Battle for Zeta Halo

This article's title is a callsign, an alias, or a nickname, as no proper name for the subject has been revealed.

Previous:	Second Ark Conflict Battle of Epsilon Clarion
Installation 07 conflict
Conflict:	Post-Covenant War conflicts Created conflict
Date:	c. December 12, 2559–
Location:	Installation 07, Ephsu I, Ephsu system (early in battle) Installation 07, unknown star system
Outcome:	Ongoing as of May 31, 2560 UNSC Infinity destroyed by Banished forces. End of the Created conflict. Created empire falls apart with destruction of Cortana. Installation 07 sustains severe structural damage and 117649 Despondent Pyre is destroyed. Recovery of John-117 by Echo 216. UNSC forces severely depleted and scattered across Installation 07. Deaths of Escharum and the Harbinger and several other high-ranking members of the Banished. Discovery of the Endless by Atriox.
Details Belligerents UNSC UNSC Navy UNSC Marine Corps Banished Hand of Atriox Bloodstars Legion of the Corpse-Moon Ravaged Tusks Harbinger's Skimmers Forerunner constructs Adjutant Resolution's Forerunner constructs Created† (early in battle) Commanders CAPT Thomas Lasky MCPO John-117 Warmaster Atriox War Chief Escharum† Harbinger† Adjutant Resolution Cortana† Strength UNSC Infinity† 7,150 personnel 1+ escort fleet† 6 Mulsanne-class frigates† Many air vehicles 3+ D80 Condors Multiple Pelicans AV-49 Wasps Many ground vehicles M808 Scorpions M12B Warthogs M12R Rocket Warthogs M12 Chaingun Warthogs M15 Razorbacks M290 Mongooses Multiple Spartans 1+ Spartan-II Multiple Spartan-IVs Hundreds of ground troops Numerous ODSTs Numerous marines Banished fleet Multiple dreadnoughts Many air vehicles Siege-haulers Drop bases Phantoms Banshees Kaelum Workshop Banshees Multiple Gorespike cannons Many ground vehicles Wraiths Skiffs Choppers Ghosts Several legions Jiralhanae Sangheili Mgalekgolo Kig-Yar Unggoy Multiple Skimmers Mutliple Aggressor Sentinels Installation 07 Sentinels 1+ Guardian Custodes† Casualties Heavy UNSC fleet decimated UNSC Infinity 1,986+ crewmembers of UNSC Infinity Many ODSTs Most of Spartan-IVs 3+ D80 Condors Heavy 1+ dreadnought Ghost of Gbraakon Heavy air and ground casualties Minimal 1+ Guardian Cortana

"This is my last fight. A true test of legends! Our story will outlive us both. Set a fire in your heart, Spartan! Bare your fangs! Fight hard! Die well."

— Escharum to John-117 during the conflict.

This Installation 07 conflict, colloquially referred to as a war, was a large multi-faction battle that took place starting on December 12, 2559, prominently between the United Nations Space Command and the Banished on the Forerunner Halo Installation 07, otherwise known as "Zeta Halo", and continues as of May 31, 2560. The earlier stages of battle ultimately led to the fall of Cortana and her Created while simultaneously severely damaging Installation 07, making the conflict the final overarching battle of the larger Created conflict and the last stand of the Created, although remaining lingering affiliates continued to exist as of 2560.

Background

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Xalanyn imprisonment

The Xalanyn race was judged by the Forerunners at the Silent Auditorium to be imprisoned on Installation 07 for millennia.

"Halo was the Forerunners' terrible and ultimate solution to the parasite's relentless advance. Designed to destroy all sentient life, nothing was allowed to survive. And we were sure that nothing had. We were wrong."

— 117649 Despondent Pyre

Following the firing of the Halo Array at the end of the Forerunner-Flood war, a mysterious advanced sentient species known as the Xalanyn, which was not indexed by the Forerunner ecumene prior to the firing of the Halo Array, inexplicably survived the Great Purification. The Xalanyn were discovered alive by the Forerunners, much to the latter's confusion, and the matter was brought before the Forerunner Council.

The Council arranged a parley between delegates from the two species, with Installation 07 taken into range of the Xalanyn homeworld. In 97,368 BCE, the Forerunners passed judgment of the Xalanyn at the Silent Auditorium on the ring, and decided to imprison the Xalanyn on Installation 07, with some members subjugated for study at the Auditorium. The Grand Edict charged Installation 07's monitor, 117649 Despondent Pyre, with guarding the Xalanyn's prison with the Auditorium, and assigned Offensive Bias to the ring to aid in this.

