Second Battle of Requiem

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"They believe this is the home of one of their gods. The way I see it, if those freaks want to meet God, then it is our duty to help them along."

- Commander Palmer to Spartan fireteams at the start of the battle

The Second Battle of Requiem, also known as the Requiem Campaign by the UNSC, was a major space and ground battle between the UNSC, the Covenant Remnant, and Promethean forces.

Introduction
After the First Battle of Requiem the UNSC Infinity returned to Earth. Andrew Del Rio was stripped of his position as captain of the warship, and the newly promoted Captain Lasky took his place. Six months after Didact's attack on New Phoenix, the Infinity was ordered to return to Requiem by FLEETCOM, this time with a full battlegroup from the elite Home Fleet. The strength of this battlegroup, designated Battlegroup Dakota, numbered one Infinity-class warship, carrying several light frigates in its deployment centers, thirteen light cruisers and twenty-eight heavy frigates, plus a compliment of thousands of Pelican gunships and Broadsword fighters, for a total of 46 ships-of-the-line. In addition, several new Spartan and Marine fireteams were deployed to the Infinity along with hundreds of engineers and scientists.

The Space Battle
Shortly before 0500 hours (5:00 a.m. Zulu Time) on February 7, 2558, Battlegroup Dakota arrived in system and entered orbit around Requiem. The Infinity emerged in the midst of a Covenant fleet under the command of Fleetmaster Jul 'Mdama, and destroyed the fleet's flagship before it realized what was happening. As the rest of the battlegroup arrived, Infinity launched its compliment of four Charon-class light frigates and dozens of Broadsword fighters. Infinity and the cruisers in the battlegroup began preparing a strike force for deployment to the interior surface of Requiem. Infinity was almost immediately attacked by many Seraph fighters. Hundreds of Scorpions and Warthogs were loaded onto Pelican dropships, plus dozens of Spartan and Marine fireteams. As soon as enough Covenant ships had been cleared to make a clean shot for Requiem's portal to its interior, the ground forces were deployed in a massive, straight-up invasion code-named OPERATION: LAND GRAB. As the waves of ground forces continued to swarm into Requiem, Battlegroup Dakota decimated the Covenant occupation fleet. Whether the entire Covenant battlegroup was destroyed or if some ships escaped is unknown. By February 8, the space around Requiem was firmly in human hands.

OPERATION: LAND GRAB
At exactly 0500 hours (5:00 a.m. Zulu Time), a large task force of Spartan and Marine fireteams were deployed from Battlegroup Dakota to a Covenant-held continent on the interior surface of Requiem. The continent (designated REQ-931-B) was largely a barren desert with deep canyons and tall mesas, earning it the shorthand name, "the Quarry." At least five Spartan fireteams participated in the attack, including Castle, Majestic, Domino, Ivy, and Crimson, in addition to numerous Marine forces and significant armor. As the air space within Requiem's outer shell was cleared of Covenant forces more and more UNSC reinforcements arrived until the continent was completely devoid of Covenant. Infinity Science began assembling pre-fabricated labs on the surface and command posts were set up as the UNSC began to build up their presence on the surface. However the Covenant still had installations in the region that were being remotely powered. Spartan Fireteam Crimson was deployed and successfully neutralized the power sources before being extracted and brought back to Infinity.

Promethean Resistance
As UNSC personnel spread across the planet they consistently drove the Covenant back until Promethean forces were encountered. These AIs proved more than a match for almost all UNSC forces except SPARTAN-IVs. Because of this, Spartan fireteams were deployed to areas with high numbers of Prometheans to clear and secure them. Several Forerunner structures in Requiem's frosty mountains were the site of some of the fiercest combat against Promethean forces during the entire campaign. This location, designated "the Fortress," was part of Requiem's teleportation grid, meaning that for every Promethean killed, two more could take its place. Eventually the entire region was cleared by Spartan Fireteams Crimson and Majestic, allowing Infinity Science to move in and set up research facilities.

