Battle Group India

UNSC Battle Group India was the fleet gathered by Admiral Cole to attack the Covenant at the Battle of Psi Serpentis in late-March through mid-April, 2543. It was the largest UNSC fleet ever assembled at the time.

Battle of Psi Serpentis
Psi Serpentis was the only known combat action that Battle Group India engaged in. At the battle the fleet jumped into the Psi Serpentis system releasing a large radiation wave. This wave was received by Covenant forces also in-system and proceeded to engage Battle Group India; while the prowler Wink of an Eye broadcasted its location to India and then jumped to slipspace to lay guidance beacons. India jumped again into high orbit over the gas giant Viperidae, with a few stragglers due to inefficient human FTL technology.

Battle Group India split into two wings rushing around the gas giant prompting the Covenant fleet to do the same. However, one wing made an emergency orbital burn to catch the other half of Battle Group India to blind-side the now split Covenant fleet. The battle group decimated one-half of the Covenant fleet while only losing a third of their number, statistically significant comparatively to the rest of Human-Covenant War.

As India was making another pass, the Covenant fleet reorganized and caused considerable losses to Battle Group India. Shortly after an independent/Insurrectionist fleet lead by the Bellicose attacked the Covenant preventing the complete destruction of India. The Bellicose-led fleet jumped away as another Covenant fleet of over 200 ships-of-the-line jumped in around Viperidae. It was at this point Admiral Cole ordered the retreat of Battle Group India.

However, Everest stayed behind, trapping herself in Viperidae's gravity well. Cole broadcasted several taunts towards the Covenant. Both Covenant fleets moved to engage Everest as the super-heavy cruiser launched all its nukes. A few of the nukes destroyed the lead Covenant ship, but the majority, over one hundred, went into Viperidae's core and detonated. The massive super-giant temporarily began fusion of the hydrogen in its atmosphere. The resulting firestorm destroyed both Covenant fleets in their entirety and supposedly along with UNSC Everest and Admiral Cole.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole