Editing Timeline of the Battle for Earth

This is a '''timeline of the events slightly before, during, and slightly after the [[Battle for Earth]]'''. The Battle for Earth lasted between [[2552#October|October 20]] and somewhere around [[2552#December|December 3, 2552]] or possibly after, though notable skirmishes and engagements took place before and after this timeframe. Concurrently with these events, many battles, notably the [[Battle of Installation 05]] and [[Onyx Conflict]], were taking place.

==October 2552==
===October 20, 2552===
*'''1248 hours''': [[Io Station]] station pings the encroaching [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] and relays this data to flag headquarters on [[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]].
*At flag headquarters, [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] awards [[John-117|SPARTAN-117]], Staff Sergeant [[Avery Junior Johnson]] and [[Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] medals for their efforts during the [[Battle of Installation 04]] and [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|subsequent actions]], in the case of John-117 and Johnson, now a Sergeant Major. [[Miranda Keyes]] received her late father's medal posthumously.
*'''1412 hours''': The Covenant Fleet, consisting of 2 {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}}s and 13 {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}s exits slipspace just beyond the effective range of Earth's [[orbital defense platform]]s Fleet Admiral [[Joseph Harper]] prepares all available vessels to engage the Covenant. This order is overruled by Lord Hood, who instead orders the fleet to form a defensive perimeter around the ODP clusters. 
*'''1421 hours''': The Fleet of Sacred Consecration launches [[Type-28 Tick]] boarding crafts toward the orbital defense stations to plant [[antimatter charge]]s. Two are destroyed in the process: [[Athens Station|Athens]] and [[Malta Station]]s. Cairo Station is save from the same fate by the efforts of [[John-117]]. The fleet subsequently clears the defensive grid and sends a first wave toward the planet's surface. 
*'''1450 hours''': John-117 uses the antimatter charge brought aboard Cairo to destroy a the ''[[Day of Jubilation]]'', one of the two [[CAS-class assault carrier]]s in the Covenant Fleet.
*'''1459 hours''': The ''[[Solemn Penance]]'', the other assault carrier the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s flagship, blows through the Malta's debris field and heads straight for [[New Mombasa]], [[Kenya]] and deploys ground forces. The [[Battle of Mombasa#First Battle of Mombasa|First Battle of Mombasa]] begins.
*'''1512 hours''': A number of [[Huragok]] deployed to New Mombasa are designated tier-one assets by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] and judged to be exposed to capture or kill. One of these, [[Quick to Adjust|Asset RD-9743-X]], would successfully be acquired by ONI in the hours to come. 
*'''1557 hours''': A squad of [[ODST]]s, [[Alpha-Five]], confirms the successful procurement of the [[Conduit]], a Forerunner device, from the Covenant pursuant to [[Operation: WINDOW PANE]].
*'''1602 hours''': [[Operation: BUMRUSH]] is greenlit and ODSTS of the [[65th Shock Troops Division]] are launched from the {{UNSCShip|Say My Name}} with the goal of breaching the ''Solemn Penance''.
*'''1603 hours''': ''[[Solemn Penance]]'' makes a sudden slipspace jump only hundreds of meters above the city. The assault carrier is pursued by the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}, which is in turn followed by two [[UNSC corvette]]s and two other [[UNSC frigate|frigate]]s. This atmospheric slipspace jump creates a massive overpressure wave and [[electromagnetic pulse]]. The ODSTs' [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|drop pods]] are scattered throughout the city. With Regret gone, Jiralhanae elements in the fleet suddenly turn on their [[Sangheili]] compatriots, heralding the [[Great Schism]] soon to come. 
*'''1606 hours''': Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck exits his [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|drop pod]] and moves toward [[Tayari Plaza (location)|Tayari Plaza]], the location of Captain Veronica Dare's.
*'''1624 hours''': All members of [[Alpha-Five]] are designated KIA and the Conduit is determined to be lost.
*'''1636 hours''': UNSC Marines launch an attack on Covenant occupiers in [[Uplift Nature Reserve]].
*'''1649 hours''': The [[Mombasa Tether]] collapses. 38% of New Mombasa is occupied and controlled by the Covenant forces, now without Sangheili, at this time.
*'''1736 hours''': Fierce fighting is waged along [[Kizingo Boulevard (location)|Kizingo Boulevard]].
*'''1810 hours''': In cooperation with the [[NMPD]], ODSTs from Alpha-Nine set demolition charges on a bridge leading to [[ONI Alpha Site (location)|ONI Alpha Site]], in order to destroy it and slow the Covenant advance in reaching the site.
*'''1852 hours''': [[ONI Alpha Site (location)|ONI Alpha Site]], the Office of Naval Intelligence's headquarters in the [[EAP]], is destroyed by the UNSC and [[New Mombasa Police Department]] in order to deny intelligence to the enemy.
*'''1914 hours''': Gunnery Sergeant Buck and Lance Corporal [[Kojo Agu]] make their way to the [[NMPD headquarters]] for pickup by an [[D77C-NMPD Pelican|NMPD Pelican]]. The pelican is shot down before it can reach them and a skirmish breaks out between Alpha-Nine and Covenant air units.
*'''2141 hours''': Remaining {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}s from the Fleet of Sacred Consecration coalesce over New Mombasa. 
*'''2101 hours''': Alpha-Nine moves toward [[Kikowani Station (location)|Kikowani Station]], intending to escape the city through the [[MagLev train]] tunnels leading to [[Old Mombasa]].
*'''2206 hours''': Lance Corporal [[Rookie|J.D.]], an ODST from [[Alpha-Nine]], awakens after being knocked out after his [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle]] was thrust off-course in the wake of the assault carrier's slipspace jump to careen into the side of a building. He begins to search the city for others from Alpha-Nine.
*'''2215 hours''': The [[glassing|excavation]] of the [[Portal at Voi|Excession]] begins. 
*'''2227 hours''': The Covenant controls 78% of New Mombasa.
*'''2319 hours''': [[Quick to Adjust|Asset RD-9743-X]] is sighted and reported by Captain [[Veronica Dare]] beneath New Mombasa in its [[New Mombasa Data Center|data center]].
*'''2324 hours''': 94% of New Mombasa is lost to the Covenant.
*'''2359 hours''': Gunnery Sergeant [[Edward Buck]] rendezvouses with Veronica Dare and Lance Corporal [[Rookie|J.D.]] The Huragok, [[Quick to Adjust|Asset RD-9743-X]], is reported as secured.

