Battle of Sunaion

This article is about the battle. For the Halo 5: Guardians level, see H5G:Battle of Sunaion.

Previous:	Battle of Nuusra
Concurrent:	Battle of Genesis
Next:	The Reclamation
Battle of Sunaion
Conflict:	Post-Covenant War conflicts Blooding Years Battle for Sanghelios Created conflict
Date:	October 27, 2558
Location:	Sunaion, Sanghelios
Outcome:	UNSC/Swords of Sanghelios victory Fireteam Osiris boards Sunaion's Guardian. Guardian heads to Genesis. Jul 'Mdama's Covenant defeated
Details Belligerents Swords of Sanghelios UNSC Jul 'Mdama's Covenant Created Commanders Thel 'Vadam Mahkee 'Chava Jameson Locke Kitun 'Arach† Warden Eternal Strength 3+ Lursu-pattern brigantines 5+ Rwaru-pattern carracks 14+ Hekar Taa-pattern blockade runners 6+ R'sikosh-pattern man o' wars At least one Kmiro'sish-pattern Lich Dozens of Mikpramu-pattern Phantoms Dozens of Morsam-pattern Seraphs Dozens of D'nomlhe-pattern Banshees One D79H Pelican Several Kemu-pattern Wraith's Several Sangheili Five Spartan-IVs Commander Sarah Palmer Fireteam Osiris 8+ Lursu-pattern brigantines 4+ Rwaru-pattern carracks 23+ Hekar Taa-pattern blockade runners Dozens of Mikpramu-pattern Phantoms Dozens of Nuro'k Xur-pattern Spirits Dozens of Morsam-pattern Seraphs Numerous D'nomlhe-pattern Banshees Several Upisa'weri-pattern Shrikes Several Bmur'resh-pattern Shades Sangheili Unggoy Kig-Yar Mgalekgolo Two Guardians Numerous Promethean Crawlers Many Armiger Soldiers Multiple Promethean Knights Several Promethean Watchers Casualties Some Phantoms Some Banshees Some Wraiths Multiple Sangheili At least 1 Lursu-pattern brigantines At least 2 Rwaru-pattern carrack At least 6 Hekar Taa-pattern blockade runners All vehicles Most infantry All forces except for the Guardian

"Today the Covenant will fall! Sanghelios will be free!"

— Arbiter Thel 'Vadam to his forces, as he leads them into combat

The Battle of Sunaion was a major engagement fought on October 27, 2558 between Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and a joint force of the Swords of Sanghelios and United Nations Space Command (UNSC), with the Promethean forces of the Created joining the engagement late in the conflict. The battle was the final major engagement of the broader Battle for Sanghelios, a campaign fought by 'Mdama's Covenant across the Sangheili homeworld throughout October 2558 in an attempt to dislodge the Swords of Sanghelios and gain an advantage in the Blooding Years. This came on the back of a string of defeats suffered by the Covenant throughout the year, culminating with the Swords' attack on the Covenant home base of Hesduros, and the assassination of Supreme Commander Jul 'Mdama himself by the UNSC a week prior. With 'Mdama's death, the Covenant instead rallied around General Kitun 'Arach, who refocused all remaining Covenant reserves on Sanghelios. After days of fighting across the planet, and a destructive campaign fought in the nearby hills of Nuusra, the Battle of Sunaion served as the last stand of the Covenant and the site of their final defeat.

Background

War on Sanghelios

"Arbiter has united the keeps and formed a new alliance—the Swords of Sanghelios. With Arbiter's victories and the death of Jul 'Mdama, the Covenant remnants grow desperate. They have began an assault on 'Vadam lands, targeting Arbiter specifically."

— Shipmistress Mahkee 'Chava

Main article: Battle for Sanghelios

In late 2558, Jul 'Mdama's Covenant launched a massive global invasion of Sanghelios. This plan was formed by Jul after his recent defeat at the Absolute Record, which saw the Record plucked from within his grasp and a schism erupt within his forces between his loyalists and defectors led by the self-proclaimed "True Prophet", Sali 'Nyon. Around this time, 'Mdama's home base of Hesduros, in the Aspero system, became the site of a massive offensive by the Swords of Sanghelios, which succeeded in destroying the Covenant's industrial base and forced their abandonment of the system, but failed to kill Jul himself. At the behest of his prisoner-ally Doctor Catherine Halsey, Jul guided what remained of his forces to a staging ground on a Kamchatka, while others launched the invasion of Sanghelios with assistance from regional allies who spurred popular uprisings in city-states across the planet. These included the state of Vadam, the seat of power for the Swords' leader Arbiter Thel 'Vadam.

While the city of Sunaion, located atop floating platforms built amid the Csurdon Sea, had remained neutral throughout the previous years of civil war that engulfed Sanghelios, now it was viewed by the Covenant as an optimal staging area from which to prepare a strike on Vadam. By controlling the city, the Covenant could have easy access to the coastlines of Yermo, Vadam Harbor, and the heavily-fortified Vadam Val