Sigma Octanus IV

Sigma Octanus IV, located in the Sigma Octanus star system in FLEETCOM Sector Three, is a remote colony planet with one natural satellite and a population of nearly seventeen million citizens before The Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. It features a warm, humid atmosphere that is perfect for growing warm weather crops, giving rise to the planet's many rice fields. Much of the planet is a dense jungle and it appears that a meteor containing Forerunner artifacts crashed on the planet before Humanity's arrival.

History
A meteor containing a Forerunner artifact crashed on the planet on 57,448 B.C.E., to be discovered by humanity approximately 60,000 years later and placed for display in the Côte d'Azur Museum of Natural History.

On July of 2552, the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV began with the invasion of the crusading alien faction, the Covenant. One of the planet's major population centres, Côte d'Azur, was attacked by Covenant ground forces and the Spartan IIs were deployed to find out why the Covenant were so interested in the city. The museum of the city held a Forerunner artifact that the Covenant wanted and the Spartans were able to retrieve this artifact, more specifically a rock sample with rubies in it, and level Côte d'Azur and the Covenant presence within with a HAVOK Nuclear Warhead. Later on, it is revealed that the Forerunner artifact contained directions to Installation 04. This is the first place Engineers were seen in combat. This is also the first time that Hunters were encountered by the UNSC.

The assault on Sigma Octanus was a distraction to remove the Forerunner artifact, and is most likely why Sigma Octanus IV survived.

Locations

 * Côte d'Azur
 * Côte d'Azur Museum of Natural History
 * Sigma Octanus IV Grid 19 x 37
 * Sigma Octanus IV Grid 13 x 24