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{{Ratings}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{era|FOR|GOO|CH}}
{{Battle infobox
{{Template:Infobox Military Conflicts
|prev=[[Mamore insurrections#2511|First insurrection on Mamore]]
|previous=
|conc=*[[Ponder#Eridanus II|Elysium City assassination]]
|conc=
*[[Andesia#Rise of Humanity|Andesia rebellion]]
|next=
*[[National Holiday|Terrorist attack on ''National Holiday'']]
*[[Tribute#Insurrection|Raid on Tribute's bomb shops]]
*[[Casbah City#Insurrection|Casbah City bombing]]
*[[Persia IX#Rise of Humanity|Persia IX rebellion]]
*[[Elysium City#History|Elysium City bombing]]
|next=[[Operation: TALON]]
|name=Operation: TREBUCHET
|name=Operation: TREBUCHET
|image=
|image=[[File:Eridanus battle.png|300px]]
|begin=[[2513]]
|conflict=[[Insurrection]]
|end=[[2524]]
|date=[[2513]]–[[2525#February|February 3, 2525]]
|place=*[[Eridanus II]] ([[Eridanus Star System]])
|place=*[[Eridanus system]]
*[[Tribute]] ([[Epsilon Eridani System]])
*[[Epsilon Eridani system]]
|result=The Eridanus rebellion is terminated.
|result=;UNSC victory
|battles=
*The [[Eridanus rebels|Eridanus rebellion]] is terminated
|side1=*[[United Nations Space Command]]
|side1=[[United Nations Space Command]]
|side2=*[[Eridanus Rebels]]
|side2=Various [[Insurrectionist#Known groups|insurgent factions]]
|commanders1=*[[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Ponder]]  
*[[United Rebel Front]]
*[[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Aboim]]
|commanders1=General [[Daniel Black]]<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/corbulo-academy '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Corbulo Academy of Military Science'']</ref> <br> Lieutenant Colonel [[Aboim]] <br> Lieutenant Colonel [[Ponder]]
|commanders2=*[[Colonel Robert Watts]]
|commanders2=Colonel [[Robert Watts]]
|forces1=*12-20 vessels (Destroyer and Carrier class), Ground Troops
|forces1=*[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
|forces2=*100 vessels (Improvised civilian craft, various classes), Ground Troops
*[[UNSC Navy]]
|casual1=*Four Destroyers and Marines
|forces2=*Over one hundred ships
|casual2=*Rebel Soldiers
*Ground forces
|casual1=Four destroyers, several Marines
|casual2=Rebel soldiers, almost all space craft
|civilian=Over one million [[civilian]]s killed{{Ref/Reuse|dirt117}}
}}
}}
{{Quote|Operation: TREBUCHET had been the UNSC's answer to Insurrectionists, and we'd just been folded into the far-ranging series of operations aimed to "pacify" the Outer Colonies.|[[Gage Yevgenny]]<ref name="dirt141">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Dirt", ''page 141''</ref>}}


'''Operation: TREBUCHET''' was the [[United Earth Government]]'s military response to the numerous civilian uprisings in the [[Outer Colonies]] known as the [[Insurrection]]. Spanning over ten years and encompassing at least two star systems, Operation: TREBUCHET involved numerous [[Marine]] units and many vessels from the [[UNSC Navy]]. It is one of the largest and farthest reaching operations known to have been conducted by the UNSC in its long history.<ref>''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', page 11</ref>
'''Operation: TREBUCHET''' was the [[Unified Earth Government]]'s military response to the numerous civilian uprisings in the [[Outer Colonies]] known as the [[Insurrection]]. Spanning over ten years and encompassing multiple planetary systems, Operation: TREBUCHET involved numerous [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] units and many vessels from the [[UNSC Navy]] in an attempt to bring the dissenting [[insurrectionist]]s in line, effectively crushing all resistance to the [[Earth]]'s authority in the Outer Colonies.{{Ref/Reuse|dirt141}}{{Ref/Reuse|ch11}} Beginning in [[2513]] with a large, armed uprising in the [[Eridanus system]], it was one of the largest and farthest reaching operations known to have been conducted by the UNSC in its long history.<ref name="ch11">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 11''</ref> With the beginning of the [[Human-Covenant War]] in [[2525]], Operation: TREBUCHET was temporarily suspended.<ref name="goo39">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 39''</ref>


