User:TheLostJedi/Gold Team (TheLostJedi)

Gold Team was a United Nations Space Command SPARTAN-II military infantry element.

Overview
Originally in 2517 when the unit was created, Franklin-001, Jai-006, Kirk-018, Callum-026, Kurt-051, Maria-062, Graham-089 and Tyler-096 were conscripted to Gold Team. Though Kurt was later transferred to lead Green Team and Jai-006 was reassigned to Grey Team instead. To replenish lost ranks, Robert-028 from Red Team and Neoklis-128 from Blue Team were subsequently transferred to Gold. As a result of augmentation however, Gold Team, like others suffered a downsize due to the deaths of squad members. Minor reorganisation followed and another previous Blue Team member, James-077 was transferred to the squad. Following plentiful engagements in the Human-Covenant War, Gold Team eventually disbanded after the Spartan supersoldiers slowly became either missing or killed in action.

Long-term Members

 * Graham-089 (Gold One)
 * Robert-028 (Gold Two) - Transferred from Red Team, 2518.
 * James-077 (Gold Three) - Transferred from Blue Team, 2525.
 * Callum-026 (Gold Four)
 * Neoklis-128 (Gold Five) - Transferred from Blue Team, 2518.
 * Maria-062 (Gold Six)

Former Members

 * Kurt-051 (previous Gold Two) - Transferred to Green Team, 2518.
 * Kirk-018 (previous Gold Three) - Discharged after unsuccessful augmentation, 2525.
 * Jai-006 (previous Gold Five) - Transferred to Grey Team, 2518.
 * Franklin-001 (previous Gold Seven) - Died after unsuccessful augmentation, 2525.
 * Tyler-096 (previous Gold Eight) - Died after unsuccessful augmentation, 2525.

Conception and Training
By 2517, Dr. Catherine Halsey of the ONI Section III received sufficient funding to induct 75 out of the 150 identified SPARTAN-II Program candidates. On the 24th September, the candidates were abducted and taken to the Spartan training facility on Reach, where they were grouped in to teams fit for various training exercises. As such, the Spartan children, Franklin-001, Jai-006, Kirk-018, Callum-026, Kurt-051, Maria-062, Graham-089 and Tyler-096 were selected to form Gold Team. While Graham was drafted to command the team, Kurt began to show similar and often conflicting leadership traits. As the format of the Spartan units required teamwork to function, Kurt was transferred to Green Team, where he would be able to take control of the unit. Meanwhile another transfer was being considered; over their first year of training, a minority of Spartans including Jai-006 had repeatedly attempted to escape their training facilities on Reach. In 2518 he was removed from Gold Team via the suggestion of Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez to form a new team with the other resisting Spartans.

In order to reconcile the numbers in the other units, two Spartans, Robert-028 and Neoklis-128, from Red and Blue Team respectively, were reassigned to Gold. Already fond and respectful of their previous teams; colour traits would reflect years later in their customized armour variants. However in the meantime, Officer Mendez intended to use scheduled training sessions at the Chiron Test Station on Mars as a way to bond the current members together. There Gold Team learned how to use specialist micro-gravity equipment and martial arts in the training facilities, skills which Callum-026 keenly developed. On return to Reach, the team continued their training and interaction with the other Spartan units. Robert's talent for reconnaissance became invaluable during field exercises, providing Gold Team with advantageous intelligence. Whilst the rest of the team's assault strength had grown from their Mars experiences. Neoklis soon became known for his use of diversion and outwitting the enemy.

During one scenario on Reach's surface, Neoklis and Robert were paired by Graham and sent to scout for the opposition's base. They were ambushed but Neoklis evaded capture and covertly followed Robert after he was taken by Green Team. At their outpost Robert relayed intelligence back to Neoklis, so that Graham could plan Gold Team's strike, using an exploitable drainage line running under the base, which consequently shattered Green Team's unbeatable reputation in late July 2520. Upon physical augmentation on the 9th March 2525, only 34 of the 75 Spartans survived the process. It affected Gold Team severely, with Kirk crippled and discharged from active service, in addition to the deaths of Franklin and Tyler. Misfortune continued to besiege the squad as Robert suffered an ill reaction to the procedures and his name was moved across from the 34 who had survived, to becomming the 30th Spartan to have died in the process. Those deceased who had a chance of being saved were cryogenically frozen by Halsey's scientists, although the projection for their survival was grim. Gold Team's size depleted to four members, yet only one more Spartan James-077 was reassigned from another squad, due to the loss of Spartans across the program.

Early Career
Shortly after their physical augmentation, on the 12th September 2525 Gold Team were assigned with their first mission, along with the rest of the withstanding Spartans to capture high ranking personnel of the Eridanus Rebels. Gold Team were chosen for Operation: LIGHTSWITCH. An imperative assignment preceeding the capture of the former Colonel, Robert Watts. Their objective: to acquire intel regarding the Colonel through the immediate interrogation and extraction of the Rebel informant, Lieutenant David Byrne. Sources had located the target in New Assyria on Gilgamesh as Byrne had been visiting The Lux Casino there as a means to decrypt UNSC files and leak information to the Eridanus Rebels. The Lux Hotel's Naval suite, exclusively occupied by UNSC personnel, would be the staging point for Gold Team to implement their capture of the traitorous Lieutenant. After briefing on the 13th September, the AI Durden, which was built from the mind of Tyler-096 was attached to the squad and they embarked upon their mission.

