SUBMIT SECURITY CREDENTIALS:

SPARTAN-117

IDENTITY CONFIRMED

ACCESS GRANTED

HIGHCOM ASSESSMENT OF ONI TARGET PROFILE COMPLIED BY LT. CDR JAMESON LOCKE:

THEL 'VADAMEE, SUPREME COMMANDER

COVENANT FLEET OF PARTICULAR JUSTICE

TARGET VALUE: ALPHA

TARGET PROFILE REVIEWED BY FADM ARTHUR CROSS

REVIEW SENT TO HIGHCOM, DOD, DIS, AND BELAND ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS

PART 1

This is a HIGHCOM review of the ONI Retrieval and Acquisitions inquiry and subsequent target profile made on September 26th, 2552 by Lieutenant Commander Jameson Locke in regards to Thel 'Vadamee, the Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice.

As stated in the target profile, the first confirmed sighting of 'Vadamee was at the unofficial human colony located in the 23 Libre system known as The Rubble, but it is possible that he was Madrigal when the Covenant invaded the colony back in '28. 'Vadamee, who was then a relatively minor subordinate of the Prophet of Regret according to after-action reports from S-II GRAY Team and the surviving settlers of the asteroid colonies, was presumed to have been sent to recover navigational data but it was destroyed beforehand. SIERRA-006 engaged 'Vadamee in close quarters combat, but was forced to retreat when another Elite arrived.

Sometime after the incident, the UNSC first encountered the newly-formed Fleet of Particular Justice, now under the direct of command of 'Vadamee over the Outer Colony of Reynes. Early engagements with this fleet have indicated that it quickly grew in size from five to almost sixty ships, as 'Vadamee cut a path of destruction across UEG space. Also stated in the report is that ONI Section 3 attempted to anticipate or track 'Vadamee's movements multiple times at the cost of many agents' lives. 'Vadamee eluded all mentioned efforts and continued on with his unpredictable and devastating campaign. 'Vadamee has also stood out from most other Covenant commanders due to the frequency in how he takes a personal role in ground assaults.

It eventually took a heated battle over Chi Rho in 2538 between the Fleet of Particular Justice and the UNSC 3rd, 5th, and 6th Fleets to force him and his fleet to retreat and recover from the loss of 37 ships and thousands of ground troops. His defeat over Chi Rho led to the Covenant's invasion to falter and the stalemate of 2538 to 2542 ensued, allowing us a brief reprieve. The Inner Colonies' defenses were reinforced and most of the remaining Outer Colonies were evacuated. But his return to the front in 2542 was no less destructive than his initial campaign.

PART 2

The Battle of Camber, as mentioned in the target profile, was where we saw Supreme Commander 'Vadamee and his forces return to the frontlines of the War with a vengeance.

Camber, not one of the biggest Inner Colonies but no less important, was a major manufacturing hub for UNSC fleet materials and home to a growing population that, by 2542, was at 5.6 million. Defending Camber's orbit was elements of the 9th Fleet's Task Force Nine-Charlie: a force of several carriers, a couple battleships, fourteen cruisers, and a significant number of destroyers and frigates as well as a pair of prowlers. Also up to the task was the dedicated Camber Defense Fleet, which consisted of a couple carriers, a few cruisers, dozens of destroyers and frigates, and a large number of corvettes. Among the orbital defenders were several Super MAC-equipped Orbital Defense Platforms and other orbital defense stations. Ground defense was handled by the UNSC Army, Air Force, and Marines as well as the Camber Ground Defense Forces and the Camber Air Defense Forces. But alas, it would not be enough.

A few months after the end of the Republic Civil War, 'Vadamee discovered Camber's location and launched a surprise attack, penetrating the early-warning perimeter without even alerting the UNSC garrison and local military forces, beginning his ground and orbital attacks before the majority of the populace knew they were in danger.

While seventeen of his ships attacked key defensive positions, Supreme Commander 'Vadamee led a force of Elites in a personal assault against UNSC system headquarters. Of the first units to engage 'Vadamee's forces were the reserves of the 3rd Battalion, 19th Marine Regiment, 36th Marines, who were so unprepared for the Covenant's arrival that 'Vadamee found them unarmed and defenseless. In what appears to be an unprecedented display of honor, 'Vadamee allowed the Marine reservists to finish gearing up before engaging them in combat. While there have been multiple examples of a strict system of honor and ritual behavior followed by Elites within the Covenant reported in the past, this is the first recorded evidence we have gotten that proved such honor being shown toward human opponents. But even when they were given the chance to defend themselves, the 3rd Battalion Reserves and other forces defending the local UNSC HQ were wiped out completely. By the end of the week, Camber had fallen and the survivors executed the COLE PROTOCOL and retreated.

In terms of losses, the orbital defense grid was utterly destroyed with less than 5% of the crews surviving. The Camber Armed Forces was almost wiped entirely, with the majority of their forces in orbit, in the air, and on the ground suffering near total losses. UNSC ground and air forces suffered 61% losses. TF9C casualties were moderate: 1 battleship, 5 cruisers, 18 destroyers, and 31 frigates were lost or crippled. The surviving UNSC-CAF forces escorting the 81,313 known surviving Camberians to the safety of Sanctuary and other refugee worlds. Covenant losses were two carriers, six cruisers, a dozen escort ships, at least a five brigades-worth of ground forces being confirmed KIA, and 219 vehicles were destroyed.

'Vadamee continued his campaign across UEG territory, bringing destruction wherever he went, eventually resulting in his most disastrous blow against the UNSC at Reach.

