UNSC Sphinx - Combat Report-July 18, 2544

"July 28, 2544 (Military Calendar)""Combat Report A95774-UNSC/NAVY/ONI""Subject: Battle of Miridem/Associated Operations""Reporting Officer: Commander Lucius R. Jiron, UNSC/ONI/ UNSCMID: 37148-74471-LJ" Confidential - Tier 1 clearance required to View On July 1, 2544, Spartan Teams, Blue and Gold were ordered into battle on the human inner colony of Miridem, against an incursion by Covenant forces. Whilst comparatively smaller to other human colonies, Miridem's dense population warranted the deployment of these vital assets in its defence. Spartan personal involved in operations consisted of the following. Blue Team Gold Team "Combat Report"Spartan personnel would make planetfall on July 2, 2544, at 18:03 hours (Military Time) being immediately deployed in defence of the planet. Both Teams would be ordered to commence defensive combat operations to cover civilian evacuations of Miridem's capital city, Saphis, which whilst successful in preventing Covenant forces from overrunning the evacuation zones, would not prevent the deaths of most of the planet's population due to the presence of Covenant warships in orbit. Between July 2 and July 15, The Spartan personnel would account for the deaths of an estimated 200,000 Covenant soldiers, in addition to the destruction of one CCS-class battlecruiser, in Operation: DREADNAUGHT. "Operation: DREADNAUGHT"On July 2, UNSC Forces led by Blue Team, supported by Gold Team, would attack a Covenant Forward Operating Base, situated in the former Saphis City Park, which was directly supplying the Covenant Army attacking the city. Gold Team would serve as a diversionary force, attacking a Covenant supply convoy en route to units on the frontline, which would draw away a large portion of the defenders and air assets, assigned to protect the site.
 * Master Chief Petty Officer, John-117 - Blue Leader
 * Petty Officer First Class, Kelly-087 - Blue 2
 * Petty Officer Second, Class Fred-104 - Blue 3
 * Chief Petty Officer, Sheila-065 - Gold Leader
 * Petty Officer First Class, Arthur-079 - Gold 2
 * Petty Officer Second Class, Solomon-069 - Gold 3
 * Petty Officer Second Class, Joseph-122 - Gold 4

Blue team would split into three groups, supported by Marine and ODST personnel, attacking from three directions simultaneously. John-117 and Fred-104 would lead two heavy assault groups in attacking the fuel reserves and storage facilities, to draw away the base's few remaining defenders, which would allow Kelly-087 and a small group of elite ODST's to infiltrate into the heart of the base to plant a pair of HAVOK tactical nuclear weapons. Fortunately, prior to the attack a Damaged CCS-class battlecruiser, with disabled weaponry had chosen to land and effect repairs, having activated its gravity lift in order to transfer supplies and equipment from the base below. This would allow Kelly-087 to plant one of the bombs inside the ship before its crew could disengage the lift and retire the ship to a safe distance. Upon Spartan-087 informing command of her success, all remaining UNSC forces would disengage under the cover of a concentrated artillery barrage, retiring to a safe distance before the nuclear weapons detonated, destroying the base, in addition to the CCS-class battlecruiser."Evacuation of Asset (Charlie Hotel)"On July 7, Gold Team would be informed of the presence of a tier-one asset (Callsign: Charlie Hotel), present on the planet, situated in ONI facility, CITADEL Base. Upon arrival, Gold Team would identify the asset as Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, who required assistance in evacuating herself and her team from the planet. Gold team would split into two separate groups, with Sheila-065 and Joseph-122 providing an escort for Doctor Halsey and her team, whilst Arthur-079 and Solomon-069 remained behind to enforce the Cole Protocol, by destroying any information or research contained within CITADEL Base, denying it to the Covenant.

Spartan Joseph-122 would take-point, engaging Covenant snipers that were attempting to harass the group. Unfortunately, he would then be struck by a blamite needle projectile, which penetrated through his left knee joint, disabling him and leaving him unable to move. Sheila-065 would then engage and eliminate the sniper before they could reacquire the incapacitated Spartan. Sheila would then move Joseph into safety, where Doctor Halsey would give him emergency first aid, saving his leg. However, despite the threat of being outnumbered by a waiting enemy, and Joseph's protests that he could still fight, they would be forced to leave him behind and continue with only Sheila as protection. Before leaving Joseph, Sheila would report her comrade's condition and location to the other Spartans, and her intention to escort Doctor Halsey and her team to a waiting evacuation shuttle and requested support. Both Blue Team and the remaining members of Gold Team would receive this request, although the latter was unable to respond due to needing to repel a 'significant' Covenant attack on CITADEL Base. Blue Team, however, would move to support her and to recover Joseph from where Sheila had left him.

Despite the odds against her, Sheila would successfully escort Halsey and her team to their shuttle without loss. However, as they were boarding, Sheila was engaged by an Elite Major, whom it was believed, was attempting to capture or kill the Doctor and her team. Sheila would engage in hand to hand combat with the Elite, holding it off until the ship could lift off. Unfortunately, the Elite would then impale Sheila through her chest killing her instantly, which was directly witnessed by Doctor Halsey from the shuttle as it launched. Sheila's body would later be recovered by John-117, and Fred-104, whilst Kelly-087 would assist Joseph in returning to CITADEL Base, where Arthur and Solomon had successfully repelled the attacking Battalion sized enemy force.

