John-117/Late War: Difference between revisions

Cortana's fragment directed the team to an access hatch for Covenant Huragok. Once they had entered she shut it behind them. They followed the shaft until they arrived in one of ''Unyielding Hierophant's'' massive reactor rooms. Will signaled the team to freeze until a group of [[Kig-Yar]] had passed; as soon as they did John inserted the Cortana fragment into another terminal. She notified them that due to the limited Covenant counterintrusion measures in the system, she could begin the reactor overload. He told her to begin the overload immediately, as the station and the Covenant fleet could leave for Earth at any moment. With the overload commencing and the team having ten minutes to exfil, they proceeded to the exit route that Cortana had given them, killing the Kig-Yar guards on the catwalk. Making their way to an elevator car, Blue Team ascended to the heat exchange plant for the reactors, killing the two Sangheili in the room. At this time, the fail-safe detonation system in Grace's armor exploded, consuming a dozen Unggoy and their Sangheili overseers, a final action that John knew would have pleased her. John realized that they needed to get to the airlocks quickly and attempted to raise communications with Linda, telling her to snipe several [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]] pilots out of their vehicles near the heat exchange plant so that they could use the vehicles to leave the station but warning her not to respond to keep the Covenant from discovering her location. John clicked his COM, attracting the Banshees towards him. As they flew in on a strafing run Linda, from an unknown position to John, performed three impossible shots with her sniper rifle, killing all three of the Banshee pilots with lethal ricochets. John, Fred and Will quickly commandeered the Banshees. As they flew higher, Linda continued to provide support, felling another pair of Banshees that pursued them. The team piloted the Banshees to the window leading to the repair bays. John gave his last Lotus mine to Fred, telling him to set it for a remote detonation. He contacted the Cortana fragment he had left in the system, to discover that it had spun off hundreds of copies of myself as a result of being overwhelmed by the Covenant's security programming, but had one copy dedicated to communicating with the team. It informed John that it could open the airlock doors but John refused to leave immediately, opting to go back for Linda. He told Fred that if he wasn't back in three minutes, to detonate the mine and exfiltrate.

Fred informed John that the [[proselytization network]] was in disarray, with the copied Cortana fragments aboard ''Unyielding Hierophant'' broadcasting different system error codes and communiques between ships broadcasting their confusion as to what was happening. Suddenly, he received a broadcast from the UNSC E-Band: Oly Oly Oxen Free. After securing the channel, John learned that [[Danforth Whitcomb|Admiral Whitcomb]] had, at [[Elias Haverson|Lieutenant Haverson's]] suggestion, dropped out of slipspace on the edge of the Tau Ceti system and hidden in the Oort cloud to gather intelligence. He told John that he knew that even if they destroyed the ''Unyielding Hierophant'', there would still be a significant number of Covenant ships remaining, enough to blow past Earth's defenses regardless of the station's destruction. He then told John that as they had done their part, it was now time for him to do his, and ordered the Spartans to return to the {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}}, which had been separated from ''[[Ascendant Justice]]''. Upon returning to the ''Gettysburg's'' bridge, he found only [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] and [[Cortana]] were present. John asked where the Admiral and Lieutenant Haverson were but Johnson instead showed him directly, using a [[Clarion spy drone]] to show the position of ''Ascendant Justice''. Cortana revealed that while Blue Team had been on their mission, they had been attuning ''Ascendant Justice's'' slipspace drive to the ''Gettysburg''. Once communications were reestablished, John discovered that Whitcomb and Haverson were on the ''Ascendant Justice''. The Admiral revealed his intentions: he was going to lure the Covenant fleet in close with a holographic display of the [[Forerunner crystal|crystal]] from [[Reach]]. Taking fire from the Covenant ships and returning with a salvo of their own, Whitcomb crashed the ''Ascendant Justice'' nose-first into the ''Unyielding Hierophant''. John watched as the injured Whitcomb and Haverson broadcast a systemwide transmission to the surrounding Covenant forces, boasting that he had their "holiest of holies" and that they were welcome to come and take it. As Cortana readied the ''Gettysburg'' for a slipspace jump to [[Earth]], Whitcomb gave John his final orders: under no circumstances was he to engage the enemy, he was to head straight for Earth and make his report. The Admiral then recalled his [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus|previous discussion]] with John about the Alamo. John added the names of Whitcomb and Haverson to the list of people who had made a difference to him. He watched as the Admiral fired a submachine gun at hordes of [[Type-1 energy sword|energy sword]]-wielding [[Sangheili]] warriors before the feed cut off. A moment later, video footage from the Clarion spy drone of the ''Unyielding Hierophant'' exploding, vaporizing the vast majority of the fleet gathered around it. With only a dozen ships still functional from the once massive fleet, John recalled Admiral Whitcomb's final words, "a brilliant strategic victory", before the ''Gettysburg'' entered slipspace.<ref name="HFS36">''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', ''Chapter 36''</ref>

