By the time the Covenant attacked the planet in January 2552, the complex had been under excavation for some time by the planet's civilian xenoarchaeological teams. However, they had not yet gained access to the interior. During the battle, the Covenant rounded up the civilian population and used them to spring the traps at the entrance in hopes of finding a safe way inside. The two ODSTs, Kojo Agu and Taylor H. Miles eventually succeeded in evading the laser traps by carefully passing over them and then melting the door with an overcharged shot from a plasma pistol. Inside, they discovered the Knowing and inquired it about its purpose. Upon learning of all the information it possessed, the humans deemed it too dangerous to fall into Covenant hands and told the Knowing to self-destruct. Th