Battle of Visegrád

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Battle of Visegrád
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War Fall of Reach
Date:	July 23-July 24, 2552
Location:	Visegrád, Reach
Outcome:	Tactical UNSC victory Discovery of Covenant presence on Reach Covenant repelled from the Visegrád Relay Recovery of Professor Laszlo Sorvad's data module and "latchkey discovery" by Catherine-B320 WINTER CONTINGENCY declared on Reach Strategic Covenant victory Successful disabling of Visegrád Relay Potential recovery of ONI excavation data from the relay
Details Belligerents United Nations Space Command Covenant Commanders COL Urban Holland CDR Carter-A259 Corporal Travis Unidentified Sangheili Field Marshal Strength UNSC Army Army fireteams 3 Charlie Special Warfare Group Three Noble Team UNSC Air Force Two UH-144 Falcons Charlie 1 Charlie 2 1 Spade Covenant military Devoted Sentries Unggoy Kig-Yar Skirmishers Sangheili Dextro Xur-pattern Spirits Type-26 Banshees Casualties Most Army troopers Heavy Civilian casualties Several local farmers Professor Laszlo Sorvad None

"Cheer up, big man: this whole valley just turned into a free-fire zone."

— Emile-A329 to Jorge-052 upon the discovery of Covenant in Visegrád.

The Battle of Visegrád was a battle between UNSC forces and the Covenant in Visegrád on Reach in July 2552. It also revealed the previously-unknown presence of the Covenant on Reach.

Prelude

On or prior to the night of July 23, 2552, the Covenant Fleet of Valiant Prudence arrived at the human Inner Colony of Reach undetected by its defending forces. A small strike force, including artifact-hunting Sangheili Zealots from the Devoted Sentries, was dispatched to the Visegrád Relay in Visegrád to cut off communications between Reach and other UEG colonies. The Office of Naval Intelligence assumed that the communications blackout was caused by local Insurrectionists; in response, Colonel Urban Holland dispatched several Army fireteams to the relay. After losing contact with the troopers, SPARTAN Noble Team was sent to investigate as the UNSC could not afford to have Reach cut off from the other colonies.

Battle

Investigating suspicious activity

Noble Team flew in to Visegrád using two Falcons, but quickly discovered that their comms with command were being jammed by an unknown source. Detecting a distress beacon and spotting smoke, Noble landed near some houses a distance from the relay with Jun-A266 ordered to remain in the Falcons to provide aerial overwatch. Investigating, Noble found the beacon hidden under a broken wooden pallet, a wrecked Warthog, blood smears and some possible plasma burns, but no sign of whoever set off the beacon or destroyed the Warthog or even explosives residue.

Noble continued their mission by pushing on towards the nearby smoke. Pushing through a house, the team made contact with a Hungarian farmer who Jorge-052 questioned. The man revealed that he had heard screaming from his neighbors and gunshots which had ended around sunrise and that something in the fields had killed his son. As Noble tried to understand what the farmer had meant by "something" instead of "someone," Jun called in with news of picking up heat signatures in the structure east of them. Jorge ordered the farmer back inside while Noble continued on to investigate.

A terrible discovery

Entering the structure, the team found several corpses, including Army troopers who had been tortured to death for information. Detecting movement, Noble continued on, only to discover that the enemy was Covenant and not Insurrectionists as they had believed. Noble engaged the Covenant troops around the structure while Charlie 1 shot down attacking Banshees. As Noble cleared out the enemy, a Spirit dropship deployed more troops across a bridge that were also taken out by the Spartans.

After winning the skirmish, Commander Carter-A259 stated that they needed Kat at the relay immediately in order to warn Colonel Holland of the Covenant threat. With Jun detecting more Covenant activity to the east, Noble crossed a creek and took out a squad of Sangheili Ultras. Once the Covenant were cleared out, Carter ordered Kat and Emile-A239 to leave for the relay in a Falcon while he, Jorge and Noble Six investigated more Covenant activity to the northeast.

Rescue of the surviving troopers

Boarding a nearby flatbed truck, Carter, Jorge and Noble Six drove through the area, eliminating several Covenant patrols as they went. Detecting heat signatures in the structures around the area, Jun directed the three Spartans to those locations where they cleared the structures.

As the Spartans continued on, they received a distress call from Corporal Travis of 3 Charlie, a surviving Army fireteam. Despite Jun's protests that they had better things to do, Carter chose to check out the distress call rather than abandon the troopers to the Covenant to continue with their mission. Noble was able to locate the besieged troopers and Jun recalled Charlie 2 for an evac. With Spirits dropping off Covenant reinforcements, Noble and the troopers held off the Covenant under heavy fire. Finally, the Covenant