[[File:H2 LimitedEdition MasterChief.jpg|thumb|right|John in front of the [[Mombasa Tether]].]]

[[File:HtT John in New Mombasa original.jpg|thumb|300px|left|This photograph, captured on [[2552#October|October 20]] by war journalist [[Benjamin Giraud]], was later edited and used for [[propaganda]] by the UNSC.<ref>''[[Hunt the Truth]]'', [[Hunt the Truth Season 1/Blog posts|Season 1 Blog posts]]</ref>]]

Upon exiting the tunnel at Kilindini Bridge, John exited the Warthog to approach a small group of surviving Marines watching the same Scarab which had downed his Pelican finish traversing the bridge on the opposite side of the channel, noting that neither fifty caliber rounds or [[M19 missile|rockets]] had any effect on the walker.<ref name="H2M">''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[Metropolis]]''</ref> A Pelican lowered then to drop off a [[M808B Scorpion]] tank and Sergeant Johnson also disembarked to ask the Marine survivors what had happened to the rest of their platoon. He then ordered the remnants of the devastated platoon to join the Chief, who would be taking control of the tank, in rolling across the bridge in pursuit of the Scarab and the carrier. John climbed aboard the hulking vehicle and began to proceed across bridge, destroying a series of Ghosts and a [[Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith]] tank. As John crossed the center of the bridge, another Marine armed with a [[M41 SPNKR|rocket launcher]] emerged from hiding and joined the Spartan. As several Phantom dropships soared by, intending to deliver more Covenant armor to the far side of the bridge, a pair of [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]] fliers attempted to strafe John's tank, but were unsuccessful. More Ghosts were waiting at a toll plaza on the far side but these too fell to the Scorpion's weaponry.{{Ref/Reuse|H2M}} Finally a pair of Wraiths and more Banshee's emerged to engage the Spartan. John was able to defeat all of the Covenant vehicles but the Scorpion had suffered heavy damage and the Marines whom had aided him were killed. John left the tank behind and cut across the toll plaza on foot.{{Ref/Reuse|HEPH}}{{Ref/Reuse|H2M}}

Outside the tunnel, John was quick to silently take down a [[Kig-Yar]] near the tunnel entrance, impaling the Covenant soldier through the head with his fingers and dragging the corpse into the tunnel. They observed the site of a battle that the Covenant had already won, and noted that several of the aliens were still in the area. Noting the corpses of [[UNSC Army]] personnel and [[civilian]]s, Corporal Palmer reported that the Army must have been trying to evacuate the civilians when the Covenant struck. She noted that only two out of the six [[M12 Warthog|Warthogs]] were intact, while one of the [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog]]s had a rupture in its generator. Palmer counted twelve Covenant soldiers still in the area, all Kig-Yar and Unggoy, including one with a deployed [[Shepsu-pattern plasma cannon|plasma cannon]]. Despite the state that the Gauss Warthog was in, John opted for the superior firepower. He, Corporal Palmer and [[Sullivan|Private Sullivan]] would make for the Gauss Hog, with suppressing fire from the rest of the squad keeping the Covenant pinned, before returning the favor, allowing the other five members of the squad to secure the [[M831 Troop Transport Warthog|Warthog Troop Transport]]. John instructed the Marines to prioritize the [[Kig-Yar]] [[Kig-Yar Sniper|snipers]] and the plasma cannon. After a countdown of five seconds, John sprinted for the Gauss Warthog with Palmer and Sullivan in tow. As he went, he used his [[M6D magnum]] to down a pair of Kig-Yar snipers with head and neck shots, before leaping into the air, emptying the magazine of the weapon before swinging into the Warthog, followed by the two Marines. John prioritized targets for Corporal Palmer on the [[M68 Gauss cannon|Gauss Cannon]], before using the Warthog to cover the second team as they made for the Transport Warthog.{{Ref/Reuse|HEPH}}

