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{{Ratings}}
{{Status|Canon}}{{Status|Featured}}
{{Era|HW|FOR}}
{{disambig header|the second battle of Harvest in 2526|other conflicts at Harvest|Battle of Harvest (disambiguation)}}
{{New Content}}
{{Battle infobox
{{FOF-1}}
|prev=[[Battle of Bliss]]
{{battle
|conc=
|prev=[[First Battle of Harvest]]
|next=*[[Harvest campaign]]{{Ref/Book|Id=ground command|Halo: Ground Command core rulebook|Page=7}}
|conc=[[Battle of Chi Ceti]]
*[[Skirmish over Netherop]]
|next=[[Battle of Jericho VII]]
|image=[[File:HWG RasusInterdictor Showdown.png|300px]]
|name=Second Battle of Harvest
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]{{Ref/Reuse|ground command}}
|image=
|date=[[2526|March 1, 2526]]<ref name="Harvest">'''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]", ''pages 463-467''</ref>
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]
|place=Over [[Harvest]], [[Epsilon Indi system]]{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|date= [[2525]] - [[2531]]
|result=*Pyrrhic [[UNSC]] victory<ref name="he126">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[Dirt]]", ''page 126''</ref>
|begin=[[2525]]
**''[[Heaven's Brilliant Bier]]'' is destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|end=[[2531]]
**Loss of thirteen UNSC warships{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|place=[[Harvest System]], On the planet [[Harvest]]
|side1=[[United Nations Space Command]]{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|result=UNSC Victory 
|side2=[[Covenant]]{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|battles=
|commanders1=[[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]]{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|side1=[[United Nations Space Command]]
|commanders2=Unknown [[shipmaster]]
|side2=[[The Covenant]]
|forces1=*[[Battle Group X-Ray]]{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|commanders1=[[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]]
**Forty [[warship]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|commanders2=Unknown
***[[UNSC Everest|One]] {{Class|Valiant|super-heavy cruiser}}{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|forces1=*[[United Nations Space Command]]
***{{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}}s<ref name="genesis">''[[Halo Wars Genesis]]''</ref>
**[[UNSC Navy]]
***{{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}s{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}}
***20-30 Warships
***At least seven [[UNSC destroyer|destroyers]]{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|forces2=*7-10 Warships
***At least nine [[UNSC frigate|frigates]]{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}}
**Unknown number of Covenant ground forces
|forces2=One {{Pattern|Rasus|interdictor}}{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}}
|casual1=Two-thirds of the UNSC fleet
|casual1=Thirteen UNSC ships{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
|casual2=All ships in the Covenant fleet
|casual2=One super-destroyer{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}}
|civilian=
}}
}}
The '''Second Battle of Harvest''' was a massive [[UNSC]] operation to retake the razed colony of [[Harvest]] from [[The Covenant]].
{{Quote|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 [[2525#November|November 15, 2525]]<ref name="he462">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 462''</ref>}}


==Timeline==
The '''Battle of Harvest''',<ref name="timeline">'''[[Halo Wars]]''', ''[[Halo Wars Timeline Events|Timeline]]''</ref><ref>[http://www.halowars.com/GameInfo/Timeline.aspx ''Official Halo Wars Community Site'': Timeline] (defunct, [[Archive:Halowars.com/Timeline|Archived]])</ref><ref name="cp34">'''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''', ''page 34''</ref> also known as the '''Second Battle of Harvest''',{{Ref/Book|Id=fb33|Halo: Fleet Battles core rulebook|Page=33}} 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 [[First Battle of Harvest|loss]] of the [[human]] [[Outer Colony]] of [[Harvest]] to the Covenant in [[2525]], the UNSC assembled a [[battle group]] to retake the planet on [[2526|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.{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}<ref name="universe">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/harvest '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Harvest'']</ref>


===[[2525]]===
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.<ref name="mythos">'''[[Halo Mythos]]''', ''page 63''</ref> 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 [[Harvest campaign|campaign]] over the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}


