: John mentions that after the Hierophant's explosion there are still a few
: ships left. As for why another Ascendant is never mentioned, that is more
: uncertain. I can buy Grizzlei's suggestion that Cortana didn't mention it
: to the humans because it didn't matter to the mission, but the Covenant
: don't mention it either. In the last chapter with the Prophet of Truth and
: Tartarus, reports are just coming in about the Hierophant and the
: "renegade flagship Ascendant Justice". Neither of them mention
: that there appears to be a second one somehow.

Just remembered that they also mention "the incompetent [...] who lost the Ascendant Justice". So that means Truth and Tartarus' likely takes place after the destruction of Halo on Sept 23 because that's when the ship was captured, but oddly neither of them mention Halo's destruction, nor can it take place on Sept 14 just after Op: First Strike because that would mean the Ascendant hasn't been lost yet and oh no I've gone cross-eyed...