Ultimately, John chose not to reveal who he was to Parisa, to avoid robbing her of her memories, and most importantly, it could reveal to the general populace that [[Office of Naval Intelligence|their government]] was willing to kidnap young children for its own purposes. Instead, he began to formulate a plan with the Lieutenant to take out the Covenant forces that were approaching their location.{{Ref/Reuse|HEPH}} After an intense battle against the Covenant armor, the Scarab arrived in the area, destroying a Scorpion tank with its [[focus cannon]] before proceeding towards the Mombasa Quays. John was quick to pursue, following the Scarab from a series of elevated walkways and engaging its complement of troops with the assistance of other Marines. Eventually, the Scarab took up a position offering it a line of sight to the Mombasa Tether, but it was unable to maneuver, allowing John to board the walker. While a flight of Pelicans strafed the Scarab with their [[Anvil-II air-to-surface missile|missiles]], John made his way inside the Scarab, engaging its [[Sangheili Ultra]] commander and the pilots. After a battle, John killed the Scarab's occupants and destroyed it from the inside. Sergeant Johnson's Pelican arrived, transporting John to {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}. [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Keyes]] noticed that the [[Prophet of Regret|Prophet]] was attempting to flee and requested permission to engage. [[Lord Hood|Admiral Hood]] denied her request at first, intending to intercept the assault carrier with two [[Marathon-class heavy cruiser|heavy cruisers]] as it broke orbit. It soon became apparent that the ''Solemn Penance'' was preparing to enter [[slipspace]] while in-atmosphere and as ''In-Amber Clad'' was the only ship close enough to follow it, the Admiral gave her the green light. John, now on board ''In Amber Clad'', was present as the ship followed the Prophet of Regret into slipspace.{{Ref/Reuse|H2M}}

The {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} arrived in the [[Coelest system]] on [[2552#November|November 2]], two weeks after departing from Earth. Commander Keyes soon spotted the [[Installation 05|Halo construct]] orbiting the [[Substance|ice giant]] in the system and told [[Cortana]] to pass on all of the information from the [[Installation 04|first Halo]] regardless of her security clearance. Noting that the ''[[Solemn Penance]]'' was deploying troops onto the surface, and knowing that it was even more important to capture the [[Prophet of Regret]], Commander Keyes ordered John to take [[First Platoon (ODST)|First Platoon]] and deploy via [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|SOEIV]] to secure a [[landing zone]] for [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]], who would deliver several [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]] with reinforcements. As the ''In Amber Clad'' passed over the ring, the ship deployed John and the ODSTs of First Platoon. As they entered the atmosphere, the started to take heavy fire from Covenant [[Type-27 Shade|stationary guns]] and several of the pods were hit. John managed to make landfall, and emerged from his pod armed with a [[M7 SMG|submachine gun]] and a [[M41 SPNKR|rocket launcher]]. One of the ODSTs immediately informed him that he needed to neutralize the Shade turrets. Using the rocket launcher, John eliminated the various stationary guns around the landing zone before attacking more Covenant soldiers around a nearby structure. Eventually clearing the area, Cortana told Johnson that he was safe to begin his approach. As he acknowledged, Cortana told John that there was several [[Type-52 Phantom|Phantoms]] inbound. John and the surviving ODSTs from First Platoon were successful in holding the LZ, fighting back several dropships worth of Covenant. With the area secure, Johnson's Pelican arrived, dropping off a [[M12 Chaingun Warthog|Warthog]] and several reinforcements.<ref name="H2DH">''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[Delta Halo]]''</ref>

[[File:H2A - Prophet of Regret hologram.jpg||thumb|300px|left|The Master Chief learns Regret's true intentions.]]