==Overview==
At first the aggressive response was widely accepted, however, as the fight dragged on and the theater of operations expanded, the continuing operation became extremely unpopular with the human civilian population. Operation: TREBUCHET eventually became the central conflict for Earth's premiere fighting force, the [[United Nations Space Command]], only being ended with the massive genocide that followed with the [[Human-Covenant War]].{{Ref/Reuse|goo39}}
Beginning in [[2513]] with a large uprising in the [[Eridanus Star System]], Operation: TREBUCHET was intended to be a heavy handed fight to bring all dissenting outer colonies in line, effectively crushing all resistance to the Earth's authority in the outer colonies.


At first the aggressive  response was widely accepted, however, as the fight dragged on and the theater of operations expanded, the continuing operation became extremely unpopular with the human civilian population. Operation: TREBUCHET eventually became the central conflict for Earth's premiere fighting force, the UNSCDF, only being ended with the massive genocide that followed with the [[Human-Covenant War]].
==Prelude==
{{Main|Operation: CHARLEMAGNE}}
In [[2494|June of 2494]], [[UNSC Marine]] turncoat Colonel [[Robert Watts]] led a well-armed [[insurrectionist]] faction on [[Eridanus II]]<ref name="watts">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/colonel-watts '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Colonel Watts'']</ref> and established their own [[Wikipedia:secession|secessionist]] government in the wake of the [[Wikipedia:coup d'état|''coup d'état'']].<ref name=TFOR>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''pages 17-18''</ref> Equipped by defectors from the [[Colonial Military Authority]], the rebels performed a well-planned and efficiently executed campaign of city bombings, political assassinations, and kidnappings. These attacks heavily impacted Eridanus II's shipping industry. Meanwhile, the rebels amassed a [[fleet]] of vessels from the CMA. The [[Eridanus Government]] officially requested aid from the [[United Nations Space Command]] in December of the same year.<ref name="ENC44">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 44'' (2011)</ref> By [[2495|January 2495]], the insurgents had effectively taken control of the entire planet.{{Ref/Reuse|watts}}


==Timeline==
In [[2494|January of 2496]], UNSC forces finally responded to the government's requests and launched their campaign—[[Operation: CHARLEMAGNE]]—to retake Eridanus II, deploying a [[battle group]] to engage the makeshift insurrectionist defense fleet.{{Ref/Reuse|ENC44}} Through a series of counter operations, the UNSC managed to break Watts' hold on the planet and splinter the insurgent factions allied with him by eliminating their leaderships.{{Ref/Reuse|watts}} Eventually, the UNSC successfully regained control of the world, at the cost of four [[UNSC destroyer|destroyers]].{{Ref/Reuse|ENC44}} Following the Eridanus II rebellion, Watts realigned most of the remaining insurgent factions that had aided him under his command and formed the [[United Rebel Front]]. The URF continued to engage UNSC and CMA forces on a number of worlds across the [[Outer Colonies]].{{Ref/Reuse|watts}}
===[[2511]]===
Around 2511, the rebels had overthrown the colonial government of [[Eridanus II]], and largely controlled all activities within the system. The UNSC responded harshly, seeking to put down the rebellion forcibly.
 
===[[2513]]===
Fighting broke out in the [[Eridanus Star System]] first, particularly at Eridanus II and the space around it, as rebels supporting the system's breakaway from the UNSC (labeled [[Insurrectionist]]s by the UNSC) built a small navy of civilian craft and attempted to take over the system. The disorganized [[Eridanus Rebels]] were eventually brought together by [[Colonel Robert Watts]].
 
