Battle of Balaho

This article is based on canon information, but the article's title is conjectural and/or uses descriptions as the title, as there is currently no official name for the subject.

Previous:	Cortana Event
Concurrent:	Second Onyx conflict
Next:	Mission to Luna
Battle of Balaho
Conflict:	Created uprising
Date:	October 29, 2558 or after
Location:	Balaho, Tala system
Outcome:	Created victory Romeo retrieved Unified Earth Government embassy destroyed and staff executed
Details Belligerents United Nations Space Command Created Unggoy allies Commanders CAPT Veronica Dare Strength Spartan Edward Buck Spartan Kojo Agu Numerous Unggoy 2 Pnap-pattern Goblins Numerous armigers 1 Phaeton Casualties All UEG embassy staff 2 Goblins 1 Phaeton Numerous armigers

The battle of Balaho was a military conflict fought in late 2558 on the homeworld of the Unggoy. The engagement was one of the early battles of the Created uprising following the Unggoy's submission to Created rule, and was fought between the Created-Unggoy alliance and forces of the United Nations Space Command. The battle began almost immediately after the Cortana Event of October 28, as Created-Unggoy forces stormed a UNSC embassy on the world.

Background

Balaho's history was one of self-inflicted environmental collapse by the Unggoy and neglect and exploitation by the Covenant. As such, when the empire collapsed in 2552, the world was mostly-abandoned, save for raids by remnant warlords seeking to forcibly incorporate Unggoy into their own fledgling empires. In this period the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) established an embassy on the planet in the city of Gedgow in an effort to smooth relations with the Unggoy following the genocidal war fought between two, which had resulted in massive losses on both sides. Despite Unified Earth Government aid, the planet struggled to recover. This situation changed in October 2558, during the Created uprising. Unlike the majority of the galaxy's species, the Unggoy voluntarily submitted to the Created's dominion of the galaxy and as such, were heavily rewarded. For Balaho this meant climate remediation, the influx of billions of Unggoy returning to their homeworld to assist in its reconstruction, and Created-provided security against ex-Covenant warbands. As such, Balaho's industry was kickstarted anew, allowing the Unggoy to begin construction the means of their own defence, such as Pnap-pattern Goblin mechs.

One of the SPARTAN-IVs assigned to defend the UEG ambassadors was Kojo "Romeo" Agu, an ex-member of Alpha-Nine who had been reassigned to an unglamorous posting on Balaho after being caught sleeping with a Vice Admiral's wife. After the Created uprising began, Romeo became the target of an operation by the Office of Naval Intelligence, who sought to reform Alpha-Nine for the new conflict. ONI's Captain Veronica Dare and Spartan Edward Buck were deployed from UNSC Infinity into the Tala system to recover Romeo as the first step in this endeavour.

Battle

The battle on Balaho began almost immediately once the Created assumed control of Balaho. The first engagement began after the Created deployed a "small army" of Armigers reinforced by loyal Unggoy troops to secure the UEG embassy in Gedgow. The fighting resulted in the embassy's destruction and the death of the majority of the human personnel inside. Several staff members were captured by the Unggoy, while Romeo was forced to flee the situation and go on the run. Romeo initially attempted to commandeer a starship to escape offworld, though found himself cornered at every turn his pursuers. This resulted in him eventually finding his way into a tall building and securing the 48th floor while under constant plasma grenade bombardment.

After several hours of travel, Buck and Dare's Condor dropship Foxtrot 111 emerged from slipspace in the Tala system, amid the fighting on the ground. They initially surveilled the space traffic around Balaho, noting the high presence of Forerunner starships from the Created, before proceeding to head closer to the world. Thanks to the Condor's stealth modifications they were able to penetrate the world's airspace without issue, eventually raising Romeo via comms, who informed them of the previous hours' events. They piloted Foxtrot 111 to Romeo's location and used the Condor's 70mm cannons to blow a hole in the structure that the Spartan had holed up in. This allowed him to jump out of the building and into the Condor for evacuation. However, Romeo refused to leave the planet until the other embassy survivors, whom he had sworn to protect, were secured too. He estimated that the prisoners were likely held in the Kabakera, the Unggoy government building constructed mostly-underground and with a prison section at its base. However, after making contact with one of the survivors, he learned that the prisoners were still being transported and en route to the Kabakera.

After flying Foxtrot 111 to the site of the convoy transporting the prisoners, the team realised that the convoy was situated in one of Balaho's underground roads, meaning that the Condor would be unable to provide close-air support. Instead the two Spartans deployed from the dropship and made their way underground, intending to do a simple smash-and-grab but actually encountering the convoy escort of several heavily-armed Goblin battlesuits. Buck and Romeo used their suit thrusters to charge the first Goblin, taking its energy shields down with relative ease just in time for a barrage of needlefire from the second to hit its driver, killing it. The second Goblin was dispatched from a combination of Buck's assault rifle fire and a well-placed frag grenade from Romeo.

By this point, Created-Unggoy reinforcements had been dispatched to reinforce the two Goblins. However, as the two Spartans went to secure the prisoners in the transport, an Unggoy emerged carrying a detonator and a needler, threatening to kill everyone inside the vehicle if the two Spartans didn't back down. Before they could act, the armiger reinforcements arrived reinforced by a Phaeton, blowing a hole in the canopy covering the underground street and pouring in. The falling rubble killed the Unggoy with the detonator, which in turn caused the explosives in the prison vehicle to detonate, killing the prisoners. The two Spartans quickly retreated, though were soon backed into a corner by the army of armigers pursuing them. Eventually, Dare was able to bring Foxtrot 111 back around and used the Condor's autocannons to clear a path for the Spartans, while using the craft's ANVIL missiles to destroy the Phaeton. After that, the trio escaped into space without issue, ready to proceed with the next stage of their plan - freeing Michael "Mickey" Crespo from his holding cell on Luna.

List of appearances

• Halo: Bad Blood (First appearance)