Editing First Battle of Harvest

{{Era|HCW}}
{{Battle
|prev=[[Skirmish on Minor Transgression|Skirmish on ''Minor Transgression'']]
|conc=
|next=[[Battle of Chi Ceti]]
|name=First Battle of Harvest
|image=[[File:SSgt Avery Johnson, UNSC Marine Corps.JPG|325px]]
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]
|date=[[2525|February 3, 2525]] – [[2525|October 7, 2525]] 
|place=[[Harvest]], [[Epsilon Indi system]]
|result=;'''Covenant victory'''
*Outbreak of the [[Human-Covenant War]]
*Harvest partially [[glassed]]
*Harvest evacuated of military personnel and civilians
|battles=
|side1=[[United Nations Space Command]] <br>
[[Colonial Military Administration]]
|side2=[[Covenant]]
|commanders1=
[[Jilan al-Cygni|Lt. Commander Jilan al-Cygni]] <br>
[[Ponder|Captain Ponder]]† <br>
[[Maribeau Veredi|Captain Maribeau Veredi]] {{C|later}}
|commanders2=
[[Maccabeus]]† <br>
[[Tartarus]]
|forces1=*[[United Nations Space Command]]
**3 [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]]
**72 [[Colonial Militia]]
***[[M12 Warthog]]s
***[[Jotun Heavy Industries|JOTUNs]]
**[[Utgard Constabulary]]
**[[UNSC Navy]]
***1 [[sloop]]
****{{UNSCShip|Walk of Shame}}
*[[Colonial Military Administration]]
**1 scout ship
***{{CMAShip|Argo}}
**2 [[UNSC frigate]]s
***{{CMAShip|Arabia}}
***{{CMAShip|Vostok}}
**1 [[UNSC destroyer]]
***{{CMAShip|Heracles}}
|forces2=*60+ [[Unggoy]]
*[[Yanme'e]]
*1 [[Huragok]]
*10 [[Jiralhanae]]
*4 [[Type-25 Chopper]]s
*[[Type-25 Spirit]]s
*''[[Rapid Conversion]]''
*Another Covenant ship of unknown classification
|casual1=*[[Harvest militia]] suffers over 50% casualties
**Captain [[Ponder]]
**Private [[Osmo]]
**[[Wick]]
**[[Habel]]
**[[Jepsen]]
**[[Vallen]]
*CMA ''Argo'', CMA ''Arabia'', CMA ''Vostok'' destroyed
*UNSC ''Heracles'' heavily damaged
*23,000 civilian casualties<ref name="enc36">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 36''</ref>
|casual2=
*''Rapid Conversion''
*One Type-25 Spirit
*3 Type-25 Choppers
*A few Jiralhanae, one Huragok, many Unggoy, and many Yanme'e
**Maccabeus
**[[Dadab]]
**[[Licinus]]
**[[Vorenus]]
**[[Ritul]]
**[[Calid]]
**[[Strab]]
**[[Yull]]
**[[Lighter Than Some]]
}} 
{{Quote|Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument.|Covenant transmission from the [[Prophet of Regret]] to the UNSC during the Battle of Harvest<ref name="FOR">'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''pages 96-98'' (2003 edition); ''pages 118-120'' (2010 edition)</ref>}}

The '''First Battle of Harvest''' was the first major engagement between the [[United Nations Space Command]] and the [[Covenant]], taking place on [[Harvest]] in the [[Epsilon Indi system]]. It marked the beginning of the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref name="enc36"/>

==Prelude==
===Covenant religious crisis===
[[Covenant]] culture and society was founded on the belief that they were the chosen ones of the [[Forerunner]]s. Piety was partially demonstrated by the "Reclamation" of ancient, and supposedly holy, artifacts. In [[2525]], a query to an [[Mendicant Bias|ancient Forerunner AI]] concerning the large number of "relics" on a world as-yet unvisited by the Covenant revealed a critical flaw in Covenant belief; "Reclamation" was a mistranslation of "[[Reclaimer]]" in the Forerunner language, the "relics" on the world were human beings, and that ''humans'' were the Forerunners' chosen inheritors of the galaxy.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''pages 274-276''</ref>

This information was restricted to only a few in Covenant leadership. They realized the public knowledge would shake the foundations of the polity and potentially destroy it. Those privy to the information moved to prevent catastrophe. They seized control of the Covenant and used their new powers to declare a war of extermination on humanity. The first target was the world that the Forerunner AI had been consulted about: the UNSC colony world of [[Harvest]].