The UNSC responded harshly, sending a [[Fleet]] of [[Destroyers]] and [[Carriers]] to the system to combat the rebel fleet. The resulting battle pitted [[UNSC Destroyer]]s and [[UNSC Carrier]]s against at least one hundred smaller rebel vessels.<ref>''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', pages 75-76</ref> The [[UNSC]] forces defeated their rebel counterparts with little difficulty, however four destroyers were lost in the engagement. During the battle, the rebels were routed and the remnants of their fleet fled into the asteroid belt to [[Eridanus Secundus]]. They would eventually establish a fully functional asteroid base and began conducting raids again by [[2525]].<ref>''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', pages 75-77</ref>


A ground campaign was begun on [[Eridanus II]] as well, as units from the [[9th Marine Expeditionary Force]] were sent to the planet in force, hoping to capture leaders of the movement and pacify the population. One of these units, 1st Battalion of the [[21st Marine Division]] commanded by [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Ponder]], was involved in a disastrous mission to try and capture a leader of the rebels in [[Elysium City]], which ended in the leader's family being killed and Ponder wounded and demoted.<ref>''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', page 112</ref>
==The operation==
===Beginnings at Eridanus===
{{Quote|In 2513, an armed insurrection in this system was suppressed by the UNSC force—Operation: TREBUCHET.|Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]], referring to the insurrection on Eridanus II<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 95'' (2010)</ref>}}
[[File:FoR - Iliad.png|thumb|250px|left|''Iliad'' engaging UNSC warships over Eridanus II]]
Eventually, the [[United Rebel Front]] regained enough strength to attempt to overthrow the [[Eridanus Government]] a second time. Colonel [[Robert Watts]], intending to use [[Eridanus II]] as a base of operations for the URF and drag the [[Colonial Military Authority]] into a costly guerrilla war, launched an armed uprising on the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|watts}} In [[2513]], fighting broke out throughout the [[Eridanus system]], as rebels supporting the system's breakaway from the [[Unified Earth Government]] built a small navy of [[civilian]] craft and attempted to take over the system.<ref name=TFOR2>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 75-77'' (2001); ''pages 95-97'' (2010)</ref> However, the [[United Nations Space Command]] anticipated the attack{{Ref/Reuse|watts}} and responded harshly, sending a [[fleet]] of [[UNSC carrier|carriers]], [[cruiser]]s, and [[UNSC destroyer|destroyers]] to the system to combat the rebel fleet. The resulting battle pitted the UNSC against at least one hundred smaller rebel craft. The UNSC forces defeated their rebel counterparts in space with little difficulty.<ref name=TFOR2/>


===[[2524]]===
Meanwhile, a ground campaign was fought on Eridanus II, as units from the [[9th Marine Expeditionary Force]] were sent to the planet in force, hoping to capture leaders of the secessionist movement and pacify the population. One of these units, the [[1st Battalion]] of the [[21st Marine Division]] commanded by [[Ponder|Lieutenant Colonel Ponder]], was involved in a disastrous mission to try and capture a rebel leader—the second-in-command of the United Rebel Front—in [[Elysium City]]. When Ponder questioned the father of the rebel's wife, the man revealed himself to also be aligned with the URF and threatened to kill himself and his own daughter with a [[grenade]]. While Ponder realized the man was bluffing, an attached [[sniper]] drew an opposite conclusion and shot the rebel. The rebel pulled the grenade's pin out on reflex, which ended in the leader's family being killed and Ponder wounded and demoted.<ref name="ch112">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 112''</ref>
Fighting continued in Epsilon Eridanus up to and including 2524, by this point it had taken over a million lives, mostly civilian. A different Marine Battalion was posted at colony world [[Tribute]], commanded by [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Aboim]] and supported by the corvette [[UNSC Bum Rush|UNSC ''Bum Rush'']] and air support from [[Hornets]]. The battalion attempted to put down rebel bomb makers. Two special warfare [[squad]]s, led by [[Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson]] and [[Staff Sergeant Nolan Byrne]], were involved in yet another disastrous operation in June of 2524, in which Byrne's team was killed during a hostage situation at a [[Jim Dandy]] restaurant near [[Casbah]] city. Thirty-Eight civilians, three Marines, and two rebels were killed in the bombing. Byrne and Johnson were pulled from the system, and later sent to [[Harvest]].<ref>''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', page 20</ref>