Scientific Exploration
As the ground battle waged on, the Covenant Remnant began to be pushed further and further back, although a large portion of its fleet was still biding its time, hidden from Battlegroup Dakota above Requiem's exterior surface. As more and more Forerunner sites came under UNSC control, Infinity Science began selecting points of interest where they wished to establish labs. Because these points of interest were usually safeguarded by Promethean AIs or solid Covenant resistance, a large number of Spartans were deployed to secure the locations. Fireteam Crimson made one of the most interesting finds: a Forerunner artifact that was brought aboard the to keep it safe from Covenant attempts at re-acquisition and teleporting Prometheans. The artifact began to have alarming behavior once aboard the flagship, however, including an electro-magnetic pulse that neutralized the ship's engines and caused the disappearance of the Chief Engineer, Dr. Henry Glassman. The artifact ultimately settled down, becoming dormant but immobile on one of the Infinity's decks. At the request of Captain Lasky, the ONI prowler brought the renowned Dr. Halsey aboard the Infinity to assist in the investigation of the mysterious artifact. Meanwhile, Infinity Science continued to operate on Requiem's surface, with several notable science teams including Galileo, Gagarin and Copernicus. With the continued research of Forerunner facilities, word of a spec ops Sangheili Zealot team known as the "Silent Blade," began to circulate amongst UNSC personnel.

Parg Vol
After the UNSC operations at the "Quarry" and the "Fortress", intelligence reached Infinity that a Sangheili commander named Parg Vol was on the surface of Requiem and was responsible for a sudden Covenant counter-attack that had lost the UNSC several command posts and science labs, particularly in "the Quarry." After pin-pointing his exact location, Spartan Fireteam Crimson was stealthily deployed groundside to assassinate the commander. However, Vol was surrounded by considerable ground forces, meaning that Crimson was detected before reaching him, and that he was able to escape by Phantom. After the Spartans had killed all remaining Covenant forces they found that Vol had amassed an armory of UNSC armor and ordnance. Vol continued to evade his would-be assassins, appearing for minutes at a time before disappearing later. Finally he was cornered by Crimson in a grassy region of Requiem designated "the Gate." Here he made his last stand against the Spartans, alongside Sangheili Commanders and Zealots before finally being overwhelmed and killed. However, the UNSC was soon to find out that Vol had merely been the lieutenant of a far more sinister Sangheili commander.

The Didact's Hand
Despite Crimson's successful hit, the scene of the battle was grim. Two whole Spartan fireteams, Castle and Mountain were obliterated during combat with the Covenant and intelligence reached the Infinity that Fleetmaster Jul 'Mdama had arrived in person to oversee operations on Requiem. Known as the Didact's Hand, 'Mdama was present when the Covenant captured Dr. Glassman after his disappearance from the UNSC Infinity. 'Mdama then provided Glassman with captured UNSC scientific gear and ordered him to begin working on what the fleetmaster believed was the cairn of the Librarian's Durance. At some point shortly after 'Mdama's arrival, the Covenant secured the controls to Requiem's teleportation grid, allowing them the same versatility and ease of transportation as the Prometheans. This became a massive thorn in the UNSC's side as they began hunting down 'Mdama. Spartan fireteams Crimson and Majestic became the fleetmaster's primary pursuers. After locating the Sangheili several times only to have him disappear, Infinity finally launched a massive barrage with the intention of taking him out before he could use Requiem's portal system. They underestimated the efficiency and alacrity of Forerunner teleportation technology, and 'Mdama escaped, but not before dropping a Forerunner-designed cube that the Covenant battle-net referred to as the Didact's Gift. The UNSC swiftly secured the cube and rushed it to the nearest research facility, Galileo Base; not knowing that 'Mdama had intentionally let it fall into human hands.

