Report by Lieutenant Commander Jameson Locke - Section Three ONI Agent, Spartan IV Commander of Fireteam Osiris
January 27th, 2553 The Ariadne Incident
Though the Second Insurrection started in 2560 several events nearly caused the conflict to start prematurely. After the failed attempt to capture the Infinity, the next encounter with the CDF involved the patrol ship UNSC Ariadne. The Ariadne was experiencing trouble with its Fusion drive near the colony of Venezia. Venezia was notably one of the few planets to escape the wroth of the Covenant but was a major hub of the insurrectionists with absolutely no ties to the UNSC. Knowing the risk he was taking, the commander of the vessel, Captain Pasquale contacted the Planet's leaders hoping to save as many of his crew as possible.
Peter Moritz, the paranoid leader of the CDF cell on the planet wanted to refuse, believing it to be a UNSC trick. However, his second in command Reza Linberk wanted a second opinion and contacted Spartacus requesting how to handle the situation. To Peter's surprise and chagrin, Spartacus ordered him to allow the UNSC to land on the planet. Spartacus understood that if refused the Ariadne to then request help from the UNSC which would result in attracting unnecessary attention. So he would aid the vessel but took precautions on how to deal with the crew
So reluctantly Moritz allowed the Ariadne to land on the planet. As soon as they landed the entire crew of the Ariadne was detained while rebel technicians worked to shut down the Reactor and stabilize it. Pasquale and his crew were placed in a holding cell while the rebels began dissecting the ship of anything useful. They got a small portion of weapons, supplies, and equipment they even accessed the log books to gather information.
The technicians were able to shut down the reactor and neutralizing the danger, but if ever reactivated the reactor would go into meltdown. Once the reactor and the ship were secure, the rebels then provided the UNSC crew with a freighter which could return them to earth. Pasquale asked about his ship to which Moritz replied with a grin. "It's not your ship anymore, the Ariadne now belongs to the Colonial Defense Front."
Pasquale returned to one of the inner colonies with his crew and the Rebels added another ship to their growing armada. Though many wondered what the rebels wanted with a faulty FTL reactor.
August 8th, 2560 Operation INSTINCT
One of the first colonies to declare independence was Andesia. The rebels stormed the AMG Transport Dynamic facilities in the city of Noctus as well as factories belonging to Traxxus heavy Industries and Sinoviet Heavy Machinery in the capital and Promesa City.
This drew UNSC forces on the planet away from their bases to quell the insurgency allowing the main rebel forces to raid the bases and make off with a great cache of military assets. These assets were brought to their hidden stronghold before the UNSC arrives to annex the planet. To stall for time, they captured the UEG diplomats and the Corporate Council, holding them in the capitol building
A task force led by Fred-104 was sent to put down the rebels beginning Operation INSTINCT. Fred managed to break into the capitol building without meeting any resistance. They found the diplomats were being held in the innermost part of the building. Once inside they were met by armed guards. Fred and his men quickly disposed of them and released the diplomats. It was at that moment that the UNSC learned that the 'guards they had killed were the members of the Corporate Council. The CDF had tricked them into killing half the hostages.
But the moment he and his men were inside the room, the Rebels set off explosions set all over the capital building sealing the entrances and trapping them inside. Meanwhile, UNSC reinforcements arrived to secure the strategic facilities. Fighting in Noctus was fierce with the rebels using computer controlled vehicles crammed with TNT to rush heavy vehicles and UNSC forward command positions. Yet when they reached the strategic facilities, they found only a token force guarding it. While the CDF put up a good fight they were outnumbered and outgunned and eventually forced to surrender.
This momentary distraction was enough to allow the rest of the rebels to escape with whatever assets they were able to acquire, which included fuel, materials, vehicles, and ordinance. Though Fred successfully rescued the diplomats, he was unable to neutralize the rebels who were still out there somewhere hidden.
The attack on Andesia'a industrial centers allowed Johansson Sloan to earn the right to fortify his own facilities. This turned his factories into rebel citadels, producing weapons and machines for the rebels in plain sight. The success of these attacks led the UNSC to increase the fortifications of their bases making future raids more difficult.
It became a pattern with the insurrectionists, which made it difficult to defeat them outright. From Talitsa and Conrad's Point to Laika III and Cassidy III, Insurrectionists used jury-rigged radar trucks to jam transmissions. They would launch raids on military firebases and assassinate important officials such as UEG Politicians and Commanding officers. Instead of taking the bases for themselves the CDF would seize as much equipment as they could before reinforcements arrived which was usually inevitable. But by the time reinforcements arrived, the rebels would have slipped away to their hideouts leaving an abandoned base. They would remain in hiding until they had left before attacking again. The Colonial Defense Front knew better than to be public about its actions and used home-field advantage to its greatest extent.