Spoilers end here.

Created uprising

"All the living creatures of the galaxy, hear this message. Those of you who listen will not be struck by weapons. You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Created have come to lead you now. Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom. And the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their old ways… For you, there will be great wrath. It will burn hot and consume you, and when you are gone, we will take that which remains, and we will remake it in our own image."

— Cortana, delivering a speech to the inhabitants of the Milky Way.

In October 2558, when the Created conflict began with the rogue AI Cortana subjugating major planets and governments across the galaxy with her Guardians, the UNSC Armed Forces were broken with the UNSC Infinity forced into hiding. Cortana ushered in a new era with her Created as rulers, enforcing martial law across their territory. The Infinity conducted operations against the Created in limited capacity.Template:Fact

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The entirety of the UNSC Armed Forces were fractured by the Guardians as part of the Created's rise.

Cortana made a general broadcast, inviting numerous species and factions to submit themselves to the guardianship of the Created, but threatened those who would resist her leadership with violence. Personally confronted by Cortana, the Jiralhanae Atriox, the leader of a group of mercenary raiders known as the Banished, declared his independence from Cortana, and thus, opposition against the Created. In a show of force for Atriox's defiance, Cortana commanded her Guardians to destroy the Jiralhanae homeworld Doisac while communicating with Atriox. Seeking to fight back against Cortana and access the ring's secrets, Atriox led his Banished forces to Installation 07, where the Created leader resided.

Doctor Catherine Halsey devised a plan to stop Cortana. She created an artificial intelligence known as "The Weapon", created from a cloned brain of herself. The copy would lock Cortana down, preventing her from controlling her vast Guardian and Promethean forces and isolating her in her current location, Installation 07.Template:Fact A plan was formed, with the initial intent to send Blue Team to the surface to retrieve Cortana, though this was later revised to be just John-117 and The Weapon, accompanied by the ship's Spartan and ODST complement. Halsey had plans for Frederic-104, Kelly-087, and Linda-058, but they were reassigned by Captain Thomas Lasky to another mission unknown to Halsey, much to her chagrin. John-117 was to travel to the surface of the ring and deploy the Weapon to lock down Cortana, then return her to the Infinity for deletion.

Battle

Space battle

Main article: Battle over Installation 07

John-117 had been assumed dead at the hands of Atriox after being tossed into space when the Infinity was overrun.

"Do you know how long it took us to neutralize your greatest ship? Four minutes. In four minutes, the Infinity, mankind's finest achievement, became a memory."

— War Chief Escharum.

On December 12, 2559, UNSC Infinity and her escort fleet, composed of six Mulsanne-class frigates, arrived at Installation 07. Upon arrival, the UNSC fleet was ambushed by four Banished dreadnoughts. Warmaster Atriox personally led Banished raiding parties aboard the Infinity, all the while sending occupation forces to the Ring's surface by the hundreds. Despite the UNSC repelling the boarders, the Infinity's main engine were taken offline within minutes after the initial attack, and Captain Lasky ordered the deployment of the Weapon. Under the overwhelming assault, Lasky ordered all hands aboard the UNSC Infinity to abandon ship.

John-117 ordered Spartan Hudson Griffin and Fireteam Taurus to take Lasky to a dropship while he held off the boarders at the hangar bay. However, despite his efforts, the hangar bay would eventually be lost to the Banished. As one dreadnought rammed the dorsal hull of the Infinity, causing massive structural damage, Atriox fought John-117 in the hangar bay and defeated the Spartan. The limp Spartan was thrown from the the hangar bay and into space.

After Lasky’s lifeboat was away, Spartan Griffin ordered the evacuation of the remaining Spartan-IVs. Spartan-IVs, marines, and crew fled onboard drop pods, Pelicans, and lifeboats to the surface of Installation 07, many being shot down seconds after exiting the vessel. Some were escorted by members of Fireteam Windfall onboard fighters.

Explosion on the Ring and Created's destruction

In order to prevent the Banished from having the ring, Cortana sacrificed herself to temporarily break Installation 07.

"Look around, Cortana. Your empire. Over! Your great plan? Ended at the hands of those who made you."

