Battle of Harvest

This article is about the second battle of Harvest in 2526. For other conflicts at Harvest, see Battle of Harvest (disambiguation).

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Battle of Harvest
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War
Date:	March 1, 2526
Location:	Over Harvest, Epsilon Indi system
Outcome:	Pyrrhic UNSC victory Heaven's Brilliant Bier is destroyed Loss of thirteen UNSC warships
Details Belligerents United Nations Space Command Covenant Commanders Vice Admiral Preston Cole Unknown shipmaster Strength Battle Group X-Ray Forty warships One Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser Halcyon-class light cruisers Marathon-class heavy cruisers At least seven destroyers At least nine frigates One Rasus-pattern interdictor Casualties Thirteen UNSC ships One super-destroyer

"This first encounter with the aliens is a test—for them and us. So far we have failed that test. We have to show them that we cannot be so easily defeated. We have to win no matter the cost."

— Vice Admiral Preston Cole, in a personal log written on November 15, 2525

The Battle of Harvest, also known as the Second Battle of Harvest, was an engagement in the Human-Covenant War between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant, taking place in the Epsilon Indi system. Following the loss of the human Outer Colony of Harvest to the Covenant in 2525, the UNSC assembled a battle group to retake the planet on March 1, 2526. Led by Vice Admiral Preston Cole, UNSC Battle Group X-Ray was ultimately successful in destroying the Covenant forces due to superior numbers and a last-minute tactical maneuver, but suffered heavy casualties in the process.

Having lost a third of the battle group's strength against a single Covenant warship, the empire's strength was now clearly assessed to the UNSC. Having been promoted to admiral, Cole would return to Epsilon Indi with the Third Fleet under his command, meeting the Covenant's Fleet of Glorious Interdiction at Harvest for an extended campaign over the planet.

Prelude

"Vice Admiral Preston Cole is mobilizing the largest fleet action in human history to retake the Epsilon Indi system and confront this new threat. Their transmission made one thing perfectly clear: they're looking for a fight."

— Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth

Battle Group 4 discovers the glassed Harvest

In February of 2525, the Unified Earth Government Outer Colony of Harvest was discovered and attacked by the Covenant. The planet was partially glassed by the Covenant cruiser Rapid Conversion, though many of Harvest's residents managed to escape their own destruction by fleeing the Epsilon Indi system aboard freighters. In response to the loss of contact with Harvest, the unarmed scout ship CMA Argo was sent to the planet to investigate. When transmissions from the scout ship suddenly ended, the Harvest situation was deemed highly important and a Colonial Military Authority battle group—Battle Group 4—was dispatched to Harvest, fearing that insurrectionist forces had taken control of the agriculture world. Upon arriving at the system, Battle Group 4 was immediately attacked by a Rasus-pattern interdictor. Only CMA Heracles was able to escape destruction and limp back to Reach in the Epsilon Eridani system several weeks later with word of the hostile alien threat.

On November 1, 2525, the UEG's United Nations Space Command was ordered to full alert. In response to the alien threat, the UNSC's Central Command moved to create a battle group of forty warships to retake Harvest. Retired Vice Admiral Preston Cole was selected by Central Command to lead this force; a "fallen hero" that lived a scandalous retirement, Cole served as an easy scapegoat if CENTCOM's counterattack on the Covenant failed. Additionally, Cole was considered to be a brilliant commander during the Insurrection that was willing to sacrifice himself and anyone under his command to complete his task. On November 2, 2525,