===Toward Harvest===
{{Main|Skirmish on Minor Transgression}}
First contact between the Covenant and humanity involved a number of raids on UNSC ships in the [[Epsilon Indi system]] by a Covenant [[missionary ship]], the ''[[Minor Transgression]]''. The raider made a scan of Harvest before being intercepted and destroyed.

Following quickly on ''Minor Transgression''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s heels was the Covenant cruiser, ''[[Rapid Conversion]]''. The cruiser's commander, the [[Jiralhanae]] [[Jiralhanae War Chieftain|War Chieftain]] and [[Shipmaster]] [[Maccabeus]], was ordered to [[Glassing|glass]] the colony. However, the pious Maccabeus opted to delay this in order to search for relics first. This put him in conflict with [[Tartarus]], his more zealous nephew.

==The battle==
===The Covenant's arrival===
On [[2525|February 3, 2525]], [[Tiara]], Harvest's orbital station, detected ''Rapid Conversion'' entering the system on long range sensors. The cruiser registered as an unknown object, but was determined as constructed of materials beyond human science. ''Rapid Conversion'' was sent pictures depicting humans giving [[Kig-Yar]] fruit as an offering and a peaceful meeting on the surface was arranged. However, the Jiralhanae were interested by the fact that the cruiser's [[Luminary]] claimed that there was thousands of "[[human|Oracles]]" on the planet's surface.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 234''</ref> On [[2525|February 11, 2525]], a [[Type-25 Troop Carrier|Spirit]] holding Maccabeus, [[Vorenus]], and [[Licinus]] landed at the [[Harvest Botanical Gardens]] and met with human representatives, while a second Spirit hovered nearby and Tartarus led a small [[lance]] of [[Unggoy]] nearby to search for Oracles. The human representatives consisted of [[Governor]] [[Nils Thune]], [[Rol Pederson|Attorney General Rol Pederson]], [[Ponder|Captain Ponder]], [[Jilan al-Cygni|Lieutenant Commander Jilan al-Cygni]], and Staff Sergeants [[Nolan Byrne]] and [[Avery Johnson]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 245''</ref> Maccabeus arrived at the head of a group of Jiralhanae and [[Unggoy]]. The meeting went sour prematurely when an [[Yull|overeager Unggoy]] attacked and killed [[Osmo]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 257''</ref> Pederson was shot and killed with a [[Type-25 Spiker]] by Vorenus after the latter had heard Osmo firing his rifle. Several militia members were wounded in the engagement and Licinus was heavily injured by Johnson and Byrne.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 254''</ref> With Licinus wounded, the Jiralhanae fell back and the Covenant retreated from the area.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 258''</ref> Due to the Unggoy's incompetence, [[Tartarus]] grabbed the wounded Yull, ripped off his mask, and threw him into the[[ Mimir River]]'s rapids that led to the waterfall.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 257''</ref>

The Covenant forces retreated to ''Rapid Conversion'' to await orders from ''[[High Charity]]'' after they sent a message to the [[Prophet of Regret|Vice Minister of Tranquility]] to inform him of their discoveries. Upon discovering that their religion was a lie from the [[Mendicant Bias|Oracle]] in ''High Charity'', the Vice Minister ordered for Maccabeus to exterminate the human colonists at the [[Prophet of Truth|Minister of Fortitude]]'s suggestion.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 278''</ref> Meanwhile, Maccabeus had several Unggoy create outposts in the abandoned Tiara, led by [[Deacon]] [[Dadab]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 304''</ref>