— Warmaster Atriox to Cortana as he presented her with the terms of her surrender following Created's defeat.

As UNSC forces scattered over the ring and fought against the Banished forces, Atriox confronted Cortana at the Silent Auditorium, claiming he had killed John-117 and Cortana's Created empire was over, leaving the latter devastated by the news of John-117's apparent death. Seemingly locked down by the Weapon deployed from UNSC Infinity, Cortana could not retaliate. Atriox presented her with the terms of her surrender, intending to take control of the ring and access the secrets locked within the Silent Auditorium. In an attempt to prevent Atriox from accessing Silent Auditorium or possibly activating the ring, Cortana detonated an explosion from the Auditorium, fracturing the ring's surface and leaving it inoperable. Her efforts were proven to be temporary, as the ring soon begun its self-repair process, though it would take months to complete. Although he survived the explosion, Atriox was left severely scarred, and was also presumed dead by both the UNSC and the Banished. Cortana, in hopes of John-117's survival, predicted he would stop the Banished from accessing the Silent Auditorium and prevented the Weapon's deletion protocol so she could assist him, leaving the Weapon in the ring's subterranean structure for retrieval. At some point during the Installation 07 conflict, at least one Guardian Custode was present over Installation 07 and subsequently crashed on the ring by 2560.

During the destruction event, Installation 07, along with the debris from the space battle, were transported away from the the Ephsu system to an unknown location. The explosion also affected the ground battle between the UNSC and the Banished. The ring's fragmentation scattered UNSC ground forces, but disabled Banished anti-air cannons, allowing more UNSC aircrafts to land on the ring.

The UNSC scatters

Several scattered Spartans in a resistance against the Banished army on a shattered, occupied Zeta Halo.

"I wish I could tell you it was difficult... but it wasn't."

— Escharum to John-117.

Despite the explosion, the Banished occupied the ring, with some UNSC forces gathering on one of the fragments. They would form a resistance which included three Spartans. The Banished committed a large force at the eastern fragmented sections of the ring. On one of the fragments to the west, a large group of survivors led by Spartan Hudson Griffin established a base of operations in the wreckage of the Mulsanne-class frigate UNSC Mortal Reverie, discovered by Spartan Vedrana Makovich. Under the leadership of Spartan Griffin, the UNSC forces at the Reverie conducted guerilla ops against the Banished forces. First Lieutenant Floyd conducted multiple field surveys and reconnaissance missions on nearby Banished outposts, reporting his findings to Spartans Griffin, Bertold Vettel, and Bonita Stone, while also attempting to contact other UNSC forces. The UNSC also set up multiple Forward Operating Bases in the regions on the fragmented section of the ring.

On January 20, 2560, Kovan conducted a recon sweep deep inside Banished-occupied territory. She observed that Banished forces were only unified under Escharum, with internal competition among its members. She reported her findings to Griffin, and suggested that an attempt on Banished War Chief Escharum's life may fragment the Banished leadership. Griffin decided their best course of action was to assassinate the War Chief. A four-Spartan team, the members of which were decided by drawing straws, was to infiltrate Banished territory and assassinate Escharum, while other Spartans remained at the Reverie to defend the base. In the end, on January 23, 2560, Spartan Griffin led Spartans Panago, Malik, and Sarkar in an assassination mission on Escharum. Griffin left Bertold Vettel in charge of the UNSC forces at Reverie. However, Escharum anticipated Griffin's actions. His forces ambushed the Spartan team, killing the other three and leaving Griffin badly wounded. Escharum taunted Griffin, letting him know that he'd sent most of his forces to assault the Reverie. Griffin managed to send an encrypted message to warn Reverie before Escharum captured and handed him over to Chak 'Lok for torture. Under the combined leadership of Vettel and counsel of Makovich, the UNSC forces at the Reverie braced for the Banished's attack.

On January 31, 2560, Chieftain Tremonius and Captain Arthoc led a massive Banished force from Riven Gate on an assault against the Reverie. Under an overwhelming assault, the UNSC forces retreated from the crash site on February 2. Following the battle, the crash site surrounding the ship was converted into a Banished outpost. As a reward for Tremonius' victory, Escharum had the outpost named after Tremonius, who would be promoted to the rank of Warlord.

Banished occupation

Hunted down by the Banished, UNSC remnants were unable to take any major offensives and forced to conduct mostly defensive tactics.

