Operation: ATHENA

Operation: ATHENA was an engagement fought at the Forerunner installation known as the Absolute Record in 2558.^[1]

Prelude

Main articles: Requiem campaign, Battle of Aktis IV

After the events on the shield world of Requiem, Jul 'Mdama and Dr. Catherine Halsey allied themselves to recover both halves of the Janus Key and discover the location of the Absolute Record.^[2] On Aktis IV, they planned to steal the UNSC's half of the Janus Key, but a rebellion led by the Sangheili Sali 'Nyon threatened their plans.^[3] Halsey was able to recover the second half of the Janus Key thanks to a Minor who betrayed 'Nyon. Even when Commander Sarah Palmer captured Halsey, the Covenant was able to rescue the doctor and recover the Janus Key, emerging victorious. Days later, Jul and Halsey discovered the location of the Absolute Record using the combined Janus Key.^[4] Unknown to them, Ayit 'Sevi, a Sangheili working with the Office of Naval Intelligence, was able to infiltrate inside Jul's faction and provided ONI with information about their plans. The UNSC then formed a specialist team of Spartans Sarah Palmer, Gabriel Thorne and Holly Tanaka, Dr. Henry Glassman and 'Sevi.^[1]

The human members of the team would infiltrate the Breath of Annihilation in a Covenant box with a cloaked interior compartment, transported to the ship aboard a Type-44 Phantom piloted by 'Sevi. Once at the Absolute Record they would separate from the fleet and find a place to land. Because they lacked real-time superluminal communications options, they planned to use a state-of-the-art model of telemetry probe that would transmit their location back to the UNSC.^[1]

The battle

Initial stages

On September 17, 2558, Ayit 'Sevi's Phantom entered Breath of Annihilation, just before the fleet made the slipspace jump toward the Absolute Record. Upon their exit from slipspace three hours later, 'Mdama's fleet entered the upper atmosphere of an unusually hot gas giant with a metallic hydrogen core, noted by Dr. Halsey as being likely artificial. The Janus Key began to react, leading Halsey to conclude that they were close to their destination — a slipspace portal to the Absolute Record. As the portal began to form, however, slipspace ruptures materialized into several ships of the fleet, tearing them apart. Breath of Annihilation was damaged as well and the Spartans and Glassman were thrown about uncontrollably in their crate. 'Sevi blew the box open and told the others that they must move out as the entire ship was breaking apart. The telemetry probe was destroyed in the chaos as well, meaning the team had no way to contact the UNSC.^[1] The Annihilation's crew attempted to remediate damages done to their ship while the Spartans, Glassmand and Ayit discussed their next course of action. 'Sevi decided to steal another Phantom in a nearby hangar and ordered the rest of the team to follow him to the hangar a minute after he left, giving him time to take out the Covenant soldiers outside of their Phantom.^[5]

The Covenant fleet being devastated by the emerging slipspace portal.

To prevent giving away their position, 'Sevi armed the humans with Covenant weaponry and left the Phantom to engage the Covenant soldiers in the hangar alone. Creating a smoke screen, 'Sevi was able to begin eliminating all hostiles without alerting any unwanted attention. Inside the Phantom, Glassman was knocked unconscious when the damaged carrier shuddered and threw him against the Phantom's hull. Palmer had Tanaka carry Glassman and orders the Spartans to forego 'Sevi's wait time. Exiting their Phantom, Palmer killed the last remaining Kig-Yar in the hangar and the Spartans and Glassman escaped just as their dropship exploded behind them. Traveling down a hallway to the next hangar bay, 'Sevi's smoke screen provided the Spartans cover but also impaired their vision. Thorne activated his Promethean vison and discovered that they were surrounded by oncoming Covenant forces. A firefight ensued and the Spartans managed to fight their way to the hangar. As a Wraith appeared and prepared to fire upon the Spartans, the tank was destroyed by a Phantom manned by 'Sevi. The team decided to travel to the Song of Retribution.^[5]

On the bridge of the Song of Retribution', 'Mdama was enraged about the damage done to his fleet caused by the portal's activation. Furious, 'Mdama blamed Doctor Halsey for the incident and threw her against a wall. 'Mdama and Halsey argued about their situation and Halsey reminded 'Mdama that once they traveled to the Absolute Record, they would discover technology beyond their comprehension that would more than compensate for the ships that were destroyed when the portal opened. To further calm the irate 'Mdama, Halsey claimed that once he is in control of the Absolute Record's "treasures", 'Mdama will be seen as a god. 'Mdama decided to make another attempt to travel to the Absolute Record, though only Song of Retribution would enter the portal while Breath of Annihilation made emergency repairs at a nearby moon.^[5]

The Song of Retribution entering the Absolute Record.

