Spartan-II Blue Team on the surface of the former human colony of Reach during Operation: WOLFE, October 2559. (Halo: Shadows of Reach/cover art)
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Operation: WOLFE was a UNSC mission on the planet Reach in October 2559 to recover several cryobins from CASTLE Base under Menachite Mountain for Doctor Catherine Halsey. The mission was undertaken by Spartan-II Blue Team, who were successful in recovering the assets, though in the process they inadvertently helped the Banished forces on the planet access a Forerunner portal buried in approximately the same location. Though the purpose of the cryobins is not clear, it is thought they contained some of the remaining frozen cloned brains of Dr. Halsey. Previous clones had been used during the Covenant War to create smart AIs, most notably of which was Cortana, who was created in 2549.
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These events are depicted in the novel Halo: Shadows of Reach.