Solemn Penance

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Solemn Penance

Production information
Class:	Syfon-pattern assault carrier
Role:	Flagship^[1]
Specifications
Length:	5,347 metres (17,540 ft)^[2]^[3]^[4]
Width:	2,118 metres (6,950 ft)^[4]
Height:	746 metres (2,450 ft)^[5]
Engine:	Repulsor engines
Slipspace drive:	Equipped
Hull:	Nanolaminate hull plating Equipped withenergy shielding
Armament:	Pulse laser turrets^[1] Energy projectors^[1] Plasma turrets^[1]
Service information
Participated battles:	Battle of Meridian Battle for Earth Battle of Mombasa Battle of Installation 05
Fleet:	Fleet of Sacred Consecration^[1]
Known commanders:	Shipmaster Rhul 'Salmutee^[1]
Affiliation:	Covenant

"He's on that carrier, and he's calling for help."

—Cortana^[6]

Solemn Penance^[1] was aSyfon-pattern assault carrier in service with theCovenant fleet during theHuman-Covenant War. Theflagship of theFleet of Sacred Consecration, it was commanded by theHigh Prophet of Regret during the fleet'sinvasion of Earth onOctober 20, 2552.^[7] Theshipmaster ofSolemn Penance wasRhul 'Salmutee.^[1]

History[edit]

Battle of Meridian[edit]

Main article:Battle of Meridian

Regret's flagship holding position with other carriers over Meridian after the battle.

Throughout theHuman-Covenant War,Solemn Penance and fellow assault carrierDay of Jubilation were responsible for theglassing of over a dozenhuman colonies.^[8]Solemn Penance was present in theBattle ofMeridian in2551, remaining in orbit while the world was glassed. Following the battle, aCovenant Special Operations team was dispatched by theProphet of Regret to themoon's surface to search forForerunner artifacts. The team retrieved aLuminary and delivered it to Regret. Some time later, Regret'sStewards successfully decrypted the Luminary, which revealed the existence of thefinal home of the Forerunners, as well as aportal that led to it. The Luminary also revealed the location of this portal;Erde-Tyrene. InOctober of 2552, the Stewards presented their findings to Regret by personally showing him the information it contained aboard the carrier. Regret hastily assembled the relatively smallFleet of Sacred Consecration—withSolemn Penance as itsflagship,Day of Jubilation, and thirteenKet-pattern battlecruisers—and departed for Erde-Tyrene shortly after, unaware that the planet was the home of humanity.^[9]

Assault on Earth[edit]

Main articles:Battle for Earth,Battle of Mombasa

Solemn Penance arrived in theSol system onOctober 20, 2552 overJupiter, along with the rest of the Fleet of Sacred Consecration, expecting to find and uncover theentrance to the Ark. Instead, they emerged fromslipstream space into the heavy defenses of theUNSC Home Fleet, defending humanity's homeworld, Earth.Solemn Penance and its fleet were reported to Home Fleet's command byIo Station when the Covenant passed the relay station.^[10] While the cruisers engaged the human warships andorbital defense platforms, the assault carriers used boarding parties ofSangheili andUnggoy to carryantimatter charges onto three platforms, intending to blast a hole large enough for them to circumvent the defenses and reach Earth's surface. Though two ODPs were successfully destroyed, the second assault carrier was destroyed bySpartan-II John-117, who used the bomb that was intended to destroyCairo Station. However, Regret's vessel continued unimpeded, descending toNew Mombasa, inKenya,Africa.^[11]

Solemn Penance enters slipspace in-atmosphere above New Mombasa.

While hovering over the city, theSolemn Penance deployed massive numbers of ground infantry and heavy equipment, including at least twoProtos-pattern Scarabs, intending to drive the UNSC out of the area and begin its excavations. Soon, John-117 and dozens of Marines began an assault on the carrier's landing zone inUplift Nature Reserve.^[12] Eventually, faced with the possibility of being overrun on the ground and intercepted by UNSC ships if it tried to escape to orbit, Regret ordered a retreat. TheSolemn Penance activated itsslipspace drive, making an emergency jump, with theUNSCIn Amber Clad following it into slipspace.^[7] The shockwave from the Slipspace rupture severely damaged the city, releasing a potentelectromagnetic pulse and partially damaging the city's urban infrastructureAI, theSuperintendent. The jump also foiled the attempt of anOrbital Drop Shock Trooper force toinfiltrate the carrier from above, scattering theirdrop pods around the city and killing most of the troopers.^[13]^[14]

Delta Halo[edit]

Main article:Battle of Installation 05

OnNovember 2nd, theSolemn Penance exited slipspace nearInstallation 05 and immediately began deploying forces to the surface. Regret departed from theSolemn Penance, fortifying himself within atemple in the centre of a large lake. From there, he pleaded with theProphet of Truth, apologizing for his rash actions. Meanwhile,In Amber Clad arrived at Installation 05. UNSC forces, again spearheaded by John-117,hunted the Prophet; the Spartan soon assassinating him.^[15] Following Regret's death,Solemn Penance began toglass the temple the Prophet had been residing inside in the hopes of killing the Spartan.^[16] After this, the fate of the ship is unknown, but it is believed to have been subsumed into theHigh Charity defense fleet.^[1]

Trivia[edit]

Browse more images in this article'sgallery page.

InHalo 2, theSolemn Penance, like all other assault carriers in the game, features structures at its aft end. InHalo 3: ODST, the vessel has an additional cowling that covers these structures, as it uses the revised model fromHalo 3, which was later known as theKerel-pattern assault carrier inHalo: Warfleet. TheHalo 2 version assault carrier, later known as theSyfon-class assault carrier, is seen, however, during the opening text crawl fromHalo 3: ODST andSadie's Story.
In theHalo 2 Anniversaryterminals, the ship is shown to have a nature preserve inside it.

Gallery[edit]

The Prophet of Regret and his Honor Guards overlook the natural preserve contained deep within theSolemn Penance.
A pair ofStewards with aLuminary on station in the nature preserve of theSolemn Penance.
TheSolemn Penance and its fleet pass overIo Station as they close in onEarth.
TheSolemn Penance and its escorts do battle with the UNSC Home Fleet in Earth orbit.
TheSolemn Penance holds position over New Mombasa as its ground forces descend into the city.
ThePenance holds position over New Mombasa inHalo 2.
Regret's carrier over New Mombasa as seen fromthe Rookie'sM8900 drop pod.
TheSolemn Penance exits slipspace near Installation 05, unaware of theUNSC In Amber Clad arriving in tow.
Solemn Penance looming over theTemple onInstallation 05.
Solemn Penance over Installation 05
Solemn Penance inHalo: Spartan Strike
Solemn Penance over New Mombasa.