Battle of Camber

The Battle of Camber was a conflict between UNSC and Covenant forces on and around the planet Camber.

Background
By 2542, Camber's location had been discovered by the Covenant, who attacked the planet in that year, targeting various points of strategic value. At least one UNSC fleet depot was destroyed during these initial strikes.

The battle
These early attacks set the stage for the Covenant to return to Camber in 2546. Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee and his Fleet of Particular Justice managed to penetrate the planet's early warning perimeter without alerting UNSC forces. He began his ground and orbital assault before most of the planet was aware of the attack. Seventeen of 'Vadamee's ships bombarded key defensive positions, while 'Vadamee personally led an attack on the UNSC system headquarters. He first engaged the 3rd Battalion Reserves, who were caught completely unprepared. In a show of honor, 'Vadamee ordered his troops to wait for the soldiers to prepare to defend themselves before wiping out the entire battalion.

Aftermath
The battle quickly resulted in a Covenant victory and the glassing of Camber. The entire 3rd Battalion Reserves was wiped out along with the majority of Camber's population, leaving only 81,313 known survivors. 'Vadamee's conduct with the 3rd Battalion Reserves later became the first documented proof of Sangheili showing honor towards their human enemies. Camber's glassing left large swaths of its surface desolate. Despite this, its atmosphere remained intact, with the planet suffering volatile changes to its climate and frequent storms.

In the years following Camber's destruction, the Banished took possession of several UNSC assets abandoned on the planet. They began to refit and repurpose these ruins into tools to serve their needs. By 2560, the Banished had established an expansive shipbreaking facility at the site of the destroyed UNSC fleet depot. Here, they melted down titanium with a powerful plasma drill, reforging the material into weapons of war. During a mission to these shipbreaking yards, Spartans Hieu Dinh and Sigrid Eklund encountered a Banished artificial intelligence known as Iratus. Seeing an opportunity to capture valuable enemy technology, Dinh let the hostile AI enter his armor, putting him at risk of great bodily harm.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Terminals