Cortana informed John that the Prophet of Regret was planning to activate the installation. Commander Keyes told him that that, with the information she had accessed from the first Halo, she had deduced that the Prophet would need the [[Activation index]] to carry out his objective, and ordered Sergeant Johnson to extract his men and meet her at the installation's [[Library#Installation 05|Library]], leaving John to handle the assassination of the Prophet of Regret. John, with the aid of several Marines, fought his way through groups of Covenant until they reached a [[Anti-gravity gondola]] docking station guarded by a number of Kig-Yar snipers and Sangheili. After the team cleared the area, a Phantom dropship deployed a pair of [[Mgalekgolo]] on to the platform. After a struggle, John managed to take the Covenant behemoths down. Commander Keyes rerouted a Pelican with reinforcements and resupply canisters to John, apologizing that they were all the support they were going to get. A gondola carrying Covenant reinforcements arrived from the opposite structure, of which the Spartan was able to handle with aid from his team. The team boarded the gondola, using it to traverse across the lake to the structure, engaging a group of Yanme'e followed by another gondola of Covenant troops. Upon approach to the structure the team took fire from Kig-Yar snipers and Shade turrets but John was able to defeat the attackers. Inside the structure the team encountered an elevator that would take them underwater to the next structure. The team arrived in the next structure, engaging a group of [[Unggoy]], many of whom were asleep before entering a vast underwater chamber dominated by a massive hologram of the Prophet of Regret. After clearing out huge amounts of Covenant, including more Mgalekgolo, Sangheili Honor Guardsmen, Kig-Yar snipers and swarms of Yanme'e, John paused in front of the hologram, Cortana translating its speech and revealing the apparent reasoning behind the Covenant's [[Human-Covenant War|genocidal war]] against humanity. The team entered another elevator that took them to the third lake structure, fighting more patrolling Honor Guardsmen until they emerged outside. John managed to secure a landing zone for the Pelican, the pilot telling him that he was almost out of fuel and so was conducting his final resupply run, and to contact him when John was ready for evac. After rearming, John pressed into the ruins of another Forerunner structure, engaging more Covenant, as well as another Phantom's troop complement. Finally, the Spartan arrived at the gondola that would take him directly to the Prophet of Regret's [[Temple (Installation 05)|temple]]. As the gondola neared the temple, it was engaged by another carrying [[Sangheili Ranger]]s and Unggoy wielding [[Pez'tk-pattern fuel rod gun|heavy weapons]]. John managed to clear the area in front of the temple of its Unggoy and Kig-Yar guards, but before he could move inside, he witnessed the arrival of hundreds of Covenant vessels coming out of slipspace, followed by ''[[High Charity]]'', the Covenant's holy city. Noting that [[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity|this fleet]] was the largest one anyone had ever seen, Cortana urged John to complete his mission quickly before they could stop him. Quickly making his way inside the temple, John fought through waves of the Prophet's [[Covenant Honor Guard|Honor Guard]] before confronting the Prophet himself. Quickly realizing that Regret's [[Anti-gravity chair|throne]] projected an energy shield that was impervious to small-arms fire, John boarded the throne, beating the Prophet to death. As Regret's throne exploded, Cortana warned him that the Covenant fleet was preparing to open fire on the temple. John escaped the temple moments before it was destroyed by an [[energy projector]], but was thrown into the lake below where he lost consciousness.{{Ref/Reuse|H2R}}

[[File:HU Chief.PNG|300px|thumb|right|John survived on his own for two weeks aboard the enemy-controlled Forerunner keyship.{{Ref/Reuse|LRH}}<ref name="HGOO32">''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', ''Chapter 32''</ref>]]