*'''February 3rd:''' [[Harvest]] detects a contact on its long range radar, and [[2525#23.2F02.2F2525|soon afterward]], all contact is lost with the planet. The [[UNSC Argo]] was sent to investigate the loss of communication.
==Prelude==
{{Quote|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]]<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 120'' (2010)</ref>}}
[[File:TFoR AS - Harvest glassed.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Battle Group 4 discovers the glassed Harvest]]
In [[2525#February|February of 2525]], the [[Unified Earth Government]] [[Outer Colony]] of [[Harvest]] was discovered and [[First Battle of Harvest|attacked]] by the [[Covenant]]. The planet was partially [[Glassing|glassed]] by the [[Covenant cruiser]] ''[[Rapid Conversion]]'',<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 382''</ref><ref name="for117">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 117-126'' (2010)</ref> though many of Harvest's residents managed to escape their own destruction by fleeing the [[Epsilon Indi system]] aboard [[DCS light freighter|freighters]].<ref name="goo72">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 72''</ref> In response to the loss of contact with Harvest, the unarmed scout ship {{CMAShip|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,{{Ref/Reuse|for117}} fearing that [[insurrectionist]] forces had taken control of the [[agriculture world]].{{Ref/Reuse|mythos}} Upon arriving at the system, Battle Group 4 was immediately attacked by a {{Pattern|Rasus|interdictor}}.{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}} Only {{CMAShip|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.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}}


*'''April 20:''' The ''Argo'' arrives in-system and makes one confirmation transmission. No further reports are received.
On [[2525#November|November 1, 2525]], the UEG's [[United Nations Space Command]] was ordered to full alert.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}} In response to the alien threat, the UNSC's [[Central Command]] moved to create a battle group of forty [[warship]]s 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.<ref name="he458">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 458-460''</ref> On [[2525#November|November 2, 2525]], [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Jack Hopper]] and [[Lieutenant]] [[Demos]] visited Cole and convinced him to lead the battle group. Reinstated as a vice admiral of the [[UNSC Navy]], Cole was given command of [[Battle Group X-Ray]] in [[2525|December of 2525]],<ref>''Xbox.com'': The Halo Timeline (defunct, [[Archive:Xbox.com/Halo/Timeline|Archived]])</ref><ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 461''</ref> conceived as the largest assembled fleet at that point in human history.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}}<ref name="enc299">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 299'' (2011)</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 88''</ref> By [[2525#November|November 12, 2525]], Cole begun preparing himself for the battle. He reviewed data and reports from previous encounters with the Covenant at Harvest and [[Chi Ceti IV]], and realized that Covenant [[energy shielding]] would prove to be troublesome in battle. Cole was given the {{Class|Valiant|super-heavy cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Everest}} as his [[flagship]]. After ensuring that his crew was battle-tested and competent, he requested numerous modifications to ''Everest''.{{Ref/Reuse|he462}} The [[artificial intelligence]] [[Sekmet]] was chosen as Cole's shipboard AI on ''Everest''.<ref name="he465">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 465''</ref>


