Skirmish of the Planet of Blue and Red: Difference between revisions

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*[[Hierarch]] [[J'nellin]]

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The '''Skirmish of the Planet of Blue and Red''' was a military engagement during the [[San'Shyuum-Sangheili War]]. It occurred in [[860 BCE]] by the [[human]] calendar, and in the 1st [[Ages of Conflict#The First Age of Conflict|Age of Conflict]] by the [[Covenant]] one.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 1''</ref> While strategically insignificant during the war itself, the skirmish had lasting effects on the Covenant in the ages that followed.

The [[Planet of Blue and Red]] was a world colonized by the Sangheili and filled with artifacts left behind by the [[Forerunners]]. These artifacts were treasured by the [[San'Shyuum]], who sought to claim them to reverse-engineer their technology. Two camps were made and designated Site One and Site Two, where San'Shyuum scientists descended from the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] to study the artifacts.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 3''</ref> The [[Sangheili]] viewed tampering with the relics as desecration, so they prepared to attack the camps and drive the San'Shyuum off the planet. By the time of the skirmish, the artifact at Site One, the [[Holy Dome]], had been under excavation for some time, while the artifact at Site Two, a Forerunner transmitter, had been reclaimed by the Sangheili.<ref name="five">'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 5''</ref>

Shortly thereafter, the Eye reported that an army, comprised of 200 Sangheili and their armored vehicles, was approaching Site One's defenses. Mken ordered the Sentinels to defend, but not too effectively, in hopes that the Sangheili could be lured into a better firing position.<ref name="six"/> The Sangheili's infantry split into three columns, one of which went up the ridge, another which accompanied it. Four Sentinels attacked this force, and in accordance with Mken's orders fired sporadically and slowly fell back.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 7''</ref>

Mken arrived at an orbital shuttle and demanded an airstrike from the Dreadnought. The energy beam was modulated in hopes of preserving Forerunner artifacts in its blast radius, and Site One was subsequently fired on upon. [[Seven]] Sangheili were identified being incinerated by the beam.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 12''</ref> Site Two was then fired upon, but the Sangheili had already retreated and the blast did not appear to strike anybody. Mken questioned Site One's head researcher [[Kucknoi]] and found that under Site One were tunnels that led to a subterranean chamber, which the San'Shyuum scientists had just discovered before the attack.<ref name="thirteen"/> Mken deduced that the Sangheili, including Ussa 'Xellus must have retreated to there to avoid the bombardment. He ordered Sentinels to be sent down the tunnels to flush out anyone hiding in them, but suspected that the counterattack would not matter as Ussa and his forces would already have fled.<ref name="thirteen">'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 13''</ref>

In the context of the San'Shyuum-Sangheili War, the battle was strategically insignificant as neither side achieved their goals. The San'Shyuum failed to secure the Forerunner relics at either site, and the Sangheili only briefly managed to turn the tide before being forced to retreat to their tunnels. At most, the battle served as yet another in a long line of demonstrations of the Sangheili's military superiority on the ground and the San'Shyuum military superiority from space, which canceled each other out to send the war into a perpetual stalemate.

*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]'' {{1st}}

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[[Category:History of the Covenant]]

[[Category:Battle]]