Using a custom painted black D77-TC, Maria-062 piloted the team onto the rooftop of an adjacent building and the other Spartans zip-lined down to The Lux. After breaking into the top stairwell, Gold Team quietly made their way down to Byrne's suite and proceeded to wait for his arrival. In the meantime New Assyria Law Enforcement had noticed their suspiciously parked Pelican and sent two officers to investigate. When the policemen approached the dropship, they saw no markings to identify the vessel as belonging to the UNSC or NALE and automatically assumed it was stolen. Entering through the troop bay door, the officers ordered Maria to raise her hands in an attempt to arrest her. However Durden interrupted with other ideas. By distracting them with sealling the bay door and then switching off the Pelican's lights, it provided Maria with the opportunity to counter the officers, rendering both unconscious. Roughly two hours after Gold Team checked in, Byrne finally appeared, signed on to the ONI database and poured himself a glass of wine at the room's open balcony.

His next moments followed falling to the floor, after Neoklis-128 sent a tranquilizer dart piercing into the Lieutenant's neck. Graham-089 issued his squad to sweep the area and prepared Byrne for interrogation, removing the handgun on his body. Callum-026 found a storage of Data Crystal Chips and James-077 began investigating the officer's electronic activities. He awoke tied to a chair with tied hands firmly locked behind his back. Graham questioned him but was refused any answer. However after three hours of being tortured with the shocking and frayed wires of a hotel lamp, the Lieutenant reluctantly gave up information on Robert Watts and the Laden, a Parabola-class Freighter that could be used to infiltrate the rebel headquarters Eridanus Secundus. With Byrne secured and their objectives complete, Graham called for transport on the hotel's rooftoop and they left as quietly as they came, albeit with Maria's extra cargo. ONI were responsible for later debriefing and returning the New Assyria Law Enforcement policemen, but the mission was a success.

Battle of Chi Ceti
Chief Petty Officer Mendez and the AI Déjà leave on the 2nd November 2525 to train a new group of supersoldiers. Robert-028 is successfully revived and upon his return to Gold Team, the SPARTAN-IIs are briefed upon the genocidal alien alliance known as the Covenant. Graduation follows the day after with all Spartans receiving the rank of Petty Officer, Second Class. Finally the squads are sent aboard the UNSC Commonwealth with Dr. Halsey to initiate the final stages of Project: MJOLNIR at the Damascus Testing Facility on Chi Ceti IV. Before arriving at the facility however, the Commonwealth is attacked by a Covenant cruiser, the Unrelenting and the Battle of Chi Ceti begins.

Pulse laser fire from the Unrelenting had destroyed the frigate's communications dish and disabled the ship-board AI. Commonwealth returned fire with 180 Archer Missiles, and its heavy MAC was used to successfully penetrate the light cruiser's shields, resulting in a direct strike to the ship's hull and some internal fires. As the Commonwealth prepared another heavy round though, the Unrelenting charged a Plasma Torpedo. Both sides fired simultaneously and struck their targets, forcing the Commonwealth to vent atmosphere, at the cost of disabling its MAC, in order to prevent the torpedo from causing catastrophic damage. The Covenant ship survived the Commonwealth's attack however the second MAC strike tore a hole straight through it.

After being forced to retreat along the edge of the system, the Unrelenting returned to face the UNSC again. However between this time, the Spartans teams were able to land on the planet surface and equip the MJOLNIR Mark IV armour system waiting for them at Damascus. Realizing the EVA capabilities of the MJOLNIR, Squad Leader John-117 gave the order to board the Covenant ship and destroy it from the inside, with the incentive of using the penetration caused by previous MAC fire as their entry point. Pelican transports were used to reach the cruiser, before Graham gave the order for Gold Team to eject from their dropship. Several Sangheili Rangers were deployed to battle, however a successful counterstrike allowed John's team to approach the breached hull and make it inside. Blue Team fought their way to the Unrelenting's engine room and planted their ANVIL-II missiles. Gold Team and the other Spartans returned to the surface of Chi Ceti IV, albeit for the casualty of Samuel-034, who remained behind and ensured the missiles' detonation.

First Battle of Arcadia
As of early February 2531, Office of Naval Intelligence satellites had detected slipspace ruptures in the Procyon System, and Section I responded with an immediate notification to any nearby ships of the UNSC fleet to assist in the evacuation of its colony worlds. Arriving to reinforce the defenses of Arcadia were the ships; the UNSC Belfast, the UNSC Texas, the UNSC Armstrong and the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, of which vessel the SPARTAN-II supersoldiers were currently touring aboard. On the 9th February, two CCS-class Battlecruisers; the Vehement Sorrow and the Stolen Promise exited slipspace in range of Arcadia, provoking the subsequent engagement above the planet. Caught with its shields down, the Sorrow was subjected to a barrage of MAC rounds from the UNSC, resulting in its instantaneous destruction. However the Stolen Promise retaliated with full force.

The Belfast and Texas were obliterated and boarding craft had been sent at the Armstrong. In response, the SPARTAN-IIs were deployed to battle. However the Pillar of Autumn was quickly overwhelmed by Covenant starfighters, causing the delay of its countermeasures. As the space battle continued, Red, Blue and Green teams prepared an assault on the remaining Covenant cruiser, leaving Gold Team to make haste and assist the Armstrong after Tarasque-class heavy fighter squadrons had finally been cleared. By the time Gold Team arrived on the Armstrong, it was already overrun with Covenant boarders. Graham made locating the captain their primary objective and James tapped into the ships local systems. Distressingly the Captain's neural transponder placed him outside of the vessel. Robert suggested checking the bridge in case of a mistake, though James was certain.

Gold Team divided. (To be continued...)