{{Quote|no=two|q1=Master Chief? You mind telling me what you're doing on [[Anodyne Spirit|that ship]]?|Terrence Hood|q2=Sir. Finishing this fight.|John-117|John's words to Admiral Hood upon making his presence known back at Earth.}}<ref name="H2TGJ">''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[The Great Journey]]''</ref>

John's search for the hierarch eventually led him to the bridge, where the San'Shyuum was was seated on his [[gravity throne|throne]] and surrounded by [[Covenant Honor Guard|his honor guard]].{{Ref/Reuse|HU2}} Having procured a {{Pattern|Vostu|carbine}}, he prepared to take his shot but first checked in with Io Station, asking if the Brute's words about the mysterious "key" had been heard. He then confirmed the presence of the hierarch onboard but said he could not give an estimate regarding the number of other forces aboard. John promised more updates would follow and when broached again asked for radio silence.{{Ref/Reuse|HU2}}<ref name="HU3">''[[Halo: Uprising]]'', ''[[Halo: Uprising Issue 3|Issue #3]]''</ref> Just before he could take his shot at [[Prophet of Truth|Truth]], however, he himself was shot in the back by a Kig-Yar with a carbine of its own.{{Ref/Reuse|HU3}} John tumbled forward over the ledge he had been perched on as the Jackal continued to fire and managed to turn back and take it out upon landing below. His chance at getting the drop on the prophet now gone, the Master Chief was forced to contend with Truth's Jiralhanae protectors. The hierarch even used weaponry on his chair to defend himself before vanishing behind a sealed door, punching through John's armor with an [[assault cannon]] and drawing blood. As more Jiralhanae swarmed toward him, John procured two [[Paegaas Workshop Spiker]]s and used both their spike ammunition and blades to clear the room. At some point following this encounter, Truth came to believe the matter of the Spartan loose on the ship had been resolved, as John had hidden himself, and ordered those controlling it to then jump further in-system to [[Earth]].<ref name="LRH">[https://youtu.be/8K3hG76Ctmo?t=164 '''YouTube''': ''Halo 101: Long Road Home'']</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|HU3}}

{{Quote|no=two|q1=What is it? More Brutes?|Thel 'Vadam|q2=Worse.|John-117|John and Thel discuss the arrival of a [[Indulgence of Conviction|damaged]] [[CCS-class battlecruiser]] at Voi.}}{{Ref/Reuse|H3TS}}

[[File:Voi 2.jpg|thumb|300px|right|John and his backup fight through the Traxus facility.]]

