Battle of Sigma Octanus IV

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"We've come to take Sigma Octanus IV back from the Covenant. To do that, we're going to kill every last one of them."
— John-117

The Battle of Sigma Octanus IV was fought between the UNSC Defense Force and the Covenant in mid-2552.

Timeline

July 17, 2552

  • 0000 Hours: Ensign William Lovell, aboard the UNSC Remote Scanning Outpost Archimedes, reports to Sigma Octanus IV a large silhouette in Slipspace heading for the system. It is suspected to be a group of Covenant ships but it could also be an asteroid.
  • 0300 Hours: The UNSC Iroquois arrives in system on patrol. The vessel's captain, Commander Jacob Keyes, receives the sensor information and realizes it is a Covenant threat. He contacts FLEETCOM and informs them of the situation.
  • 0320 Hours: 4 Covenant ships consisting of 1 carrier, 1 destroyer, and 2 frigates arrive in the system. The UNSC Iroquois engages the enemy and requests reinforcements. The UNSC Gettysburg and UNSC Alliance respond and begin heading for Sigma Octanus.
  • 0330 Hours: The Iroquois destroys all Covenant vessels save for the carrier using a maneuver later known as the Keyes Loop. The carrier launches landing craft toward Sigma Octanus IV, then retreats into Slipspace.
  • 0345 Hours: Covenant ground forces invade the city of Côte d'Azur on the planet.
  • 0500 Hours: 47 additional UNSC vessels arrive in the system. Admiral Michael Stanforth, aboard the UNSC Leviathan, takes command.
  • 0520 Hours: Reinforcements of 400 marines, led by General Kits, begin landing around Côte d'Azur
  • 0600 Hours: Covenant forces ambush and obliterate all marine forces on the ground. Only 14 enlisted men survive. Corporal Harland assumes tactical command.
  • 0625 Hours: Covenant vessels begin appearing on the edge of the system.
  • 0650 Hours: SPARTAN-IIs arrive on the surface to reinforce surviving marines.
  • 0900 Hours: Spartans assume tactical command on the ground.
  • 1800 Hours: Spartans and marines begin a counterattack on Côte d'Azur.
  • 2010 Hours: Spartans arm nuclear device below Côte d'Azur.
  • 2039 Hours: Nuclear warhead destroys all Covenant ground forces at Côte d'Azur.
  • 2120 Hours: General quarters is sounded aboard ships and the opposing fleets close to engage.
  • 2130 Hours: Repair station Cradle moves to protect UNSC fleet. First salvos are fired by Covenant vessels.
  • 0500 Hours:* All Covenant vessels either retreat or are destroyed. Battle concludes.

Discrepancies

  • * Note: There is an apparent time discrepancy in the continuity of the book as to the exact times. Chapter 19 begins at 600 hours while Chapter 20 begins at 1800, and it seems as though there is no significant lapse of time between them. Chapter 22 Begins at 2010 Hours and then Chapter 23 begins at 0500 hours, yet they all claim to have happened on July 17. This may have been a typo, with Chapter 23 meant to be on July 18 or a flashback of sorts.
  • Page 156 of Halo: The Fall of Reach states that the Repair and Refit Station Cradle was over a square kilometer and that three Destroyers could be eclipsed by its shadow. Exactly how it could cover the entire UNSC fleet present is not made clear. The UNSC ships may have positioned themselves behind the Cradle in a line for protection.
  • When the book talks of the battle for Sigma Octanus IV it says that there were dozens of ships but after the Cradle took the plasma torpedoes to give the fleet a chance to fire agian it says that it was a 21 gun salute three times over. This hints that there may have been 63 ships in the human fleet as apposed to the 20 Covenant ships. This would make sense because the humans only win when there is a 3/1 count in there favor. Also the fleet took out twelve Covenant ships before the Covenant could take out one of theirs. So it was 8 to 48 or 63 depending on how you interpret the data. This raises the question why did we lose so many ships pg.199 in Halo: The Fall of Reach says that the eight remaining ships turned to help the Iroquois. So only nine human ships survived and there were still Covenant ships in the system.

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