In Halo: First Strike Cortana explained that the captured Covenant flagship Ascendant Justice could not jump to Earth because it would be a direct violation of the Cole Protocol. John suggested the ship jump to Reach, because the Covenant obviously already knew its location.
I’m curious why they did not simply jump to Sigma Octanus IV, which was still controlled by the UNSC, though the Covenant knew its location from the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. The UNSC would have gained the Halo data and a completely intact Covenant flagship. Dr Halsey and Red Team would have been killed, and the Unyielding Hierophant would not have been destroyed, though no one could have known that at the time.
> John wanted to see if there was anyone left there.
I know, but you’re missing my point. It would have made much more sense from Haverson’s standpoint to go directly to Sigma Octanus IV, since it didn’t breach the Cole Protocol and it would ensure the safety of the Halo data and the Covenant tech aboard Ascendant Justice.
Really, I always thought it was because jumping to Sigma Octanus IV still would have been a violation to the Cole Protocol due to possibly leading/leading the Covenant to military controlled space even if it was an already known location. This is mainly backed by the fact that coordinates to Earth could have been seized by Covenant forces from a UNSC ship if they were to follow the Ascendant Justice there and a battle ensued from it. But, that’s just been my thought on it.
> Really, I always thought it was because jumping to Sigma Octanus IV still would have been a violation to the Cole Protocol due to possibly leading/leading the Covenant to military controlled space even if it was an already known location. This is mainly backed by the fact that coordinates to Earth could have been seized by Covenant forces from a UNSC ship if they were to follow the Ascendant Justice there and a battle ensued from it. But, that’s just been my thought on it.
It wouldn’t make any sense because the Covenant had already attacked Sigma Octanus IV and they could have returned to finish the planet off at any time, regardless of whether they were lead there by Ascendant Justice or not.
Why risk the valuable Halo data and the Covenant technology aboard Ascendant Justice just because John wanted to check if any of his Spartans survived the glassing of Reach; which would have been very unlikely, given the usual UNSC survival rate of a Covenant invasion. Going to Reach rather than Sigma Octanus IV was a serious tactical error on Haverson’s part.
> It wouldn’t make any sense because the Covenant had already attacked Sigma Octanus IV and they could have returned to finish the planet off at any time, regardless of whether they were lead there by Ascendant Justice or not.
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> Why risk the valuable Halo data and the Covenant technology aboard Ascendant Justice just because John wanted to check if any of his Spartans survived the glassing of Reach; which would have been very unlikely, given the usual UNSC survival rate of a Covenant invasion. Going to Reach rather than Sigma Octanus IV was a serious tactical error on Haverson’s part.
Yes, it would actually. As I said, directly getting Covenant to follow someone to military controlled space would seem like a direct violation considering it’d be bringing attention back to that area as well as wasting resources the UNSC desperately needed because if a space battle happened at Sigma Octanus IV from the Covenant following, it would have resulted in more resources being lost that, at the time, the UNSC could not afford.
Not only would it be a bad idea to go to Sigma while risking Covenant following but, John and the others on Ascendant Justice would have been shot down as soon as they entered normal space because they were in a Covenant ship at the time. Stolen, but Covenant nonetheless and with Sigma having been attacked before, I don’t think UNSC personnel would have taken the risk of waiting around to see what happens. So, technically, it was a very good tactical decision to go to Reach and not only check the progress on things but to also get a UNSC ship that would allow them to be identified properly.
Isn’t there a lot of mumbo jumbo about them being on a intersect path with that crystal. You know that thing that Dr Hasley said made them travel back in time.