Halo: Silent Storm: Difference between revisions

==Plot synopsis==

{{Spoiler/begin}}

The book begins in early [[2526]], only a few months after [[First Battle of Harvest|first contact]] at [[Harvest]] and the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] boarding of the Covenant vessel ''[[Unrelenting]]'' at [[Chi Ceti IV]]. The SPARTANs are now attached to {{UNSCShip|Starry Night}}, a {{Class|Razor|prowler}}, as part of a mission to board and capture a [[Covenant frigate]] known as ''[[Radiant Arrow]]'', in an effort to know more about the aliens' technology. The SPARTANs, consisting of [[Blue Team]], [[Green Team]] and [[Gold Team]], perform an [[Extra-vehicular activity|spacewalk]] to board the frigate, entering the ship through the hatch in its hangar by following the flight path of several [[Type-27 Banshee|Banshees]]. The SPARTANs proceed to clear the bay, using [[M99 Stanchion]]s and [[M41 SPNKR]]s to quickly eliminate the Covenant defenders. The group then begin to start clearing the ship of hostiles, with Blue Team heading for the [[bridge]] and Green Team heading for the ship's engineering section, with Gold acting as support. The plan goes awry when a flight officer aboard one of the [[prowler]]s supporting the operation accidentally broadcasts over general channels, alerting the Covenant to the operation and mobilising the defenders aboard the ship. When Blue Team arrives at the bridge, they dispatch of the crew before discovering that the [[shipmaster]] activated a dead-man's switch in his chair, leading to the ship's self-destruct being activated. The SPARTANs exfiltrate from the ship and are picked up by ''Starry Night''.

Task Force Yama unknowingly select this same location to stage their operation, leading to the task force attempting to land at the ice quarry. When they discover the rebel presence, the Task Force prepares to take the quarry. Against the SPARTANs' suggestions, Colonel Crowther assigns one SPARTAN to each ODST [[platoon]] to carry heavy weapons. The {{UNSCShip|Ghost Star}} is taken out by return fire from concealed [[M41 Vulcan]] cannons, with many ODSTs killed during the initial drop. Another flight of prowlers take out an insurrectionist communication facility at the top of the quarry, prompting a convoy of [[Civet]] AFVs to begin transporting a group of engineers to fix the array. The prowlers begin to turn around and retreat, cancelling the deployment. Seeing the few soldiers who did manage to successfully land and are now taking fire, [[John-117]] decides to take the initiative against orders and drops out of the drop bay, leading to the remaining forces joining him. With the botched landing, the troops begin taking heavy casualties but are able to eventually find cover. John forms a plan with Lieutenant [[Nelly Hamm]] and Captain [[Zelos Cuthier]]; the quarry is lined by a mass driver leading up to the surface, with bunkers lining all sides. The SPARTANs intend to climb the inside of the mass driver and prevent the insurrectionists from fixing the comms facility and leaking the secrecy of the operation, with the ODSTs launching a mock assault to distract the defenders.

{{Spoiler/end}}