===Siege on Gladsheim===
For a week after the meeting, ''Rapid Conversion'' remained still in high orbit with all of its crew aboard. Despite the warning to evacuate to Harvest's capital of [[Utgard]], a majority of [[Gladsheim]]'s residents remained in the town—believing that a remote town such as Gladsheim would not be attacked by the aliens.<ref name="ch289">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 289''</ref> However, on [[2525|February 22, 2525]], the vessel remained in orbit over Gladsheim with its heavy plasma weapons charging.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 279''</ref> Johnson and Byrne took several squads of militiamen to Gladsheim in an effort to evacuate the town's inhabitants. Maccabeus had the Jiralhanae crew of the ''Rapid Conversion'' scan the town's surrounding location in search for Harvest's alleged "Oracles". While Johnson and Byrne searched for the town's residents, ''Rapid Conversion'' used its ventral beam to destroy the outlying settlements around Gladsheim for over two hours. With the large alien warship in position over Gladsheim, two thousand refugees that had managed to escape the ship's initial attacks made their way to the town's [[MagLev train]] terminal. [[One-Alpha Squad]] and [[One-Bravo Squad|One-Bravo]] assisted with the evacuation. Unarmed [[Yanme'e]] scouts began to group at [[Gladsheim Main Street]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 286''</ref> As ''Rapid Conversion'' drifted over [[Dry Creek Road]], Johnson asked Harvest's [[AI]], [[Mack]], to block off the road to civilians.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 288''</ref>

During the evacuation, Mack had discovered a convoy consisting of several civilian vehicles that attempted to escape the town through the nearby vineyards. At the same time, two Spirit dropships made their way to Gladsheim.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 292''</ref> Johnson and Byrne took an [[M12 Warthog LRV]] to aid the convoy but, as the two neared the vineyards, one of the Spirits lowered and began to fire at the convoy. Johnson discovered the remains of several empty civilian vehicles that had been abandoned by their original occupants, only to be killed by the Spirit's powerful plasma turret. Maccabeus exited the Spirit and began to search through the corpses and their belongings. After spotting a survivor, the two attacked the Chieftain with their Warthog. As several Yanme'e attempted to come to Maccabeus' aid, Johnson managed to pin Maccabeus against one of the convoy's vehicles with the Warthog. Not wanting to risk wounding their leader, the Spirit refused to fire at the Warthog. The two Staff Sergeants succeeded in rescuing the survivor and immediately attempted to retreat to Utgard, closely followed by a Spirit and several Yanme'e, as they left the heavily wounded Maccabeus behind.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 294-297''</ref> To cover their escape, Mack rigged several [[JOTUN Heavy Industries|JOTUN cropdusters]] to launch at the Spirit, destroying the dropship and killing its [[Ritul|pilot]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 299''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 313''</ref> All surviving militia personnel evacuated to Utgard as Covenant personnel returned to their ship, as ''Rapid Conversion'' and the remaining Spirits began to destroy the remains of Gladsheim.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 301''</ref>

The news of Gladsheim's destruction travelled fast to the civilians in Utgard. It began to cause panic among survivors.<ref name="cp318">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 318''</ref>

===Evacuation===
[[File:FoRBootCamp - Harvest remains.png|thumb|250px|Harvest's surface after the Covenant attack.]]
{{Quote|Someday we will win, no matter what it takes.|Ponder to Tartarus}}
Shortly after the Covenant had destroyed Gladsheim, al-Cygni assumed command of UNSC forces from Governor Thune and the evacuation plan was finalized on [[2525|February 23, 2525]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 325''</ref> Meanwhile, inside the Tiara, Covenant [[Huragok]] [[Lighter Than Some]] had discovered Harvest's [[Planetary Security Intelligence]] AI [[Loki]]. Wishing to end the conflict, the Huragok worked with the AI to stop the Covenant.<ref name="cp318"/> Captured intelligence revealed the Covenant's interest in artifacts and relics to the UNSC. A mortally wounded Ponder used a false Oracle to lure the Covenant cruiser into the sights of the colony's [[mass driver]]. A Spirit dropped off four newly-created [[Type-25 Chopper]]s—driven by Jiralhanae including Tartarus and Vorenus—inside the [[Utgard Mall]] at Ponder's location. The Jiralhanae approached Ponder and the dying captain handed them a holo-pad.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 346''</ref> With the aliens distracted, AI [[Loki]] fired the mass driver at ''Rapid Conversion''. Angered, Tartarus promptly killed Ponder. The ship was disabled after two rounds and crashed in Utgard. Tartarus ordered Vorenus to lead the other two Jiralhanae to Harvest's mass driver to disable it while Tartarus returned to the Spirit dropship to return to the Tiara. Three-hundred and sixty refugee-laden [[DCS light freighter|cargo freighters]] ascended the space elevators to the Tiara station.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 335-336''</ref>

