Battle for Earth: Difference between revisions

{{Ratings}}

{{Era|H2|H3|H3R|GOO|HE|HGN|UP}}

{{Triple battle infobox

|name    = Battle of Earth

|image    = [[File:Battle_of_Earth_Main.jpg|300px]]

|prev    = [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]]

|conc    = [[Battle of Installation 05]], [[First Battle of High Charity]], [[Battle of Onyx]], [[Battle of Mare Erythraeum]]

|next    = [[Battle of Installation 00]]

|conflict = [[Human-Covenant War]]

|date    = October 20, 2552 - November 17, 2552

|place    = [[Earth]], [[Sol System]]

|result  = Tactical UNSC/Separatist Victory

*UNSC successfully prevent the majority of Earth from being glassed, at the cost of portions of Africa being glassed and a significant reduction of the [[UNSC Home Fleet]].

*Covenant invaders driven from Earth's surface.

*Covenant Loyalists occupy Earth for a long time , seriously damage the infrastructure and uncover the artifact.

*Loyalists make a successful retreat through the Portal to the Ark.

*Presumed heavy reduction of Earth's human population.

|side1 = [[UNSC]]/[[Covenant Separatists]]

|side2 = [[Covenant Loyalists]] <small>(Post-Great Schism)</small>

|side3 = [[Flood]] (late in battle)

*[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]]  

*[[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]

*[[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]  

*Commander [[Miranda Keyes]]

*Fleet Admiral [[Harper]]  

*[[Major General]] [[Nicolas Strauss]]

*[[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] (late battle)

*[[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] (early battle)

|commanders3 = [[Gravemind]] (late in battle)

*[[UNSC Marine Corps]]

*[[UNSC Air Force]]

*[[UNSC Army]]  

*[[UNSC Home Fleet]]

**300 [[Orbital Defense Platform]]s

**[[Second Fleet]]

**[[Seventh Fleet]]

**[[Sixteenth Fleet]]

***[[Sol Defense Group 3/A-5]]

**{{UNSCShip|Dusk}}  

**[[7-89]]

*[[Fleet of Retribution]]

**''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' {{C|post-[[Great Schism]]}}

*Numerous [[Marine]] Divisions

*7th Shock Troops Battalion

*[[New Mombasa Police Department|NMPD]] forces

*[[F99 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle|F99 Wombat]]s

*[[Hornet]]s

*[[Scorpion]]s

*[[Pelican]]s

*[[Warthog]]s

|forces2 = Space

*[[Regret's Fleet]]

**2 [[Assault Carrier]]s

***[[Regret's Carrier]]

**13 {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s

***[[Pious Inquisitor]] {{C|pre-Great Schism}}

**[[Seraph]]s

*[[Fleet of Furious Redemption]]

*[[Truth's Fleet]]

**[[Forerunner Dreadnought]]

** At least 3 [[Assault Carriers]] and at least 27 [[CCS-class Battlecruisers]] planetside over [[Kenya]]

**''[[Bloodied Spirit]]''

**''[[Harbinger of Piety]]''

 

*[[Covenant Army]]

***[[Shadow]]s

***[[Scarab]]s

***[[Ghost]]s

***[[Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage|Wraith]]s

***[[Banshee]]s

***[[Phantom]]s

|forces3 =

*{{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}

*[[Pure Form]]s

*Human Combat Forms

*[[Infection forms]]

*[[Carrier forms]]

|casual1 = Numerous UNSC ground / air forces, Sangheili and civilian casualties due to orbital bombardment<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''' ''level {{Levelname|Crow's Nest}}''</ref>

*2+ [[Orbital Defense Platform]]s

**''[[Athens Station]]''

**''[[Malta Station]]''

*Majority of the [[UNSC Home Fleet]]

*Portions of 405th and 105th Divisions

**[[Unnamed UNSC Colonel|Unnamed Colonel]]

**[[Unnamed Lieutenant (Halo 2)|Unnamed Lieutenant]]

**[[Master Gunnery Sergeant|Cairo Armory Sergeant]]

|casual2 = Heavy losses, survivors escaped through the [[Portal]]

|casual3 = All Flood forces

}}

The '''Battle of Earth''' was one of the largest engagements fought between the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] and the [[United Nations Space Command]], which took place on and above the planet [[Earth]] and across the [[Sol System]] from [[2552 #October|October 20, 2552]] to November 17th. It was one of the most significant battles of the [[Human-Covenant War]] as the fate of humanity depended on the survival of their homeworld. The battle concluded when the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s [[Forerunner Dreadnought|Dreadnought]] left Earth through the [[Portal]] with the purpose of activating the [[Halo Array]] from "[[Installation 00|The Ark]]".