October 14th, 2560 Operation DELHI
On the planet Hat Yai, the Office of Naval Intelligence sent me to retrieve or eliminate 'special technical assets' that had fallen into the hands of the rebels. The Colonial Defense Front, in turn, sent a task force of their own led by Captain Soren to safeguard the assets and get them off-world.
The main CDF Base on Hat Yai, where the assets were located was heavily guarded by the time we arrived. Nevertheless, the team hijacked a CDF Warthog APC and used it to get past the extensive security, once we were inside the base we split up and began our search. As we looked for the assets, we found an assortment of arms including a cache of nuclear missiles. Sensing an opportunity, the team found some C4 and placed them around the base intending to use them as a distraction while we made our escape.
After an hour, I successfully located the assets in a secure vault deep in the base. As we tried to break in we were confronted by Soren and a squad of rebel commandoes. The two teams engaged had a standoff before engaging in a firefight. Having emptied our guns, LI engaged Soren had a brutal fistfight. Soren was stronger and tougher, but I had the advantage in speed and agility. Soren landed a few blows but I kept up momentum and slowly beat the rebel supersoldier back. Little did I know was that Soren was not meant to defeat me or my team but rather to delay us long enough for the assets to be safely moved off world. With one hard, lucky kick, Soren send me across the hall before tossing grenades to distract us enabling him to get away.
What I also failed to realize, was that I was not the only one who intended to destroy the base. The moment the freighter was safely away, Soren set off a series of explosives hoping to kill the ONI Agent. This coupled with the explosives Locke had set up created a bigger explosion than anticipated destroying the vault where the assets were. Unaware that the assets had been secured Locke assumed that they had been destroyed and that his mission was a success. I managed to escape the base before the explosions leveled the entire facility but two-thirds of my team had been killed in the process. I found out later that the Nuclear weapons I discovered were nothing more than duds to be used for a skillful bluff.
With their main base destroyed, the CDF ceased to have a significant presence on the planet. Though a small cell maintained a presence it would not embark on any major activity. The UNSC was able to reestablish their own base and continue operating there in the future. Nevertheless, it was a victory for the CDF since they were able to escape with the assets which were taken to RKD for further research and development.
July 6th, 2561 Operation BRONZE COBRA
The success of these attacks led the UNSC to increase the fortifications of their bases making future raids more difficult. Adding to this, ONI began sending in spies to known insurrectionist worlds including Venezia and Gao.
In regard to Venezia, Rear Admiral Serin Osman sent the elite unit Kilo-Five to sabotage the CDFs Operations on the planet. To cover their tracks, A team of diplomats sent by the UNSC was sent under the guise of negotiating a settlement. Escorting them were elements of Spartan Blue Team, Fred-104, Kelly-087 and Linda-058. also accompanying Kilo-Five was Spartan Naomi-010
Kilo-Five made contact with their spies who met with the team just outside the capital. Together they gathered at the spies house to start gathering intel on the situation. Kilo-Five agents Malcolm Geffen and Vasily Beloi were able to successfully integrate themselves into the Militia and there they got a better understanding of the Militia leadership. It was around this time that Kilo-Five learned one of the key members was Staffan Sentzke, Naomi's father.
As they continued their investigation of the Black Market, Sentzke became suspicious of them and informed Peter Moritz of their concerns. As a result, Kilo five came under surveillance to the point where it became difficult to talk in private.
Sensing a problem, Serin Osman sent a team under my command. Our mission was to capture Sentzke for interrogation. We quickly neutralized Kilo-Fives tailers and several rebel militiamen before we grabbed Sentzke and took him to the Port Stanley. On board the prowler Osman allowed a reunion between Naomi and her father hoping it would break his resolve and divulge information.
Sentzke could only listen in shock as Vasili explained the nature of the Spartan-II Program and was even more surprised at the prospect of actually seeing his long-lost daughter. When he first saw her, he was taken aback by her imposing physic and for a moment he almost didn't believe it was really her, but as she got closer and he saw her eyes he knew it was. They talked for a bit mainly Staffan explaining his story after her abduction and questioning Naomi about her life.
After talking for a while Staffan asked her to come with him and live a normal family life. Sadly Naomi refused due to her loyalty to the UNSC. Staffan was saddened by her decision and replied that he, in turn, could not give up any information due to his own allegiance to Spartacus. After all the Colonial Defense front was indirectly able to make this reunion possible. Still, he chose to respect her decision and promised to be waiting for her if she ever had a change of heart.
Meanwhile, the 'negotiations', were not going well both sides exchanged ideas and it was clear that Venezia had no intention of rejoining the UEG. Disappointed at their failure the Diplomats prepared to leave, however, this took a turn for the worse when the rebels learned of Sentzke's capture. Believing that the negotiations were nothing but a distracting ruse, Soldiers under Reza Linberk seized the diplomats before Blue Team had a chance to react. Holding the Diplomats at gunpoint the militia demanded the release of their captured comrade in exchange for the hostages.
