Editing Operation: CHARLEMAGNE

{{Status|Canon}}

|prev=[[Callisto Incident]]

|next=[[Operation: VERITAS]]

|conflict=[[Insurrection]]{{Ref/Book|Id=enc44|Enc11|Page=44-45}}

|date=[[2496|January 12, 2496]]{{Ref/Site|Id=spartans|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/factions/spartans|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Spartans|D=21|M=09|Y=2021}}–[[2497]]{{Ref/Book|Id=cobra|Enc11|Page=32}}

|place=[[Eridanus II]], [[Eridanus system]]{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

|result=;Decisive [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] victory{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

|side1=[[Unified Earth Government]]{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

|side2=*[[Secessionist Union]]{{Ref/Book|Id=mythos55|Halo Mythos|Page=55}}

**[[Eridanus secessionists]]{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Page=54}}

|commanders2=[[Robert Watts]]{{Ref/Site|Id=watts|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/colonel-watts|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Colonel Watts|D=13|M=4|Y=2016}}

|forces1=*One [[UNSC Navy]] [[battle group]]{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

*[[UNSC Marine Corps]]{{Ref/Reuse|cobra}}

*All [[ORION Project]] operators{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}{{Ref/Reuse|spartans}}

|forces2=*Insurgent forces{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

*Small [[fleet]] of ships{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

|casual1=*One ORION operator{{Ref/Reuse|spartans}}

*Four [[UNSC destroyer|destroyers]]{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

|casual2=*Heavy losses{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

*One [[military base]] destroyed{{Ref/Book|Id=enc34|Enc11|Page=34}}

'''Operation: CHARLEMAGNE''' was an [[operation]] of the [[United Nations Space Command]] during the [[Insurrection]], serving as a counter-attack against [[Insurrectionist|secessionist]] forces under the command of [[Colonel]] [[Robert Watts]]. The operation marked the first tactical deployment conducted by the [[ORION Project]], as well as the only occasion where an entire unit of ORION operators was deployed together.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

In [[2494|June 2494]], the [[UNSC Marine Corps]] turncoat [[Colonel]] [[Robert Watts]] had joined the [[Secessionist Union]] and rallied the [[insurrectionist]] movements on the [[human]] [[Outer Colony]] of [[Eridanus II]], equipped by rebel sympathizers within the [[Colonial Military Authority]]'s command hierarchy. Watts orchestrated a methodical and thorough series of assaults involving [[Terrorism|terrorist]] bombings, political assassinations, and kidnappings that heavily impacted Eridanus II's shipping routes. With the aid of their CMA contracts, the insurgents were even able to amass a small [[fleet]] of ships.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}} The [[Eridanus Government]] officially requested aid from the [[Unified Earth Government]] in [[2494|December of 2494]] as chaos spread across the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}} By [[2495|January of 2495]], Watts and his insurrectionists had effectively taken control of the colony.{{Ref/Reuse|watts}}

On [[2496|January 12, 2496]],{{Ref/Reuse|spartans}} the Unified Earth Government finally responded to the Eridanus Government's request for aid. The [[United Nations Space Command]] launched Operation: CHARLEMAGNE, deploying a large [[battle group]] of the [[UNSC Navy]] to Eridanus II. The battle group engaged the insurgent forces over the planet, an attack which succeeded at the cost of four [[destroyer]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}} A number of subsequent counter-operations against the rebel forces began to break Watts' hold on the planet and splintered allied secessionist factions by eliminating their leadership.{{Ref/Reuse|watts}}

Meanwhile, operatives of the recently resurrected [[ORION Project]] were deployed for the first time during Operation: CHARLEMAGNE. Inserted into the battle without being seen, the supersoldiers engaged the insurrectionists in a swift and silent attack that resulted in a decisive victory for the UNSC, with only one casualty among the ORION operatives and several crippling losses for the rebels;{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}} the ORION Project operatives saw the destruction of an insurgent [[military base]] on Eridanus II.{{Ref/Reuse|enc34}} The supersoldiers were promptly extracted from Eridanus II, again without being spotted.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}} The operation extended to [[2497]], during which Marine forces deployed the [[SP42 Cobra]] for the first time.{{Ref/Reuse|cobra}}

As a result of Operation: CHARLEMAGNE, the Unified Earth Government succeeded in regaining control of Eridanus II. However, Watts and many of his insurrectionist forces were successful in escaping to the [[Eridanus system]]'s [[asteroid]] belt, where they escaped capture and continued to operate against the UNSC.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}{{Ref/Reuse|mythos55}} Watts subsequently took control of the insurgent factions that lost their leadership during Operation: CHARLEMAGNE, unifying them under a single banner as the [[United Rebel Front]]. Watts and the URF would later regain enough strength to strike at Eridanus II and the planet's government again in [[2513]], leading to [[Operation: TREBUCHET]].{{Ref/Reuse|watts}}

Meanwhile, the ORION Project, having completed both insertion and extraction during the operation without being seen by any survivors, fueled a range of conspiracy theories and media speculation. As the legend of these supersoldiers grew, it proved very helpful to the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]'s [[propaganda]] efforts in the following decades.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}} The ORION operatives would go on to complete a number of successful operations, including [[Operation: VERITAS]], in which high-level Colonial Military Administration officers were revealed to have loyalties with the [[Secessionist Union]].{{Ref/Reuse|spartans}} Furthermore, the reveal of the CMA's role in arming the Eridanus rebels would lead to the organization's downfall and merger into the UNSC.{{Ref/Reuse|enc44}}

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