-functioning fusion reactors. An attempt to activate the cruiser's self-destruct from the bridge failed due to 343 Guilty Spark's interference. The Spartan was forced to manually destabilize the reactors with tactical ordnance.

John-117 and Cortana escaped the subsequent detonation and the ring aboard a Longsword fighter still docked in Launch Bay 7. Pillar of Autumn exploded moments after their escape, blowing up a segment of the ring causing the entire Halo to fall apart; ultimately destroying Installation 04. The detonation itself left a huge crater, almost covering the entire width of the Installation itself.

LegacyEdit

 
Installation 04 breaks apart as a result of the Autumn's detonation.

The Autumn-class heavy cruiser, which entered service as the replacement for the Marathon-class after the Covenant War, was partially designed after the refitted Pillar of Autumn. Due to the instrumental role the Autumn played in the war, the lead ship of the new class was named UNSC Pillar of Autumn II in honor of the original.[26]

In 2556, a fragment of the ring that escaped destruction called Alpha Shard was discovered. The supernova-like effects of the Autumn's detonation created a new element unique to the shard fatal only to humans. This element was mined by smugglers from Aleria and transformed into a bioweapon used on the Outer Colony of Sedra by terrorists. After the element was traced to Alpha Shard, Private Talitha Macer correctly surmised that the element was created by the explosion created when the Pillar of Autumn was destroyed. After this theory was confirmed, a joint ONI-Sedran Colonial Guard team underwent a mission to Alpha Shard, destroying the deposits of the new element with a HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon at the cost of most of the team.[27]

Design detailsEdit

 
A cross-sectioned view of the Pillar of Autumn.

Pillar of Autumn was roughly 43 years old at the time of its escape from Reach and later destruction on Installation 04. It was a cruiser of the Halcyon-class, the lightest cruisers in the UNSC Fleet.[21]

The Pillar of Autumn was one of only eleven Halcyon-class cruisers to be built with a unique internal frame that was designed by Doctor Robert McLees. Incorporating a series of interstitial honeycombs and cross-bracings, it was deemed unnecessarily over-massed and costly due to a series of cross-bracings and interstitial[21] Titanium-A armor honeycombs.[5] This led to the design being dropped from future models of Halcyon-class ships,[21] and quickly led to most of these ships being removed from service.[2] However, this unusual framing scheme allowed the ship to function even after sustaining critical levels of damage.[12] This offset its usage of older, heavier armor patterns,[4] which provided inferior protection than what was considered standard in 2552.[21]

These protective qualities were improved as part of the Autumn's refit in 2552. The hull was upgraded to the latest Titanium-A ablative armor plating, which resulted in great savings in terms of volume and mass.[4] Hydraulic reinforcements activated during emergencies complemented the existing toughness of its frame.[5] The refit substantially expanded both the SOEIV launch bays and hangar capacity, with the latter made possible by sacrificing long-term accommodations. It also received an Omega-pattern bridge with a Tier-III datacore.[4] Protruding from its front face is a foremast that is equipped with slipspace navigation sensors and hardened battlenet transponders. A planetary scanning array is mounted just below its bridge, which is outfitted with planetary survey sensors and probe/satellite launchers. Four compact auxiliary fusion rockets are installed on either side of the cruiser, and while they are capable of a high-thrust, they are considered inefficient in their design. At the very top of the engine cowling is a multipurpose scan array, which contains tactical sensors and an electronic eavesdropping suite.[1].

Power plantEdit

 
The refitted Pillar of Autumn.

Prior to being refit for the Spartan mission, Pillar of Autumn was equipped with three Mark II Hanley-Messer deuterium fusion engines, which supplied only 10% the power of the standard 2552 UNSC Navy reactor. Pillar of Autumn was refitted with a set of improved nuclear fusion engines 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.[5]

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 was 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.[5]

Pillar of Autumn's reactors were able to be overloaded by explosives, either grenades or rockets, destroying the vulnerable vent cores. Once these were destroyed, the reactors began to go critical, resulting in temperatures of over one hundred million degrees and a thermonuclear explosion large enough to tear apart a Halo installation.[28] This explosion was later revealed to be similar in nature to a supernova and resulted in the creation of a new element on a surviving shard of the installation.[27]