In the aftermath of the [[Fall of Reach]], the UNSC began to pull its forces back to Earth, with most units assigned to defend Earth's [[Space Elevator|tether cities]]. The Marine unit [[E2-BAG/1/7]], among many others, was relocated from Reach to defend [[New Mombasa]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''' - ''[[Palace Hotel]]'', page 367</ref>

===Discovery of Earth===

The Covenant discovered the location of [[Earth]] after the [[Fall of Reach]]. The [[Prophet of Truth]] withheld knowledge of this discovery from the Covenant and other high ranking officials.<ref name="waypoint">'''[[Halo Waypoint]]''', ''"Ten Twenty" history article''</ref> To attack the human homeworld, he ordered an [[Truth's Fleet|assault fleet]] to secretly assemble at ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' station in the [[Tau Ceti System]]. The fleet would overwhelm Earth's defenses in a single decisive strike.<ref name="waypoint"/><ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page ??''</ref>

The Covenant assault fleet was discovered by the UNSC [[AI]] [[Cortana]]. A pre-emptive strike led by [[Vice Admiral]] [[Danforth Whitcomb]] and a [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]] strike team destroyed ''Unyielding Hierophant'' and almost the entirety of the assembled fleet, some 500 ships.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 333''</ref><ref name="waypoint"/> Earth was granted a small reprieve.

The [[Prophet of Regret]] also learned of the location of Earth as the location of a [[Forerunner]] artifact, the [[Portal]] leading to [[Installation 00|the Ark]]. Not being privy to Truth's information, Regret set off to uncover the artifact not realizing that Earth was the human homeworld. Regret unknowingly led his small [[Regret's Fleet|fleet]], a mere two [[Assault Carrier]]s and 13 {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s, straight into Earth's formidable defenses.<ref name="waypoint"/> Truth belatedly learned of Regret's attack, and dispatched a large [[Jiralhanae]]-led fleet to reinforce the attack. They arrived only after Regret had fled.<ref name="waypoint"/>

==Battle==

===Regret's arrival===

{{Quote|Something's not right. The [[Fleet of Particular Justice|fleet]] that destroyed Reach was fifty times this size!|[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]]}}

Regret's fleet was detected near [[Io]], [[Jupiter]], as a series of [[Slipspace]] "whispers".<ref name="H2CS">'''[[Halo 2]]''', ''{{Levelname|Cairo Station}}''</ref> Probes were sent to investigate, but shortly afterward the Covenant fleet reverted to realspace near Earth, just outside the killzone of the planet's [[Orbital Defense Platform]]s (ODPs). UNSC forces went to [[TACCON]] Alpha 2. [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Harper]] ordered his battle group to attack, but quickly received new orders from Fleet Admiral [[Terrence Hood]] to fall back and defend the ODPs. Having expected an overwhelming enemy offensive in the style of the [[Battle of Reach]], the relative weakness of the attack puzzled the defenders.

The Assault Carriers converged on the battle cluster including ''[[Athens Station]]'', ''[[Cairo Station]]'' and ''[[Malta Station]]''.<ref name="H2CS"/> The ODPs opened fire as the enemy entered range. Covenant troops [[Covenant Boarding Craft|boarded]] the stations, intending to demolish them with an [[Antimatter Charge]] each. As each bomb was planted the Covenant withdrew. ''Athens'' and ''Malta'' were demolished in quick succession. [[Cortana]], aboard ''Cairo'', deduced the nature of the threat and [[John-117]] was despatched to prevent the same fate from befalling ''Cairo''.

Cortana directed the SPARTAN-II to the bomb's location in ''Cairo'''s fire control center. En route to the bomb, John-117 rescued Commander [[Miranda Keyes]] and allowed her to board {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}. The frigate departed ''Cairo'' to join the fray.

{{Quote|The carriers are breaking through sir, they're headed straight for the ''Cairo''!|Fleet Admiral Harper}}

The two Assault Carriers began to break through toward ''Cairo''. Cortana directed ''Cairo'' SMAC against [[Regret's Carrier]], but the ship did not stop to engage and instead made directly for [[New Mombasa]] on the surface.<ref name="H2CS"/> Admiral Harper led the attack on the second carrier and depleted its shields. Keyes volunteered to attack the carrier immediately, but Hood was unwilling to pit a single frigate against so large a target.