Admiral Hood contacted [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Keyes]] as John and his team made their way outside to a dockyard that had long since had its water vaporized by the ongoing Covenant [[Glassing|orbital bombardment]]. The Admiral requested a situation report, to which Keyes informed him of the intensifying [[Portal storm|atmospheric disturbance]] above the [[Portal at Voi|artifact]] before informing him that John was still on route to his objective. He met a group of Marines who had been pushed back from a small dock office in the middle of the lake bed by a [[Type-52 Phantom|Phantom]] landing directly overhead, and with their assistance, retook the office from the Covenant inside. The Spartan's first objective, a single [[Ogab'd-pattern anti-aircraft Wraith|Anti-Aircraft Wraith]] was nearby, protected by a unit of Unggoy-piloted Ghosts as it used its [[Fuel rod cannon|ordnance]] to support overhead [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshees]] as they fought against UNSC [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornets]] in an aerial dogfight. With the aid of the Marines, the Warthog LRV and a [[LAU-65D/SGM-151 missile pod|missile pod]] on the roof of the dock office to destroy the vehicular presence. Despite the arrival of more Ghosts and a [[Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith]] delivered via dropship and even a pair of Banshees, John was successful in repelling the entire Covenant force and destroyed the Anti-Aircraft Wraith, freeing up some airspace for the UNSC pilots above. John soon reentered the Traxus facility, where a small number of Marines were using a [[AIE-486H machine gun|machine gun]] in an attempt to pin down a group of Covenant soldiers led by a [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain]] in an adjacent room. Noting the Spartan's presence, the Marine gunner requested that John flush the Covenant out into the open where they could easily mow them down with the heavy turret. John did so, using a nearby door to get behind the Covenant. As he whittled down the Chieftain's bodyguards, the surviving Covenant attempted to fall back, but had nowhere to go save for directly into the line of fire of the turret, and were soon cut down. The Marines opened the blast door for John's Warthog, but as they were in the process of explaining their situation to John, the glass ceiling high overhead shattered as a huge swarm of [[Yanme'e]] deployed by a Phantom descended on the humans. John and the Marines were able to hold the room, using superior cover and weapons fire to whittle down the swarm. Eventually, the Phantom retreated, with the surviving Yanme'e following suit. As John made his way down the next section of factory, Cortana appeared again in a hallucinatory manner, stating that she has defied gods and demons, most likely referring to the [[Gravemind]]. At the end of the tunnel, a unit of [[M274 Mongoose|Mongoose]] ATVs with [[M41 SPNKR|rocket launcher]]-wielding passengers waited to stage their assault on the next lake bed. John took the controls of one of the ATVs and the impromptu anti-armor force rolled out onto the second dried out lake bed. Near the hulking remains of a beached cargo vessel, a pair of Anti-Aircraft Wraiths along with a contingent of Ghost and [[Type-25 Chopper|Chopper]] support milled around the center while a small group of Marines on the northern boardwalk fought to repel a Covenant [[lance]]. With their superior speed and firepower, John and the unit of Mongooses were able to quickly destroy the AA Wraiths and other vehicles, allowing several Hornets to descend to provide support against low flying Banshees. A number of Phantoms attempted to reinforce the Covenant by dropping more Ghosts into the lake bed but all of them soon fell to the UNSC forces.{{Ref/Reuse|H3TS}}  

The Fleet of Retribution arrived at Installation 00 on December 11, 2552, twenty four days after departing through the portal from Earth. As the fleet exited slipspace above the colossal superstructure, they were quickly approached by the [[Truth's fleet|significantly larger Covenant fleet]] that was waiting in orbit. John-117, on board [[D77H-TCI Pelican|Pelican]] [[Kilo 023]] along with Sergeant Johnson and a squad of [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]] and [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]], departed from the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' along with a flight of six other Pelicans as the orbital battle began. As [[Kai-pattern Seraph|Seraph]] fighters strafed the Pelicans, one of them was struck by [[Heavy plasma cannon|plasma fire]] and exploded, but the rest of the flight succeeded in making it past the Covenant fleet and entered the Ark's atmosphere. John briefly checked on Johnson and the dropship's pilot, [[Hocus]], in the cockpit before making his way aft, equipping a [[SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle|sniper rifle]] as the Pelican's troop bay opened, revealing a massive expanse of desert. Johnson briefly relayed the plan to the team: their first priority was to secure a suitable landing zone for the ''Forward Unto Dawn'', which would then land and deploy vehicular support for the UNSC ground forces. He also told them to keep their eyes and ears open, so as to secure any possible intel on the installation, as it was wholly unknown to them. Kilo 023 and one other Pelican landed on a cliff edge, and John disembarked, along with the ODSTs on the Pelican. As the team moved forward, the ODST squad leader informed John of the presence of a Covenant encampment nearby. The squad leader told John that they had a good angle thanks to the ledge overlooking the camp before telling the Spartan that he should take the first shot with his sniper rifle. John took aim at one of the many Covenant soldiers, many of whom were listening to a [[Holotank|holographic projection]] of the Prophet of Truth, and opened fire. With the height advantage, element of surprise and superior cover, John and the ODSTs were able to easily wipe out the Covenant camp. The team pushed ahead, through a cave before arriving at a larger area where a [[Type-52 Phantom|Phantom]] was in the process of assembling an [[Skar'wa-pattern Mantis|Anti-Aircraft Battery]]. Recognizing the grave threat the cannon would pose to the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' were it to be completed, the squad leader once again had John take the first shot before they would engage. Catching the mixed group of Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar and Unggoy by surprise, the team was able to make short work of many of them. The Phantom abandoned a piece of the battery and fled. As John and the ODSTs began to make headway against the Covenant infantry, the survivors pulled back to where another Phantom had arrived and deployed a Mgalekgolo pair. Despite the opposition, the human forces soon prevailed and managed to bring down the Mgalekgolo and the other surviving Covenant infantry. Fighting their way up a rocky slope, the team managed to eliminate a final [[Jiralhanae Captain]] and a large group of Unggoy before entering a structure. While the ODST squad forged ahead, John took a minor detour and discovered a [[Z-9930 Information Vector Console|terminal]], accessing it and discovering information about the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], as well as correspondance between [[Librarian|two]] [[Forerunner]] [[Ur-Didact|lovers]], as well as messages from [[Mendicant Bias|an ancient]] Forerunner [[Contender-class artificial intelligence|ancilla]].{{Ref/Reuse|H3TA}}<ref name="H4TEVG129">''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]'', ''page 129''</ref>

