Raid on the Truth and Reconciliation

Concurrent:	Battle of Installation 04
Next:	Battle of the Silent Cartographer
Raid on the Truth and Reconciliation
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War
Date:	September 19 - 22, 2552
Location:	Installation 04
Outcome:	UNSC tactical victories Captain Keyes rescued
Details Belligerents United Nations Space Command Covenant Commanders CAPT Jacob Keyes† MCPO John-117 Cortana Lat 'Ravamee† Strength First raid D77-TC Pelican Pelican Echo 419 ODSTs 1 SPARTAN-II Rescued Marines and crewmen(late in battle) First Raid Sangheili Unggoy Kig-Yar Mgalekgolo Type-25 Spirits Type-29 Shades Casualties First raid All ODSTs killed First Raid Large number of infantry killed Shipmaster Lat 'Ravamee

This page is about the raid conducted on the vessel to rescue Captain Keyes. For the later return by John-117 and capture by the ODSTs of Alpha Base, see here.

During the ongoing campaign on Installation 04, UNSC Marines led by Spartan John-117 launched a raid on the Truth and Reconciliation to free the captured bridge crew of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, including the ship's Captain Jacob Keyes.

Prelude

On September 19, 2552, the Halcyon-class light cruiser Pillar of Autumn exited slipspace above Installation 04, having escaped the Fall of Reach. The cruiser was quickly engaged by the Fleet of Particular Justice, including four battlegroups of three CCS-class battlecruisers. During the fighting, one Covenant vessel, the Truth and Reconciliation, was heavily damaged and forced to land on the surface upspin of the UNSC's operations at Alpha Base to conduct maintenance. The vessel was brought to rest one hundred units above a dry desert plateau, and became the center of activities for Covenant units assigned to "harvest" technology from the ringworld. Because of this, the corridors were thick with high-ranking personnel and even engineers.

Following the evacuation of the Autumn, Captain Jacob Keyes was captured by Covenant personnel and brought to the Truth and Reconciliation's brig for interrogation. UNSC forces were able to recon out the ship and confirm the captain was held there, and Spartan John-117 was briefed by Major Antonio Silva on his mission - to lead a strike force into the ship and rescue the captain. The recon flights had also confirmed a blind spot in the cruiser's sensor grid, and the AI Wellsley had created an array of signals designed to trick technicians into believing an approaching D77-TC Pelican dropship was one of the Covenant's own. Seventeen hours and eleven minutes after landing on the ring, Echo 419 deployed the Master Chief and several Marines onto the plateau for a boarding action.

The raid

Marines on the plateau.

The plan for the raid was fairly simple; Echo 419 would deploy a team of marines to secure the gravity lift at the base of the ship, at which point a second team of marines would be dropped off to reinforce the first in the boarding action. The Spartan would go ahead with an SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle to clear the way for the team of ODSTs led by Sergeant Parker. The first group of Covenant consisted of several grunts, jackals and Shade turrets, who were eliminated by the sniper rifle. With the element of surprise lost, the group proceeded to push forward, losing one marine to a lucky grunt in the process, until they reached the gravity lift. The area was ringed with more Shade guns, but the Spartan was able to eliminate the nearest gunner and take control of the emplacement, using it to take out the other turrets. A Spirit dropship arrived to deploy troops into the area, but John's Shade was able to cut those troops down swiftly. A wave of troops supported by Hunters came down the gravity lift from the interior of the cruiser, but the strike team was able to pour fire on them until eventually the Covenant troops were dead. Echo 419 then reappeared with a fresh wave of reinforcements, and the force made their way up the gravity lift into the ship.

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Participants

UNSC

• UNSC Navy
  • Captain Jacob Keyes
  • Master Chief Petty Officer John-117
  • AI Cortana
  • Echo 419
    • Flight Officer Captain Carol Rawley
  • At least one other unidentified Pelican
• UNSC Marine Corps
  • Sergeant Parker

Covenant

• Shipmaster Lat 'Ravamee

Gallery

• 

  Marines secure the gravity lift.

• 

  Echo 419 drops off additional reinforcements.

• 

  Captain Keyes arms himself with a Needler and prepares to fight his way out of the Truth and Reconciliation.

List of appearances

• Halo: Combat Evolved (First appearance)
• Halo: The Flood
• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
• Halo Mythos (Mentioned only)