Part 3

'Vadamee's most damaging and recent blow to the UNSC was the Fall of Reach. ONI and the other major intelligence agencies have yet to determine how 'Vadamee located our fortress among the stars. And he once again caught us completely off-guard when his forces arrived in orbit and on the ground, the local UNSC garrision and United Commonwealth Armed Forces, Reach's local military, already being decimated by the advance Covenant invasion force could do little to stop the main force, which consisted of multiple fleets including 'Vadamee's. The 6th Fleet has suffered over 150 ships lost, including the Leviathan, the Hannibal, the Basra, the Musashi, and the Trafalgar. Millions of military personnel and civilians are dead and FADM Freemont, VADM Stanforth, and several other high-ranking UNSC officers have been confirmed KIA. Most of the SPARTANs on Reach are currently unaccounted for and are assumed to be MIA. Fleet operations in the region have ceased and colonies neighboring the Epsilon Eridani system are being put on alert or evacuated. 'Vadamee's whereabouts are currently unknown, but he reportedly took his fleet and pursued the UNSC Pillar of Autumn after she evac'd SPARTAN-117 and SPARTAN-058 from Reach Gamma Station.

'Vadamee is alone responsible for the of loss at least seven UEG colonies: Camber, Alluvion, Estuary, the Greydowns Moons, Mesa, Kroedis II, and Bounty as well as over one billion total casualties. His forces have defeated every UNSC counterattack at the cost of one hundred-and-twenty-three fleet vessels and over twenty-three thousand personnel. ONI and UNSC strategic analysts have reported that with Reach's fall there is a zero percent confidence that the Navy and the UNSC as whole can stop Supreme Commander 'Vadamee by conventional means.

And I agree with Locke in the opinion that 'Vadamee is the Covenant's most dangerous military asset in play. It's indeed common knowledge that the Covenant have a significant technological advantage over the UNSC or any human military organization in general, but are sometimes inflexible in their tactics. This is not the case for 'Vadamee. Not even I can predict what he'll strike or do next. But, with enough time, I'm afraid he will dismante all remaining extrasolar UNSC strongholds including Luyten, Barrow, Terra Nova, Rampart, and New Carthage.

I am in agreement with Lieutenant Commander Locke that, as long as 'Vadamee is on the chessboard, we have no chance of victory or even surviving this war. Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee needs to be located and terminated with extreme prejudice.

Review made on September 29th, 2552

THIS IS MY IDEA!

It's essentially a review of Jameson Locke's target profile made by my OC, Arthur Cross, who is by now a Fleet Admiral placed in charge of UNSC quick response forces including the 3rd Fleet. His wartime flagship is a Orion-class carrier refitted as a fleet carrier, the UNSC Enterprise, CVF-76. He would successfully hold off several Covenant invasions and covering the evacuation of civilians as well as several victories to his belt.

His strategy and tactics are aggressive but careful, a sharp contrast to Preston Cole's. Which can be described as a combination of William F. "Bull" Halsey's 'hit hard, hit fast, hit often' strategy, his own tactics, as well as Sun Tzu. Because of his strategy and tactics, the Covenant have come to call him 'Star Demon' mostly due to the fact that the 3rd Fleet has repeatedly engaged their forces since Preston Cole's Last Stand, casting death and defeat upon them almost every time. A good number of Sangheili officers deeply respect the New Yorker for his efficient use of fighters and other strikecraft, fleet vessels, ground forces, and special operations forces.

A notable example of this was over Reach, when the 3rd and 6th Fleets extracted a good portion of Reach's survivors from the doomed colony, being engaged with a pair of CSO-class supercarriers: the Valiant Avenger and the Glorious Executioner. Using an old Clone Wars-era EMP bomb to disable the Executioner, Arthur eventually came up with a plan. Deploying fighters and bombers to harass the Valiant Avenger, the New York City native had the ships that were heavily damaged and/or crippled to ram into the Executioner and push the gargantuan warship into her sister ship. Not expecting the maneuver, the commander of the Avenger ordered evasive action too late and the supercarriers collided with each other before the reactors of the ships involved went critical, destroying them all. With the majority of their present fleet officers killed, the Covenant armada over Reach was forced to fall back and regroup, allowing most of Reach's remaining survivors to be evacuated and the UNSC forces in Epsilon Eridani system to leave. Almost a decade later, Admiral Lee Raddus of the Rebel Alliance 2nd Strike Fleet would execute a similar strategy in order to receive the Death Star plans from Rogue One during the Battle of Scarif.

At some point after Preston Cole's Last Stand, Cross made significant revisions to the COLE Protocol, stating that while navigational and other sensitive information is to be transmitted to the nearest, secure human population centers but in the event that is not possible, it is to be destroyed by any means necessary. Idea came from Halo: The Tide of War, a fanfic where Preston Cole survived his last stand and remained with the UNSC, resulting in a stalemate for the next 11 years.

The idea of a stalemate taking place between 2538 and 2542 came to me sometime ago, it would also how the UEG be able to aid the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars in my Legends timeline, known to many in APTO space as the Republic Civil War. I had wondered how the Covenant's invasion of UEG space would stall, and I eventually came up with Thel 'Vadam suffering a crippling defeat during the final battle for Chi Rho.

I also liked the idea of the human colony of Luyten being home to shipbuilding companies known for their high-quality fleet vessels especially Luyten Shipyard Seven which is something akin to Bath Iron Works, good idea BraviaryScout.