Battle of Gamma Pavonis VII

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Battle of Gamma Pavonis VII
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War
Date:	Before April 2550
Location:	Over Gamma Pavonis VII, Gamma Pavonis system
Outcome:	UNSC victory
Details Belligerents UNSC Navy Covenant fleet Commanders Lieutenant Miranda Keyes Unknown Covenant shipmaster† Strength UNSC Hilbert 3 corvettes 1 destroyer Casualties UNSC Hilbert Covenant destroyer

The Battle of Gamma Pavonis VII was a battle that took place during the Human-Covenant War. It was centered around Gamma Pavonis VII.

The battle

Under the command of a young Naval officer Miranda Keyes, the unarmed remote sensing vessel UNSC Hilbert engaged a Covenant destroyer. Three UNSC corvettes answered the Hilbert's resulting distress call and attempted to offer aid; the destroyer responded by turning away from the Hilbert and attacking the incoming reinforcements instead. Despite being outnumbered three-to-one, the Covenant ship's shields and superior weaponry gave it a tremendous advantage over the UNSC corvettes.

Having no weapons capable of breaching the destroyer's energy shield, Miranda ordered that the Hilbert overload her engines and ram into the enemy vessel. The resulting collision damaged the destroyer's shields and nudged it into Gamma Pavonis VII's gravity well. As the crew abandoned ship, which was now falling into the planet's gravity well along with the enemy ship, the fusion core of the Hilbert went critical and detonated immediately after colliding with the planet's surface, completely obliterating the Covenant destroyer and saving the crewmembers aboard the three corvettes from certain demise.

Only two crewmen from the Hilbert made it to the escape pods in time—Miranda being one of them. In the following years, Keyes was assigned to an advisory role in the front lines of the war, participating in the coordination of many crucial offensives against the Covenant. For her actions, Miranda was eventually awarded the Silver Star (presented personally to her by Lord Terrence Hood), promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and given command of the Stalwart-class light frigate UNSC In Amber Clad, in 2550.

List of appearances

• Halo: Reach
  • Dr. Halsey's personal journal (First mentioned)