Earth: Difference between revisions

On October 20th, 2552, the first Covenant forces entered the [[Sol system]]. A Covenant expeditionary force consisting of {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s and [[Covenant assault carrier]]s arrived in system, first detected around Io, the third largest moon of Jupiter.<ref name="BoE1"/> After the existence of the Covenant presence was confirmed by probes, the UNSCDF forces went to full alert. The option was taken to wait for the Covenant forces to come to them rather than let [[Harper|Fleet Admiral Harper]] launch a counter attack. The Covenant began to work on punching a hole through the orbital defenses by taking out the stations in the battle cluster above the Mediterranean Sea via bombs planted by boarding parties.<ref name="BoE1"/> After the Covenant fleet attempted to rush through the newly formed gap the UNSC fleet annihilated them, destroying most of the Covenant battlecruisers but failing to destroy the assault carriers. One of the assault carriers was successfully destroyed by [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]] [[John-117]] but the other, commanded by the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] assaulted the city of [[Mombasa]] in [[Kenya]].<ref name="BoE2">'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Outskirts]]</ref>

Groundside, the Covenant assault carrier had already deployed its ground forces and occupied the city. The Covenant ground forces immediately constructed defense emplacements and structures to reinforce their newly-acquired sites against the counter-offensive UNSC forces. The {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} was the first UNSC ship to respond to the Covenant occupation. The ship sent in their complements consisting of [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]] [[John-117]], [[Avery Junior Johnson|Sergeant Avery Johnson]] and elements of the [[7th Shock Troops Battalion|7th Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Battalion]].<ref name="BoE2"/> The Covenant were subsequently dislodged from [[Old Mombasa]] and, following the destruction of a [[Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform|Scarab]], from New Mombasa as well.<ref name="BoE2"/><ref name="BoE3">'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Metropolis]]</ref> The High Prophet of Regret eventually ordered a general retreat and had his assault carrier initiate a slipspace jump while still over the city. The ''In Amber Clad'' followed in the carrier's wake, at the cost of the city being severely damaged by the rupture.<ref name="BoE3"/>

Prior to the slipspace event, a contingency of ODSTs were dropped from the {{UNSCShip|Say My Name}} to assist the ''In Amber Clad''<nowiki />'s counter-offensive efforts.<ref name="H3R">'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'''</ref> The slipspace rupture prevented the assist from taking place, plunging the ODSTs into uncontrolled freefall and scattered across the city. However, [[unidentified Shock Trooper squad|one particular squad of ODSTs]] survived and continued their operation in securing the city's [[Superintendent|infrastructure AI]].<ref name="H3R"/> During the operation, the squad witnessed the arrival of a larger Covenant fleet after escaping the city.<ref name="H3R"/>

The Covenant returned in force following the Prophet of Regret's abortive attack and Covenant assault forces succeeded in penetrating the orbital defenses. At [[Mount Erebus]], the sea floor off of the the [[Yucatan Peninsula]], and at the [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]] in [[Havana]], [[Cuba]], the Covenant were stymied by three [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]]'s, only to have those SPARTAN-IIs get re-deployed to [[Onyx]].<ref name="onyx">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page ??''</ref> The Covenant deployed their forces all across Earth, striking at major cities such as [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]; but this [[Battle of Cleveland|attack]] too was repulsed through the efforts of ODST forces and the self-sacrifice of Colonel [[James Ackerson]]. However, UNSC forces were unable to repulse and route Covenant landings in [[Kenya]]. After breaking Earth's [[UNSC Home Fleet|space defenses]], the Covenant bombarded Earth in Eastern Africa. The Covenant eventually succeeded in eradicating Mombasa and uncovering their primary target: [[The Artifact]].

The arrival in-system of SPARTAN-117 in a Covenant-controlled [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], freshly escaped from the [[Battle of Installation 05]], was unexpected.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Sierra 117]]''</ref> SPARTAN-117 disembarked from the dreadnought in Earth's atmosphere, later recovered by Marines and taken to [[Crow's Nest]].<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Crow's Nest (level)|Crow's Nest]]''</ref> With the aid of the [[Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter]], [[Miranda Keyes|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.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Tsavo Highway]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Storm]]''</ref> 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 [[The Flood|Flood]] a joint Separatist/UNSC force departed through the portal in pursuit.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref> This series of events saw the complete departure of the Covenant from Earth as they ventured forth to Installation 00, where they would finally be crushed by the UNSC and their Separatist allies.

Following the victory at the Battle of Earth and the [[Battle of Installation 00]], the Human-Covenant War ended in March 2553. Many of Earth's cities were left in ruins and the planet's population was sharply reduced as a result of the Covenant invasion. With the War's end and the departure of the Covenant Separatists to their respective homeworlds, the UNSC has begun to rebuild the extensive damage inflicted upon Earth's infrastructure and human population.