In the meantime, the Insurrectionists resorted to bolder, more deadly tactics, such as the bombing of a civilian liner in orbit over [[Reach]].
Ultimately, the United Rebel Front was unable to establish a single stronghold on the planet and the UNSC managed to decimate most of their forces.{{Ref/Reuse|watts}} Watts ordered for all URF forces to retreat from the planet, and the remaining rebel ships left Eridanus II and were pursued by the UNSC Navy until they fled into [[slipstream space]].<ref name="bc1">'''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp]]''', ''Issue #1''</ref> The remnants of their fleet regrouped under Watts' command and fled into the largest [[asteroid]] belt in the Eridanus system, where they established [[Eridanus Secundus]].{{Ref/Reuse|watts}} As the URF attempted to rebuild their strength, they would continue operating as [[Piracy|pirates]], raiding craft traversing the system.<ref name=TFOR2/>


===[[2525]]===
===Spread across the colonies===
The last known operations involved the [[SPARTAN-II]] soldiers in [[2525]]. A team of five SPARTAN-IIs were dispatched and to infiltrate the rebel base at Eridanus Secundus and capture Watts, the rebel leader. They succeeded in doing so, crippling but not destroying the rebel infrastructure in the Eridanus system.<ref>''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', page 83</ref> shortly afterwards, the Spartans were sent to halt a rebellion on [[Jericho VII]].
{{Quote|A million casualties now, caught in the crossfire, since TREBUCHET started. No one's going to ignore that. The civilians will keep cheering the rebels on.|[[Felicia Sanderson]]<ref name="dirt117">'''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[Dirt]]", ''page 117''</ref>}}
By [[2524]], Operation: TREBUCHET had resulted in over one million casualties caught in the crossfire.{{Ref/Reuse|dirt117}} Meanwhile, Colonel Watts had created more rebel installations on planets throughout human-occupied space. The United Rebel Front proved to be difficult to route, and several other organized insurgent factions developed on other [[human colonies]]. Despite the best efforts of UNSC personnel, [[Terrorism|terrorist]] bombings continued and civilians were still caught in the crossfire, resulting in a growth of resentment directed towards the UNSC.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 45'' (2011)</ref> As part of the operation, supersoldiers of the [[ORION Project]] were deployed on covert missions to engage insurgents.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 83'' (2011)</ref> During one of these missions, [[Avery Johnson]] nearly succeeded in assassinating Watts.{{Ref/Reuse|ch112}}


The operation was abruptly concluded with the start of the Human-Covenant War after the [[First Battle of Harvest]]. Though the [[Insurrection]] continued for a long time, the rebel threat in the system was rapidly decreased when the genocidal Covenant destroyed the systems, [[glassing]] planets and killing every human they encountered. In the meantime, many of the rebels, seeing that the UNSC offered the only real protection against the overwhelming Covenant force, ceased to resist, and either submitted to the UNSC's control or hid themselves away from both UNSC and Covenant attack.<ref>''[[Halo: First Strike]]''</ref> Some groups of rebels survived free of UNSC control for as long as [[2552]]. The majority simply continued their daily lives without interfering with the UNSC. Others even decided to offer dealings with the UNSC. However, it transpired that some were traps.
Fighting continued, now in the [[Inner Colonies|Inner Colony]] system of [[Epsilon Eridani system|Epsilon Eridani]]. When it was discovered that several major insurrectionist cells were operating on the industrial and populous colony world of [[Tribute]],<ref name="tribute">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/tribute '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Tribute'']</ref> a Marine battalion was posted at the planet, commanded by [[Aboim|Lieutenant Colonel Aboim]] and supported by the [[UNSC corvette|corvette]] {{UNSCShip|Bum Rush}} with air support from [[AV-14 Hornet]]s.<ref name="ch9">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 9''</ref> The UNSC's initial attempts at eliminating the insurrectionists failed, leading to waves of bombings, assassinations, and UNSC raids in urban areas that resulted in high numbers of civilian casualties.{{Ref/Reuse|tribute}} During one of the battalion's operations on Tribute, the unit attempted to put a stop to rebel bomb makers. Two special warfare [[squad]]s, led by Staff Sergeants [[Avery Johnson]] and [[Nolan Byrne]], were involved in the disastrous attempt in stopping the bomb makers in June 2524.{{Ref/Reuse|ch9}} Although the rebel bomb makers were found and executed in a bomb shop in a struggling industrial town on Tribute, a truck lined with the bombs escaped to a [[Jim Dandy]] restaurant in the nearby [[Casbah City]]. When ordered to shoot the rebel with the bombs, Johnson's hesitation led to a rebel detonating her explosives. Three members of Byrne's team, as well as thirty-eight civilians, were killed. Byrne was critically injured in the explosion and Johnson was lightly wounded.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 20''</ref> Byrne and Johnson are pulled from the system, and later sent to [[Harvest]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 48''</ref> Although the insurgents initially enjoyed some degree of support from a part of Tribute's population, it soon became clear that the rebels were often the cause of violence on the planet and their support and popularity quickly decreased.{{Ref/Reuse|tribute}}