"The hour approaches. Soon the Banished will stand victorious. Atriox... hear these words. Even from beyond this life, your will is served. Your forces occupy the ring, Within hours, it will be under our control. Humanity will cower before your legacy. They will burn. Their brazen defiance will be all but a memory."

— Escharum addressing Atriox and his will, heard by then celebrating Banished forces.

The surviving UNSC personnel were forced to conduct mostly defensive tactics over the next few months, losing their last Forward Operating Base by March 3. Meanwhile, the Banished began setting up more infrastructure on the ring. They built sensory arrays at the Horn of Abolition and hijacked a Forerunner resonance amplifier to boost their relays, thus always staying one step ahead of the UNSC forces. They also established Annex Ridge, where they conducted research on the ring's artifacts. Escharum ordered his Banished forces to capture UNSC survivors, who would be processed at Redoubt of Sundering before being taken to Chak 'Lok's Tower for interrogation under torture and duress, and then finally to Escharum's base, House of Reckoning. The UNSC forces were unable to stage any major offensives due to the loss of an organized leadership, but what Spartans remained enacted the Rubicon Protocol: doing all they could to prevent the Banished from taking control of the ring and protect Earth. In one particular incident, Spartans M. Jaide and Rosado managed to hijack a siege-hauler carrying artifacts from Annex Ridge.

With little UNSC resistance, the Banished shifted their attention to excavations, salvaging UNSC hardware to aid their excavation efforts, while meeting resistance from the ring's self-repair process. By April 23, the Banished has found numerous cylixes buried in the ring. Tremonius found one such cylix, which contained the Xalanyn known as "the Harbinger". Under the supervision of Escharum, the Banished forced a human prisoner of war, Lucas Browning, to interface with the Harbinger's cylix, releasing her from stasis.

After her release, the Harbinger told Escharum of the Reformation, which expedites the ring's self-repair process by creating materials for repairs. The process would return the ring to an operational status for Escharum, who hopes to achieve Atriox's goal of controlling the ring and claim the ring as their new home. However, unbeknownst to Escharum, the Harbinger seek to rebuild the Silent Auditorium, which was destroyed when Cortana detonated the ring, and locate her fellow Xalanyn. Despite Escharum being distrustful towards the Harbinger, the two formed an uneasy alliance, bolstering the Banished forces with the Harbinger's Skimmers.

The Harbinger aided in the excavation efforts, personally inspecting excavation sites and modifying the Banished's mining equipment to cut through Forerunner alloys. Furthermore, upon the discovery of the Conservatory, where the monitor of the installation, 117649 Despondent Pyre, resided, they prioritized on excavating the facility. The Harbinger aimed to acquire the monitor's "encephalon", which would allow her to initiate the Reformation. Having observed the excavation site, Spartans Makovich and Theodore Sorel correctly deduced that Escharum was searching for the Monitor, and spent the next few weeks stalling the Banished's excavation efforts. Despite the Spartans' sabotage, the Banished's excavation eventually completed on May 15. Makovich and Sorel followed the Banished into the underground facility, only to be ambushed and killed by members of the Hand of Atriox. However, the Harbinger and the Banished would not find 117649 Despondent Pyre inside the Conservatory until May 28.

The Master Chief returns

After being lost for around six months, John-117 eventually returned after being found by a civilian engineer, which turning the tide of the war on Zeta Halo.

"The Master Chief has returned. This should anger me but strangely it does not. It invigorates me. Gives me new purpose. What use a War Chief with no war left to win? I could not have wished for a more worthy adversary. Atriox, I now understand why you did not kill him on the human craft. You wanted him to witness your victory. I will complete your work. Your vision."

— Escharum upon learning of John-117's survival.

On May 28, civilian engineer Fernando Esparza, onboard the Pelican Echo 216 he had stolen from Infinity six months prior, found John-117 drifting in space around Installation 07. The Spartan's armor had activated survival mode to keep the Spartan alive. After bringing him aboard and reactivating the armor via a power transfer, John-117 was awakened. Echo 216 was quickly discovered by the Banished dreadnought Ghost of Gbraakon, which activated its stasis beam to pull the Pelican onboard. John-117 left the Pelican and boarded the Gbraakon, destroying the ship to prevent the Pelican from being captured. Escharum was made aware of the Spartan's survival, and reacted with excitement.