*'''October 7: '''A UNSC battle group consisting of one destroyer, the ''[[UNSC Heracles|Heracles]]'', under the command of [[Captain Veredi]] and two frigates the ''[[UNSC Arabia|Arabia]]'' and the ''[[UNSC Vostok|Vostok]]'' enters the [[Epsilon Indi|Harvest system]] and discovers that everything on the planet has been totally razed, and in some parts of the planet the surface 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 UNSC language.
==The battle==
[[File:HWG SecondBattleOfHarvest.png|thumb|250px|The super-destroyer is destroyed]]
{{Quote|Fix bayonets.|Vice Admiral Preston Cole during the final charge, quoting Colonel [[Wikipedia:Joshua Chamberlain|Joshua Chamberlain]] from the [[American Civil War]]<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 471''</ref>}}
On [[2526|March 1, 2526]] at 0120 hours [[Military Standard Time|MST]], the forty-warship strong UNSC Battle Group X-Ray arrived near Harvest in the Epsilon Indi system. Moving towards the planet, the battle group descended below Harvest's planetary plane and detected a single, stationary Covenant [[Rasus-pattern interdictor|super-destroyer]] near the planet. Increasing velocity, Vice Admiral Preston Cole plotted a parabolic course to allow the battle group to engage the Covenant warship through a slingshot maneuver around Harvest. Now accelerating towards the ship, Cole ordered the battle group to fire upon the hostile vessel at will. As the UNSC warships fired their [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]s and hundreds of [[Archer missile]]s at their target, the Covenant super-destroyer's powerful energy shielding prevented the ship's [[nanolaminate]] hull from taking any damage.{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}} Fully realizing the effectiveness of the Covenant warship's energy shielding, Cole assessed that an overwhelming attack from Battle Group X-Ray's entire armaments needed to be used against the super-destroyer to disable its shielding.{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}}


*'''November 1:''' Vice Admiral [[Preston Cole]] mobilizes the largest space fleet in human history to retake Harvest.
The super-destroyer responded to the attack by firing its [[pulse laser turret]]s to destroy two [[UNSC destroyer]]s—{{UNSCShip|Lance Held High}} and ''[[UNSC Sacramento|Sacramento]]''. As the battle group fruitlessly attempted to destroy the Covenant ship by using [[nuclear weapon]]s, the super-destroyer obliterated five more destroyers: ''[[UNSC Austerlitz|Austerlitz]]'', ''[[UNSC Campo Grande|Campo Grande]]'', ''[[UNSC Midway|Midway]]'', ''[[UNSC Tharsis (Harvest)|Tharsis]]'', and ''[[UNSC Virginia Capes|Virginia Capes]]''. Though a subordinate officer attempted to order a retreat, Cole belayed the order and the battle group continued on its slingshot course around Harvest. As Cole ordered Battle Group X-Ray into a new trajectory towards the Covenant ship, he ordered the battle group to fire their entire armaments upon the super-destroyer. When the UNSC ships approached the Covenant vessel, the super-destroyer began to fire upon the battle group. However, Battle Group X-Ray's warships fired a salvo of MACs upon the super-destroyer, followed by the battle group's entire complement of Archer and [[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]s. While the {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} ''[[UNSC Constantinople|Constantinople]]'' and ''[[UNSC Troy|Troy]]'' were destroyed and the prow of ''[[UNSC Lowrentz|Lowrentz]]'' was damaged by the Covenant ship's [[plasma]] armaments, thousands of Archer and Shiva missiles impacted upon the super-destroyer. Another salvo of Covenant plasma destroyed ''[[UNSC Excellence|Excellence]]'', ''[[UNSC Maelstrom|Maelstrom]]'', and ''[[UNSC Waterloo|Waterloo]]'', but the remaining, undamaged twenty-seven warships of Battle Group X-Ray had recharged their MACs. As the second salvo of MACs disabled the Covenant super-destroyer's shielding, the battle group fired its remaining missiles upon the ship's hull, destroying the super-destroyer.{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
{{Clear}}