[[File:Ark Level Scorpion.jpg|thumb|300px|left|John leading an armored platoon against Covenant forces on the Ark.]]

With the landing zone now secure, Commander Keyes was able to bring the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' down. As the UNSC frigate arrived, sweeping away the debris from the battle, the ship's hangar was lowered, allowing a platoon of [[M808C Scorpion|Scorpion]] tanks and several [[M12 Chaingun Warthog|Warthogs]] led by [[Marcus Stacker|Sergeant Stacker]] to roll out, along with [[343 Guilty Spark]] to guide them. John mounted up in one of the tanks just as a Covenant vehicular force consisting of Ghosts and a Prowler entered from the cave. With their vastly superior firepower, the UNSC forces easily wiped out the Covenant, as well as a Mgalekgolo pair that followed shortly. Rolling through the cave, the armored platoon brought down a Phantom and several [[Type-26 Shade|Shades]]. More Ghosts, another Wraith and a fortified Covenant position soon followed in their destruction to John and the convoy. At the wall, the Covenant attempted to fortify it with heavy armor, stationing Wraiths in the immediate vicinity that proceeded to use their [[Plasma mortar#Type-26 35cm Directed-Energy Mortar|plasma mortars]] to shell the UNSC forces while Ghosts and Choppers charged straight at them. Despite the even number of clashing forces, John and his platoon prevailed, killing all Covenant protecting the wall. Stacker told John that he would lead the armor through the lower level of the wall while John proceeded through the upper level alone. Spark opened a door on the upper wall allowing John to enter. Inside the wall, John found himself on a platform overlooking a deep chasm, within which Aggressor and [[Constructor]] Sentinels moved in and out of. Spark directed John to a panel that activated a [[light bridge]], allowing the friendly armor to pass over the chasm. While John passed through a room littered with destroyed Sentinels, the whole building began to shake as the Spartan heard heavy footfalls above his position. As the next door opened, revealing the Cartographer and the battalion-strength Covenant forces protecting it, a [[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|Scarab]] passed directly in front of him. A [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog]] making its way up to John's position was strafed by Ghosts, killing the gunner. The driver pulled up to the Spartan, offering him the controls. John mounted up, the Marine mounting the vehicle's [[M68 Gauss Cannon|weapon]], and the two proceeded to make their way to the lower door where the UNSC armored platoon was emerging. A band of Choppers attempted to rush the tanks while several lines of Wraith tanks opened fire from long range. Despite, the staunch opposition, the Scorpion tanks were successful in pushing through the Covenant heavy armor. As a Phantom dropped a group of [[Pez'tk-pattern fuel rod gun|fuel rod gun]]-wielding Jiralhanae, the Scarab made a reappearance, climbing down the side of the Cartographer building and promptly attacking the humans. Eventually, John succeeded in neutralizing the Scarab and all other Covenant forces in front of the Cartographer. As the Scarab exploded, [[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] contacted John, applauding him for his destruction of the walker before informing them that the Sangheili had emerged victorious in the orbital battle, having destroyed the numerically superior Covenant fleet. John made his way up the spire, engaging Covenant infantry as he went. At the top, a Pelican landed, dropping off a pair of Marines and [[Thel 'Vadam]], who personally congratulated John. Spark then unlocked the door leading into the Cartographer, and the team proceeded in.{{Ref/Reuse|H3TA}}   