The rebel base in the Eriandus system was marked for further attack, but for some reason, likely due to the greater threat the Covenant posed, it was left alone and mostly forgotten until 2552 when Vice Admiral Danforth Witcomb and a small crew including the AI Cortana and several Spartans (including all but one of the team that attacked the base) returned looking for repairs. After being convinced to help by a Covenant attack, the rebels repaired the ''Ascendant Justice-Gettysburg'' to operational status, but the two ships were too badly damaged to be fully repaired before the Covenant returned. The UNSC forces were forced to abandon the rebels and the base and the rebels have been presumably destroyed.
In the meantime, some insurrectionist cells resorted to bolder, more deadly tactics, such as the bombing of [[National Holiday|a civilian liner]] in orbit over [[Reach]]. The terrorist attack was listed as an accident by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 127''</ref> The operation was abruptly concluded with the start of the [[Human-Covenant War]] after the [[First Battle of Harvest|disastrous first contact]] with the [[Covenant]] on Harvest.<ref>'''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''', ''page 94''</ref> With the onset of the new war, Operation: TREBUCHET was temporarily suspended, but not officially terminated.<ref name="md187">'''Halo: Mortal Dictata''', ''page 187''</ref>
{{Humanwars}}
 
==Aftermath and legacy==
Though scattered Insurrectionist activity continued for a long time, the rebel threat was rapidly decreased when the genocidal Covenant destroyed most Outer Colony systems, [[glassing]] planets and killing every human they encountered. In the meantime, many of the rebels, seeing that the UNSC offered the only real protection against the overwhelming Covenant force, ceased to resist, and either submitted to the UNSC's control or hid themselves away from both UNSC and Covenant attack.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref> Some groups of rebels survived free of UNSC control for as long as [[2552]]. The majority simply continued their daily lives without interfering with the UNSC. Others even decided to offer dealings with the UNSC. However, it transpired that [[Operation: SMOKING ACES|some]] were traps.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 36-37''</ref>
 
The rebel base in the [[Eridanus system]] was marked for further attack, but for some reason, likely due to the greater threat the [[Covenant]] posed, it was left alone and mostly forgotten until [[2552]] when [[Danforth Whitcomb|Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb]] and a small crew including the [[artificial intelligence]] [[Cortana]] and several Spartans (including all but [[Samuel-034|one]] of the team that attacked the base) returned looking for repairs.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 307''</ref> After being convinced to help by a Covenant attack, the rebels repaired the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]''-[[UNSC Gettysburg|''Gettysburg'']] to operational status, but the two ships were too badly damaged to be fully repaired before the Covenant returned. The UNSC forces were forced to abandon the rebels and the base and the rebels have been [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus|presumably destroyed]].<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 338''</ref>
 