===[[2531]]===
==Aftermath==
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. After returning to [[Earth]], Cole-promoted to [[Admiral]]-learns that a number of outlying colonies have been destroyed, leaving behind no survivors.  
{{Quote|It was a Pyrrhic victory that left Cole's fleet severely damaged. Now Cole has been jumping his fleet around from engagement to engagement throughout the Outer Colonies, wherever the Covenant showed up. So far, there'd been no repeat of the retaking of Harvest.|[[Gage Yevgenny]], reflecting on the Battle of Harvest{{Ref/Reuse|he126}}}}
[[File:HW Five Long Years.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Conflict on Harvest continued for five years, leading to heavy losses for both sides]]
Directly after the destruction of the Covenant super-destroyer, Cole had Battle Group X-Ray veer away from the remains of the alien ship and begin searching for survivors of the thirteen UNSC warships lost in battle.{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}} With the loss of thirteen ships in contrast to the Covenant's one super-destroyer, Cole realized the disparity between UNSC and enemy losses "did not bode well". Regardless, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence|Office of Naval Intelligence's Section II]] [[propaganda]] exaggerated the victory to encourage enlistment with the [[United Nations Space Command]] armed forces; initially the foe was claimed to be an insurrectionist weapon platform that had captured Harvest's [[communications satellite]]s,{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}} but this was later recanted. After the battle, Cole returned to [[Earth]] where he was promoted to [[admiral]].{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', multiplayer level, ''[[Alpha Site]]'s [[ONI memorial]]''</ref> The Covenant were undaunted by their defeat. The [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] ordered for the "Victory of Epsilon Indi" to be celebrated through fasting and prayer; [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Unggoy]] food rations were eliminated for the following three work periods, while [[Sangheili]] and [[Jiralhanae]] were ordered to spend two rest periods in public prayer. Those who "failed their duty at the Victory" were publicly executed.{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}


Cole begins to move his fleet around, trying to intercept the invaders. Ground and ship-to-ship battles begin in earnest, raging throughout the Outer Colonies. During one ground engagement, Human forces capture one of the aliens. Before succumbing to his wounds, interrogators learn that the aliens refer to themselves as "the Covenant".
After the battle, UNSC leadership eventually decided to reveal the Covenant to the public. After Cole's success at Harvest, ONI's [[Strategic Response Unit]] decided to put Cole in charge of a large majority of the [[UNSC Navy]] with the intention of using him as a scapegoat if the Covenant proved to be unstoppable.{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}} Now hailed as the "Hero of Harvest",<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 351''</ref> Cole was given command of the [[Third Fleet]] and proceeded to lead a series of naval engagements against the Covenant between [[2526]] and [[2532]], sometimes referred to as the "Cole Campaigns".{{Ref/Reuse|he458}} As the Covenant continued to [[Massacre of the Outer Colonies|swarm]] the Outer Colonies, ''Rapid Conversion'' had finally returned to Covenant space. In response to the human threat, the [[High Prophet of Regret]] organized the [[Fleet of Glorious Interdiction]] to return to Harvest, led by [[Arbiter]] [[Ripa 'Moramee]].<ref name="evg10">'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 10''</ref> With both sides still unaware of the true military strength and size of their opponent,{{Ref/Reuse|mythos}} the [[Harvest campaign]] begun as the UNSC attempted to permanently remove the Covenant from Harvest. Cole returned to lead UNSC forces at Harvest, but his fleet became entangled in a vicious siege as they continued to battle the Covenant in the five-year long campaign in the Epsilon Indi system.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}<ref name="HW">'''Halo Wars''', campaign level, ''[[Alpha Base (Halo Wars level)|Alpha Base]]''</ref> After many years of fighting, the UNSC was able to eventually defeat the Covenant at Harvest for a second time.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 157'' (2010)</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 181'' (2010)</ref> By [[2552]], the Battle of Harvest was recognized as a Pyrrhic UNSC victory,{{Ref/Reuse|he126}} a battle that grimly proved the strength of the UNSC's newfound foe.{{Ref/Reuse|mythos}}


==Military Forces==
==Participants==
===United Nations Space Command===
===UNSC===
Commander: [[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]]
====Personnel====
*[[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]]{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*[[Sekmet]]{{Ref/Reuse|he465}}


====UNSC Ships====
====Warships====
*{{UNSCShip|Argo}}
{{Col-begin}}
*{{UNSCShip|Heracles}}
{{Col-2}}
*{{UNSCShip|Arabia}}
{{Class|Valiant|super-heavy cruiser}}{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Vostok}}
*{{UNSCShip|Everest}}{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}