{{Quote|no=four|q1=When did you know?|John-117|q2=Just now - but...I had my hopes. What will you do?|343 Guilty Spark|q3=Light it.|John-117|q4=Then we are agreed! A tactical pulse will completely eradicate the local infestation! I will personally oversee the final preparations|343 Guilty Spark|John informs 343 Guilty Spark of his plan to fire the incomplete Installation 08 to destroy the Flood infestation on the Ark.<ref name="H3TC">''[[Halo 3]]'', ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref>}}   

[[File:John 117 Master Chief Petty Officer.jpg|thumb|300px|right|John and two ODSTs engaging Covenant forces in a Warthog on approach to the first tower.]]

John quickly returned to the ground floor, assisting his team against a small group of Unggoy and [[Kig-Yar]] that were attempting to reactivate the tower before making his way outside, meeting another Marine who arrived with [[M831 Troop Transport Warthog|transport]] for the team. They speedily made their way back to the beachhead, where a flight of [[AV-14 Hornet|Hornets]] were waiting. [[Hocus]] told John that he would need to take a Hornet in order to safely escort a group of Pelicans to the third tower. The Spartan took control of one of the aircraft and made his way to towards the airspace of the second tower, where masses of Banshees were strafing the Sangheili Phantoms. With the arrival of John and the other UNSC craft, the Sangheili were able to engage their dropship's [[active camouflage]] and escape. Despite the Covenant having the numerical superiority, the UNSC air forces were able to succeed in wiping most of the Banshees out, driving the survivors back to the third tower, before destroying another Anti-Aircraft Wraith on a small island nearby. John was forced to contend with heavy opposition around the third tower entrance, including a pair of Anti-Aircraft Wraiths, a standard Wraith, Shade cannons and a massive pack of Jiralhanae. Prioritizing fire on the Wraiths, John was able to destroy the Covenant armor allowing the separatist Phantoms to return, deploying Thel 'Vadam, as well as [[N'tho 'Sraom]], [[Usze 'Taham]] and several other Sangheili. Together, they managed to crush all of the Jiralhanae around the tower, as well as the survivors inside the entrance. Inside, they discovered the corpses of many of Johnson's Marines, but the Sergeant himself was not among them. On the ground floor of the tower, the team was ambushed by a pair of [[Mgalekgolo]] and a swarm of [[Yanme'e]]. Through superior tactics, John and the Sangheili managed to bring down the Mgalekgolo pair and whittle down the Yanme'e, forcing the survivors to retreat back up the elevator shaft. Another pack of Jiralhanae fought hard to stop John and the Sangheili but they fell, shortly followed by the remaining Yanme'e who reemerged in a last-ditch attempt to halt their progress. Once again, John proceeded to the upper floor alone while the Sangheili remained behind. A War Chieftain and a pack of [[Jiralhanae Stalker|Stalkers]] were the last Covenant soldiers in the tower and although they furiously defended the controls of the tower, they eventually fell to the lone Spartan. John deactivated the third tower's controls, finally dropping the protective shield. [[Rtas 'Vadum]] brought the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' in close, preparing to level the Citadel with the assault carrier's weaponry. Suddenly, a massive slipspace rupture above the Citadel heralded the arrival of [[High Charity]]. As the gargantuan former Covenant holy city-turned [[Flood hive]] plummeted towards the surface of the Ark, 'Vadum was barely able to exclaim his surprise before debris struck his assault carrier, punching straight through it. As more debris from High Charity showered the installation, a chunk smashed through the window of the third tower's control room. John stiffened, readying his [[MA5C assault rifle|assault rifle]] in anticipation of the [[Flood|foe]] he knew had arrived.{{Ref/Reuse|H3TC}}