The solution to the second carrier came from an unexpected angle. John-117 and Cortana managed diffuse and capture the Covenant antimatter bomb aboard ''Cairo'', and the Spartan volunteered to go EVA and personally plant the bomb on the last carrier. With Lord Hood's approval, John-117 leapt out of an airlock with the bomb using only the initial explosive decompression for impulse. [[Longsword]] interceptors opened a breach in the carrier's hull and allowed the Spartan to infiltrate and plant the bomb internally. The detonation destroyed the ship. John-117 escaped using the same means he had arrived and free fell to the UNSC ''In Amber Clad''.<ref name="H2CS"/>

===Regret repulses===

{{Quote|Dear Humanity, we Regret being alien bastards, we Regret coming to Earth, and we most definitely Regret the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!|Avery Johnson commenting on Regret's message.}}

Regret's carrier came to stop over [[New Mombasa]] in the [[East African Protectorate]]<ref name="H2Out">'''Halo 2''', ''{{Levelname|Outskirts}}''</ref> and deployed troops into the city and the surrounding area. UNSC high command wished to discover why the Covenant were landing only in Mombasa, and [[John-117]] was ordered to capture Regret for interrogation. The Spartan deployed with marines and [[ODST]] in a trio of [[Pelican]]s from the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} near the city. The dropships were shot down by a Covenant [[Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform|Scarab]] in [[Old Mombasa]]. John-117 and the survivors regrouped and pursued the walker to [[New Mombasa 105 East|NM 105E]], and across the bridge to New Mombasa [[New Mombasa Sector B|Sector B]]. The Scarab was eventually trapped and destroyed at the end of a canal. Covenant forces started to withdraw to the carrier for [[Slipstream Space|slipspace]] departure.<ref name="H2Metro">'''Halo 2''', ''{{Levelname|Metropolis}}''</ref>

In orbit the Home Fleet began deploying ODST to [[Mombasa]] in [[SOEIV]]s, intending to aid Master Chief in an assault on the carrier. One [[Dare's Shock Trooper Squad|squad]], deploying from the {{UNSCShip|Say My Name}} and led by Captain [[Veronica Dare]], was diverted by [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] to secure the city's [[Superintendent (Construct)|infrastructure A.I]].<ref name="H3RDrop">'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', ''{{Levelname|Prepare To Drop}}''</ref>

Regret's means of escape took the UNSC by surprise. The carrier initiated a Slipspace jump while still over the city. The UNSC ''In Amber Clad'' quickly recovered John-117 and followed in the fleeing ship's [[Slipspace Wake|wake]]. The slipspace rupture severely damaged the city<ref name="H2Metro"/> and generated an [[Electromagnetic Pulse|EMP]]. Many ODST had not yet landed when the carrier escaped and were caught in the EMP and blast. Drop pods were disabled in flight and plunged into uncontrolled freefall. They were scattered across the city.<ref name="H3RDrop"/>

{{Quote|The Covenant have found Earth. They ''own'' New Mombasa. Anyone that could've driven them off is dead, or gone. I'd say that makes for desperate times.|Edward Buck}}

Immediately following the slipspace event, [[Prophet of Truth]]'s [[Jiralhanae]]-led reinforcements arrived.<ref name="H3RTayari">'''Halo 3: ODST''', ''{{Levelname|Tayari Plaza}}''</ref> The Jiralhanae absorbed the remainder of Regret's fleet and deployed more troops into New Mombasa. Sangheili crews and infantry were killed as part of Truth's plan to place the Jiralhanae as the Covenant's primary warrior race.<ref name="waypoint"/>

Surviving UNSC forces in the city, aided by the [[New Mombasa Police Department]], continued to resist, but were eventually overwhelmed. The Covenant began glassing [[Mombasa]] and the surround area, and uncovering the [[Portal]] to the [[Installation 00|Ark]]. Captain Dare and her [[Dare's Shock Trooper Squad|ODST squad]] managed to secure the city's [[Superintendent (Construct)|infrastructure A.I]] and escape before the city fell to the enemy.<ref name="H3RCoast">'''Halo 3: ODST''', ''{{Levelname|Coastal Highway}}''</ref>

