User:DirgeOfCerberus111/Sandbox

This where I draft upcoming articles.

Future Ideas in the Works

 * Toma(?) 'Sefum/Sol 'Sagon - A honest minded Sangheili Minor during the ending years of the war, atleast in time for Reach (bad day). Has a huge crisis of faith and somewhat warily joins Mdama's remnant for a sense of purpose, regrets it, and then buggers off to do something (maybe brief tour of information brooking? Maybe then a librarian and even archaeologist)
 * Badab - Unggoy Ultra turned rebel leader. Lead the Thirteenth Unggoy Disobedience until his demise.
 * Thirteenth Unggoy Disobedience -
 * Battle of Rhododendron (or Rhododendron Campaign?)- Mainly a tool to develop Ragan's character, but will have it's own value stand-alone. Basically a infamous military disaster for the Covenant. Like D-day if everything was going wrong.
 * Inquiry-class Research Vessel - Covenant research vessel class
 * Sharos 'Imamee- Special Operations Commander before Rtas 'Vadum, conspired with the Minister of Resolution/Fervent Intercession to launch Operation: Hallowed Night to take down Spartans, killed as a result.
 * Minister of Resolution/Fervent Intercession/Minor Prophet of Justice- A Margaret Parangosky-esque character for the Covenant and is a head honcho character in the Covenant Army, with tricks, strings, and secret plans galore! Conspired with Sharo to take down Spartans. Unknown fate.

United Independence Front
The United Independence Front, also referred to as the New Tyrian Insurrection, the UIF and Independents, was an armed opposition group who operated on New Tyre and now abroad and who's ranks composed of defected soldiers, unsatisfied colonists, and volunteers.

Founded in 2515 by former soldier Nathaniel Hale, the UIF soon became the predominant rebel group on the planet and fought to overthrow the UNSC and establish New Tyre as an independent sovereignty.

However after over eleven years of struggle, New Tyre came under attack from the Covenant and the UIF allied with the UNSC to save New Tyre and then disbanded to fight the greater enemy for the sake of humanity.

Origins
The UIF was originally a disorganized band of malcontents that operated in Lazoli and were small-time insurgents until the defection of a CMA soldier, Nathaniel Hale. Once he took control his military experience and logistical skill gave the group a whole new lease on life. Hale was able to totally reorganize and rearm the group, very quickly remaking them into a organized militia.

Strategy
The United Independence Front aimed to overthrow the colonial government and replace it with a independent one by defeating the goverment's military forces, dismantling corporate conglomerates, and encouraging military defection and of course armed actions. Against the UNSC's superior strength, the UIF adopted guerrilla-style tactics and asymmetric strategies operating in both the rural countrysides and cities. Rather than trying to hold ground or capture territory, the UIF's strategy focused on a planet-wide guerrilla campaign with aim to spread the UNSC's forces thin across the planet and strain their logistical chains of supply for maximum battlefield effectiveness and degrading enemy morale.

Knowing that they cannot face the UNSC in a open battle they focused on maximizing their tactical advantages. To avoid unnecessary attrition and collateral damage the UIF mounted attacks against the UNSC's command-and-control structure and embarking on a planet-wide sabotage campaign, attacking military checkpoints, logistical trains, cutting communications lines, and knocking down relays in order to build support through their minimally destructive strategies. In the long run they hoped to slowly isolate New Tyre from the UNSC so that they could not hold it any longer and that they may finally liberate it from the UNSC's control.

Ideology
As well as being one of the most prominent rebel groups on New Tyre, the UIF was also considered the most moderate in terms of their methods. A clear set of rules-of-engagement set by General Hale himself eschewed the use of child soldiers, suicide bombers, or the targeting of civilian structures entirely. It gave the UIF a sense of moral high ground over the UNSC and their fellow rebels who used terrorist tactics and bombings.

Skirmish over New Tyre
The Skirmish over New Tyre, also called the Theft of the Illustrious, was a brief but fierce skirmish in orbit over New Tyre. The United Independence Front had successfully orchestrated the theft of an Marathon-class cruiser, renaming it the UIF Spartacus.

The UNSC response was swift and heavy and the resulting fight ended in several ships being damaged. Before the battle could continue a fleet of Covenant ships appeared within the system and the battle ceased. Shortly afterwards the two sides allied with each other to fight the Covenant in the Battle of New Tyre.

