Battle of Miridem

The Battle of Miridem was a conflict between UNSC and Covenant forces on the planet Miridem in 2544. Not much is known of this conflict other than that one SPARTAN-II, Sheila-065, was killed in action by the Sangheili Major Thel 'Lodamee and that Dr. Catherine Halsey was subsequently abducted by the Covenant.

Background
Little is known about the battle itself other than that it lasted for over two weeks, and that Dr. Halsey had been present on the surface of Miridem when the Covenant attacked. According to Vice Admiral Berlin Tursk, Halsey was being evacuated when her extraction was compromised. Spartan Sheila-065, who was acting as Halsey's bodyguard, was killed by a Sangheili Major known as Thel 'Lodamee. Dr. Halsey witnessed Sheila's death but managed to get onto the evacuation craft and escape the planet. Having seen the Spartan's determination to ensure the safety of a single human civilian, 'Lodamee concluded that Halsey was some sort of military asset. He assembled a small strike force and abandoned his battlegroup to pursue the evac ship. They managed to intercept the ship before it could reach the edge of the system and safely make a slipspace jump. Everyone onboard the evacuation craft was killed except for Dr. Halsey, who was taken while in cryogenic suspension. Although 'Lodamee succeeded in capturing a key military asset, his decision to abandon his battalion came at a cost. While he was away, the rest of his battalion suffered severe casualties bringing unnecessary loss to the Covenant fleet.

Aftermath
The UNSC forces present in the system were quick to react to the capture of ONI's chief scientist. Vice Admiral Berlin M. Tursk swiftly dispatched an ONI stealth ship carrying a Spartan team to pursue the Covenant fleet, which was still in the process of making its way out of the system at subluminal speeds due to the local stellar magnetic field preventing them from performing an immediate slipspace jump. The team was eventually successful in their mission, although two of the Spartans were killed in action.