ArmamentEdit

In 2550, the Pillar of Autumn was reactivated in order to support operations near the Zeta Doradus system. As part of this refit, which had also been applied to other Halcyon-class cruisers, it received one MAC and six additional M58 Archer missile pods,[21] bringing its total missile arsenal to 10 pods. Each of these pods carried a total of 24 missiles. For anti-aircraft and anti-missile protection, it retained its existing 40 M910 Rampart point defense guns.[2]

A subsequent refit was given to the Pillar of Autumn to prepare it for its role in Operation: RED FLAG in 2552. As part of this, its arsenal was drastically expanded, resulting in a final armament of:

  • One Mark II, Light Coil - 56A2D4/MAC gun[8] that ran two-thirds the length of the cruiser[1] 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,[5] thanks to the addition of prototype power capacitors and rapid-cycling MAC coils.[4]
  • Thirty-two M58 Archer missile pods.[1]
  • Four Shiva-class nuclear missiles, equipped with thirty-megaton HAVOK warheads. One was loaded onto a remote-controlled Longsword interceptor, while the other three were ship-launched.[29]
  • Eighteen M910 point defense guns with overlapping fields of fire for point defense against single ships. These benefitted from a new software updated added as part of the refit.[4] Few of the guns were mounted on the bottom-fore section, as transient magnetic bursts from the MAC tended to magnetize the guns.[5] Two of these cannons were later salvaged by the surviving UNSC personnel for Alpha Base.[1]
  • Eight Mark 33 Spitfire naval coilgun batteries.[1]
  • Six M66 Sentry autocannon turrets.[1]

Engine roomEdit

The Pillar of Autumn burning up in Installation 04's atmosphere.
Main article: Fusion drive

Pillar of Autumn'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 John-117 ultimately destroyed the ship and Installation 04. This room is the largest room in Pillar of Autumn with the exception of the hangar bay and the "leap of faith" room.

AirlocksEdit

Airlock 31, 32: Lifeboats destroyed by the Covenant to make way for boarding craft.
Airlock 51: Lifeboat destroyed as it departed from the airlock.
Airlock 52, 53, 61, 62, 63: Lifeboats escaped from the vessel.

UnitsEdit

 
A Longsword flanking the drydocked Autumn.

Marine unitsEdit

The Pillar of Autumn had a complement of eight hundred Marines and four hundred ODSTs, totaling 1,200 fighting personnel.[1] The ship's Marine complement were divided into the following units;

The 67th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion led by Colonel Barry Bizzell may have been assigned to the Pillar of Autumn, but the canon status of this unit is dubious.[33][Note 2]

ODST unitsEdit

The ship's 400 ODSTs were divided under the following units;[Note 3]

The following ODST units have a currently undefined place within the existing command structure;

Navy unitsEdit

Naval Pelican dropship pilots were assigned to the Pillar of Autumn from the 23rd Naval Air Squadron.