Not wanting to escalate the situation, Malcolm Geffen and Vasily Beloi orchestrated a breakout. Unaware that they were spies Sentzke followed the two out of the Prowler and to a pelican which took them to the planet Surface. As soon as they saw that Sentzke had been freed Linberk released her hostages unharmed and the UNSC left the planet. Though their mission bared little fruit, ONI was successful in integrating its spies who had now gained the good faith of the Militia.
March 29, 2561- Attack on Biko Peace Summit
One of the most embarrassing events for the UEG was the Raid on Biko. A peace summit was scheduled between the UEG and a faction of Elites. The negotiations would be held in the Capital City and led by one of the UEG's most prominent ambassadors Richard Sekibo.
In the months leading up to the summit, Seikibo received threats from a radical group known as Sapien Sunrise, a xenophobic terrorist cell. Sapien Sunrise condemned Sekibo as a traitor for consorting with aliens and vowed to put an end to the summit. Though a relatively small organization, Sekibo investigated the matter as much as he could and discovered a plot by Sapien Sunrise to kill Sekibo and his delegates and blame it on the elites.
Sekibo requested aid from the UNSC, to send troops to protect the delegates and stop the attack. But his pleas fell on deaf ears, the High Council believed the Sapien Sunrise to be insignificant. But not all were deaf to his summons, Admiral Miranda Keyes, while unable to take action herself contacted Master Chief and had him go to Biko in secret to aid the ambassador.
In an act of desperation, Sekibo turned to the only alternative form of military aid available to him, the Colonial Defense Front. This time his request was answered, CDF accepted contacted Commandant Erland Booth, Leader of the Biko Independence Army. Booth and assigned his best commandoes disguised as civilians to watch the summit. Master Chief would keep watch from a nearby highrise.
The Peace summit proceeded without any trouble and both sides were able to come to a mutual agreement. But just as negotiations were drawing to a close. Sapien Sunrise began their plot. A number of terrorists had infiltrated the conference, with one posing as Sekibo's bodyguard, the others were civilians and security guards for the UEG delegates. Unknown to them their trail had been picked up by CDF agents and Master Chief
The terrorists pulled out firearms but before they could open fire, they were knocked to the ground and found themselves staring into the barrels of the guns of CDF personnel. In a final bid to finish their mission, Sekibo's bodyguard made a futile attempt to assassinate the ambassador, but his effort was thwarted by a bullet to his left leg, courtesy of the Master Chief. In the end, no less than 9 conspirators were apprehended and no casualties occurred.
The 9 infiltrators were taken away by Booth's men back to their base where they were harshly interrogated on the whereabouts of their associates and assets even going as far as to brutally torture them. Their leader, who was posing as Sekibo's bodyguard was the last to break. In response, Starkwood assigned Veta Lopis and her team to aid Dark Moon with rooting out the remnants of Sapien Sunrise. The CDF ended up acquiring a considerable amount of resources, including weapons, vehicles and even funds from bank accounts
In the aftermath of the Biko conference, Richard Sekibo held a press conference where he praised the actions of John-117 and the Colonial Defense Front for their roles in stopping the terrorist attack. He also admitted to the UEG and ONI's lack of involvement. This caused outrage among UEG citizens and riots broke out. The colonists, led by the Biko Independence Army stormed the capital building and with help from CDF forces overthrew the reigning government and declared themselves independent becoming a new member of the Colonial Defense Front. Following Biko's example were the colonies of Draco III, Mamore, and Tribute. Sekibo resigned his post as a UEG Ambassador and became an emissary for the Colonial Defense Front.
President Ruth Charet was enraged by this, not only had they lost one of their best diplomats in the outer colonies as well as a whole planet, but the now public opinion had turned in favor of the insurrectionists. In the eyes of the colonists, the UEG was seen as incompetent while the CDF looked like heroes. Even the UNSC High Command criticised the UEG for not taking the terrorist threat seriously, reminding them of the disasters that were National Holiday and the Mamore Haven Arcology.
The Biko Incident earning the CDF a great deal of popular support with the rest of the colonies. Those who had been against them became neutral and those who were neutral became sympathetic to their cause. Still many remained staunchly opposed to the Insurrectionists, the scars of the first one were not so easily forgotten or healed. Regardless it was good PR for the Colonial Defense Front. Still, out of this failure, ONI managed to gain something from it. Surviving members of Sapian Sunrise who manage to escape the wrath of the Colonial Defense Front were recruited by Parangosky and they were taken aside for a special Project that even I was not privy too.