===Covenant occupation===

The battle spread over the globe in the following weeks. The diminishing [[UNSC Home Fleet]] remained to contest Earth orbit, but the Covenant continued to raid the surface in search of [[Forerunner]] artifacts. Most Covenant forces were concentrated in East Africa.<ref name="H3CN">'''[[Halo 3]]''', ''{{Levelname|Crow's Nest}}''</ref>

{{See also|Battle of Onyx}}

The [[SPARTAN-II|Spartan]] [[Blue Team]], consisting of [[SPARTAN-104]], [[SPARTAN-058]], and [[SPARTAN-043]], were constantly engaged for the first two weeks. They repelled enemy ships in orbit in zero-gee operations. On the surface they neutralized Covenant excavations, first during the [[Battle of Ross Island]] in [[Antarctica]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page ??''</ref>, and then underwater off the [[Yucatan Peninsula]]. On [[2552 #November|November 3]], they participated in the [[Battle of Havana]], where they stole the enemy [[Covenant Destroyer|destroyer]] ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'', and destroyed another destroyer and the [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]]. They subsequently redeployed aboard the stolen ship to [[Onyx]] to aid [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey|Dr. Halsey]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page ??''</ref>

The Covenant also [[Battle of Cleveland|invaded the city]] of [[Cleveland]] on Earth, looking for an artifact known as the "[[Key of Osanalan]]". The Key turned out to be a hoax perpetrated by Colonel [[James Ackerson]]<ref>'''Halo: Uprising''', ''Issue ??''</ref>

{{See also|Battle of Installation 05}}

The [[Prophet of Truth]] departed [[High Charity]], near [[Installation 05]], in the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] on November 3, intending to arrive at Sol System on the 8th.<ref>'''[[Halo: Uprising]]''', ''Issue ??''</ref> The prophet sought to activate the Ark, fire the [[Halo Array|Halo rings]], and begin what he thought would be the "[[Great Journey]]". Unbeknownst to the Covenant, [[John-117]] had stowed away aboard the ship.<ref name="H3CN"/>

[[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]], [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Junior Johnson|Avery Johnson]], and [[Arbiter (Title)|Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]] learned of the Prophet of Truth's intentions and departed Installation 05 after the Dreadnought. Upon arrival at Earth they took up station in an old military base, [[Crow's Nest (Base)|Crow's Nest]], near Voi, and waited for John-117 to arrive.<ref name="H3CN"/>

===Truth's arrival===

{{Quote|Master Chief, you mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?|Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood}}

{{Quote|Sir, finishing this fight.|Master Chief}}

The Forerunner Dreadnought arrived at Earth on November 17. John-117 left the ship by leaping off during re-entry and crashing into the [[East African Protectorate|East-African]] jungle.<ref>'''Halo: Uprising''', ''Issue ??''</ref><ref name="H3S117">'''Halo 3''', ''[[Sierra 117]]''</ref> By this time the Covenant had set up heavy [[Anti-Aircraft Battery|AA Batteries]] near [[Voi]] and in the surrounding area to protect their work at the Portal. Also, the [[UNSC Home Fleet]] was all but destroyed. The Covenant bombardment had caused "extreme" casualties.<ref name="H3CN"/>

During Spartan-117's re-entry, a pair of ODSTs used a [[UNSC Laser Designator|laser designator]] during the [[Battle of Sector Six]] in [[Afghanistan]] to track the Spartan's fall.<ref>'''[[Halo: Landfall]]'''</ref> The data made it easier for Sergeant Johnson and Thel 'Vadam to locate the Spartan. They were extracted by [[dropship]], despite Covenant resistance, and taken to [[Crow's Nest (Base)|Crow's Nest]].<ref name="H3S117"/> The Covenant tracked them back to the base.<ref name="H3CN"/>

{{Quote|Marines, the Prophet of Truth doesn't know it yet, but he's about to get kicked right off his throne. You will take our city back. And drive our enemy into the grave they've been so happily digging. One final effort is all that remains.|Admiral Terrence Hood}}

Commander Keyes proposed to destroy the Covenant anti-air defenses at [[Voi]], allowing low flying [[UNSC Frigate|frigates]] to strike the Forerunner Dreadnought now landed on the Portal. [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] had only a few ships left, but was willing to commit to the risky plan with John-117's recovery.<ref name="H3CN"/>