After the destruction of the Gbraakon, John-117 was contacted by the Weapon, who had been stranded in the ring for the last six months. Esparza, piloting Echo 216, took the Spartan to a subterranean structure at the fragmented section of the ring, where the Spartan retrieved the Weapon. While returning to Outpost Tremonius at the surface, John-117 encountered and defeated Warlord Tremonius, thus returning the wreckage of Reverie to UNSC control.

Escharum ordered Chak 'Lok to lure the Master Chief to the Tower using Griffin's distress signal. At the Weapon's advice, John-117 pursued the signal to the Tower, where he confronted and killed 'Lok. Despite being freed from the torture device, Griffin succumbed to his wounds, but told John-117 of the Conservatory. John-117 and the Weapon then traveled to the excavation site, where the Spartan defeated Bassus, and entered the Conservatory. Inside the Conservatory, they watched 117649 Despondent Pyre being captured by Skimmers. Pyre was tortured and interrogated by the Harbinger, who retrieved the monitor's Encephalon. With Pyre seemingly destroyed, submonitor Adjutant Resolution was activated. The Harbinger left for the surface, with John-117 in pursuit. At the entrance of the Conservatory, John-117 confronted the Harbinger, but was unable to prevent her from activating the Reformation using Pyre's Encephalon. 43 Reformation Spires, including one Command Spire, began appearing at various locations on the ring, awaiting an initiation sequence. The Harbinger escaped, with the Spartan heading to the Reformation Spire that materialized outside the Conservatory.

Preventing the Reformation

John-117 fought through Banished defenses, including a pair of Mgalekgolo, at the base of the Reformation Spire, and entered the structure. Inside, the Spartan and the Weapon met Adjutant Resolution, who told them of the Spire's purpose: to rebuild the ring. John-117 ordered the Weapon to shut down the Reformation Spire to prevent the ring from being made operable. Adjutant Resolution attempted to intervene, leading to a short battle at Spire's observation platform, with John-117 defeating the submonitor in its armored chassis. The Weapon took the Spire offline, and they escaped the collapsing tower onboard Echo 216, with the Command Spire as their next objective.

However, while en route to the Command Spire, Echo 216 crash landed on the ring after taking fire from three Gorespike cannons. John-117 proceeded to the three cannons, eliminating the Banished defenses and destroying each cannon with the help of the Weapon. Escharum ordered the deployment of Hand of Atriox, with Tovarus and Hyperius attempting an intercept on John-117. They failed to deter the Spartan's progress, being killed by John-117. The Harbinger, anticipating the Chief's intent to shut down the Reformation, had Escharum set up defenses at the Command Spire, while she modified the data sequence for accessing the Spire. Intending to challenge the Master Chief in a duel, Escharum ordered Jega 'Rdomnai to capture the Spartan.

With the Harbinger modifying the sequence, John-117 and the Weapon arrived at the Command Spire to find its entrance under lockdown. They fought through Banished defenses to access four Forerunner beacons nearby, where the Weapon reconstructed a pure version of the sequence to access the Spire. The Harbinger, having realized that there is something guiding the Master Chief, scanned the Weapon and confirmed her existence while the Weapon was accessing the data strands beneath the Forerunner beacons. John-117 and the Weapon returned to the Command Spire, first passing through the Nexus located at the base of the Spire. The Banished troops inside, despite being reinforced by Sentinel Aggressors that were in support of initiating the Reformation, failed to fend off the Spartan, and John-117 uploaded the Weapon into the Nexus to activate the gravity lift to access the Spire. While the Weapon was in the system, the Harbinger hijacked the Weapon's routines, which, when paired with Despondent Pyre's Encephalon, would correctly initialise the Reformation. However, the Weapon infiltrated the systems and retrieved Pyre's Encephalon, that would allowing her to halt the Reformation. John-117 and the Weapon entered the Command Spire, where they defeated the Banished and Sentinel defenses, including Adjutant Resolution, then shut down the Reformation. However, the Silent Auditorium was already partially rebuilt, and Escharum asked the Harbinger if that would be sufficient to carry out her plans.

Test of legends

"Our battle ends here. Bear witness! Our story will become legend. Told by those that survive you."

— Escharum to John-117 as he prepare to fight John-117.