CrewEdit

Pillar of Autumn CommandEdit

OfficersEdit

Office of Naval IntelligenceEdit

CrewmenEdit

Other Naval PersonnelEdit

SpartansEdit

MarinesEdit

ODSTsEdit

TriviaEdit

Production notesEdit

MiscellaneousEdit

 
The Bulletin Board on the Autumn's bridge in both Halo Combat Evolved and Anniversary.
  • In Halo: The Fall of Reach, the description of Pillar of Autumn is considerably different from its Halo: Combat Evolved incarnation. The bridge is described as having a command chair and a curved viewport; in Halo: Combat Evolved, this chair is absent and the window consists of several flat sections. The novel also describes the bridge as being extremely cramped, with only a meter of space between the command chair and the other stations,[39] while in the game, the bridge is clearly more spacious. According to the novel, there is also an elevator leading directly from the engine room to the bridge.[39] In the game, the engineering and the bridge are on the same level, and there are no doors which may belong to an elevator adjoining the bridge. In addition, the engine room is described as being "hexagonal", while in the game,[5] it consists of two vaguely rectangular chambers with the engine core in the middle. The ship is also described as having rotating centrifuges to generate artificial gravity;[5] no rotating sections are present in the game, unless they are located within the hull.
  • Pillar of Autumn's was approximately 1.17 km long, a reference to John-117.[40] The ship's length is exaggerated in the final level of Halo: Combat Evolved to a length of three kilometers, likely to add urgency and suspense to the escape sequence.
  • In Halo: Combat Evolved, the ship's emblem is the Marathon logo. In Halo: Reach, the ship's emblem is retconned into the Seventh Column logo. In Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the Seventh Column emblem is replaced by a similar-looking gear, since the Seventh Column is an affiliate of Bungie.
  • The bulletin board just outside the bridge of the ship contains a number of amusing clips, some throwbacks to 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. The board also has a flier telling Marines to 'Keep it Clean', a quote later used in Halo 3: ODST.
    • The re-textured bulletin board in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary includes a classic Internet gag image of a "cat found" poster mistaking an opossum for a cat, as well as a poster labelled "Dark Planetoid Rising", featuring the Forerunner planet Requiem as it appeared in the Legendary ending to Halo 3.
  • During the brief cutscene in Halo 2 where Pillar of Autumn escapes, it is portrayed by a Marathon-class heavy cruiser, rather than a Halcyon-class light cruiser; this is because the Halcyon was not coded into the game for the sake of saving resources; this error is rectified in Halo 2: Anniversary.
  • In its appearance in Halo: Reach, the ship went through many changes, including that the Marathon symbol is replaced by the Seventh Column symbol, and the bridge has been shrunken to a smaller scale.
  • Pillar of Autumn is available as a prop for Xbox 360 Avatars.[41]
  • Pillar of Autumn plays a role in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo Reach and Halo Wars. In the first two, the player has to deal with various objectives surrounding the ship and crew. In Halo Wars, Pillar of Autumn contributes to the Battle for Arcadia before the UNSC Spirit of Fire arrives and then provides the player with support during the battle in the form of experimental Rhinos.
  • Although total deck count is unknown, there are a minimum of 75 decks on the Pillar of Autumn, as indicated by the Bulletin Board note Cat Found found near the ships bridge.

GalleryEdit

  • Concept art for the front of the ship.

  • Concept art of the ship's bridge.

  • Concept art of a corridor on the ship.

  • Concept art of the ship's final resting place.

  • Concept art of the cliff where the Autumn crashed.

  • Profile view of Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • The Autumn arrives at Installation 04 in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • Pillar of Autumn approaching Installation 04.

  • Another view of the Autumn near Installation 04.

  • Speculative internal schematic by Stephen Loftus of the Pillar of Autumn's honeycomb-like bracing structures.

  • The outline of Halo Combat Evolved's The Maw level.

  • A closer look of the outline of the final level.

  • The vending machines in the Cafeteria aboard the Autumn. Note that water is listed twice in "Drinks".

  • Cortana, the AI assigned to the Pillar of Autumn.

  • Pillar of Autumn in an asteroid field near Reach, moments before a Covenant ship exits Slipspace and attacks in Halo Legends: Origins.

  • Pillar of Autumn taking plasma impacts at the Battle of Installation 04.

  • The crashed Autumn in the desert of Alpha Halo, seen in the level The Maw.

  • Pillar of Autumn's fusion reactors go critical.

  • Pillar of Autumn's ship emblem as seen in Halo: Combat Evolved. In Halo: Reach, the emblem was replaced by the Seventh Column logo.

  • A piece of wreckage from the Pillar of Autumn floating in Installation 04's debris field in The Mona Lisa.

  • Concept art of Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Reach.

  • Concept art of the Autumn taking off from the Asźod drydock in Halo: Reach.

  • Pillar of Autumn dry-docked in Asźod.

  • Left view of the refit Autumn.

  • Right view of the refit Autumn.

  • The Autumn sitting in drydock.

  • Pillar of Autumn taking off from Reach during the Fall of Reach.

  • Right-side view of the Halcyon-class light cruiser Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Reach.

  • An angled view of Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Reach.

  • Hull-classification information on the Autumn's outer hull. The Seventh Column symbol is also visible.

  • Interior concept art for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  • Interior concept art for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  • Concept art of the crashed Pillar of Autumn for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  • Pillar of Autumn's bridge, as seen in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  • Pillar of Autumn under attack.