As the offensive got under way the Covenant attacked Crow's Nest. The UNSC evacuated and destroyed the base with a [[Crow's Nest Bomb|bomb]] as it fell to the enemy. John-117, having activated the bomb, barely managed to escape.<ref name="H3CN"/> The scattered UNSC forces regrouped along the [[Tsavo Highway]], engaging Covenant forces as they headed for Voi.<ref name="H3Tsavo">'''Halo 3''', ''{{Levelname|Tsavo Highway}}''</ref>

{{See also|Battle of Voi}}

At Voi, the UNSC broke through Covenant defenses, and [[John-117]] and [[Thel 'Vadam]] disabled the AA battery. With the way cleared, Admiral Hood ordered three frigates and multiple [[Longsword]]s to attack the Forerunner Dreadnought. Despite [[MAC]] fire the enemy ship remained intact and was able to activate the Portal. The Dreadnought and many Covenant Loyalist ships departed through the resulting Slipspace portal.<ref name="H3Storm">'''Halo 3''', ''{{Levelname|The Storm}}''</ref>

===The Flood on Earth===

{{Quote|Quickly! Let us find their ship. Make short work of this abomination!|Thel 'Vadam}}

[[File:Voi 7.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The Flood-infected Battlecruiser arrives.]]

While the battle for Earth raged, the Covenant had been attempting to maintain a quarantine of the [[Flood]]-infested ''[[High Charity (Structure)|High Charity]]'' and [[Installation 05]]. One Flood [[Unnamed Flood-Captured Battlecruiser|ship]] escaped and arrived at Earth as the Prophet of Truth departed through the Portal. The ship crashed in Voi and began infesting the area. John-117 and Thel 'Vadam quickly made for the crash site intending to overload the ship's reactor. The explosion would destroy the city but would hopefully stop the spreading infestation as well.<ref name="H3Flood">'''Halo 3''', ''{{Levelname|Floodgate}}''</ref>

[[Covenant Separatist]] ships, led by Sangheili [[Fleet Master]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] aboard the [[Assault Carrier|carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', arrived in pursuit of the Flood. The Sangheili believed [[Cortana]] was aboard the Flood ship; Rtas 'Vadum could give his own troops and the UNSC only a little time to recover the AI before Voi and the surrounding area were cleaned by [[glassing]]. John-117 found the small storage device containing the AI; he entrusted to [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]] for repairs and they were extracted by [[Phantom]] to ''Shadow of Intent''.<ref name="H3Flood"/>

Thel 'Vadam convinced Rtas 'Vadum to exercise restraint when glassing. Thus, only an area of Africa was glassed instead of a much wider area.<ref name="H3Flood"/>

{{Quote|And you, Shipmaster just glassed half a continent! Maybe the Flood isn't all I should be worried about.|Terrence Hood}}

{{Quote|One single Flood spore can destroy a species. Were it not for the Arbiter's counsel, I would have glassed your entire '''planet'''!|Rtas 'Vadum}}

Admiral Hood and Commander Keyes joined John-117, Thel 'Vadam, and Rtas 'Vadum aboard ''Shadow of Intent'' where 343 Guilty Spark repaired Cortana's damaged storage device. The device contained only a message from the AI; it warned the Flood-infested ''High Charity'' was en route to Earth, but that beyond the Portal there was a solution to the Flood without firing the [[Halo Array]].<ref name="H3Flood"/>

Admiral Hood was determined to make his stand against the Flood on Earth. The Sangheili believed this to be foolish; there was little hope Earth could withstand a Flood invasion, and they decided to place faith in Cortana and journey beyond the Portal. John-117 and Keyes convinced a weary Hood to allow them and a UNSC task force to accompany the Covenant Separatists.<ref name="H3Flood"/>

''High Charity'', and the Flood, also travelled to [[Installation 00]], and there they and the [[Covenant Loyalists]] were defeated by the UNSC and Covenant Separatists. Despite having suffered enormous military and civilian losses, the UNSC retained control of Earth. The battle, and the war, was over.

The following is a timeline of the battle.

'''October 20, 2552'''

*Lord Hood awards [[Master Chief|SPARTAN-117]], [[Sergeant Johnson]] and [[Jacob Keyes]] (posthumously) medals for their efforts during the [[Battle of Installation 04]] and subsequent actions. [[Miranda Keyes]] received the medal posthumously given to her late father, Captain Keyes. The ceremony takes place on [[Cairo Station]].

*A Covenant task force of 2 [[Assault Carrier]]s and 13 {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s exits Slipspace just beyond the range of the MAC satellites.

