Battle of Harvest: Difference between revisions

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In [[2525#February|February of 2525]], the [[Unified Earth Government]] [[Outer Colony]] of [[Harvest]] was discovered and [[First Battle of Harvest|attacked]] by the [[Covenant]]. The planet was partially [[Glassing|glassed]] by the [[Covenant cruiser]] ''[[Rapid Conversion]]'',<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 382''</ref><ref name="for117">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 117-126'' (2010)</ref> though many of Harvest's residents managed to escape their own destruction by fleeing the [[Epsilon Indi system]] aboard [[DCS light freighter|freighters]].<ref name="goo72">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 72''</ref> In response to the loss of contact with Harvest, the unarmed scout ship {{CMAShip|Argo}} was sent to the planet to investigate. When transmissions from the scout ship suddenly ended, the Harvest situation was deemed highly important and a [[Colonial Military Administration]] [[battle group]]—[[Battle Group 4]]—was dispatched to Harvest,{{Ref/Reuse|for117}} fearing that [[insurrectionist]] forces had taken control of the [[agriculture world]].{{Ref/Reuse|mythos}} Upon arriving at the system, Battle Group 4 was immediately attacked by a [[Covenant super-destroyer]].{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}} Only {{CMAShip|Heracles}} was able to escape destruction and limp back to [[Reach]] in the [[Epsilon Eridani system]] several weeks later with word of the hostile alien threat.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}}
In [[2525#February|February of 2525]], the [[Unified Earth Government]] [[Outer Colony]] of [[Harvest]] was discovered and [[First Battle of Harvest|attacked]] by the [[Covenant]]. The planet was partially [[Glassing|glassed]] by the [[Covenant cruiser]] ''[[Rapid Conversion]]'',<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 382''</ref><ref name="for117">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 117-126'' (2010)</ref> though many of Harvest's residents managed to escape their own destruction by fleeing the [[Epsilon Indi system]] aboard [[DCS light freighter|freighters]].<ref name="goo72">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 72''</ref> In response to the loss of contact with Harvest, the unarmed scout ship {{CMAShip|Argo}} was sent to the planet to investigate. When transmissions from the scout ship suddenly ended, the Harvest situation was deemed highly important and a [[Colonial Military Administration]] [[battle group]]—[[Battle Group 4]]—was dispatched to Harvest,{{Ref/Reuse|for117}} fearing that [[insurrectionist]] forces had taken control of the [[agriculture world]].{{Ref/Reuse|mythos}} Upon arriving at the system, Battle Group 4 was immediately attacked by a [[Covenant super-destroyer]].{{Ref/Reuse|genesis}} Only {{CMAShip|Heracles}} was able to escape destruction and limp back to [[Reach]] in the [[Epsilon Eridani system]] several weeks later with word of the hostile alien threat.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}}