The Didact's Gift
Once at Galileo Base, a science team began running diagnostics on the Didact's Gift while Fireteam Crimson waited for evac. Their ride was postponed after SPARTAN Miller picked up signatures from numerous Phantoms and Banshees, all en route to Galileo Base. Kig-yar strike teams arrived first, alongside Unggoy Heavies and Imperials. Soon on their heels were Sangheili and Mgalekgolo kill teams with Ghosts and Shades. After an earlier attack, the base defenses had been upgraded with large AA rocket batteries. Unbeknownst to any of the SPARTANs present, one of the base's scientists had rerouted the power from the defenses to stabilize a nuclear reaction project. Crimson reactivated the rocket batteries, stopping all Covenant reinforcements from arriving, only to recieve a frantic warning from the scientist telling them they needed to deactivate the base batteries unless they wished to be vaporized. As Crimson crossed the facility to reach the master terminal, several lances of Promethean Battlewagons teleported in, surrounding them. Crimson finally reached the master terminal and deactivated the facility's defenses. Immediately the Covenant began returning with a vengeance. Fireteam Majestic was deployed to the facility to take the Didact's Gift back to the Infinity while Crimson covered them, however, by the time Majestic had landed and retrieved the artifact, the airspace above the facility was overrun with Banshees and Phantoms. After being pinned down and cut off from their Pelican within one of Galileo's prefabricated labs, SPARTAN Thorne managed to board a passing Banshee and hold off Covenant air support while Crimson cleaned up ground forces and the rest of Majestic ferried the Didact's Gift to the Infinity. Jul 'Mdama and his second-in-command, Gek, watched the battle from a nearby cliff. As the last Phantom was destroyed Gek warned Jul that the Spartans were escaping with the Gift. Jul merely calmed him with a wave of his hand and informed him that it had been part of his plan all along to let the artifact fall into human hands. Once onboard the Infinity, Dr. Halsey identified the artifact as the AI matrix of a Promethean Knight. After accidentally activating it, she found it contained human memories of New Phoenix from the attack six months prior. This caused Thorne to go and personally examine the teleportation artifact that had been recovered earlier in the battle, not realizing its true purpose. After briefly making physical contact, he was teleported to a volcanic region of Requiem designated "the Cauldron," without weapons or a helmet for comms. After climbing to his feet he realized that a lance of sword-wielding Elites was waiting for him.

Continued Operations
SPARTAN Thorne's absence was not immediately noticed. For several hours it was business as usual on the surface of Requiem. Fireteam Crimson helped an Infinity Science team shut down the planet's teleportation grid and ward off a subsequent Promethean attack. As the team began conducting crucial in-field tests on the teleportation grid at Gagarin Base, Marine Fireteam War Bird was sent to secure the area, only to be attacked by the Silent Blade once again. A CCS battlecruiser loomed overhead and began dropping reinforcements. Fireteam Crimson simultaneously protected the remnants of the science team and aided Fireteam War Bird in defending UNSC tech. The Spartans eventually eradicated every member of the notorious Silent Blade, but continued to be assailed by Covenant reinforcements from the battlecruiser above. Spartan Fireteam Shadow managed to board the ship while Crimson and War Bird held off Covenant on the ground. The Spartans sabotaged the ship's engines and escaped before it self-destructed. With their air support gone the Covenant quickly became disorganized and were defeated by UNSC forces. Despite losing a ship and yet another Forerunner artifact, Jul 'Mdama was undeterred. He had managed to gain access to the comms of Dr. Halsey's data pad and anonymously plied her with questions. When he inquired what she knew of the Librarian, Halsey was so shocked that it aroused suspicion from the nearby Palmer, who promptly confiscated the data pad and escorted Halsey to the brig. The setback proved of little consequence, however, as Dr. Glassman managed to somehow activate the Librarian's cairn. It was at this point that SPARTAN Thorne's disappearance was noticed and Spartan Fireteams were mobilized to search for him. Fireteam Crimson arrived at a location in the "Quarry." Intelligence had located a large contingent of Covenant forces that appeared to be guarding something. After a fierce firefight the Spartans discovered that they were not guarding a SPARTAN, but a large stockpile of UNSC armor. The fireteam was recalled to search another location, but while waiting for a Pelican, the Spartans were surrounded by dozens of Phantoms and two CCS-battlecruisers. As wave after wave of aircraft arrived, SPARTAN Miller frantically called for reinforcements.

Crimson and Icebreaker
Eventually Crimson was overwhelmed and subdued. Miller lost contact with them and the Spartans were beaten senseless. Upon awakening, they found themselves secured by energy manacles within a large Forerunner complex. Unsurprisingly, all weapons and equipment had been taken from them. Their regained consciousness allowed Miller to triangulate their vitals signs and order a MAC strike on several nearby Covenant lances. The violent blasts weakened the energy manacles long enough for one of the Spartans to break free and kill the nearby sentry, freeing the rest of the fireteam. Crimson then captured several Ghosts and pushed through the large Forerunner ruins to a makeshift hangar. There they found a missing team of Marines, Fireteam Icebreaker, that Infinity command had assumed KIA. The Spartans freed the Marines including the team leader, Lieutenant Murphy, who helped Crimson capture and escape in a Phantom.