UNSC In Amber Clad

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UNSC In Amber Clad
Production information
Class:	Stalwart-class light frigate
Specifications
Length:	478 metres (1568 ft 3 in)
Width:	151.9 metres (498 ft 4 in)
Height:	112.3 metres (368 ft 5 in)
Slipspace drive:	Equipped
Hull:	60 centimetres (2 ft 0 in) Titanium-A battleplate
Armament:	(1) MAC gun Archer missile pods
Service information
Destroyed:	December 2552
Participated battles:	Battle of Earth Battle of Mombasa Battle of Installation 05 Battle of High Charity
Fleet:	UNSC Home Fleet
Known commanders:	Commander Miranda Keyes
Affiliation:	UNSC Navy Flood (later)

The UNSC In Amber Clad (FFG-142) was a Stalwart-class light frigate in service with the UNSC Navy during the Human-Covenant War.

History

Battle of Earth

Main article: Battle of Earth

Following her victory at the Battle of Gamma Pavonis VII around 2550, Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes was given command of the In Amber Clad after her ship, the UNSC Hilbert, was destroyed in the engagement.

As of October 2552, the In Amber Clad was still commanded by now-Commander Miranda Keyes. It was docked with the orbital defense platform Cairo Station of Earth during an award ceremony. In the middle of the ceremony, however, the Fleet of Sacred Consecration appeared in the system and engaged Earth's defenses, igniting the Battle of Earth. UNSC Home Fleet ships then began to open fire on the Covenant ships. Though the In Amber Clad did not engage in direct combat over Earth, they did descend to catch John-117 after his daring destruction of one of the Covenant's CAS-class assault carriers using their own bomb.

Battle of Mombasa

Main article: Battle of Mombasa

Afterward, the vessel descended to Mombasa, Kenya, where it dispatched numerous Marine units to reinforce the Marines from E2-BAG/1/7, A Company, the 17th Marine Regiment and several other units on the ground. During the battle, the In Amber Clad served as a headquarters for the UNSC forces in the area, reinforcing and resupplying the Marines with armor, ground support, and troop reinforcements. The In Amber Clad also began to evacuate and treat injured and wounded Marines.

The In Amber Clad embarking to Mombasa.

As the Solemn Penance suddenly initiated a slipspace jump inside the city when the Prophet of Regret tried to flee the system, the In Amber Clad was one of the only vessels close enough to follow it. Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood, although hesitant, allowed Keyes to follow the Solemn Penance through the slipspace rupture, even though she did not know where it was headed. The UNSC Coral Sea, UNSC Dusk, UNSC Paris, and the UNSC Redoubtable were sent to follow and assist the In Amber Clad with the heavy assault carrier, as they were the closet, fastest UNSC ships to the carrier with charged slipspace capacitors. The ships intended to find out where the assault carrier was heading, or destroy the ship entirely to kill Regret. Although the In Amber Clad, as well as the Dusk, was separated and lost contact with all following ships after entering slipspace.

Battle of Installation 05

The In Amber Clad approaches Installation 05.

Main article: Battle of Installation 05

Piggybacking in the slipspace field of the Solemn Penance, the In Amber Clad ended up at Installation 05 in the Coelest system. With depleted engine cores and the frigate's weapons currently unavailable, Keyes demanded all information on the installation from Cortana. Then, Keyes immediately sent John-117 with the ship's contingent of Marine Orbital Drop Shock Troopers to the surface in Human Entry Vehicles, along with two D77-TC Pelicans, to track down the Prophet of Regret at the Temple. After discovering Regret required the installation's Activation Index to fire the Halo, she took herself, Johnson and his Marines to the Library in order to retrieve the Index and prevent the Covenant from activating Halo. The In Amber Clad remained parked at low-altitude over the Library grounds, remaining on station for the return of its captain.

As Keyes entered the Library, they were immediately attacked by the Flood and most of her Marines were infected, with only a few eventually making it to the Index. Keyes, Johnson, and what was left of the Marines were ambushed, however, by the Arbiter only a few seconds after retrieving the index.

Some time later, the In Amber Clad was commandeered by the Flood and was used as a means by the Gravemind to gain access to High Charity.

Battle of High Charity

Main article: Battle of High Charity

In Amber Clad crashed into one of High Charity's towers.

Performing a slipspace jump inside the central dome of the Covenant's holy city, the Flood-controlled In Amber Clad soon crashed into one of the towers lining the city's edge and immediately released the Flood into the city. The Flood made use of the ship's remaining Pelicans to spread out over High Charity, often crashing the ships to inflict maximum damage on the city. The majority of the population was quickly assimilated. At this point, the ship was irreparably damaged and considered destroyed.

Cortana intended to use the In Amber Clad's engines to destroy High Charity and Installation 05 in the event the Covenant succeeded in activating the ring. Soon after the ring's activation sequence was halted, the Flood overwhelmed High Charity and Cortana fell under the clutches of the Gravemind, depriving her of the opportunity to destroy the engines even if she wanted to.

The remnants of the In Amber Clad were likely destroyed when the Flood-infested High Charity was destroyed by John-117 on the surface of Installation 00. When John-117, the Arbiter, and Cortana escaped from High Charity after destroying its fusion reactors, they used a damaged but still operational Pelican left in the city.