*It is speculated that at this time, the warning sirens heard in the [[ilovebees]] storyline begin shortly after this Covenant sighting.

*[[Fleet Admiral Harper]], in charge of the Earth defense fleet, responds rapidly with an attempt at a counter attack, preparing all available vessels to engage the Covenant. This order is overruled by Lord Hood.  

*The Covenant launch  waves of boarding craft toward the orbital defense stations. Several UNSC vessels and stations are destroyed by boarding Covenant forces.

*The MAC platform [[Malta Station|Malta]], after sending elated communications that they have repelled all Covenant boarders, is annihilated in a cataclysmic explosion. The shockwave of which is felt by the crew of the Cairo station, demonstrating just how large the detonation was. Shortly afterward the [[Athens Station|Athens]] MAC platform experiences the same fiery fate.

*It is deduced that both explosions came from within each of the stations - the Covenant boarding parties had brought with them a bomb. As a result, all personnel on orbital platforms redouble their efforts against Covenant boarders.

*The ''[[Cairo Station|Cairo]]'' MAC platform is saved by the heroic efforts of Spartan-117, single-handedly disarming (with the aid of Cortana who was acting as the platform's AI) and removing the [[Antimatter Charge]] from the orbital platform. The Master Chief removes the explosive device by jettisoning it, along with himself, out of a docking bay airlock. He then uses this same bomb to destroy a Covenant Assault Carrier that had just broken through the UNSC's defensive perimeter.

*During a protracted naval engagement, a [[Regret's Carrier|Covenant Assault Carrier]] blows through the Malta's debris field and heads straight for Earth. It comes to a stop above the city of [[New Mombasa]] in the [[East African Protectorate]].

*From there, the first Covenant troops to ever set foot on humanity's homeworld engage in the first land engagement of the Battle of Earth.

*After some time of ground battle and complete evacuation of Mombasa, SPARTAN-117, along with several Marines, are sent to crush the Covenant resistance in the city and infiltrate the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s [[Regret's Carrier|Assault Carrier]] above the city, complimented by an [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODST]] force which would be inserted from orbit directly into the Assault Carrier, though [[Dare's Shock Trooper Squad|one squad's]] mission was actually separate.

*The Prophet of Regret's Assault Carrier makes a sudden Slipspace jump only hundreds of meters above the city of New Mombasa. His motivations for doing so were, at the time, unknown. The Assault Carrier is followed by the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}, which, upon arrival begins the [[Battle of Installation 05]].

*This atmospheric Slipspace jump severely damages the City of New Mombasa. The ODSTs' [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|drop pods]] are scattered around the city, most of them presumably killed by the slipspace rupture.

*Immediately following the slipspace event, Truth's backup fleet arrives and engages UNSC forces in orbit. The Jiralhanae overtake the Sangheili on both the ground and in space while continuing to engage the UNSC. A [[Jiralhanae]]-led occupation force is also inserted into New Mombasa. The surviving [[UNSC]] and [[New Mombasa Police Department|NMPD]] forces clash with the Covenant for control of the city.  

'''October 21, 2552'''

*Eventually, the city of New Mombasa occupied and its surroundings [[Glassing|glassed]] by the Covenant, to uncover [[the Artifact]], ending the battle of Mombasa in a Covenant victory. However, the UNSC manages to extract a defecting [[Huragok]] from the city and use it to gain intel on the Covenant's goals.

*SPARTAN [[Blue Team]] is deployed to defend Earth during {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}'s disappearance. They participate in numerous combat missions around the world, including the [[Battle of Ross Island]] in [[Antarctica]].

'''November 3, 2552'''

*[[SPARTAN-104]], [[SPARTAN-058]], and [[SPARTAN-043]] partake in the [[Battle of Havana]]. Shortly thereafter, they use a [[Bloodied Spirit|captured Covenant Destroyer]] to depart for [[Onyx]].  

*The Forerunner Dreadnought, with the Prophet of Truth aboard, departs ''High Charity'' for Earth.

'''November 8, 2552'''

*The Forerunner Dreadnought arrives in the Sol system and proceeds to Earth at near-relativistic speeds.

'''November 17, 2552'''

*The Forerunner Dreadnought arrives at Earth. Spartan 117 ejects, landing in Kenyan jungle. In the following morning, Spartan-117 is recovered by a group of Marines led by Sergeant Johnson.  