Furious that the humans had disabled his ship, Maccabeus warned Dadab to ready his Unggoy warriors aboard the Tiara to protect Lighter Than Some from the humans making their way to the station. While Yanme'e attempted to repair the cruiser, Maccabeus was confronted by an angry Tartarus who believed his uncle was a fool for allowing the ship to become damaged and for listening to the "damaged" Luminary.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 344''</ref> Wishing to take control of the [[Maccabeus' clan|pack]], Tartarus challenged his uncle for dominance. Tartarus succeeded in defeating the already wounded Maccabeus and killed him by crushing his skull with the [[Fist of Rukt]]. Tartarus, now Chieftain and leader of the Covenant forces, had the Jiralhanae and Yanme'e aboard the ship prepare to fight the humans on the Tiara.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 346''</ref> Meanwhile, the space elevators continued to ascend to the Tiara, two of which held militia strike teams and refugees while the other five carried decoys rigged with claymores.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 351''</ref>
[[File:FoR RapidC.png|thumb|250px|left|''Rapid Conversion'' in orbit over Harvest.]]
At the [[Harvest reactor complex]], Byrne and twenty volunteers from [[Second Platoon]] were protecting the mass driver and Loki's data center. Vorenus and two other Jiralhanae soon arrived at the reactor complex and engaged the militia's forces.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 356''</ref> Vorenus chased after Byrne as he retreated inside the complex with several militiamen. The Jiralhanae rammed [[Vallen]] with his Chopper and chased the humans inside the complex towards Loki's data center. After killing [[Habel]] and [[Jepsen]], Vorenus was prevented access from Byrne and the data center after Loki locked the door between it and the rest of the complex.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 360''</ref> However, with the use of brute strength and [[Type-2 spike grenade]]s, Vorenus managed to destroy the safety doors and grabbed Byrne. As militiamen surrounded the two, a massive amount of JOTUN cropdusters controlled by Mack moved towards Vorenus, startling the Jiralhanae. With Vorenus distracted, the militiamen succeeded in killing the alien and releasing Byrne. Outside the complex, the militia had killed one of Vorenus' accompanying Jiralhanae riders while the second was destroyed by two JOTUN machines sent by Mack. However, Loki's data center was damaged during the attack.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 362''</ref>

===Battle in the Tiara===
At the Tiara, nearly thirty Unggoy were killed or wounded when the explosive containers reached the top. Dadab had ordered the survivors to fall back towards the center.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 364''</ref> During the massive firefight, [[Bapap]]—Dadab's friend—was mortally wounded and Dadab's [[methane tank]] was heavily damaged. As the two Unggoy lied dying amidst the battle, Tartarus' Jiralhanae and Yanme'e arrived. Dadab was saved by Tartarus and given a methane pack taken from a dead Unggoy. Tartarus had Dadab lead him to Lighter Than Some, after the Chieftain killed Bapap—shocking the Deacon.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 367''</ref> En route to the Huragok, they encountered Johnson and several militiamen. While Tartarus and the Yanme'e engaged the humans, three Yanme'e snuck into the Tiara's control room. Furious that Lighter Than Some had replaced their engineering duties and forced them into combat positions, the Yanme'e attacked and killed the Huragok. Angered by the loss of his only friends, Dadab decided to kill Tartarus in an effort to end the conflict.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 368-379''</ref>