Shortly after its launch, Vice Admiral Berlin M. Tursk would report to myself that Doctor Halsey's evacuation ship had been seized by Covenant forces, a final message from which reported that Halsey had entered Cryosleep, prior to the ship being boarded and that the crew were enacting the Cole Protocol. After which only the signal from Halsey's Cyropod was all that remained, leaving Halsey as the only survivor from the attack. Which was then tracked to a Covenant fleet of thirteen ships on an outbound vector from the system, confirming assumptions that she had indeed been captured alive, prompting a rescue mission, codenamed 'Operation: WARM BLANKET' to be launched."Operation: WARM BLANKET"Operation: Warm Blanket was a mission to locate Doctor Halsey and rescue her from the Covenant fleet before it exited a stellar magnetic field that prevented them from jumping to slipspace. Informing them that if they failed in their mission, the UNSC would be forced to liquidate the doctor by attacking the enemy fleet.

For the rescue mission, my ship, as the nearest Prowler would serve as a launch and recovery ship for the Spartan assault team. Which consisted of the remaining Spartan personnel, merged into a reinforced Blue Team. Joseph-122 would not be pleased with this decision, claiming that he was still a useful member of the team. However, John would painfully illustrate exactly why Joseph could not participate by having him standing on his leg unaided. Which he managed, although in extreme pain, until he was asked to walk on it, at which point he collapsed in agony, finally accepting that he wouldn't participate in the operation.

Blue Team would launch from the prowler at 02:22 hours shipboard time, using five OF92 Booster Frames, with Joseph watching next to me on the bridge. They moved immediately to intercept the fleet. Quickly identifying the target ship, which was broadcasting a signal that matched the one from Halsey's Cryopod. Unfortunately, the Covenant had realised the importance of their catch and had mimicked Halsey's signal. This effort would prove fruitful as Solomon would board the ship, with Kelly providing support. Unbeknownst to the Spartans, the ship had been rigged with an antimatter bomb as a trap against the Spartans. The resulting blast killed Solomon instantly, but Kelly would survive thanks to the warning John gave her.

As a result of all of the escorting cruisers broadcasting the same signal, John would determine that Halsey was being held on the fleet flagship, a CAS-class assault carrier, which the four remaining Spartans fought their way to. Unfortunately, a squadron of Seraph fighters would engage, critically damaging Kelly's booster frame. Arthur then dropped back to provide cover for his comrades but was crushed between two cruisers, killing him also. Kelly would then abandon her mortally wounded craft, boarding Fred's booster frame in flight, and manning his crafts aft turret. Finally, the Spartans made their run-in to their target, firing the entire armaments of their craft, before abandoning them as the Gauss cannons had EMP'd them in the process.

Upon boarding, the Spartans would encounter stiff enemy resistance, indicating their assumption was correct and that Halsey was aboard the ship. John, Kelly and Fred would 'sprint' their way through the ship, eliminating threats as they went. Until they encountered a group of Elites, which Fred chose to remain behind to hold off, allowing John and Kelly to proceed forwards, through the ship's interior. Then, to stop the Spartans, the shipmaster would begin detaching parts of the ship, which succeeded in stopping Kelly, but John would make it through, and reach Doctor Halsey's location.

After freeing the Doctor from her Cryopod, the two would flee through the ship, looking for a method of escape. Unfortunately, they found an Elite Major, whom Halsey identified as the same one who had killed Sheila. The Elite would then challenge John to, and best him in a duel, however, before the Elite could deliver the killing blow, the ship detached its aft section, and dragged the Major away. John and Halsey would then flee the aft section before it could be scuttled, utilising a Covenant escape pod as a mode of transport. Kelly and Fred would then cover their escape with a captured Seraph fighter, until I had the Prowler 'de-cloak' and shoot down the remaining hostile fighters with our point defence weapons, allowing both commandeered craft to land, where ONI technicians aboard were able to disable any tracking systems aboard them, allowing for later analysis by Section Three personnel.

Following the recovery of the surviving Spartans, I was ordered to return to Miridem, where John would be tasked with carrying out Operation: IRON FIST, a single Spartan operation to destroy Miridem's primary data archive with a HAVOK Tactical Nuke, before the Covenant capturing the facility. After which he would be evacuated simultaneously with the final wave of surviving UNSC forces, as the planet by this time had been declared lost. After which I set course for an outbound vector from the system, as per the Cole Protocol, just as a fresh Covenant fleet arrived and commenced to glass the planet."After-action Report"Per ONI Directive 930, Spartan's Sheila-065, Arthur-079 and Solomon-069 are to be listed as missing in action, lost under heavy combat on Miridem. Spartan Team Gold is also hereby to be 'temporarily' disbanded, Officially due to attrition sustained in combat. The name Gold Team is also to be stricken from the list of active Spartan-II teams until a time when its reintroduction can be facilitated.

Spartan, Joseph-122, will require three months of rest to allow his wound to successfully heal, according to my chief medical officer, and Doctor Halsey, both of whom have examined his wound. Additionally, Master Chief Petty Officer, John-117, has formally requested that once he has recovered, Joseph-122 is to be assigned to Blue Team, citing a concern for his comrade's mental well-being, due to the loss of his three teammates.

My ship is at present en route back to Reach, where I will discharge my Spartan cargo, and take my ship into a much needed period of refit and repair, which will allow myself and my crew, some much-needed downtime.

Signed-  Commander Lucius R. Jiron, Office of Naval Intelligence Commanding Officer, UNSC Sphinx, PRO-49776