===October 21, 2552===
*[[Truth's Fleet|Another Covenant fleet]] arrives at Earth.
*New Mombasa is fully occupied by the Covenant and it and its surroundings are [[Glassing|glassed]] in efforts to uncover [[The Portal|the portal]]. Alpha-Nine extracts [[Quick to Adjust|Asset RD-9743-X]] from the city safely. 

===October 20 through November 3, 2552===
*[[Spartan-II]] [[Blue Team]], composed of [[Frederic-104]], [[Linda-058]], and [[William-043]], is deployed on numerous zero-gee operations to repel Covenant warships over Earth. They team also participates in numerous combat missions around the world, including the [[Battle of Ross Island]] in [[Wikipedia:Antarctica|Antarctica]] and an engagement with Covenant forces on the sea floor off of the Yucatan Peninsula.

==November 2552==
===November 3, 2552===
*'''1420 hours''': Blue Team is deployed to Cuba, where the [[Battle of Havana]] is underway. 
*'''1550 hours''': The [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]] is recaptured from the Covenant but destroyed by the intentional detonation of nuclear devices in close proximity to its upper reaches. Shortly thereafter, the team uses a [[Bloodied Spirit|captured Covenant Destroyer]] to depart for [[Onyx]]. 

===November 10, 2552===
* The [[Covenant]] begins to excavate and occupy built-up positions centered at [[Free-fire Area OZONE]] in Arizona, [[United Republic of North America]], while also attempting to activate an artifact there.

===November 15, 2552===
*'''1725 hours''': [[Avery Johnson]] interrogates [[Quick to Adjust]], the Huragok recovered from New Mombasa, at the [[Quito Terminus|terminus]] of the [[Quito Space Tether]].

===November 17, 2552===
*The Forerunner Dreadnought arrives at Earth. Spartan 117 bails from the ship, landing in a Kenyan jungle. He is [[Recovery of John-117|recovered]] by a group of Marines led by [[Avery Johnson]]. 
*The Marines, with Spartan-117, make their way to Crow's Nest, where a plan for a counterattack is devised. The base is [[Attack on Crow's Nest|invaded]] by the Covenant, and eventually destroyed by the UNSC.
*The UNSC forces [[Assault on the Tsavo Highway|assault]] the Covenant-held Tsavo Highway, eventually clearing the path to the town of Voi.
*UNSC Forces [[Battle of Voi|neutralize]] Covenant anti-air defenses in Voi. A [[Battle Group Victory|battle group]] from the UNSC Home Fleet initiate the assault on the Forerunner Dreadnought, with no effect. The Portal is activated. Covenant forces flee to Installation 00 through the Portal.
*Immediately thereafter, a Flood-controlled ship emerges from Slipspace over Voi, crashing to the town. Flood infestation starts spreading around the region. The Sangheili Fleet of Retribution, having given chase, arrives at Earth and glasses Voi as well as its surroundings.
*A transmission from the UNSC AI Cortana is retrieved from the Flood ship. The Sangheili fleet, along with the UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn'' go through the Portal to the Ark.
*UNSC forces launch a counteroffensive against the Covenant at free-fire area OZONE.

===November 19, 2552===
*'''0630 hours''': UNSC flagword [[LUX]] is declared and UEG emergency broadcast is initiated.
*'''0700 hours''': A tactical nuclear deployment is carried out against multiple shielded Covenant positions.

==December 2552==
===December 3, 2552===
*[[Operation: MARSH FLASH]] sees clusters of Jiralhanae leadership eliminated.

==Sources==
<references/>