Operation: CHARLEMAGNE

Operation: CHARLEMAGNE was a code name for a UNSC counterattack against the Insurrectionists on Eridanus II. It marked the first tactical deployment conducted by the ORION Project. It was also the only occasion where an entire unit of Spartan-I's was deployed as a group.

Operation
Launched in January 2496, the operation materialized as a response to a series of politically-motivated assaults conducted by local secessionists on Eridanus II in 2494 against governmental officials and civilians, which concluded in a large number of deaths and kidnappings.

A large UNSC battle group was sent in to crush the rebel forces, which were defeated at the cost of four destroyers. Meanwhile, the group of ORION Project operatives (SPARTAN-Is) attacked the rebels in a swift and silent special operation that resulted in only one casualty on ORION's side, and several crippling losses on the rebels' side. The Spartans recovered a sub-orbital transit station over the planet without ever being observed.

Legacy
The operation is believed to have positively marked the ONI's propaganda machine, having sparked various conspiracy theories with regard to the operation's perpetrators within civilian and rebel circles.

Trivia

 * The operation was likely named after Charlemagne, the Frankish king who changed the face of Europe in the 8th and 9th centuries CE.
 * The SP42 "Cobra" MBT saw its first field use by the UNSC Marine Corps during the operation in 2497.