  • A hologram of Pillar of Autumn on the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer map Truth (level).

  • Pillar of Autumn in formation with an Epoch and several Paris-class frigates in Halo: Fleet Battles.

  • The downed Autumn on Installation 04.

  • The Autumn, grounded on Installation 04 as the UNSC moves in to raid it.

  • The SOEIV bay on the Autumn.

  • A render of the Pillar of Autumn asset created for Halo: The Television Series Season Two.

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List of appearancesEdit

NotesEdit

  1. ^ On page 274 of Halo: The Fall of Reach, it is stated that Pillar of Autumn's refit power plant consists of a single main reactor linked to two secondary ones; this arrangement is referenced again later on when Cortana gives a damage assessment of the ship to Captain Keyes. However, in Halo: Combat Evolved, it is implied that each of the four exhaust manifolds is linked to an individual fusion reactor, each of which is destroyed by John-117 in the final level. This page follows the information given in Halo: The Fall of Reach, as the novel describes the reactor system in more detail.
  2. ^ Due to this unit only being mentioned in a cut page from Halo: Warfleet, the canon status of this unit is unknown.
  3. ^ In Chapter 2 of Halo: The Flood, Silva sends B and C companies away for various tasks, commenting that his camp only has half of its strength left at 200 personnel This means each company has roughly 100 personnel. Later statistics given on ODST combat team organisation place ODST company sizes at 60-112 personnel, in keeping with this information.
  4. ^ The Halo Encyclopedia pages 54-55 clarify that the twelve companies of a given regiment are named phonetically, with the first battalion taking A-D, second battalion taking E-H and so forth. Given Silva's battalion's subordinate companies are named A-D in Chapter 2 of Halo: The Flood, this means they must be in the 1st battalion of the parent regiment.
  5. ^ Combat teams are an organisational unit found within the ODST ranks. While combat teams in the level Pillar of Autumn are never explicitly stated to be ODSTs, it can be reasonably inferred that these teams are not marine units.

SourcesEdit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Halo: Warfleet, pg. 25
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Halo Waypoint: Data Drop 5
  3. ^ a b Halo Mythos, pages 94-95
  4. ^ a b c d e f Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), chapter Human Ships, Cruisers, page 119
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 29
  6. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 33
  7. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn
  8. ^ a b Halo Waypoint: Pillar of Autumn
  9. ^ Halo: Fireteam Raven, campaign level Rubble
  10. ^ a b Halo: Fireteam Raven
  11. ^ Halo 2, campaign level The Heretic
  12. ^ a b c Halo: Combat Evolved: Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets, page 60
  13. ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update 01.29.10
  14. ^ Halo: The Flood, page 13
  15. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn (objective description)
  16. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 103
  17. ^ Bungie.net: Jason Jones Interviewed By You (12/18/2001)
  18. ^ Halo Waypoint: Halo Community Update - Rockin' & Railin'
  19. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Arcadia City
  20. ^ Halo Wars, level Dome of Light
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 25
  22. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level The Package
  23. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn
  24. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Epilogue, page 336
  25. ^ Halo: The Flood, chapter six
  26. ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 191
  27. ^ a b Halo: Nightfall
  28. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Maw
  29. ^ 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 Hikowa states, "Yes Sir. One of the Longswords is equipped with a Shiva-class nuclear missile; it can be remote piloted. We also have three HAVOC Warheads on board").
  30. ^ Halo: The Flood, Adjunct, Entry 47-2396/10763
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level, The Pillar of Autumn
  32. ^ a b c d Halo: The Flood, Chapter 6
  33. ^ Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo - Early revision of the Pillar of Autumn' page (file link)
  34. ^ a b c d Halo: The Flood, Chapter 2
  35. ^ Halo: The Flood, Chapter 5
  36. ^ Halo: The Flood, Chapter 9
  37. ^ Halo: The Great Journey: The Art of Building Worlds, page 140
  38. ^ Adam Crockett: Resume
  39. ^ a b Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 277
  40. ^ halo.bungie.org: The Pillar of Autumn Conundrum
  41. ^ Halo: Waypoint: Halo Avatar Collection - January
  42. ^ Halo Waypoint: Canon Fodder - Taking Orders
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