On [[2525#November|November 1, 2525]], the UEG's [[United Nations Space Command]] was ordered to full alert.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}} In response to the alien threat, the UNSC's [[Central Command]] moved to create a battle group of forty [[warship]]s to retake Harvest. Retired [[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]] was selected by Central Command to lead this force; a "fallen hero" that lived a scandalous retirement, Cole served as an easy scapegoat if CENTCOM's counterattack on the Covenant failed. Additionally, Cole was considered to be a brilliant commander during the [[Insurrection]] that was willing to sacrifice himself and anyone under his command to complete his task.<ref name="he458">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 458-460''</ref> On [[2525#November|November 2, 2525]], [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Jack Hopper]] and [[Lieutenant]] [[Demos]] visited Cole and convinced him to lead the battle group. Reinstated as a vice admiral of the [[UNSC Navy]], Cole was given command of [[Battle Group X-Ray]] in [[2525|December of 2525]],<ref>''Xbox.com'': The Halo Timeline (defunct, [[Archive:Xbox.com/Halo/Timeline|Archived]])</ref><ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 461''</ref> conceived as the largest assembled fleet at that point in human history.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}}<ref name="enc299">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe]]''', ''page 299'' (2011)</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 88''</ref> By [[2525#November|November 12, 2525]], Cole begun preparing himself for the battle. He reviewed data and reports from previous encounters with the Covenant at Harvest and [[Chi Ceti IV]], and realized that Covenant [[energy shielding]] would prove to be troublesome in battle. Cole was given the {{Class|Valiant|super-heavy cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Everest}} as his [[flagship]]. After ensuring that his crew was battle-tested and competent, he requested numerous modifications to ''Everest''.{{Ref/Reuse|he462}} The [[artificial intelligence]] [[Sekmet]] was chosen as Cole's shipboard AI on ''Everest''.<ref name="he465">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 465''</ref>
On [[2525#November|November 1, 2525]], the UEG's [[United Nations Space Command]] was ordered to full alert.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}} In response to the alien threat, the UNSC's [[Central Command]] moved to create a battle group of forty [[warship]]s to retake Harvest. Retired [[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]] was selected by Central Command to lead this force; a "fallen hero" that lived a scandalous retirement, Cole served as an easy scapegoat if CENTCOM's counterattack on the Covenant failed. Additionally, Cole was considered to be a brilliant commander during the [[Insurrection]] that was willing to sacrifice himself and anyone under his command to complete his task.<ref name="he458">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''pages 458-460''</ref> On [[2525#November|November 2, 2525]], [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Jack Hopper]] and [[Lieutenant]] [[Demos]] visited Cole and convinced him to lead the battle group. Reinstated as a vice admiral of the [[UNSC Navy]], Cole was given command of [[Battle Group X-Ray]] in [[2525|December of 2525]],<ref>''Xbox.com'': The Halo Timeline (defunct, [[Archive:Xbox.com/Halo/Timeline|Archived]])</ref><ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 461''</ref> conceived as the largest assembled fleet at that point in human history.{{Ref/Reuse|for117}}<ref name="enc299">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 299'' (2011)</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 88''</ref> By [[2525#November|November 12, 2525]], Cole begun preparing himself for the battle. He reviewed data and reports from previous encounters with the Covenant at Harvest and [[Chi Ceti IV]], and realized that Covenant [[energy shielding]] would prove to be troublesome in battle. Cole was given the {{Class|Valiant|super-heavy cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Everest}} as his [[flagship]]. After ensuring that his crew was battle-tested and competent, he requested numerous modifications to ''Everest''.{{Ref/Reuse|he462}} The [[artificial intelligence]] [[Sekmet]] was chosen as Cole's shipboard AI on ''Everest''.<ref name="he465">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 465''</ref>


==The battle==
==The battle==
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==Production notes==
==Production notes==
The Battle of Harvest is erroneously placed in [[2531]] rather than [[2526]] in several sources, including the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe]]'' and ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|cp34}}{{Ref/Reuse|enc299}}
The Battle of Harvest is erroneously placed in [[2531]] rather than [[2526]] in several sources, including the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'' and ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|cp34}}{{Ref/Reuse|enc299}}


The presence of forty UNSC ships against one overwhelmingly powerful enemy vessel strikes a remarkable resemblance to the [[memory-alpha:Battle of Wolf 359|Battle of Wolf 359]] from the ''Star Trek'' universe, in which a fleet of forty [[Wikipedia:United Federation of Planets|Federation]] starships engaged a single [[memory-alpha:Borg cube|Borg cube]]. However, the outcomes of these battles differ: the Federation lost all but one of its vessels yet caused no damage to the cube. This very well may be a [[List of pop culture references in the Halo series#Star Trek|deliberate ''Star Trek'' reference]].
The presence of forty UNSC ships against one overwhelmingly powerful enemy vessel strikes a remarkable resemblance to the [[memory-alpha:Battle of Wolf 359|Battle of Wolf 359]] from the ''Star Trek'' universe, in which a fleet of forty [[Wikipedia:United Federation of Planets|Federation]] starships engaged a single [[memory-alpha:Borg cube|Borg cube]]. However, the outcomes of these battles differ: the Federation lost all but one of its vessels yet caused no damage to the cube. This very well may be a [[List of pop culture references in the Halo series#Star Trek|deliberate ''Star Trek'' reference]].