Five Long Years

"Halo Wars is set in the year 2531 right as human UNSC forces retake a planet called Harvest from the alien Covenant. The story of Halo Wars is told through the eyes and ears of the crew aboard Spirit of Fire, a UNSC support vessel. As the ship approaches the planet Harvest to begin a dangerous and urgent mission, Captain Cutter reflects on the long and bloody battle to retake Harvest from the Covenant..."

- Ensemble description of the trailer

Five long years is a halo wars cinematic preview released on the 14th of july 2008 depicting the five year long struggle to get harvest back. This Cinematic takes 1:29.

It can be viewed here

Summary
Halo Wars is set in the year 2531 right as human UNSC forces retake a planet called Harvest from the alien Covenant. The story of Halo Wars is told through the eyes and ears of the crew aboard Spirit of Fire, a UNSC support vessel. As the ship approaches the planet Harvest to begin a dangerous and urgent mission, Captain Cutter reflects on the long and bloody battle to retake Harvest from the Covenant.

Transcript
Cutter:"Captains report February 4th 2531. Five years, Five long years that's how long it took us to get harvest Back"

[several soldier race through a battlefield]

Soldier:"Go Go Go"

[they confront a force of elite's. Then a warthog runs over them. Then they cut to a Backview of the warthog driving through a battlefield firing]

Soldier:"Keep firing"

[Three soldiers fire there weapons. Then they cut to a shot of several Pelican dropships arriving warthog racing thru. You then see a shot of a marine beating an elite from behind the elite falls down and is shot dead by another soldier. A shot showing 7 marine's and a warthog looking out over the battlefield, a destroyed city with an object presumably a ship in the distance.]

Cutter:"At first it was going well"

[Black]

Cutter:"Then setback after setback"

[You see an elite pierce a marine with an energy sword. UNSC troops getting overwhelmed by plasma fire. Banshees fly overhead. Many Elite's jump a wall and activate their energy swords; one of them dual wielding them.]

Cutter:"Loss after loss"

[2 as yet Unknown Covenant Glassing Ships begin to glass harvest]

Cutter:"Made what was going to be a quick and decisive win"

[An elite approaches a marine lying on the ground and kills him with an energy sword]

Cutter:"Into five years of hell"

[Camera turns toward the skies and another ship appears activating its energy weapon. White follows.]

The cinematic ends with the words Halo Wars and its makers and producers shown on the screen.

Trivia

 * It was put on The official Halo Wars community site after the E3 Business & Media Summit.
 * This trailer is reminicent of the beginning cinematic of another Ensemble game called Age of Mythology.