Editing Battle for Tribute

|date=Early [[2552#August|August]] to [[2552#November|November 2552]]<ref name="universe">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/tribute ''Halo Waypoint'': Tribute]</ref>{{Ref/Note|Id=a|The Covenant's first covert deployments on Reach occurred on the night of July 23, while their overt actions began around a week later. Thus, their invasion of Tribute must have occurred no earlier than late July. Since Spartan Team Black was deployed on two missions outside the Epsilon Eridani system between the invasion of Tribute and the Fall of Reach on August 30, it can be assumed that Tribute was invaded fairly early in the Epsilon Eridani campaign.}}

*[[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan-II]] fireteam<ref name="H4EVG">''Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide'', p. 222</ref>{{Ref/Note|Id=identity|Of the 28 active SPARTAN-IIs assigned to NAVSPECWAR, 25 were present on Reach between July 18 and August 30, 2552, in preparation for [[Operation: RED FLAG]]. They, like most of the planet's military garrison and civilian population, were kept unaware of the ongoing invasion of the Epsilon Eridani system. As related [[List of inconsistencies in the Halo series#Several sources|here]], the only teams that would have been available at the time were [[Gray Team|Gray]] (who had [[Gray Team#History|officially been out of contact]] for about a year) and [[Team Black|Black]] (who were concurrently deployed to Verge). In light of this account, it is likely that the SPARTAN-IIs who fought in Casbah were from Team Black, as their deployment to Verge was a direct response to the Covenant's blockade of Tribute.}}

|forces2=*At least one {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}}<ref>''Halo 4'', multiplayer map, Landfall - evacuation alert messages</ref><br>

*At least four {{Pattern|Zanar|light cruiser}}s<ref name="landf">''Halo 4'', multiplayer map, [[Landfall (level)|Landfall]]</ref>

After the [[Covenant]] began their [[Fall of Reach|invasion of Reach]] on [[2552#July|July 24, 2552]], they also attacked the other colonies in the [[Epsilon Eridani system]], including Tribute. Despite the brave efforts of the [[United Nations Space Command]] forces protecting the planet, the Covenant soon gained the upper hand in the battle. Eventually, the Covenant began to target population and industrial centers for [[Orbital bombardment|orbital plasma bombardment]].{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]] [[Corporal]] [[Taylor Miles]] was present during the evacuation of the colony, and witnessed the near total destruction of the UNSC Navy escort fleet in orbit as they protected civilian refugees where the fleet suffered ninety percent losses.<ref>''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'', Dutch's biography</ref> [[UNSC Army|Army]] forces also participated in the battle.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/detail/c0dfea7c-87fa-4224-82ff-c44d93b73f03/dmr ''Halo Waypoint'': DMR]</ref><ref>''Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide'', p. 20</ref>

The battle apparently lasted for some time, as the Covenant continued to blockade the planet. [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] [[Team Black]] was sent to [[Verge]] to destroy a [[beacon]] supplying the Covenant ships with [[helium]] used as fuel in their reactors. Team Black succeeded in their mission, presumably hindering the Covenant assault.<ref>''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', [[Blunt Instruments]]</ref> As the battle continued, [[Jiralhanae]] forces began to land in force. Although, much to their surprise, stiff UNSC and [[civilian]] resistance left the [[pack]]s bloodier than their [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|chieftains]] had anticipated. However, with the Covenant having uncontested control of most of the skies and space at Tribute, the UNSC could do little to save the colony.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}

Tribute's fall was considered one of the defining tragedies of the [[Human-Covenant War]], as it had huge economic ramifications on [[Earth]] and the surviving colonies in the post-war period.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} Tribute was [[glassing|partially glassed]] in the conclusion of the battle,<ref name="h4evg2">''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]'', p. 177</ref> although it would be restored to a habitable state in the postwar years as the survivors rallied to the planet's eventual reclamation and rebuilding.<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', [[Tug o' War]] (2010)</ref> Many of Tribute's major cities were heavily damaged and few industrial sites were left unscathed. Over half of Tribute's population was killed during the battle, but Earth was unable to provide any immediate assistance with the colonies of the [[Sol system]] in ruins after the Covenant's invasion. However, enough infrastructure remained intact on the planet to allow Tribute's survivors to begin rebuilding the planet's ecology and once powerful economy.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} Though the UEG and UNSC still had to deal with [[Covenant remnants]] that remained in the system following the war. Following the battle, prototypes of the [[Visor color|Rex VISR]] were tested by [[UNSC Marine Corps]] units to track down [[Jiralhanae]] holdouts on the planet. At some point between [[2555]] and [[2558]], UNSC [[Central Command]] Region One entered [[Operation: SENTRY|negotiations]] with [[Covenant fleet]] remnants, with [[Olympia Vale]] serving as an advisor.<ref name="H5GLtd">''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition]]'', Spartan Locke's Classified Orders</ref>

During the battle, the [[freighter]] ''[[Floral Express]]'' fled the planet while carrying colonial refugees. Presumably following a random [[slipspace]] trajectory per the [[Cole Protocol]], the ship arrived near [[Installation 03]] in the [[Khaphrae system]] on [[2552#October|October 8, 2552]].<ref name="11h">''[[Eleventh Hour reports]] - #5''</ref> This would lead the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to uncover the [[Composer]] after the war, which would be secured on nearby [[Ivanoff Station]].