User:TheLostJedi/Gold Team (TheLostJedi)

Gold Team was a  military infantry element.

Overview
Originally in when the unit was created,, Elizabeth-011, , Callum-026, , Maria-062, Graham-089 and Jack-099 were conscripted to Gold Team. Though Kurt was later transferred to lead and Jai-006 was reassigned to  instead. To replenish lost ranks, Robert-028 from and Neoklis-128 from  were subsequently transferred to Gold. As a result of augmentation however, Gold Team, like others suffered a downsize due to the loss of squad members. Minor reorganisation followed and another previous Blue Team member, James-077 was transferred to the squad. Following plentiful engagements in the, Gold Team eventually disbanded after the Spartan supersoldiers slowly became either or.

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.
 * Maria-062 (Gold Four)
 * Neoklis-128 (Gold Five) - Transferred from Blue Team, 2518.
 * Callum-026 (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.
 * Elizabeth-011 (previous Gold Seven) - Died after unsuccessful augmentation, 2525.
 * Jack-099 (previous Gold Eight) - Died after unsuccessful augmentation, 2525.

Conception and Training
By 2517, of the  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, where after the first week of their training, they were grouped into more permanent teams. For Gold Team, the Spartan children, Jai-006, Elizabeth-011, Kirk-018, Callum-026, Maria-062, Graham-089, Jack-099 and Adriana-111 were selected. Over the next year however, a minority of Spartans had repeatedly attempted to escape the facility. At the suggestion of, Jai and Adriana would be transferred to form a new team with.

To reconcile the numbers in the other units, two Spartans, Robert-028 and Neoklis-128, from Red and Blue Teams respectively, were reassigned to Gold. Although they were already fond of their current squads, Robert and Neoklis complied without hesitation to Mendez' orders. However the CPO intended to use scheduled training sessions at the on  as a way to bond the reformed Gold Team members together. In the training facilities there, the SPARTAN-IIs learned how to use specialist micro-gravity equipment and martial arts, skills which James-077 and Callum-026 keenly developed.

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 intel back to Neoklis, and Graham planned Gold Team's strike. By exploiting a drainage line running under the base, they consequently shattered Green Team's unbeatable reputation in July 2520.

Upon on the 9th March, only 33 survived the process. It affected Gold Team severely, with Elizabeth and Kirk crippled and discharged from active service, in addition to the death of Jack. Misfortune continued to besiege the squad as Robert suffered an ill reaction to the procedures and his service tag was moved across from those who had survived, to becomming the 31st Spartan to have died in the process. Perchance for revival, he was cryogenically frozen by Halsey's scientists, although the projection for survival was grim. Gold Team's size depleted to four members, yet only one more member, 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. Gold Team were chosen for Operation: LIGHTSWITCH. An imperative assignment preceeding the capture of the former,. Their objective: to acquire intel regarding the Colonel through the immediate interrogation and extraction of the Rebel informant, David Byrne. Sources had located the target in New Assyria on 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 Durden, which was built from the mind of Jack-099 was attached to the squad and they embarked upon their mission.

Using a custom painted black, 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 on his body. Callum-026 found a storage of 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, a that could be used to infiltrate the rebel headquarters. 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. Graduation follows the day after with all Spartans receiving the rank of. Finally the squads are sent aboard the with Dr. Halsey to initiate the final stages of  at the  on. Before arriving at the facility however, the Commonwealth is attacked by a Covenant cruiser, the and the  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, and its heavy 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. 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 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  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. Gold Team and the other Spartans returned to the surface of Chi Ceti IV, albeit for the casualty of, who remained behind and ensured the missiles' detonation.

Harvest Campaign
Despite 's pyrrhic victory, the Covenant were determined to retake control of. Additional ships were sent there and engaged UNSC forces on the surface as well as in space. The Covenant were clearly looking for something on the planet, and would stop at nothing to find it. During these years of the, multiple SPARTAN-IIs were sent to reinforce the defence of the planet. Among them were Gold Team. And together the Spartans provided the UNSC with an upper hand in the ground battles that were fought. Victory was assumed to be inevitable, yet with the arrival of even more Covenant ships, it quickly became short lived. An indomitable Covenant armada forced all units to retreat, resulting in the immediate withdrawal and re-assignment of the Spartan teams from Harvest.

Battle of Arcadia
As of early February, Office of Naval Intelligence satellites had detected slipspace ruptures in the , 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 were the ships; the, the , the  and the , of which vessel the SPARTAN-II supersoldiers were currently touring aboard. On the 9th February, two ; the and the  exited slipspace in range of Arcadia, provoking the subsequent  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 had been sent at the Armstrong. In response, the SPARTAN-IIs would be deployed to battle. However the Pillar of Autumn was quickly overwhelmed by Covenant, causing the delay of its countermeasures. As the space battle continued, Red, Blue and Green teams prepared an assault on the remaining Covenant cruiser, whilst Gold Team were to make haste and assist the Armstrong after 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 ship's 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.

So Gold Team separated with Neoklis, Callum and Maria left to evacuate survivors as Graham, Robert and James forced their way towards the bridge. The Promise launched another wave of boarders before moving planetside, causing Spartans aboard the Autumn to miss their opportunity to engage the battlecruiser. Instead Red, Blue and Green teams were repurposed with the defence of major cities, now under threat by the Covenant. On the bridge meanwhile, Robert found the captain, or rather what was left of him. All of the crew were dead and the bow windows, now sealed by blast shields, had been blown. Graham advised caution. With fatal plasma scoring at the neck, the captain's neural trasponder must have been lost to the vacuum of space.

Just as James noticed that the Navigational Data Core had been tampered with,  exited  and ambushed their sub-team. It was Gold Team's first face to face encounter with Elites, but they managed to overcome the assault and resume communication with the other half of the squad. Surviving personnel had been escorted to whilst marines had been mobilised in the hangar bays. Realising that the boarders must have came for the navigational data and unable to secure it without the captain's interface, Graham decided to destroy the bridge, with Gold Team's next priority to acquire demolitions. Maria, Neoklis and Callum were ordered to rendezvouz at the hangar bays and bring a Pelican round to the front of the ship, meanwhile LFDDs were being retrieved from a local armoury to be armed around the Core.

By now hands were declared lost on all decks; the Armstrong had been ravaged by the Covenant. Robert returned to the bridge with explosives and one minute was provided for evacuation. Following initial difficulty, James re-opened the bridge's blast shields, creating an exit as Maria awaited for the remainder of Gold Team in space. Moments later they were en route back to the Pillar of Autumn as the LFDDs detonated. The Armstrong was venting Arcadia's atmosphere when the arrived. On the ground, the Covenant were eventually defeated with the assistance of Spartans and the Spirit of Fire, but the battle had resulted in severe casualties to the UNSC side. Reports gathered from Gold Team's participation aboard the UNSC Armstrong would later support the creation of.

Fall of Nireus II
(To be continued...)