- "Attention, all personnel. STOLEN GAUNTLET protocol has been activated. Spartan Edward Buck is reported AWOL."
- — Leonidas[1]
STOLEN GAUNTLET is a red alert fail-safe protocol developed by the Office of Naval Intelligence in the event that any Spartans were to operate subversively outside mission parameters and operations protocol.[2][3] The protocol provides training and permissive rules of engagement for special agents tasked with tracking down and swiftly neutralizing rogue Spartans.[4][5]
Overview
STOLEN GAUNTLET became a necessary creation with the advent of the SPARTAN-IV program. Unlike the prior SPARTAN-II and SPARTAN-III initiatives, SPARTAN-IV followed the ORION Project's protocols of recruiting experienced personnel from the the various branches of service of the Unified Earth Government. This means that candidates in the program are not children indoctrinated into loyalty to the UEG From childhood, but instead experienced operators with preexisting philosophies and loyalties.[4][5]
While the SPARTAN-IV 's recruitment guidelines are viewed as ethically superior to those of prior generations,[5] this does mean that individual Spartans represent a significant security threat if their loyalty is compromised, with a generally higher probability of deviation within the candidate pool.[4][5]
A handful of rogue Spartans, including Michael Crespo, were imprisoned in the Spartan-IV training station after arrest.[3]
History
STOLEN GAUNTLET has been invoked a number of times, including:
- The defection of Michael Crespo to the Insurrectionist cause.[3]
- John-117 and Blue Team's intention to steal ONI Acrisius from Argent Moon, resulting in Fireteam Osiris being deployed to track them down.[2]
- A faux-declaration by Leonidas in an attempt to prevent Edward Buck from relaying the truth of the Created uprising to the Spartans of the Spartan-IV training station.[1]
It is unclear whether the defections of Spartan-IVs Ilsa Zane, Rudolf Schein, and Vladimir Scruggs invoked the STOLEN GAUNTLET protocol.
Non-canon and dubious canon appearances
Silver Timeline
- Main article: Silver Timeline
STOLEN GAUNTLET was asset retrieval\denial protocols. In 2552; John-117 was put under this protocol when he departed the Epsilon Eridani system with Kwan Ha, with Jacob Keyes coordinating the crisis action team stand-up for it.[6]
A modified version of STOLEN GAUNTLET existed for Soren-066 called the SOREN PROTOCOL.[7]
List of appearances
- Hunt the Truth
- Hunt the Signal (First appearance)
- Halo 5: Guardians (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Bad Blood
- Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual (Mentioned only)
- Halo: The Television Series
Sources
- ^ a b Halo: Bad Blood, chapter 9
- ^ a b Hunt the Signal: Transmission 000
- ^ a b c Halo: Bad Blood, chapter 8
- ^ a b c Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, page 86
- ^ a b c d Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 73
- ^ Halo: The Series, Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer: Week 1 (Retrieved on Mar 25, 2022) [local archive] [external archive]
- ^ Halo: The Series, Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer: Week 2 (Retrieved on Mar 25, 2022) [local archive] [external archive]