By [[2553|April 2553]], Operation: TREBUCHET had been suspended for nearly thirty years, though the [[Venezian Militia]] still believed the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] was willing to continue it. This led to the militia creating a large weapons pile-up and even capturing the {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} ''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' in the event that they needed to defend [[Venezia]] from the operation.{{Ref/Reuse|md187}}
 
The operation led to the UNSC developing new technologies and tactics. During the final stages of Operation: TREBUCHET, the UNSC began to perfect the "[[soft-seal]]" technology used by Marine [[Naval boarding|boarders]], allowing them to deploy into a target ship from a [[D77-TC Pelican]] dropship.<ref>''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''</ref>
 
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Dirt]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]'' {{Mo}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources|2}}
 
{{Insurrection}}


[[Category:UNSC]]
[[Category:Insurrection|TREBUCHET]]
[[Category:Events|TREBUCHET]]
[[Category:Operations|TREBUCHET]]

Latest revision as of 03:35, November 18, 2023

Previous:

First insurrection on Mamore

Concurrent:

Next:

Operation: TALON

Operation: TREBUCHET
Eridanus battle.png

Conflict:

Insurrection

Date:

2513–February 3, 2525

Location:

Outcome:

UNSC victory
Details
Belligerents

United Nations Space Command

Various insurgent factions

Commanders

General Daniel Black[1]
Lieutenant Colonel Aboim
Lieutenant Colonel Ponder

Colonel Robert Watts

Strength
  • Over one hundred ships
  • Ground forces
Casualties

Four destroyers, several Marines

Rebel soldiers, almost all space craft

 

"Operation: TREBUCHET had been the UNSC's answer to Insurrectionists, and we'd just been folded into the far-ranging series of operations aimed to "pacify" the Outer Colonies."
— Gage Yevgenny[2]

Operation: TREBUCHET was the Unified Earth Government's military response to the numerous civilian uprisings in the Outer Colonies known as the Insurrection. Spanning over ten years and encompassing multiple planetary systems, Operation: TREBUCHET involved numerous Marine units and many vessels from the UNSC Navy in an attempt to bring the dissenting insurrectionists in line, effectively crushing all resistance to the Earth's authority in the Outer Colonies.[2][3] Beginning in 2513 with a large, armed uprising in the Eridanus system, it was one of the largest and farthest reaching operations known to have been conducted by the UNSC in its long history.[3] With the beginning of the Human-Covenant War in 2525, Operation: TREBUCHET was temporarily suspended.[4]

At first the aggressive response was widely accepted, however, as the fight dragged on and the theater of operations expanded, the continuing operation became extremely unpopular with the human civilian population. Operation: TREBUCHET eventually became the central conflict for Earth's premiere fighting force, the United Nations Space Command, only being ended with the massive genocide that followed with the Human-Covenant War.[4]

Prelude[edit]

Main article: Operation: CHARLEMAGNE

In June of 2494, UNSC Marine turncoat Colonel Robert Watts led a well-armed insurrectionist faction on Eridanus II[5] and established their own secessionist government in the wake of the coup d'état.[6] Equipped by defectors from the Colonial Military Authority, the rebels performed a well-planned and efficiently executed campaign of city bombings, political assassinations, and kidnappings. These attacks heavily impacted Eridanus II's shipping industry. Meanwhile, the rebels amassed a fleet of vessels from the CMA. The Eridanus Government officially requested aid from the United Nations Space Command in December of the same year.[7] By January 2495, the insurgents had effectively taken control of the entire planet.[5]

In January of 2496, UNSC forces finally responded to the government's requests and launched their campaign—Operation: CHARLEMAGNE—to retake Eridanus II, deploying a battle group to engage the makeshift insurrectionist defense fleet.[7] Through a series of counter operations, the UNSC managed to break Watts' hold on the planet and splinter the insurgent factions allied with him by eliminating their leaderships.[5] Eventually, the UNSC successfully regained control of the world, at the cost of four destroyers.[7] Following the Eridanus II rebellion, Watts realigned most of the remaining insurgent factions that had aided him under his command and formed the United Rebel Front. The URF continued to engage UNSC and CMA forces on a number of worlds across the Outer Colonies.[5]