'Sevi learned of 'Mdama's intentions and informed the rest of the team. Glassman reminded them that once they entered the portal, they would have even less of a chance at re-establishing contact with ONI. Palmer ordered 'Sevi and Thorne to travel back to Breath of Annihilation to attempt to contact ONI, while the rest of the team remained on Song of Retribution to travel through the portal. As the two traveled back to the damaged carrier in the Phantom, 'Sevi informed Thorne that there were rumors of a possible Spartan attack spreading aboard the ship. 'Sevi discovered that prisoners from Retribution were being temporarily transferred to Annihilation, one of which is traitor Sali 'Nyon. 'Sevi considered using 'Nyon to create a distraction for them. Aboard Retribution, the rumors of the Spartan attack reached 'Mdama. Halsey dismissed 'Mdama's worries and stated that the Spartans would be unable to stop them from reaching the Absolute Record, and the carrier promptly entered the portal. Retribution arrived at the Absolute Record and a Forerunner Contender-class artificial intelligence detected the human presence aboard the carrier, nothing the presence of Reclaimers aboard the ship.^[5]

The Absolute Record

Aboard the Song of Retribution, 'Mdama and Doctor Halsey attempted to enter the installation. However, a slipspace portal opened nearby and the ship's helmsman lost control. Retribution was forced through the portal and it arrived inside a large chamber, where the carrier was held in place by a gravitational anchor. 'Mdama and Halsey decided to travel down to a platform below, where the Contender AI awaited their arrival. In one of Song of Retribution's hangar bays, Palmer, Tanaka and Glassman awaited their chance to leave the damaged drop pod they were hiding aboard. Glassman decided that they needed to leave the carrier and find a local terminal, while Tanaka spotted two nearby Type-44 Phantoms that they could steal.

Meanwhile, several DSC-class support ships were repairing the hull of the damaged Breath of Annihilation on a moon. Several Sangheili inside the ship were arguing whether or not their ship and its crew were attacked by Spartans. 'Sevi listened to the heated debate before entering a nearby Phantom that Spartan Thorne was hiding in. 'Sevi decided to use use the ongoing argument as a way to instill chaos aboard the ship and initiate a mutiny. The mercenary wished to have Thorne attack the Sangheili to create panic throughout the ship, though Thorne was reluctant to trust 'Sevi due to their previous encounter on Ven III.^[6]

Meanwhile, 'Mdama, Halsey, and numerous Sangheili Zealots arrived at the platform and met with the AI. Halsey addressed the ancilla and claimed to be chosen by the Librarian to unlock the Absolute Record. Halsey requested to be escorted to the proper area to begin their work, but the AI expressed its doubts, especially pondering why the other humans felt the need to conceal themselves. The AI used Sentinels to transport the drop pod the other humans were hiding in to the platform, where they were dropped down beside Halsey and 'Mdama. Both groups began to argue, with Glassman questioning Halsey's decision to defect to 'Mdama's Covenant. Halsey told Glassman to shut up, but the AI told her that she had no authority to silence him. It decided to let each human have a chance to account for their presence at the installation, though Halsey asserted that there was nothing to discuss as she had the Janus Key. The AI intended take as much time as it needs to question each human, as it wished to operate with total caution after one of its fellow Contender-class AIs made the mistake of not taking the same precautions during the Forerunner-Flood war.^[6]

The Contender AI taking action.

Aboard Breath of Annihilation, Thorne had decided to follow 'Sevi's plan and he began attacking the Sangheili, with 'Sevi directing Thorne around the ship. 'Sevi had Thorne go into hiding again, as numerous Sangheili and Kig-Yar soldiers began searching for him. On the Absolute Record, Glassman stated that he shared the same views as the AI, as he did not want the Absolute Record to be exploited. Halsey scoffed at this claim, but the AI ordered her to remain silent. Glassman insisted that the UNSC intended to use the Absolute Record in a way that was consistent with the Forerunners' intentions and claimed that conflict would only get worse if 'Mdama's Covenant gained access to the installation. As Halsey and Glassman began to argue, an impatient Zealot attacked a Sentinel, leading to all the constructs attacking the humans and Sangheili. The AI removed the platform from under the feet of the Sangheili with Tanaka, Palmer, and Glassman remaining on one platform and Halsey standing on another, while 'Mdama managed to grab onto Halsey's platform while his soldiers plummeted to their deaths. The AI claimed that a more direct examination was in order to decide who is the legitimate steward of the Absolute Record.^[6] 'Mdama was furious about his soldiers' deaths and told the AI that he brought his forces to merely honor their gods, not fight them, and it was the Contender who provoked them to attack the Sentinels. In response, the Contender AI said its suspicions about the Sangheili's disruptive tendencies were confirmed by their reaction and that its only intention is to maintain the integrity of the Absolute Record and choose its proper custodian. Although Doctor Halsey claimed she must be the custodian of the Absolute Record the ancilla was speaking of, because her possession of the Janus Key and being chosen by the Librarian, the Contender AI said her possession of the Janus Key proved nothing, because the Key could have been obtained by any variety of ways, even brute force. The AI then proceeded to translocate them.^[7]

Onboard the Breath of Annihilation, a mutiny was carried out by those who believed that the Didact's Hand lied to them about the presence of Spartans aboard the ship. A Zealot brutally beat a Sangheili Storm, demanding the answer of why their Supreme Commander lied to them, but the Sangheili Storm claimed 'Mdama knew nothing about the attack and he would gain nothing from the deception. The Storm then said the traitors were the only ones who would benefit about the truth of those rumors.^[7]