While Johnson, [[Healy]], and al-Cygni led the militia in battle, twenty-thousand refugees were killed when one of the space elevators collapsed.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 371''</ref> While Johnson engaged the Yanme'e, Tartarus attacked him and prepared to execute him. However, Dadab appeared behind the Chieftain and fired an overcharged bolt from his [[Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol|plasma pistol]] into the Jiralhanae's chest and destroyed his [[energy shielding|energy shield]]s. Enraged, Tartarus killed the Unggoy Deacon with the Fist of Rukt, however Tartarus was forced to retreat. As the militia made their way to the freighters to leave the system with the refugees, they encountered the Yanme'e slaughtering the few surviving Unggoy.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 373-374''</ref> The militia were able to enter the freighters and escape the Tiara. Ultimately, the surviving freighters entered [[slipspace]] to return to human space.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 385''</ref>

During the following months, the ''Rapid Conversion'''s crew repaired the ship and steadily continued the glassing of Harvest, gradually destroying the JOTUN automatons in which the remnants of the AI Mack were housed.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 382''</ref>

===CMA investigation===
[[File:ArabiaVostok.png|thumb|{{CMAShip|Arabia}} and {{CMAShip|Vostok}} hit by Covenant [[plasma turret|plasma torpedoes]].]]
The [[Colonial Administration Authority]] dispatched the {{CMAShip|Argo}} to investigate the cessation of communications from Harvest, and the scout ship arrived in system on [[2525|April 20, 2525]].<ref>'''[[Halo Wars]]''' ''Timeline''</ref> The [[artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Mack]] unsuccessfully attempted to warn ''Argo'' of the enemy presence. The scout ship managed to send a single signal before being destroyed by the ''Rapid Conversion''.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 393''</ref> A single [[Covenant super-destroyer]] arrived some time later and remained in the system to face any future investigation parties sent in by the UNSC.

''Argo'' was followed up by a [[Battle Group 4|battle group]] consisting of the [[UNSC destroyer|destroyer]] {{CMAShip|Heracles}}, and the {{Class|Charon|light frigate}} {{CMAShip|Arabia}} and {{CMAShip|Vostok}}. [[Maribeau Veredi|Captain Maribeau Veredi]] of ''Heracles'' commanded the formation. The ships arrived in Epsilon Indi on October 7 and encountered the Covenant destroyer. The Covenant ship responded to first contact protocols by broadcasting the message: ''Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument'', and then opened fire.<ref name="FOR"/>

The CMA battle group was soundly defeated in an engagement lasting fourteen seconds.<ref name="Halo E">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]'''</ref> Covenant [[pulse laser turret]]s intercepted many [[Archer missile|Archer Missiles]] with the remainder being shrugged off by [[shield]]s. [[Plasma turret|Plasma torpedoes]] and lasers destroyed both frigates and heavily damaged the ''Heracles''; the destroyer managed to escape but it took several weeks to limp back to [[Reach]] in the [[Epsilon Eridani system]].<ref name="FOR"/>

==Aftermath==
{{Main|Battle of Harvest}}
With the failure of the initial counter-attack, the Covenant were left in control of Harvest. On [[2525|November 1, 2525]], the UNSC was ordered to full alert. The First Battle of Harvest was the first engagement in the [[Human-Covenant War]], a massive interplanetary war that would last for twenty-seven years. The [[SPARTAN-II training|training]] of the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] was accelerated and the SPARTANs were sent to [[Chi Ceti IV]] to receive their [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]] to aid in combat against the Covenant. However, the UNSC was not content with this state of affairs and [[Battle of Harvest|returned with a larger fleet]] on [[2526|March 1, 2526]] to retake the devastated world, eventually reclaiming it over a five-year [[Harvest Campaign|campaign]].<ref name="Harvest">'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]", ''pages 463-465''</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:FoR Battlegroup 4.png|Battle Group 4 arrives at Harvest.
File:UNSC Heracles.png|The ''Heracles'' arrives at Harvest.
File:FoR Battle group 4.png|The ''Heracles'' and [[Battle Group 4]] orbit a glassed Harvest, shortly before the fleet's near-destruction.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]
**''[[Dirt]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]''
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]'' {{Im}}
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]'' {{Im}}
*''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''
*''[[Halo: Ground Command]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Collateral Damage]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Human-Covenant War}}

[[Category:Covenant Victories]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvest}}