Battle of Liber

The Battle of Liber was an engagement fought between the and the from February 8 through 10, 2535. It occurred around the same time as the and it marked the establishment of the Platinum Team as a permanent unit.
==Background==
In the month of March, 2526, the targeted the colony of Liber. While many of the Spartans were preparing for , a few were needed at the populated colony. These few were Dom-094, Rick-077, and Sam-015 from , and also Annie-003 from , and were designated the Platinum Team.
==Battle==
Upon the Spartans' arrival at the colony, Darryl Coatney informed them of the situation of the attack. Although the had a slight upper hand on the surface, the space battle did not seem winnable; there was nothing in Liber's orbital defenses that could take out the opposing , the Divine Eradication. Having reviewed what had occurred in the , Coatney urged the Spartans to board the Divine Eradication just as had boarded the . Instead of bringing mere , however, the Spartans would bring a , as the assault carrier was at a safe distance from the UNSC vessels.
The members of Platinum Team were aware of how perished at the and vowed to not lose each other. The Spartans agreed that opposing would be their greatest threat, and decided to take full advantage Sam-015's unparalleled skill with anti-armor weapons; Sam-015 was to swiftly eliminate durable targets with an , while each of her teammates would go into this mission with two additional magazines for the rocket launcher.
Similar to the events of Chi Ceti, Platinum Team traveled to the Divine Eradication by a G95M Gull with the UNSC Future Untold and several other UNSC vessels drawing the Covenant's attention. The UNSC vessels then fired their at the assault carrier, enough to create an opening in the Covenant carrier's narrow section for the Spartans to board. Platinum Team subsequently left their Pelican and used their to propel themselves into the Divine Eradication.
The members of Platinum Team initially faced and and were able to take them out with little difficulty. When the Spartans began facing elites, Sam-015 to made liberal use of her M41 SPNKR against the durable enemies as planned, with her allies resupplying her whenever necessary. Once the Spartans had fought their way deep enough into the Divine Eradication, they armed the nuke, putting it on a timer. However, they prepared for remote detonation should the timer malfunction.
With the bomb in place, the Spartans proceeded to fight their way out of the Covenant ship. Commander Bella Caseiro contacted the Spartans, informing them that she was waiting for them outside aboard the UNSC Muted Whisper. Minutes after the Muted Whisper had safely recovered the Spartans, the HAVOK detonated, severing the Divine Eradication at its "neck" and also destroying a nearby Covenant .
With the greatest naval threat gone, the Liber fleet proceeded to turn the tide of the naval battle. The Spartans were then deployed on the surface to help the UNSC ground forces finish off the Covenant infantry and also search for survivors. In orbit, the surviving UNSC ships were able to force the last two battlecruisers into retreat, ending the battle in favor of the humans.
==Aftermath==
The synergy between the Spartans played a major role in their success at Liber, prompting the establishment of Platinum Team as a permanent Spartan unit under the leadership of Annie-003.
==Gallery==
Rick-077 flank gun.jpg|Rick-077, manning one of the G95M Gull's 30 mm flank guns
Platinum Team aboard the Divine Eradication.jpg|Platinum Team, aboard the Divine Eradication
Platinum Team Liber.jpg|Platinum Team, searching for survivors on the surface of Liber
==List of appearances==
*Halo: The Platinum Annals (First appearance)