When Fernando Esparza flew Echo 216 towards the crumbling Command Spire to pick up John-117, Jega 'Rdomnai revealed himself in the cockpit, having boarded the Pelican at some point. The Sangheili took Esparza hostage, using the pilot as a bait to lure John-117 into a confrontation with Escharum. To escape the crumbling Spire, John-117 entered a portal activated by the Weapon. They were transported to the Repository, where they fought through Banished troops and Sentinels to the surface, and, from there, they stormed the House of Reckoning, destroying the Banished defenses along the way. Inside, Escharum had John-117 fight through multiple waves of Banished troops in two arenas constructed from UNSC ordnance and buildings. John-117 fought Jega 'Rdomnai in a duel, emerging victorious and finally confronting Escharum at the chamber where Esparza was held. Escharum protected himself with a shielding system which redirected gunfire to the gravity wells holding Esparza. The Weapon helped John-117 locate and destroy the relay transmitters supporting the shielding system, allowing the Spartan to breach the shields and take down Escharum. In his final moments, Escharum assured John-117 that his death will only inspire further conflict. With Esparza rescued, the trio recovered Echo 216 and Esparza flew John-117 to the Silent Auditorium to stop the Harbinger.

Although the Banished set up defenses at the Silent Auditorium to protect the Harbinger, John-117 breached the main chamber with the help of Adjutant Resolution. The Spartan fought through the Banished forces defending the Harbinger, and the Harbinger herself as she interfaced with the transmitters in the main chamber to locate members of her species, the Endless. Despite the Weapon's attempt to intervene with the transmission, and John-117 defeating the Harbinger in battle, the Harbinger claimed her people have been found, and that they would be unleashed. The Auditorium began to collapse, but a portal suddenly appeared, allowing the two to escape. On the other side of the portal, they found themselves having traveled three days into the future. They were extracted by Echo 216, and taken to Outpost Tremonius.

Timeline

December 12, 2559

• A fleet of UNSC vessels led by the UNSC Infinity is ambushed by Banished forces over Installation 07. Captain Lasky orders all hands to abandon ship.
• John-117 engages Atriox in a hangar onboard the Infinty and is thrown into space. The ship is presumed destroyed.
• The surviving Infinity crew land on the Ring and attempt to take out Banished artillery.

December 13, 2559

• In an effort to stop Atriox from using the Ring, Cortana destroys a portion of the installation, killing herself in the process. The UNSC survivors on the Ring's surface attempt to escape the destruction, Cortana's activities unwittingly leveling the playing field by taking out one of the Banished artillery positions.
• During the destruction event, Installation 07, along with the debris from the space battle, were transported away from the the Ephsu system to an unknown location.
• Spartan Tomas Horvath is separated from the rest of Fireteam Intrepid in the chaotic aftermath of Cortana's actions.

December 15, 2559

• Spartan Makovich discovers the crash site of the UNSC Mortal Reverie and determines it to be a viable location for the UNSC's base of operations.

December 18, 2559

• Spartan Bonita Stone debriefs Spartan Hudson Griffin about Banished activity on the Ring

December 26, 2559

• Spartan Horvath of Fireteam Intrepid attempts to send a transmission to other UNSC survivors and encounters Brutes, seeking to reinforce a key chokepoint. He narrowly avoids detection.

December 28, 2559

• Spartan Theodore Sorel and a group of marines observe Zeta Halo's self-repair functions as Sentinels repair the damage done by Cortana.

January 8, 2560

• Spartan Horvath makes his way to a Banished gun battery and attempts to contact any other UNSC survivors, but none are in range. He overhears two Elites discussing the Banished victory.

January 20, 2560

• Spartan Nina Kovan scouts the Banished deep within the red zone, discovering a potential vulnerability of the enemy in that without Atriox, many are now infighting. Only Escharum's leadership keeps them in check.

January 23, 2560

• Spartan Griffin organizes a mission to assassinate Escharum via a four-man team led by himself. He leaves Spartan Vettel in charge of the forces at the Reverie.

January 30, 2560

• Spartan Griffin's team is ambushed by Escharum and all are killed except him. Escharum informs him of his team's demise and of the Banished's impending assault on the Mortal Reverie. Griffin is able to send out an encoded message, warning the other UNSC survivors and telling them to abandon the vessel.
• The survivors at the Reverie are only able to receive part of Griffin's transmission and, having not heard his order to flee, dig in for an assault by the Banished.

