Second Fall of Arcadia

The Fall of Arcadia took place on September 9th, 2549 on the Outer Colony world of Arcadia in the Procyon System.

History
After the invasion of Arcadia in 2531, the Covenant left the colony alone, focusing their attention on other worlds with significant human populations. The United Nations Space Command abandoned Arcadia, leaving its population centers abandoned to nature. A small rural community was later founded in Abaskun, a fertile area on the continent of Mu. Though self-governed and mostly lawless, this settlement provided the UNSC with food, water, and other vital resources. On September 9th, 2549, eighteen years after their initial invasion, the Covenant returned to Arcadia. As no UNSC naval or land forces were permanently attached to the planet, the attack easily succeeded and Arcadia was glassed.

Dr. Catherine Halsey watched the destruction of Arcadia from cameras mounted on a meteorological satellite. She noticed that the Covenant attacked the planet with much more ferocity than was their norm, possibly because they had been defeated during their first attack on the planet. The satellite was destroyed before the glassing operation was completed. Halsey was greatly distraught by the sight of Arcadia's destruction.