The operation[edit]

Beginnings at Eridanus[edit]

"In 2513, an armed insurrection in this system was suppressed by the UNSC force—Operation: TREBUCHET."
— Doctor Catherine Halsey, referring to the insurrection on Eridanus II[8]
Iliad engaging UNSC warships over Eridanus II

Eventually, the United Rebel Front regained enough strength to attempt to overthrow the Eridanus Government a second time. Colonel Robert Watts, intending to use Eridanus II as a base of operations for the URF and drag the Colonial Military Authority into a costly guerrilla war, launched an armed uprising on the planet.[5] In 2513, fighting broke out throughout the Eridanus system, as rebels supporting the system's breakaway from the Unified Earth Government built a small navy of civilian craft and attempted to take over the system.[9] However, the United Nations Space Command anticipated the attack[5] and responded harshly, sending a fleet of carriers, cruisers, and destroyers to the system to combat the rebel fleet. The resulting battle pitted the UNSC against at least one hundred smaller rebel craft. The UNSC forces defeated their rebel counterparts in space with little difficulty.[9]

Meanwhile, a ground campaign was fought on Eridanus II, as units from the 9th Marine Expeditionary Force were sent to the planet in force, hoping to capture leaders of the secessionist movement and pacify the population. One of these units, the 1st Battalion of the 21st Marine Division commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ponder, was involved in a disastrous mission to try and capture a rebel leader—the second-in-command of the United Rebel Front—in Elysium City. When Ponder questioned the father of the rebel's wife, the man revealed himself to also be aligned with the URF and threatened to kill himself and his own daughter with a grenade. While Ponder realized the man was bluffing, an attached sniper drew an opposite conclusion and shot the rebel. The rebel pulled the grenade's pin out on reflex, which ended in the leader's family being killed and Ponder wounded and demoted.[10]

Ultimately, the United Rebel Front was unable to establish a single stronghold on the planet and the UNSC managed to decimate most of their forces.[5] Watts ordered for all URF forces to retreat from the planet, and the remaining rebel ships left Eridanus II and were pursued by the UNSC Navy until they fled into slipstream space.[11] The remnants of their fleet regrouped under Watts' command and fled into the largest asteroid belt in the Eridanus system, where they established Eridanus Secundus.[5] As the URF attempted to rebuild their strength, they would continue operating as pirates, raiding craft traversing the system.[9]

Spread across the colonies[edit]

"A million casualties now, caught in the crossfire, since TREBUCHET started. No one's going to ignore that. The civilians will keep cheering the rebels on."
— Felicia Sanderson[12]

By 2524, Operation: TREBUCHET had resulted in over one million casualties caught in the crossfire.[12] Meanwhile, Colonel Watts had created more rebel installations on planets throughout human-occupied space. The United Rebel Front proved to be difficult to route, and several other organized insurgent factions developed on other human colonies. Despite the best efforts of UNSC personnel, terrorist bombings continued and civilians were still caught in the crossfire, resulting in a growth of resentment directed towards the UNSC.[13] As part of the operation, supersoldiers of the ORION Project were deployed on covert missions to engage insurgents.[14] During one of these missions, Avery Johnson nearly succeeded in assassinating Watts.[10]

Fighting continued, now in the Inner Colony system of Epsilon Eridani. When it was discovered that several major insurrectionist cells were operating on the industrial and populous colony world of Tribute,[15] a Marine battalion was posted at the planet, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Aboim and supported by the corvette UNSC Bum Rush with air support from AV-14 Hornets.[16] The UNSC's initial attempts at eliminating the insurrectionists failed, leading to waves of bombings, assassinations, and UNSC raids in urban areas that resulted in high numbers of civilian casualties.[15] During one of the battalion's operations on Tribute, the unit attempted to put a stop to rebel bomb makers. Two special warfare squads, led by Staff Sergeants Avery Johnson and Nolan Byrne, were involved in the disastrous attempt in stopping the bomb makers in June 2524.[16] Although the rebel bomb makers were found and executed in a bomb shop in a struggling industrial town on Tribute, a truck lined with the bombs escaped to a Jim Dandy restaurant in the nearby Casbah City. When ordered to shoot the rebel with the bombs, Johnson's hesitation led to a rebel detonating her explosives. Three members of Byrne's team, as well as thirty-eight civilians, were killed. Byrne was critically injured in the explosion and Johnson was lightly wounded.[17] Byrne and Johnson are pulled from the system, and later sent to Harvest.[18] Although the insurgents initially enjoyed some degree of support from a part of Tribute's population, it soon became clear that the rebels were often the cause of violence on the planet and their support and popularity quickly decreased.[15]