===Covenant===
[[UNSC destroyer|Destroyers]]{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
Commander: Unknown
*{{UNSCShip|Austerlitz}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Campo Grande}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Lance Held High}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Midway}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Sacramento}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*[[UNSC Tharsis (Harvest)|UNSC ''Tharsis'']], destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Virginia Capes}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}


7-10 Warships of various classes, plus numerous legions of the [[Covenant Army]].
{{Col-2}}


==Related Articles==
{{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}}s<ref>''[[Halo Living Monument]]''</ref>
*[[Human-Covenant War]]
*{{UNSCShip|Constantinople}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
 
Unknown class
*{{UNSCShip|Excellence}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Lowrentz}}, heavily damaged{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Maelstrom}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Troy}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
*{{UNSCShip|Waterloo}}, destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Harvest}}
{{Col-end}}
 
==Production notes==
The Battle of Harvest is erroneously placed in [[2531]] rather than [[2526]] in several sources, including the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'' and ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|cp34}}{{Ref/Reuse|enc299}}
 
The presence of forty UNSC ships against one overwhelmingly powerful enemy vessel strikes a remarkable resemblance to the [[memory-alpha:Battle of Wolf 359|Battle of Wolf 359]] from the ''Star Trek'' universe, in which a fleet of forty [[Wikipedia:United Federation of Planets|Federation]] starships engaged a single [[memory-alpha:Borg cube|Borg cube]]. However, the outcomes of these battles differ: the Federation lost all but one of its vessels yet caused no damage to the cube. This very well may be a [[List of pop culture references in the Halo series#Star Trek|deliberate ''Star Trek'' reference]].
 
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]
**''[[Dirt]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' {{C|Poster only}}
*''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]''
*''[[Halo: Ground Command]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Oblivion]]'' {{Mo}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources|2}}
 
{{Human-Covenant War}}


[[Category:Human-Covenant War]]
[[Category:Battles of the Human-Covenant War|Harvest]]
[[Category:Battle|Harvest]]
[[Category:UNSC Victories]]

Latest revision as of 16:16, August 8, 2024

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

Previous:

Battle of Bliss

Next:

Battle of Harvest
Battle Group 4 assaulting Heaven's Brilliant Bier.

Conflict:

Human-Covenant War[1]

Date:

March 1, 2526[2]

Location:

Over Harvest, Epsilon Indi system[2]

Outcome:

Details
Belligerents

United Nations Space Command[2]

Covenant[2]

Commanders

Vice Admiral Preston Cole[2]

Unknown shipmaster

Strength

One Rasus-pattern interdictor[4]

Casualties

Thirteen UNSC ships[2]

One super-destroyer[4]

 

"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[5]

The Battle of Harvest,[6][7][8] also known as the Second Battle of Harvest,[9] 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.[2][10]

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.[11] 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.[10]

Prelude[edit]

"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[12]
Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series screenshot
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,[13][14] though many of Harvest's residents managed to escape their own destruction by fleeing the Epsilon Indi system aboard freighters.[15] 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,[14] fearing that insurrectionist forces had taken control of the agriculture world.[11] Upon arriving at the system, Battle Group 4 was immediately attacked by a Rasus-pattern interdictor.[4] 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.[14]

On November 1, 2525, the UEG's United Nations Space Command was ordered to full alert.[14] 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.[16] On November 2, 2525, Lieutenant Commander Jack Hopper and Lieutenant Demos visited Cole and convinced him to lead the battle group. Reinstated as a vice admiral of the UNSC Navy, Cole was given command of Battle Group X-Ray in December of 2525,[17][18] conceived as the largest assembled fleet at that point in human history.[14][19][20] By November 12, 2525, Cole begun preparing himself for the battle. He reviewed data and reports from previous encounters with the Covenant at Harvest and Chi Ceti IV, and realized that Covenant energy shielding would prove to be troublesome in battle. Cole was given the Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser UNSC Everest as his flagship. After ensuring that his crew was battle-tested and competent, he requested numerous modifications to Everest.[5] The artificial intelligence Sekmet was chosen as Cole's shipboard AI on Everest.[21]