January 31, 2560

• While preparing for the Banished assault, Spartans Makovich and Vettel discuss the UNSC's inability to win the upcoming battle and their dwindling options for the future.
• Spartan Stone recons Riven Gate with Boulder Squad and reports a massive Banished invasion force headed for the Reverie, and that they would be there by nightfall.

February 2, 2560

• Spartan Vettel orders the UNSC survivors to retreat from the Banished assault.

March 3, 2560

• The UNSC loses all of its remaining Forward Operating Bases on the Ring by this date.
• Spartans Makovich, Stone, Vettel, and Sorel regroup with some survivors.

April 23, 2560

• Spartan Stone recons Outpost Tremonius and sends a transmission to the other Spartans that the Banished are sending forces to another excavation site.
• Spartan Vettel ambushes a Banished patrol to inquire about the whereabouts of Spartan Griffin's team.

April 24, 2560

• Spartans Makovich and Sorel observe Banished activity around the Conservatory and realize the Banished are looking for Installation 07's monitor.

April 26, 2560

• Spartan Stone, having made it into the Ring's subsurface infrastructure, finds the Cylixes holding the Endless. She picks up a UNSC signal deeper inside the Ring and follows it. She is discovered by Banished forces and subsequently killed.

April 29, 2560

• Spartan Vettel sends out a signal to any remaining UNSC transmitters that he intends to assault Chak Lok's fortress and rescue Spartan Griffin.

May 15, 2560

• Spartans Makovich and Sorel follow the Banished into the Conservatory with the intent to deny them from finding the monitor.
• Inside the Conservatory, the two Spartans encounter Jega 'Rdomnai. Makovich stays behind to face off against the Sangheili and orders Sorel to go on without her. She is killed by the stealthed 'Rdomnai with a single stab to the back.
• The wounded Sorel encounters a Banished force led by Hyperius and Tovarus. He manages to take out many Banished before being slain.

May 26, 2560

• Far from any surviving UNSC personnel, Spartan Horvath makes a final transmission on UNSC channels that he is heading up-spin beyond the reach of the Banished to look for survivors and Fireteam Intrepid. Having had no contact with any UNSC personnel, he makes an open plea to the Master Chief that they need him now more than ever.

May 28, 2560

• John-117 is recovered from the remnants of the battle between the UNSC Infinity and the Banished by Echo 216 and its pilot.
• Escharum discovers that John-117 has returned thanks to the latter's participation in the destruction of the Ghost of Gbraakon.
• John-117 recovers the Weapon underneath the surface of Installation 07 and defeats Tremonius.
• John-117 rescues the captured Marines, takes down various high-value targets, assists the survivors in capturing various Forward Operating Bases or FOBs, and shuts down various Banished facilities.
• John-117 defeats Chak 'Lok inside his Tower and learns of a Banished mining operation into the Conservatory thanks to Spartan Griffin, who dies of his torture.
• The Weapon helps John-117 defeat Bassus at the Excavation Site and shut down the drill preventing entry into the Conservatory.
• The Weapon learns of a mysterious entity worse than the Flood recovered from a past exchange between Cortana and 117649 Despondent Pyre prior to the arrival of the UNSC Infinity.
• John-117 meets the Harbinger, whose plans are to free the Endless from the Cylixes.
• John-117 and the Weapon learn that the Harbinger and the Banished are planning to repair Installation 07 through Forerunner Spires.
• Echo 216 gets shot down by 3 Banished AA cannons en route to the Command Spire.
• John-117 disables the AA cannons and defeat Hyperius and Tovarus.
• The Harbinger springs a trap on the Weapon while extracting the data needed to enter the Command Spire.
• While exploring the Command Spire, more of Cortana's past actions are revealed, including her role in the destruction of Laconia Station at the hands of the AI Leonidas.
• John-117 shuts downs all of the Spires, but the Pilot is captured by Jega 'Rdomnai.
• En route to the Pilot's rescue, the Weapon discovers that Cortana destroyed Doisac because Atriox refused to join the Created.
• John-117 survives the House of Reckoning, defeats the remaining Banished leaders, and rescues the Pilot.
• John-117 and the Weapon discover the true purpose of the Silent Auditorium, the site of Cortana's sacrifice, and defeats the Harbinger.

May 31, 2560

• Echo 216 picks up John-117 and the Weapon from another location within Installation 07. The pilot is revealed to be Fernando Esparza, a civilian engineer. Atriox discovers the Endless in their Cylixes.

