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Operation: COALPEPPER
Conflict:	Insurrection
Date:	August 2555[1]
Location:	Talitsa,Sverdlovsk system
Outcome:	UNSC victory Insurgents are defeated, defected SPARTAN-IV captured
Details Belligerents United Nations Space Command United Rebel Front Commanders SpartanEdward Buck DoctorAnton Schein† Strength 2SPARTAN-IVs Edward Buck Kojo Agu Dozens of soldiers 1 SPARTAN-IV(defected) Casualties None Most soldiers Schein killed Mickey captured

"The Talitsa incident served as a warning for the UNSC, who were forced to acknowledge the risks involved in the recruitment of the new Spartans, even those who had loyally served the UNSC for years."

—Curator on the mission^[2]

Operation: COALPEPPER, later referred to as theTalitsa incident, was aUnited Nations Space Command operation, arranged by theSpartan branch andOffice of Naval Intelligence, to rescueHuragokQuick to Adjust and hishuman handler,Sadie Endesha, on theUnited Rebel Front-controlledmoon ofTalitsa.^[3]

Prelude[edit]

HuragokQuick to Adjust and hishuman handler,Sadie Endesha, participated in a variety of field operations issued by theOffice of Naval Intelligence, including one in which they possibly aided in a newMJOLNIR development project onTalitsa inAugust 2555. However, while on themoon, they were captured by theUnited Rebel Front and taken to one of the URF'smilitary bases on Talitsa. Due to their past experiences with the Huragok, ONI CaptainVeronica Dare selectedSPARTAN-IVsEdward Buck,Kojo "Romeo" Agu, andMichael "Mickey" Crespo for the mission to Talitsa to rescue the two.^[1]

The mission[edit]

On the way to the base Alpha-Nine was surrounded and forced to surrender by a large number of insurgents; it was revealed that Crespo had betrayed the team and revealed their mission to the URF.^[4] As the rebels, led by DoctorSchein, led Buck and Romeo back to their base, the latter began to insult Mickey and Schein. In response, Mickey attacked and inadvertently pushed Romeo down a hill. While the URF soldiers chased after him, Buck used the opportunity to attack Mickey and succeeded in moving the fight just out of sight of Schein, and Romeo and his pursuers. Romeo learned of Buck's situation and began to massacre the rebels. As their brawl continued, Buck eventually managed to knock Mickey unconscious with a headbutt. However, Buck was shot in the back by Schein. The doctor held him at gunpoint and attempted to use him to force Romeo to surrender, but while Schein was distracted, Buck threw his helmet at Schein's chest and knocked him to the ground. Buck grabbed Schein's rifle and smashed the shoulder stock against his face, killing him.^[5]

Taking Schein's rifle, Buck waited for Mickey to regain consciousness and watched as Romeo eliminated the rebels. After eliminating the rebels nearby, Romeo moved on to rescue Quick to Adjust and Sadie Endesha. When Mickey awoke, he asked Buck to kill him. However, Buck opted not to and the two sat down together until adropship arrived to extract them.^[6]

Aftermath[edit]

When they returned to the Spartan base on Mars, Buck had Mickey handed over to Jun-A266 instead of the ONI operatives that were waiting for their return, since he believed that Mickey was still a Spartan. Afterwards, Buck and Romeo were reassigned to another team at Buck's request, with Buck as a member of the team rather than as its leader.^[7] Following the incident, Buck and Romeo were both debriefed in light of the issues regarding conflicting loyalties and emotions among the soldiers of the SPARTAN-IV program. Buck later told his life story to ONI archivists, beginning with his early life to his career as a SPARTAN-IV supersoldier.^[8]

List of appearances[edit]

• Halo: New Blood(First appearance)
• Halo 5: Guardians
  • Limited Edition dossiers(Mentioned only)
• Halo Mythos
• Halo: Bad Blood(Mentioned only)

Sources[edit]

• Post-Covenant War conflicts
• Insurrection