Prelude
Since 2515, the United Independence Front had been operating on the world of New Tyre with the aim of making it independent from the UNSC. For the past several years they had slowly been gaining momentum as popular support for their cause rose.

Encouraged by their recent success, including the capture of a frigate and a corvette, insurrectionist General Hale planned for their greatest move yet, the theft of a cruiser. With it, he intended to make savage strikes at the UNSC's military infrastructure, attacking shipyards, military bases, and logistics chains surrounding New Tyre without risking civilian or collateral damage. "throwing the UNSC a curveball" as Hale put it, and that was the inspiration of the operation's codename.

Operation: CURVEBALL
Hale's goal was the capture the UNSC Illustrious, a fairly new ship laid in New Tyre's shipyards for repairs after an engagement with an as-of-yet unknown enemy (Covenant). The plan called for several maneuvers to be pulled off. The UIF launched several decoy attacks on New Tyre around New Tyzena and Korae, including smaller but overt raids on UNSC bases. Trusting that this would keep the UNSC's eyes off the ship while the UIF made their move, Hale commenced Phase 2 of CURVEBALL.

Most of the crew were away while repairs were underway, leaving only a security detail and a minimal amount of crew to occupy it. Passing themselves off as part of the repair crew, a covert commando team slipped by security and infiltrated the ship before rushing the bridge and deactivating it's onboard AI and plugging in their own AI, Marco, and deactivating the ship's anti-air defenses. As the alarm sounded across the shipyards the rest Hale's handpicked assault group landed in the Illustrious' hangar bay from dropships.

In the confusion of several attacks the UNSC could not mount an effective response in time, and the UIF were able to take control of the ship and escaped with it into the out rim of the system. With a cruiser class vessel on the loose, the UNSC battlegroup with it's few frigates was scattered. The UIF made maximum use of this victory for propaganda and morale, leaking the act directly to the media and taking their own soldiers to tour the ship in a post-victory celebration. The theft made instant headlines; Rebels Steal Cruiser, Rebels on the Warpath, Cruiser Stolen, it all made for excellent propaganda.

General Hale was purported to have only partaken only briefly in the celebration before leaving to prepare for the expected UNSC counterattack.

UNSC Response and Skirmish
CENTCOM did not take this lying down and panicked over the prospect of a cruiser in rebel hands. The UNSC immediately organized it's ships to hunt down the Illustrious.

Battle of New Tyre
The Battle of New Tyre, also called the Fall of New Tyre, was a major engagement in the early years of the Human-Covenant War.

Prelude
Decades before the battle ever began, New Tyre had been a battleground between the UNSC and rebel forces. Host to almost a dozen disparate rebel groups, three of which had exo-assets, the planet had become a major hotspot for the Insurrection.

Immediately before the battle, conflict flared across the planet as the United Independence Front made their big gambit in capturing a Marathon-class cruiser, the Illustrious, and turning it's guns on the UNSC. The ensuing skirmish left both sides bloodied but intact. But the situation completely changed as a Covenant Task Force entered the system.

Initial Contact
Without warning sixteen ships appeared at the edge of the system and their first act was the outright annihilation of the civilian space station Barbados and numerous outposts in under two hours. Civilian freighters were also chased down and destroyed without mercy. The situation between the UNSC and rebels quickly changed as a new force encroached further into the system. What few picket ships that were out there tried vainly to stop the Covenant fleet before they were destroyed.

Knowing what they faced and what little time they had, the UNSC, under Rear Admiral Colt immediately turned his attention away from the rebels and prepared to deploy his fleet against the Covenant. However they would be horribly outmatched and defeat was assured.

Unlikely Alliance
"Admiral, you know just as well as I that your fleet doesn't stand a chance against these...things. This world is our home. If you fail then everyone on it, everyone we love and cherish...is forfeit. You need our help, Admiral. And I am willing to offer it, for the sake of our world."