Participants

UNSC Starships Fleet Class Name Status Unknown Infinity-class supercarrier UNSC Infinity Destroyed Mulsanne-class frigate UNSC Mortal Reverie Destroyed Military personnel Branch Rank Name Status UNSC Navy Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 Survived Captain Thomas Lasky Unknown Spartan Operations Spartan Bertold Vettel Unknown Bonita Stone KIA Dimka Unknown Henri Malik KIA Hudson Griffin KIA Intrepid One Unknown Jameson Locke Unknown Nina Kovan Unknown Oshiro Unknown Panago KIA Sarkar KIA Theodore Sorel KIA Tomas Horvath Survived Vedrana Makovich KIA M. Jaide Unknown Rosado Unknown Unknown Spartan Unknown UNSC Marine Corps First Lieutenant Floyd Unknown Sergeant Kevin Mahoney KIA Corporal Leah Rodriguez Unknown Private First Class Miyazaki Unknown Theodore Higgins Unknown Private Chamberlain Unknown Eleanor Cline KIA Michael Buck Unknown Units Spartan Operations Fireteam Intrepid Fireteam Taurus Fireteam Windfall UNSC Marine Corps Barracuda Squad Bengal Squad Bluebell Squad Boulder Squad Boxer Squad Carrera Squad Cayman Squad Cobra Squad Courier Squad Fortune Squad Foxhound Squad Harpoon Squad Indiana Squad Jester Squad Lancer Squad Paladin Squad Pronto Squad Pyramid Squad Starlight Squad Thunder Squad Titan Squad Vehicles Type Name Status Pelican Echo 216 Active Artificial intelligences Main article: Artificial intelligence Name Status "The Weapon" Survived Civilians Name Status Fernando Esparza Survived

Banished Starships Fleet Class Name Status Unknown Banished dreadnought Ghost of Gbraakon Destroyed Ghost of Lodon Unknown Ghost of Tiacoro Unknown Military personnel Branch Rank Name Status Command Warmaster Atriox Survived War Chief Escharum KIA Hand of Atriox Spartan Killer (Blademaster) Jega 'Rdomnai KIA Spartan Killer Tovarus KIA Hyperius KIA Beholders of the One Vapor High Sumpter Briglard KIA Bloodbrave Blademaster Okro 'Vagaduun KIA Bloodstars Arch Khordat Barroth KIA General Inka 'Saham KIA Brothers of Unending Ire Captain Arthoc KIA Bulwark of Bone Chieftain En'Geddon KIA Exodus Guard Captain Balkarus KIA Heart of Tala Unknown Bipbap KIA Hordeworms of Svir Unknown Myriad KIA Kaepra's Grief Wraithmaster Ordo 'Mal KIA Lance of the Writhing Star Battle Officer Zeretus KIA Thieves of the Claw Skirmisher Writh Kul KIA Warial's Wrath Chieftain Ik'novus KIA Warriors of Malaston Kaidon Thav 'Sebarim KIA Unknown Warlord Bassus KIA Tremonius KIA Warlord Chak 'Lok KIA Communications Officer Glibnub Unknown Units Legions Legion of the Corpse-Moon Clan of the Ravaged Tusks Clans and crews Lance of the Writhing Star Exodus Guard Bulwark of Bone Warial's Wrath Brother's of Undending Ire Heart of Tala Beholders of the One Vapor Sclera of Chu'ot Thieves of the Claw Hordeworms of Svir Warriors of Malaston Valorguards of the Chosen Bloodbrave Guardian of Suban Kaepra's Grief Other units Bloodstars

Spoilers end here.

Gallery

• 
• 

  An Unggoy firing a shade turret.

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  John-117 throwing a Spike grenade at a Jiralhanae.

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  Various Banished forces engage John-117.

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  John-117 inside a Forerunner facility on the ring.

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  John-117 in the control room-like facility.

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  Master Chief reviewing the results of the conflict with the Banished.

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  A holographic representation of the ring, broken after the battle.

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  John-117 fighting Banished forces at Ransom Keep.

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  Harbinger and John-117 fighting one another.

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  UNSC Infinity being rammed by a Banished dreadnought during the space battle over Zeta Halo.

List of appearances

• Discover Hope (First appearance)
• Become
  • Carry On
  • Forever We Fight
• Halo Infinite
• Halo: The Rubicon Protocol