The battle[edit]

Preston Cole reviews the events of the Battle of Harvest.
The super-destroyer is destroyed

"Fix bayonets."
— Vice Admiral Preston Cole during the final charge, quoting Colonel Joshua Chamberlain from the American Civil War[22]

On March 1, 2526 at 0120 hours MST, the forty-warship strong UNSC Battle Group X-Ray arrived near Harvest in the Epsilon Indi system. Moving towards the planet, the battle group descended below Harvest's planetary plane and detected a single, stationary Covenant super-destroyer near the planet. Increasing velocity, Vice Admiral Preston Cole plotted a parabolic course to allow the battle group to engage the Covenant warship through a slingshot maneuver around Harvest. Now accelerating towards the ship, Cole ordered the battle group to fire upon the hostile vessel at will. As the UNSC warships fired their Magnetic Accelerator Cannons and hundreds of Archer missiles at their target, the Covenant super-destroyer's powerful energy shielding prevented the ship's nanolaminate hull from taking any damage.[2] Fully realizing the effectiveness of the Covenant warship's energy shielding, Cole assessed that an overwhelming attack from Battle Group X-Ray's entire armaments needed to be used against the super-destroyer to disable its shielding.[4]

The super-destroyer responded to the attack by firing its pulse laser turrets to destroy two UNSC destroyers—UNSC Lance Held High and Sacramento. As the battle group fruitlessly attempted to destroy the Covenant ship by using nuclear weapons, the super-destroyer obliterated five more destroyers: Austerlitz, Campo Grande, Midway, Tharsis, and Virginia Capes. Though a subordinate officer attempted to order a retreat, Cole belayed the order and the battle group continued on its slingshot course around Harvest. As Cole ordered Battle Group X-Ray into a new trajectory towards the Covenant ship, he ordered the battle group to fire their entire armaments upon the super-destroyer. When the UNSC ships approached the Covenant vessel, the super-destroyer began to fire upon the battle group. However, Battle Group X-Ray's warships fired a salvo of MACs upon the super-destroyer, followed by the battle group's entire complement of Archer and Shiva-class nuclear missiles. While the Halcyon-class light cruiser Constantinople and Troy were destroyed and the prow of Lowrentz was damaged by the Covenant ship's plasma armaments, thousands of Archer and Shiva missiles impacted upon the super-destroyer. Another salvo of Covenant plasma destroyed Excellence, Maelstrom, and Waterloo, but the remaining, undamaged twenty-seven warships of Battle Group X-Ray had recharged their MACs. As the second salvo of MACs disabled the Covenant super-destroyer's shielding, the battle group fired its remaining missiles upon the ship's hull, destroying the super-destroyer.[2]

Aftermath[edit]

"It was a Pyrrhic victory that left Cole's fleet severely damaged. Now Cole has been jumping his fleet around from engagement to engagement throughout the Outer Colonies, wherever the Covenant showed up. So far, there'd been no repeat of the retaking of Harvest."
— Gage Yevgenny, reflecting on the Battle of Harvest[3]
Screenshot of Marines fighting on Harvest from the opening cutscene of Halo Wars.
Conflict on Harvest continued for five years, leading to heavy losses for both sides

Directly after the destruction of the Covenant super-destroyer, Cole had Battle Group X-Ray veer away from the remains of the alien ship and begin searching for survivors of the thirteen UNSC warships lost in battle.[2] With the loss of thirteen ships in contrast to the Covenant's one super-destroyer, Cole realized the disparity between UNSC and enemy losses "did not bode well". Regardless, the Office of Naval Intelligence's Section II propaganda exaggerated the victory to encourage enlistment with the United Nations Space Command armed forces; initially the foe was claimed to be an insurrectionist weapon platform that had captured Harvest's communications satellites,[4] but this was later recanted. After the battle, Cole returned to Earth where he was promoted to admiral.[6][23] The Covenant were undaunted by their defeat. The High Prophet of Regret ordered for the "Victory of Epsilon Indi" to be celebrated through fasting and prayer; Kig-Yar and Unggoy food rations were eliminated for the following three work periods, while Sangheili and Jiralhanae were ordered to spend two rest periods in public prayer. Those who "failed their duty at the Victory" were publicly executed.[6]