- General Hale, leader of the United Independence Front to Admiral Colt

Colt would be surprised to be contacted by the insurrectionist leader, General Hale. Hale contacted the UNSC Admiral and demanded to meet with him and in a surprising move offered his assistance in repelling the alien invaders. Many of Hale's officers were outraged and railed against this calling it an act of betrayal to aid their long time enemy. Still Hale held a lot of support from his men, the more rational supported his decision, including his second in command, Lt. Golding. The dissidents, lead by Lieutenant Lancer Millers demanded that they use this opportunity to rally the people and overthrow the UNSC. UIF command descended into fierce arguments and barely controlled aggression. At the end of his patience, for the first time Hale snapped at his men and silenced them. He ranted that they would achieve nothing and unless they, fellow humans, pulled together to stop the invaders, or else New Tyre would burn, everyone would die, and everything they worked for would be for nothing. For now Lt. Millers backed off and seemed to accept this

Meanwhile Colt was of course skeptical and questioned why he should trust a rebel, let alone one he was only moments ago fighting. Hale retorted that the UNSC was completely outmatched anyway and reminded him that New Tyre was his home and that if they failed to protect that everyone will die. Colt contemplated this for a moment, his second in command, Captain Robert Gates, was skeptical that the rebels intentions were honest and suspected that they would turn on them the first chance they got. Colt considered this and made his decision, Colt reopened communications with Hale and accepted the rebel's offer.

"I don't suppose you have another secret fleet lying around somewhere do you?"

- Jeriah Colt to Hale on their situation

As a sign of good faith, Hale took a Pelican to the UNSC flagship, Terra Firma, to discuss battle plans with Colt. With Covenant forces mere hours away the two discussed strategy. Even with there forces combined their prospects looked grim. Colt did his best to bring Hale and the UIF up to speed with the capabilities of the Covenant, their strengths, religious nature, and technological capabilities. He revealed that Battlegroup Terra was originally on it's way to confront the Covenant before they were pulled aside due to the UIF's theft of the Illustrious. He half seriously inquired if Hale "had anymore secret fleets lying around" which Hale admitted he did not.

Overview
The Eighth Fleet of Infinite Sacrifice was a Covenant naval fleet during the Human-Covenant War. The fleet served a brief tour of duty before suffering a catastrophic defeat resulting in the near-complete destruction of it during the Battle of Rhododendron.

Operational History
The Eighth Fleet of Infinite Sacrifice was made to fill in the gaps left by recent losses against the humans, it was fresh fleet made almost from scratch with many ships of it were newly constructed.

The first year of service revolved around patrols to test the mostly raw crews against kig-yar pirates.

Ships

 * ORS-class Heavy Cruiser
 * Thunder of Triumph†- Flagship, destroyed attempting to ram human cruiser.
 * CCS-class Battlecruiser (11 optimally, then 4)
 * Commitment and Compunction† - Shot down by MAC fire from UNSC Magog over Rhododendron and crash landed
 * Spear of Urs- Heavily damaged but survived the Battle of Rhododendron, transferred to Fleet of Inner Solace
 * Solemn Sacrifice†- Destroyed protecting the Thunder of Triumph
 * Incorruptible Spirit†- Destroyed
 * Valorous Hope†- Destroyed protecting the Thunder of Triumph
 * Ascendant Intent† - Destroyed
 * Incorruptible Salvation†- Destroyed
 * Seeker of Justice†- Destroyed attempting to avenge the Triumph and Justice
 * Truth and Solace- Survived the Battle of Rhododendron, transferred to Fleet of Brilliant Annihilation
 * Triumph and Justice†- Destroyed by human Orbital Defense Platform.
 * Long Night of Reconciliation- Survived the Battle of Rhododendron, transferred to Fleet of United Resolution


 * Destroyers (3 nominally, now 0)
 * Pitiless Faith†- Last destroyer to be lost.
 * Triumphant Contrition†-
 * Pitiless Reverence†- Destroyed. Struck by Orbital Mass Accelerator round.


 * Frigates (6 nominally, now 0)
 * Minor Retribution†-
 * Twilight Piety†- Sacrificed itself to protect the Commitment and Compunction. Destroyed by Mass Accelerator round. Last Frigate in the fleet.
 * Unflinching Spirit†- Destroyed by Mass Accelerator fire
 * Rising Prayer†- Destroyed. Struck by nuclear mines and finished off by missile barrages
 * Harbinger of Transcendence†- Destroyed by nuclear mines. First frigate to be destroyed.
 * Glorious Faith†-

Quote
"†"-Killed in action or destroyed

"‡"-Disbanded