Talk:Skirmish on Mona Lisa

Before of after the Battle of Earth

Rather than risk an edit war, I'll bring in some valid points for both sides of the argument.

Support

1. It took a Halcyon-class cruiser three weeks to get to Installation 04 from Reach; other UNSC vessels could make such timing; with John returning to UEG space in early September, a prison ship and prowler would arrive between the end of September and early October.
2. The events of October 20 are not known to the Red Horse crew, showing that they had left before then - we have at least a 20 day period where the story could have happened. As it would take time to travel to Threshold, even an early-October trip would mean that they would arrive during the invasion.
3. Based on Halo: First Strike, High Charity was on its way to Threshold in September, and a scout party led by the Ascendent Justice was already present during the Battle of Installation 04; this suggests that the capital world isn't too far away. The plot of Halo 2 establishes that after Regret leaves for Installation 05, High Charity is notified and makes its way. Being Regret's discovery, High Charity could not have left for Installation 05 earlier than October 20.
4. Before the invasion of Earth, we see that High Charity is maintaining its position near the wreckage of Installation 04 while it puts Thel 'Vadamee on trial and puts down a heretical movement. This establishes it as being present for some time before October 20.
5. Because of the above points, the weak Covenant presence would suggest that this is, indeed, after High Charity left with its defence fleet.

Oppose

1. As the Red Horse's presence at Threshold was suggested to have been simply to investigate ONI's loss of contact with the Mona Lisa, we can conclude that both ships were travelling faster than the Pillar of Autumn. With the space between mid-September and October 20 being around five weeks, we're dealing with three trips (The Mona's trip to Threshold; their failed return to Earth and the Red Horse's trip to Threshold) of two or fewer weeks, each. Therefore, we can easily say that it happened in early October.
2. If High Charity is here, why wasn't the Mona Lisa destroyed?

Conclusion

Based on points from either side, I'm going to have to go with the "support" side; the Covenant kept a major presence in the system until leaving for Installation 05. However, there is the matter of the Mona Lisa not being destroyed. I feel this can be solved by the story, itself, as well as Halo: First Strike and Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. In all three we see UNSC ships lowering their activities in-system to avoid detection from the Covenant, and the prowler in GoO managed to hide from the same rediculously-sized fleet it seems that the Mona Lisa would have encountered.-- Forerunner 15:42, 25 November 2011 (EST)