Operation: SKADHI

Operation: SKADHI, commonly known within Spartan Branch Intelligence simply as the Hunt for Codename: EGOR, was an over two year operation conducted in order to apprehend Leonid-144, in the hopes of discovering the reasoning and background of the embarrassing Operation: SUNSHINE debacle that unfolded in the aftermath of the

Background and History
For most of the early years following the activation of the, the newly formed remained largely remained largely dependent on assets from other elements of the  in order to operate. ships transported Spartans, assets provided air support, and  provided all intelligence. The and, while reliant to a degree on cross-branch assistance, nevertheless maintained separate assets, allowing themselves greater independence. While too small in it’s early years to change this, the founders of the new branch remained envious and kept an eye on the future, looking for opportunities to deal with this perceived issue.

For several years, stonewalled any efforts made by the fledgling branch to expand the variety of it’s capabilities. Despite strong objections from the Spartan Four program’s principal creator,, and the support of both retired and current Commander-in-Chief’s of ONI,  and , several members of the  repeatedly vetoed attempts. Without a proven track record of success, they were skeptical of the branch’s ability and even whether or not it was necessary. A number of members still clung to the traditional view that Spartans belonged within the traditional branches, operating out of the existing divisions, as had been the standard during the   The unorthodox practices embraced by Spartan, including the absence of official ranks and the greater individual autonomy granted to Spartan operatives, was an affront in their eyes and a sign that the branch was more an experiment than a legitimate military division.

As time passed, however, the efforts to expand Spartan gained ground. Between 2553 and 2557, Spartan forces were deployed extensively to fronts such as {{Halopedian|Draetheus_V|Draetheus V, {{Halopedian|Talitsa}}, {{Halopedian|Installation_03|Installation 03}}, and {{Halopedian|Requiem}}, their exemplary performance giving efforts to legitimize Spartan branch traction with the Security Council. At the same time, the founders of Spartan increasingly felt their independence threatened by their powerless position. Without any formalized leadership to speak of, local Spartan contingent commanders were voiceless on larger issues, as was the case during the {{Halopedian|First_Battle_of_Requiem|initial Requiem engagement}}. Entirely reliant on ONI for intel, they could be manipulated or abused by ONI without any form of response.

As the {{Halopedian|Requiem_campaign|Second Battle of Requiem}} began and the engagement morphed into a fully fledged campaign, with Spartan assets leading the operations, Spartan made another overture to HighCom and were finally awarded approval. As combat operations against {{Halopedian|Jul_’Mdama|Jul ‘Mdama}} raged, a collection of experienced special forces commanders and admirals from other branches were assembled and given control of the branch. Many were either experienced working with Spartans or drawn from the ranks of Spartans themselves, including such storied individuals as {{Halopedian|Urban_Holland}},, {{Halopedian|Fhajad-084}}, {{Halopedian|Jun-A266}}, and {{Halopedian|Aaron_Gibson|Aaron Gibson}}.

The new “Spartan Brass” was faced with issues, however, mere weeks after it’s activation. Following the conclusion of the Requiem campaign, an embarrassing Section Zero cover mission, known as Operation: SUNSHINE was exposed. Spartan realized that it’s ranks had been infiltrated, with a Section Zero hitman, Codename: EGOR, posing as a fire team aboard the {{Halopedian|UNSC_Infinity|UNSC Infinity}} in order to hide him. Eager to set an example that they would no longer tolerate ONI’s interference with their forces, Spartan Branch used the incident, as an opportunity to launch their own intelligence agency.

Spartan Intel, as it came to be known, was tasked with a number of varied objectives, but the majority of the resources were devoted to Operation: SKADHI, the mission to capture Codename: EGOR. Initial efforts went poorly; Spartan Branch lacked qualified intelligence personnel of it’s own, and those it recruited from outside agencies were generally sub-par. After several months without progress, Spartan Intel, in desperation, handed over control of the mission to Spartan {{Halopedian|Jared_Miller|Jared Miller}}, known in the aftermath of the Operation: SUNSHINE debacle as Codename: MONTAGUE.

Miller, under the pseudonym of MONTAGUE, took the reins of the operation and produced quick results. Using Section Zero methodology learned from years of experience as an agent for the internal affairs division, MONTAGUE tightened communications, spread avenues of investigation, and formed a strike team from the best and brightest of the Spartan Four contingent, designated Fireteam Granite. By reducing ONI’s ability to spy on Spartan’s investigation and improving the actual search, MONTAGUE managed to acquire EGOR’s trail in May of 2559, six months after taking control of the investigation.

The mission ended in disaster when agents of a mysterious outside party intervened, prompting Spartan Brass to temporarily remove MONTAGUE from the case. MONTAGUE, however, managed to convince Admiral Gibson, controlling officer of Spartan Intel, to return him and his private strike team to the case, prompting further progress. Roughly one year later, the SPARTAN-II Class III Gold Team were brought onboard, at personal request, to supplement Fireteam Granite. This addition proved fortuitous, as the entire strike team narrowly escaped death during their second mission to apprehend EGOR.

Despite progress stalling in the aftermath of the failed second mission, the operation received new life when Colonel Griffin Standoff, an ex-ONI officer, came forward with information on the location of EGOR. Standoff demanded a place on the pursuit team in exchange for the information, however, seeking to capture or kill EGOR for his own reasons. Despite misgivings, MONTAGUE grudgingly accepted the offer, and the combined strike team promptly launched a third and final mission to apprehend EGOR. When this mission ended in disaster, Spartan Intel re-assessed the necessity of the entire operation, and with resources needed to battle the resurgent Remnant, reluctantly discontinued pursuit of EGOR.

Internal

 * Ares Logs
 * Operation: SUNSHINE
 * Leonid-144
 * Operation: BLUE NIGHTS
 * ONI Section Zero
 * Operation: VORAUSSICHT
 * Leonidan Logs
 * The Leonidans
 * ARES Program
 * Gold Team
 * Roger-341