Battle Group 4

Battle Group 4
Active:	April 2525–October 7, 2525
Affiliation:	Unified Earth Government
Branch:	Colonial Military Authority
Type:	Battle group
Role:	Investigation of Harvest
Size:	Three warships
Engagements:	First Battle of Harvest
Commanders:	Captain Maribeau Veredi

"The group consisted of the destroyer Heracles, commanded by Captain Veredi, as well as the frigates Arabia and Vostok."

— Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth

Battle Group 4 was a formation of the Colonial Military Authority's fleet, under the command of Captain Maribeau Veredi. The battle group was assembled and dispatched to investigate the loss of communications with the human Outer Colony of Harvest. Upon arriving at the planet on October 7, 2525, Battle Group 4 encountered a Rasus-pattern interdictor, leading to one of the first naval engagements of the Human-Covenant War.

History

"The Colonial Military Administration sent a battle group to respond to the alien threat. They survived less than fourteen seconds before two of the three destroyers [sic] in the group were obliterated, and the remaining destroyer, the Heracles, was forced to retreat."

— Codename: SURGEON's report, Historical/Psychological Analysis of Cole, Preston J.

After communications were lost with the Unified Earth Government Outer Colony of Harvest, the Colonial Military Authority deployed the unarmed scout ship CMA Argo to investigate. Argo arrived over Harvest in the Epsilon Indi system on April 20, 2525, but contact was lost with the scout ship shortly after. In response, fearing that insurrectionist forces had taken control of Harvest and unaware of the true nature of the enemy, the CMA and UNSC Fleet Command assembled Battle Group 4—consisting of the destroyer CMA Heracles and the frigates Arabia and Vostok—to investigate Harvest, led by Captain Maribeau Veredi.

Battle Group 4 is attacked by the Rasus-pattern interdictor.

When the battle group arrived over Harvest on October 7, 2525, they discovered that the planet's surface was partially glassed and detected the Covenant Rasus-pattern interdictor responsible for the massacre of Harvest and destruction of Argo. Veredi followed first-contact protocols by attempting to initiate communications with the ship, but the Covenant "super-destroyer" suddenly opened fire upon the battle group with its pulse laser turrets. The battle group returned fire, but their Archer missiles had no apparent effect. In fourteen seconds, Arabia and Vostok were destroyed—lost with all hands—and Heracles was severely damaged.

Before fleeing back into slipstream space, Heracles picked up a transmission in English from the Covenant ship: "Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument." When the ship returned to UEG space over Reach in the Epsilon Eridani system, Veredi told the UNSC of what had taken place and a larger battle group was assembled by Vice Admiral Preston Cole to retake Harvest.

Composition

• One Hillsborough-class heavy destroyer
  • CMA Heracles
• Two Charon-class light frigates
  • CMA Arabia (destroyed)
  • CMA Vostok (destroyed)

Gallery

• 

  Heracles arriving at Harvest.

• 

  Arabia and Vostok hit by Covenant plasma torpedoes.

• 

  Captain Maribeau Veredi, the commander of Battle Group 4.

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  Battle Group 4 arrives at Harvest.

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  Battle Group 4 over Harvest.

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  The damaged Heracles returns to Reach.

List of appearances

• Halo: The Fall of Reach (First mentioned)
• Halo Wars: Genesis (First appearance)
• Halo Wars (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
  • The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Fall of Reach
  • Boot Camp
• Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series
• Halo: Ground Command (Mentioned only)
• Halo Mythos (Mentioned only)