Earth: Difference between revisions

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{{Era|H1|H2|H3R|H3|HW|FOR|TF|FS|GOO|CH|TCP|HE|HGN|UP|LE|ILB|IRIS|DOA4|FA}}

{{SeeWikipedia|Earth}}

== History ==

[[Image:Earthshot.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[UNSCDF]] [[Orbital Defense Platform]]s in [[geosynchronous]] orbit around Earth.]]The Earth first formed about 4.6 billion years ago, and gave rise to the first single-celled organisms about 3.9 billion years ago. About 200,000 years ago, the ancestors of modern humans, ''Homo Sapiens'', evolved in Africa. Indigenous to Eastern Africa, they gradually spread across the entire planet. The enigmatic race known as the [[Forerunners]] are believed to have come to Earth 100,000 years ago, making significant contributions to the human race, and are believed to have made a "Conservation Measure"<ref>http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/118020/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=12360308</ref> to conserve the human race from the threat of the [[Flood]], and they built an [[Artifact]] to generate a slipspace portal to the [[Ark]] in Africa, where the Forerunner intelligence of [[AdjutantReflex]] resided<ref>http://206.16.223.61/X84xE2/flash/web/index.html</ref>. The [[Forerunners]] were also seen constructing "machines" in [[Africa]]<ref>''[[Halo 3: The Cradle of Life]]''</ref>.

[[Image:Cycle response.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Pangaea, the super-continent 250 million years ago that was the amalgamation of all current present-day [[:category:Continents|continents]].]]

[[File:Earth Orbit.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Earth seen from orbit.]]Humanity would enter a period of peaceful stability for the next two hundred years, until [[Insurrection|civil unrest began]] to spread in the Outer Colonies, with various groups seeking secession from Earth and the UEG. The scale of the unrest would steadily rise, eventually becoming a major threat by 2517 to the UEG's existence, and in response the UNSC began the [[SPARTAN-II Program]]. All this was suddenly and violently rendered a moot point when a single alien ship made an unprovoked attack on the colony of Harvest, humanity's first encounter with an alien civilization - [[Covenant Empire|the Covenant]]. Over the next [[Human-Covenant War|twenty seven years]], Humanity would wage a brutal war for survival, losing hundreds of colonies, including all of the Outer Colonies in 2536; and on August 31st, 2552, the UNSC's largest military installation, the planet Reach, was discovered and invaded by the Covenant. During the entire course of the conflict, the UNSC followed the [[Cole Protocol]], which declared that no UNSC vessel targeted by the Covenant was to retreat to Earth, as a means of ensuring the security of the planet's location. Despite the effectiveness of this law, on October 20th, 2552, the Covenant launched their first attack upon Earth, initiating the final confrontation between UNSC forces and the Covenant.<ref>http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo/storyline.htm</ref><ref>''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''</ref><ref>''[[Halo 2]]''</ref>  

=== Battle of Earth ===

[[Image:H2_UNSCDF_Earth.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The [[UNSCDF]] streams towards the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] attack fleet during the [[Battle of Earth]] (The Black Sea can be seen in the background).]]

{{Main|Battle of Earth}}

[[Image:H3_TheArk_Opening.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The [[Forerunner]] [[Artifact]] under what was once New Mombasa, built to protect humanity, unveils itself in [[2552]] during the  Battle of Earth.]]

The arrival in-system of [[SPARTAN-117]] in a Covenant-controlled [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], freshly escaped from the [[Battle of Installation 05]], was unexpected. SPARTAN-117 disembarked from the dreadnought in Earth's atmosphere, later recovered by Marines and taken to [[Crow's Nest (Base)|Crow's Nest]]. With the aid of the [[The Arbiter (character)|Arbiter]], Commander [[Miranda Keyes]], and Sergeant [[Avery Johnson]], SPARTAN-117 [[Battle of Voi|breached the Covenant anti-air defenses]] near the excavated [[Artifact]], clearing the way for an aerial strike on the artifact. The strike was unable to disable the device or prevent the [[Prophet of Truth]] from traveling through the portal. After a brief intervention by the [[Flood]] a joint [[Sangheili]]/UNSC force departed through the portal in pursuit.

[[Image:Macstationcairolarge1ki.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Orbital Defense Platform]] ''[[Cairo Station]]'' in geosynchronous orbit over Earth.]]

*''[[Athens Station]]'' - An [[Orbital Defense Platform|ODP]] defending Earth, destroyed by boarders in the Battle of Earth.

*''[[Cairo Station]]'' - An [[Orbital Defense Platform|ODP]] defending Earth. It was the command center of Earth's defense by [[Admiral Hood]].

*''[[Nassau Station]]'' - An [[Orbital Defense Platform|ODP]] defending earth.

*[[Station Wayward Rest]] - Termination point of the COE. Destroyed during the Battle of Earth.