In the meantime, some insurrectionist cells resorted to bolder, more deadly tactics, such as the bombing of a civilian liner in orbit over Reach. The terrorist attack was listed as an accident by the Office of Naval Intelligence.[19] The operation was abruptly concluded with the start of the Human-Covenant War after the disastrous first contact with the Covenant on Harvest.[20] With the onset of the new war, Operation: TREBUCHET was temporarily suspended, but not officially terminated.[21]

Aftermath and legacy[edit]

Though scattered Insurrectionist activity continued for a long time, the rebel threat was rapidly decreased when the genocidal Covenant destroyed most Outer Colony systems, glassing planets and killing every human they encountered. In the meantime, many of the rebels, seeing that the UNSC offered the only real protection against the overwhelming Covenant force, ceased to resist, and either submitted to the UNSC's control or hid themselves away from both UNSC and Covenant attack.[22] Some groups of rebels survived free of UNSC control for as long as 2552. The majority simply continued their daily lives without interfering with the UNSC. Others even decided to offer dealings with the UNSC. However, it transpired that some were traps.[23]

The rebel base in the Eridanus system was marked for further attack, but for some reason, likely due to the greater threat the Covenant posed, it was left alone and mostly forgotten until 2552 when Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb and a small crew including the artificial intelligence Cortana and several Spartans (including all but one of the team that attacked the base) returned looking for repairs.[24] After being convinced to help by a Covenant attack, the rebels repaired the Ascendant Justice-Gettysburg to operational status, but the two ships were too badly damaged to be fully repaired before the Covenant returned. The UNSC forces were forced to abandon the rebels and the base and the rebels have been presumably destroyed.[25]

By April 2553, Operation: TREBUCHET had been suspended for nearly thirty years, though the Venezian Militia still believed the Office of Naval Intelligence was willing to continue it. This led to the militia creating a large weapons pile-up and even capturing the Ket-pattern battlecruiser Pious Inquisitor in the event that they needed to defend Venezia from the operation.[21]

The operation led to the UNSC developing new technologies and tactics. During the final stages of Operation: TREBUCHET, the UNSC began to perfect the "soft-seal" technology used by Marine boarders, allowing them to deploy into a target ship from a D77-TC Pelican dropship.[26]

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ Halo Waypoint: Corbulo Academy of Military Science
  2. ^ a b Halo: Evolutions, "Dirt", page 141
  3. ^ a b Halo: Contact Harvest, page 11
  4. ^ a b Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 39
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Halo Waypoint: Colonel Watts
  6. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 17-18
  7. ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 44 (2011)
  8. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 95 (2010)
  9. ^ a b c Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 75-77 (2001); pages 95-97 (2010)
  10. ^ a b Halo: Contact Harvest, page 112
  11. ^ Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp, Issue #1
  12. ^ a b Halo: Evolutions, "Dirt", page 117
  13. ^ Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe, page 45 (2011)
  14. ^ Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe, page 83 (2011)
  15. ^ a b c Halo Waypoint: Tribute
  16. ^ a b Halo: Contact Harvest, page 9
  17. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 20
  18. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 48
  19. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 127
  20. ^ Halo: Mortal Dictata, page 94
  21. ^ a b Halo: Mortal Dictata, page 187
  22. ^ Halo: First Strike
  23. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, pages 36-37
  24. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 307
  25. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 338
  26. ^ Halo Wars: Genesis

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