After the battle, UNSC leadership eventually decided to reveal the Covenant to the public. After Cole's success at Harvest, ONI's Strategic Response Unit decided to put Cole in charge of a large majority of the UNSC Navy with the intention of using him as a scapegoat if the Covenant proved to be unstoppable.[4] Now hailed as the "Hero of Harvest",[24] Cole was given command of the Third Fleet and proceeded to lead a series of naval engagements against the Covenant between 2526 and 2532, sometimes referred to as the "Cole Campaigns".[16] As the Covenant continued to swarm the Outer Colonies, Rapid Conversion had finally returned to Covenant space. In response to the human threat, the High Prophet of Regret organized the Fleet of Glorious Interdiction to return to Harvest, led by Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee.[25] With both sides still unaware of the true military strength and size of their opponent,[11] the Harvest campaign begun as the UNSC attempted to permanently remove the Covenant from Harvest. Cole returned to lead UNSC forces at Harvest, but his fleet became entangled in a vicious siege as they continued to battle the Covenant in the five-year long campaign in the Epsilon Indi system.[10][26] After many years of fighting, the UNSC was able to eventually defeat the Covenant at Harvest for a second time.[27][28] By 2552, the Battle of Harvest was recognized as a Pyrrhic UNSC victory,[3] a battle that grimly proved the strength of the UNSC's newfound foe.[11]

Participants[edit]

UNSC[edit]

Personnel[edit]

Warships[edit]

Production notes[edit]

The Battle of Harvest is erroneously placed in 2531 rather than 2526 in several sources, including the Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition) and Halo: The Cole Protocol.[8][19]

The presence of forty UNSC ships against one overwhelmingly powerful enemy vessel strikes a remarkable resemblance to the Battle of Wolf 359 from the Star Trek universe, in which a fleet of forty Federation starships engaged a single Borg cube. However, the outcomes of these battles differ: the Federation lost all but one of its vessels yet caused no damage to the cube. This very well may be a deliberate Star Trek reference.

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b Halo: Ground Command core rulebook, page 7
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Halo: Evolutions, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", pages 463-467
  3. ^ a b c Halo: Evolutions, "Dirt", page 126
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Halo Wars Genesis
  5. ^ a b Halo: Evolutions, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", page 462
  6. ^ a b c Halo Wars, Timeline
  7. ^ Official Halo Wars Community Site: Timeline (defunct, Archived)
  8. ^ a b Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 34
  9. ^ Halo: Fleet Battles core rulebook, page 33
  10. ^ a b c Halo Waypoint: Harvest
  11. ^ a b c d Halo Mythos, page 63
  12. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 120 (2010)
  13. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 382
  14. ^ a b c d e Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 117-126 (2010)
  15. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 72
  16. ^ a b Halo: Evolutions, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", pages 458-460
  17. ^ Xbox.com: The Halo Timeline (defunct, Archived)
  18. ^ Halo: Evolutions, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", page 461
  19. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 299 (2011)
  20. ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 88
  21. ^ a b Halo: Evolutions, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", page 465
  22. ^ Halo: Evolutions, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", page 471
  23. ^ Halo 3: ODST, multiplayer level, Alpha Site's ONI memorial
  24. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 351
  25. ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 10
  26. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level, Alpha Base
  27. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 157 (2010)
  28. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 181 (2010)
  29. ^ Halo Living Monument

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⇦ Battles of the Human-Covenant War ⇨
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Alpha Cephei (pre-2541) • HEMORRHAGE (pre-2552) • Odenli'sh (pre-2552) • DIRE MORNING • FANCY DRESS
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