2531

The Second Battle of Harvest takes place.

Feburary

 * Second Battle of Harvest. Preston Cole's fleet engages the alien warships responsible for the decimation of the Harvest colony. Six years after the planet was attacked, UNSC forces emerged victorious at the cost of two-thirds of the battle group.
 * Cole is promoted to Admiral upon his return to Earth and learns that a number of outlying colonies have been destroyed, leaving behind no survivors.
 * Cole begins to move his fleet around, trying to intercept the invaders. Ground and ship-to-ship battles begin in earnest, raging throughout the Outer Colonies. During one ground engagement, Human forces capture one of the aliens. Before succumbing to his wounds, interrogators learn that the aliens refer to themselves as "the Covenant" (roughly translated).


 * Feburary 4th: Captain Cutter of the UNSC Spirit of Fire makes an entry in his log, reflecting on the five years leading up to this point in the war against the Covenant. The UNSC Spirit of Fire enters the Epsilon Indi system and arrives back at a glassed and nearly frozen Harvest, encountering Covenant troops led by an Arbiter that are in the process of uncovering a Forerunner relic on the planet.

May

 * May 1st: General Howard Graves of the United Rebel Front is killed by Spartan-IIs in Camp New Hope, Victoria, 111 Tauri System. Graves is killed by eight armed Asteroidea Anti-Personnel Mines.

November

 * November 7th: Spartans Kurt-051, Kelly-087 and Fred-104 are dispatched to investigate Construction Platform 966A for suspected Rebel activity. The mission is a ruse and Kurt is abducted by ONI to lead the Spartan III project. Kurt is 'officially' declared MIA.

December

 * December 19th: Nicole-458 is born.


 * December 27th: 497 recruits arrive at Camp Currahee on Onyx beginning the Spartan III program under the command of Spartan-051 forming what will later become Alpha Company.