Battle of Harvest: Difference between revisions
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|end=c. March 1, [[2526]] | |end=c. March 1, [[2526]] | ||
|place=[[Epsilon Indi System]], On the planet [[Harvest]] | |place=[[Epsilon Indi System]], On the planet [[Harvest]] | ||
|result=Pyrrhic UNSC victory | |result=Pyrrhic UNSC victory, Covenant also claim victory<ref>[[Halo Wars Timeline Events]]</ref> | ||
|battles= | |battles= | ||
|side1=[[United Nations Space Command]] | |side1=[[United Nations Space Command]] | ||
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==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
The battle was a victory for the UNSC, but a costly one at that. [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI Section II]] overplayed Cole's achievement in propaganda broadcasts, | The battle was a victory for the UNSC, but a costly one at that. [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI Section II]] overplayed Cole's achievement in propaganda broadcasts to boost recruitment levels, but claimed that Cole had fought an [[Insurrectionist]] weapon platform instead. They later recanted their statement. | ||
The Covenant were not fazed by their defeat, and celebrated the "Victory of Epsilon Indi" through fasting and prayer.<ref>[[Halo Wars Timeline Events]]</ref> | |||
The Covenant would attack Harvest again in [[2531]], leading to the [[Third Battle of Harvest]], determined to claim the [[Forerunner]] artifact buried under Harvest's north pole. | The Covenant would attack Harvest again in [[2531]], leading to the [[Third Battle of Harvest]], determined to claim the [[Forerunner]] artifact buried under Harvest's north pole. | ||
Revision as of 14:07, April 15, 2009
- "The enemy ship destroyed and 13 of ours obliterated. It did not bode well."
- — Admiral Preston Cole[1]
The Second Battle of Harvest was a massive UNSC operation to retake the glassed colony of Harvest from The Covenant.
Background
- Main article: First Battle of Harvest
On February 3, 2525, the Tiara space elevator above Harvest detected the Covenant Cruiser Rapid Conversion on long-range Radar. An attempt to facilitate a peaceful meeting between the UNSC and the Covenant resulted in bloodshed after a nervous Unggoy killed a militiaman and so the First Battle of Harvest was ignited, which resulted in the planet being glassed and over twenty thousand civilians killed as they tried to evacuate.
After the cessation of communications from Harvest, the Colonial Military Administration sent the UNSC Argo, a small scout ship, to investigate. On April 20th, 2525, the Argo arrived in the Epsilon Indi System. It sent a single confirmation message before ceasing communications. It was destroyed by the Covenant ship in orbit over Harvest. The Artificial Intelligence Mack tried to warn the Argo, to no avail.
The UNSC then sent a battlegroup of two UNSC Frigates (The UNSC Arabia and the UNSC Vostok) and one UNSC Destroyer (The UNSC Heracles). The battlegroup was led by Captain Veredi, the Captain of the Heracles.
The battlegroup arrived in the Epsilon Indi System on July 10th. Upon arriving in the system, the battlegroup encountered the same Covenant ship. Veredi followed UNSC first contact protocol perfectly. The Covenant ship sent a broadcast to the battlegroup, stating Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument before opening fire on the ships. The batlegroup retaliated as best as it could, and one of the UNSC ships fired Archer Missiles at the Covenant ship, which eliminated many of the missiles with Point Defense Lasers, and those missiles that managed to hit the ship were deflected by the ship's shields. The Arabia and Vostok were destroyed by the Covenant ship's advanced laser weaponry, while the Heracles was heavily damaged. The Heracles retreated to Reach, but due to the heavy damage it took, the Heracles took several weeks to get back to Reach.[2]
The Battle
Vice Admiral Preston Cole was given the task of retaking Harvest. Cole's fleet of approximately twenty warships arrived at Harvest in March 2526. The orbital engagement that followed was a human victory, but the single warship in orbit annihilated thirteen of Cole's ships. The battle was a close-matched one, and Cole only won due to his overwhelming numbers, and a last-minute tactical maneuver. Even so, he still lost two-thirds of his fleet. Losses included the UNSC Sacramento and the UNSC Lance Held High.
Aftermath
The battle was a victory for the UNSC, but a costly one at that. ONI Section II overplayed Cole's achievement in propaganda broadcasts to boost recruitment levels, but claimed that Cole had fought an Insurrectionist weapon platform instead. They later recanted their statement.
The Covenant were not fazed by their defeat, and celebrated the "Victory of Epsilon Indi" through fasting and prayer.[3]
The Covenant would attack Harvest again in 2531, leading to the Third Battle of Harvest, determined to claim the Forerunner artifact buried under Harvest's north pole.
Timeline
2525
- February 3rd: Harvest detects a contact on its long range radar, and soon afterward, all contact is lost with the planet. The UNSC scout ship Argo was sent to investigate the loss of communication.
- April 20: The Argo arrives in-system and makes one confirmation transmission. No further reports are received.
- October 7: A UNSC battle group consisting of one destroyer, the Heracles, under the command of Captain Veredi and two frigates the Arabia and the Vostok enters the Harvest system and discovers that in some parts of the planet the surface has melted down to glass. This is later dubbed "glassing". In orbit around the remains of the colony world is a single alien ship, which proceeded to attack the battle group, destroying both Arabia and Vostok and badly damaging the Heracles. Intercepted communications identify the enemy as "The Covenant". The message "Your destruction is the will of the Gods..and we are their instrument" is broadcast in perfect English.
- November 1: Vice Admiral Preston Cole mobilizes the-then largest space fleet in Human history to retake Harvest.
2526
- Admiral Cole's fleet engages the alien warships gathered in orbit over the destroyed colony, scoring a victory (though the battle cost Cole two-thirds of his battle group). Only a last-minute tactical inspiration turned the tide of battle.
Military Forces
United Nations Space Command
Commander: Vice Admiral Preston Cole
19 or 20 ships were present in the battle. Thirteen (or 2/3) of which were destroyed.
Known UNSC ships:
- Fleet Command Cruiser UNSC Everest
- UNSC Sacramento
- UNSC Lance Held High
Covenant
Commander: Unknown
Single Covenant ship.
References
Related Pages