*The Marines, with Spartan-117, make their way to Crow's Nest, where a plan for a counterattack is devised. The base is invaded by the Covenant, and eventually destroyed by the UNSC.

*The UNSC forces regroup along Tsavo Highway, eventually assaulting the Covenant-held town of Voi.

*UNSC Forces neutralize Covenant Anti-Air defenses in Voi. A battle group from the UNSC Home Fleet initiate the assault on the Forerunner Dreadnought, with no effect. The Artifact is activated. Covenant Loyalist forces flee to Installation 00 through the Portal.

*Immediately thereafter, a Flood-controlled ship emerges from Slispace over Voi, crashing to the town. Flood infestation starts spreading around the region. Covenant Separatist fleet, having given chase, arrives at Earth and glasses Voi as well as its surroundings.

*A transmission from the UNSC AI Cortana is retrieved from the Flood ship. The Covenant Separatist forces, with several UNSC forces with them, go through the Portal to the Ark.

==Participants==

{{col-begin}}

*[[Malta Station|ODA-143 ''Malta Station'']]

*[[Cairo Station|ODA-142 ''Cairo Station'']]

*[[Athens Station|ODA-144 ''Athens Station'']]

*[[Nassau Station]]

*{{UNSCShip|Dusk}}

*{{UNSCShip|Coral Sea}}

*{{UNSCShip|Paris}}

*{{UNSCShip|Tokyo Rules}}

====Covenant====

*''[[Pious Inquisitor]]'' (Pre-Great Schism)

===Units===

=====UNSC Marine Corps=====

*[[2nd Shock Troops Battalion]] (Unknown Regiment)

*[[3/1 Bravo]]

**[[Alpha Company, S4/BRT/1/7|Alpha Company]]

**[[Charlie Company, S4/BRT/1/7|Charlie Company]]

*[[UNSC Home Fleet]]

*[[Second Fleet]]

*[[Seventh Fleet]]

*[[Sixteenth Fleet]]

*[[UNSC Navy|6th Battle Group]]

*[[Harper's Fleet]]

====Covenant====

*[[Regret's Fleet]]

*[[Truth's Fleet]]

*[[Fleet of Furious Redemption]]

*[[Fleet of Retribution]]

{{col-2}}

====Covenant====

*[[High Prophet of Truth]]

===Vehicles===

 

{{col-end}}

 

*At the beginning of the level ''{{Levelname|Cairo Station}}'', Admiral Hood remarks: "Something's not right. The fleet that destroyed Reach was fifty times [Regret's fleet's] size."<ref name="H2CS"/> Assuming that 'size' refers to the number of vessels in the fleet, this may be an oversight, as the Covenant fleet at Reach had only 300 ships, as opposed to the 750 (15*50= 750) implied by Hood's statement.

*According to the [[Halo Encyclopedia]], "the entire population of Earth was cut in half as the First Battle of Earth began." It does not however specify whether it means half of Earth's population were killed, or if a significant number were evacuated, although the latter is more probable, as the Covenant did not commence planetary bombardment, and the statement is in regard of the situation at the beginning and not the end of the battle).<ref>Halo Encyclopedia page 282</ref>

*The Battle of Earth is featured in three games, ''Halo 2'', ''Halo 3'', and ''Halo 3: ODST'', more than any other battle.

<gallery type="portrait" widths="200px">

File:UNSC Home Fleet.JPG|The UNSC Home Fleet prior to the arrival of the Covenant.

File:Pelican and warthog.jpg|UNSC Forces approaching New Mombasa during the early stages of the Battle of Earth.

File:COVENANT ASSAILT CARRIER.jpg|Regret's Carrier prepares to jump into slipspace above New Mombasa.

File:Portal odst.png|The Covenant occupation fleet uncovering the Portal.

File:S117returnstoEarth2552.jpg|John-117 and the Dreadnought entering Earth's atmosphere.

File:Mac.jpg|[[UNSC Frigate]]s fire their MACs on the Forerunner Dreadnought.

File:Halo3 E3 TRAILER 2007 720p30 ST 6300Kbps 002 0001.jpg|The Covenant Separatist ships glass Voi and its surroundings to contain the Flood threat.

File:Final meeting 7.png|UNSC and Covenant Separatists hold their meeting aboard the ''Shadow of Intent'' after the battle.

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[[Category:UNSC]]

[[Category:Human-Covenant War]]

[[Category:The Covenant]]

[[Category:Battle]]

[[Category:Pages with Quotes]]