Fate of the crew

File:Wew.png

The In Amber Clad, stationed next to Installation 5's Library.

While the majority of the In Amber Clad's UNSC Marine forces were deployed to secure the Delta Halo Activation Index, Flood forces managed to infect the under-strength ship. The remaining crew were infected, and converted into combat forms for use in the invasion of High Charity. A small number, however, managed to outlive their ship, at least for a short while.

Commander Keyes herself survived the trials of the Sentinel Wall and the Quarantine Zone, as did Sergeant Major Johnson and a small number of Marines. While only Johnson and Keyes managed to reach the Index, the other Marines were either killed by the Flood upon arrival at the Index chamber, or captured by the Covenant. Both Keyes and Johnson were captured by the Covenant, only to escape much later thanks to the intervention of a Sangheili-led assault on their captors' base. They would later go on to play pivotal roles in the later stages of the Battle of Earth. The other captive Marines joined the Master Chief during his rampage through High Charity, but were killed either by the Covenant or by the Flood.

Although several Marine bodies can be found on High Charity well after the planetoid had been totally infested, it remains unknown whether these were survivors of the In Amber Clad or if they had been killed after trying to follow the Master Chief into the infected city, though it was stated by Cortana that there were no human life signs detected on that ship.

Trivia

Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

• In the level Cairo Station, there is a way of walking at the top of the ship. When you come to the first outside part, you head to the diagonal beam in front of the airlock. After jumping to the top by using it as a step, walk to very end of the path. After the last airlock, move to your right and jump. You will land on the ship and be free to walk all around and get back safely.
• In Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, the In Amber Clad was erroneously referred to as a destroyer.
• In Amber Clad's hull numbered designation is 142. 1+4+2 =7; alternately, 14/2=7.
• In Halo 2, in the cutscenes when you see the interior of the ship, (Delta Halo, Cairo Station) you can see that the monitors show the three MAC orbital cannons, Cairo, Malta and Athens even though they are not present in the level Delta Halo, and the Malta and the Athens were destroyed by the Covenant.
• In the first four Halo games and Halo: Reach, a main UNSC ship becomes severely damaged and unable to be used again. The Pillar of Autumn was crash-landed onto Installation 04 and later obliterated, In Amber Clad crashed into High Charity, and then was blown up during High Charity's destruction at the hands of the Master Chief, Forward Unto Dawn was cut in half , the UNSC Spirit of Fire had its FTL drive taken out and would take years to get back to UNSC controlled space as it was incapable of entering Slipspace, and the Savannah had it's slipspace drive removed to be used as the slipspace bomb that was used to destroy the Covenant supercarrier, Long Night of Solace and was later destroyed.
• The name In Amber Clad could refer to the ancient Greek (among other cultures) reverence for amber in jewelery and adornment; thus, In Amber Clad would give the vessel a sense of royalty.
• The In Amber Clad has the same number in its hull classification as the Cairo Station, its number is FFG-142 while the Cairo Station is ODA-142. Both the numbers on the In Amber Clad and Cairo Station add up to 7.

Gallery

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  The Ship Emblem of the UNSC In Amber Clad.

• In Amber Clad Diagram.gif

  A diagram of the In Amber Clad.

• Inambercladconcept.jpg

  Concept art by Eddie Smith, who developed many pieces for Bungie.

• 

  The bridge of the In Amber Clad, with Commander Keyes at the helm.

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  The forward consoles of the In Amber Clad's bridge.

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  The In Amber Clad's HEV bays as seen in Halo 2 Anniversary.

• 

  The In Amber Clad closes in on the newly-discovered Delta Halo.

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  The In Amber Clad deploying her full platoon of HEVs onto Installation 05.

• 

  An angled view of the UNSC In Amber Clad in Halo 2.

• 

  An ODST stands in one of the In Amber Clad's two HEV bays.

• 

  Commander Keyes and her navigator stationed in the In Amber Clad's bridge.

• 

  The UNSC In Amber Clad docked to Cairo Station immediately prior to the Covenant arrival.

• H2A - ODP.jpg

  In Amber Clad docked to Cairo Station prior to the Battle of Earth.

• 

  UNSC In Amber Clad over Earth.

• 

  The UNSC In Amber Clad while in flight.

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  The UNSC In Amber Clad moves on full burn over New Mombasa in the Battle of Earth.

• 

  In Amber Clad as it appears in Halo 3: ODST. The ship uses the Charon-class model, as it is meant to be seen from several in-game kilometers away.

• 

  The In Amber Clad follows Regret's carrier into slipspace.

• 

  UNSC In Amber Clad over Installation 05.

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  The In Amber Clad, crashed into High Charity.

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  The underside of the vessel.

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  Intercepting Regret's carrier.

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  In Amber Clad pursues the Prophet's carrier into slipspace above Mombasa.

List of appearances

• Halo 2 (First appearance)
• Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (Mentioned only)
• Halo 3: ODST
• Halo: Reach
  • Dr. Halsey's personal journal (Mentioned only)
• Halo 2 Anniversary