Fleet of Valiant Prudence

"That's no strike force. It's an invading army!"

- Jun-A266

The Fleet of Valiant Prudence was a Covenant fleet that served as an archaeological research and retrieval group tasked by the Hierarchs with the security and stewardship of Forerunner artifacts during the Fall of Reach.

History
On or prior to the night of July 23, 2552, the fleet arrived on the planet Reach in the Epsilon Eridani system, undetected by the human defenses. The fleet dispatched a small strike force, including a team of artifact-hunting Zealots, to one of the three communication relays at Visegrád to cut off communications between Reach and other UEG colonies. The Office of Naval Intelligence assumed that the communications blackout was caused by local Insurrectionists; in response, Colonel Urban Holland dispatched several Army fireteams to the relay. After losing contact with the troopers, SPARTAN Noble Team was sent to investigate. The team discovered the Covenant presence on Reach and reported back to CENTCOM.

Over the next few weeks, the fleet continuously sent ground and air forces to attack the planet and gain intelligence. One of the corvettes in the fleet was sent to assault ONI's Sword Base, but was destroyed by an orbital defense platform's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon after the assault failed. The ground forces also focused on defending their fleet's landing zone at Szurdok Ridge, deploying anti-aircraft cannons and outposts around Szurdok Ridge; this effort, however, resulted in failure when SPARTAN Recon Team Bravo discovered the landing zone on the night of August 11.

On August 12, 2552, the UNSC attacked the Covenant landing zone, destroying a Covenant Spire in the progress. Subsequently, the UNSC strike force was forced to retreat when the fleet's flagship, the Long Night of Solace, was revealed to be holding position over the planet, having been cloaked by the Spires. The UNSC on Reach, with little help until the arrival of reinforcements from elsewhere in the Epsilon Eridani system, derived an operation to destroy the supercarrier. Operation: UPPER CUT, created by Kat-B320, was initiated on August 14, 2552, in an effort to destroy the supercarrier. After the capture of Ardent Prayer, a makeshift "slipspace bomb" was activated, destroying Long Night of Solace. As engagements continued in orbit over Reach, Shipmaster Kantar 'Utaralee assumed command of the splintered fleet and attempted to lead them in a final effort to recover a Forerunner artifact that 'Barutamee had attempted to claim for himself. 'Utaralee's forces moved to engage a small UNSC picket fleet that was defending the artifact's location, a space station near the moon of Turul. Though the fleet's flagship had been destroyed, the immediate arrival of another, larger Covenant fleet from the Ministry of Resolution arrived in the system to engage UNSC forces.

Known vessels

 * Long Night of Solace - - Rho 'Barutamee - Destroyed
 * Ardent Prayer - - Ardo 'Moretumee - Destroyed

List of appearance

 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Fleet Battles