Requiem Campaign

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The Second Battle of Requiem was a large-scale engagement fought on the Forerunner shield world Requiem in February 2558. It was waged between the Prometheans and their Covenant religious followers and the intruding UNSC Defense Force.

Background

Main article: First Battle of Requiem

Six months before the onset of the battle in July 2557, the Forerunner Promethean supreme commander known as the Didact had been inadvertently awakened from his Cryptum on Requiem and immediately initiated a campaign against humanity, which he saw as unworthy of taking on the Mantle. Revering the Forerunner as a living god, revived Covenant faction under the leadership of Jul 'Mdama allied themselves with the Didact and his mechanical Promethean armies. The Didact was eventually defeated by Spartan John-117 above Earth, leaving the Prometheans without a leader, yet still hostile to humanity. The Prometheans and the Covenant continued to occupy Requiem, which humanity recognized as a site of great value due to the abundance of Forerunner artifacts contained therein, particularly a digital personality impression of the Librarian encountered by the Master Chief during the initial foray on the shield world. As a result, the UNSC Infinity, the most advanced warship in the Navy, was dispatched to establish research facilities on the Forerunner construct and eliminate any opposition from the occupying Promethean and Covenant forces.^[1]

History

Infinity's return

In February 2558, UNSC Infinity returned to Requiem. Charon-class light frigates were deployed to protect the ship and establish a position in orbit. Spartan-IV fireteams were sent into Requiem to support the UNSC Marine Corps, Armies and Air forces.^[1] UNSC forces set up several research bases: Copernicus Base, Galileo Base, and Magma Base. Other locations, such as areas designated "Quarry", "Fortress", and "Apex", were often contested for control.

During an interception on a Covenant archaeological dig, Fireteam Crimson discovered one of the three Requiem translocation artifacts on Requiem in "the Cauldron".^[1] The artifact was brought onboard Infinity, where it was examined by Henry Glassman.^[2] Glassman, who accidentally activated it, was translocated to Requiem and became a prisoner of the Covenant remnant. There, he was brought to Jul 'Mdama and was forced to find a method to activate the device containing the Librarian AI. Captain Lasky requested Doctor Catherine Halsey to be brought onboard Infinity to study the translocation artifact. Halsey found out that the artifact was communicating with the ship's system's, notably the engine, and transmitting signal to a location in Requiem. On Requiem, Sangheili Parg Vol, an associate of 'Mdama, was hunted and eventually assassinated by Fireteam Crimson.^[3]

Jul 'Mdama's plan

Jul 'Mdama and Dr. Halsey converse.

During their flight to Copernicus Base, Fireteam Castle was shot down by Covenant forces led by Jul 'Mdama. This attack drew Infinity's attention to hunt down 'Mdama. UNSC scientists had discovered that the Covenant remnant are using Requiem's portal systems, and Fireteam Crimson was deployed to assist in the investigation. Incidentally, 'Mdama was detected traversing through the portals, so Fireteam Majestic and Crimson were sent to give chase. After discovering a way to activate Requiem's portal systems, Crimson followed 'Mdama to "the Cauldron", where he purposely left an artifact known as the "Didact's Gift" for Crimson, prompting the team to bring the artifact to Galileo Base.^[4]

The Covenant remnant then staged an attack on the base to show that they were attempting to recover the artifact. While Fireteam Crimson defended the base, Fireteam Majestic extracted the "Didact's Gift" and brought it back to Infinity, where it was analyzed by Halsey. By giving Halsey the "soul of a Promethean Knight", 'Mdama had gained Halsey's interest in cooperating to find the Librarian. Their partnership, however, was discovered by Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer, who then took Halsey into custody. Spartan Gabriel Thorne, during his examination of the translocation artifact, was taken to Requiem like Glassman. On Requiem, the Covenant and Promethean forces attacked UNSC research bases "the Refuge" and Magma Base, but both of these attacks were successfully repelled by Fireteam Crimson (with the assistance of Fireteam Shadow in "the Refuge"). During their search for Spartan Gabriel Thorne in "Quarry", members of Crimson were captured by Covenant forces.^[5]

Spartan Thorne was captured by the Covenant and was brought to where Glassman was. Glassman, on the other hand, managed to activate the Librarian's device, and used the opportunity to escape. Glassman's escape distracted the Sangheili who took Thorne prisoner, giving Thorne the chance to retaliate. Together, the duo ran away, heading for Galileo Base.^[6]