Battle for Earth: Difference between revisions

{{Era|HCW}}

|image    = [[File:Battle for Earth compilation.png|300px]]<br>Clockwise from top left: The [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] above the [[European Union]]; [[Alpha-Five]] dropping into [[Mombasa]]; [[John-117]] supposedly at the [[Second Battle of New Mombasa]]; a {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}} over [[Cleveland]]; a [[Phantom]] reinforcing the Covenant in [[Sector Six]]; John-117 and [[Thel 'Vadam]] watch as ''[[Indulgence of Conviction]]'' crash lands into [[Voi]].

*[[Glassing]] of the majority of Earth averted; parts of [[Africa]] are including the excavation of the [[Portal at Voi]]

*Heavy casualties on both sides

**Infrastructure seriously damaged due to their Covenant's long occupation.

***Earth brutally [[orbital bombardment|bombarded]]{{Ref/Reuse|Id=H3CN}}

***Majority of cities destroyed{{Ref/Reuse|Id=HUI1}}

**Catastrophic reduction of Earth's population.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=bestiarum}}

Pre-Great Schism:

*[[Hierarch|High Prophet of]] [[Prophet of Regret|Regret]]

Post-Great Schism:

*[[Hierarch|High Prophet of]] [[Prophet of Truth|Truth]]

***[[Fifth Fleet]]

**Unknown huge number of [[Covenant starship|starships]]

***[[Truth's fleet]]{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}

***Loyalist-led [[High Charity defense fleet]] remnants{{Ref/Reuse|H2GJ}}{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}}

***[[Fleet of Furious Redemption]]{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}}

|forces3 =*1 captured {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}{{Ref/Reuse|H3Flood}}

*Majority of the [[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]]{{Ref/Reuse|H3Flood}}

*[[Moncton-class orbital weapon platform|2+ ODPs]]

Though the invasion took place on a global scale, the most significant conflicts occurred in the [[East African Protectorate]] in the form of three battles fought within and between the cities of [[Mombasa]] and [[Voi]], collectively referred to as the [[First Battle of Mombasa|first]], [[Second Battle of Mombasa|second]], and [[Battle of Voi|third]] battles of Mombasa.{{Ref/Game|Id=HSA|Game=Halo: Spartan Assault|Section=co-op introductory cutscene}} The conflict began when the [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]], under the command of the [[Prophet of Regret]], arrived on October 20 with intentions of traveling through the [[Portal at Voi|portal]] that a [[luminary]] in its possession pointed to. This move was made without the consent of the other two [[Hierarchs]] and in ignorance regarding the status of this planet as [[human]]ity's homeworld. Faced with the full might of the [[UNSC Home Fleet]], it was not long before Regret's [[Solemn Penance|flagship]] fled to [[Installation 05]]. Soon after this, the Prophet of Truth initiated his plans to [[Changing of the Guard|replace]] [[Sangheili]] with [[Jiralhanae]] and assume control over the entirety of the hierarchal triumvirate. The Jiralhanae occupation forces left behind by Regret assumed control of all remaining local Covenant forces on and over New Mombasa by secretly killing all abandoned Sangheili on the city to secure Truth's later arrival on the area as the herald of [[Great Schism]]. Later on the next day, a large [[Truth's Fleet|Jiralhanae support and excavation fleet]]<!--Halo Waypoint confirms that Truth's fleet arrived on October 21st--> sent by Truth was then dispatched to Mombasa and begin to [[Glassing|glass]] most of the [[Republic of Kenya|Kenya]] country along with the remnants of Regret's fleet while more additional other Covenant reinforcements later continued to appear in the system and began a resurgent and larger assault on the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|waypointvergil}}{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}}

At this point, the fight for Earth began in earnest. Smaller battles were waged all across the world, from the UEG capital of [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], to [[Cleveland]], [[URNA]], to [[Havana]], Cuba, and to [[Mount Erebus]], [[Antarctica]] and multiple other locations even when the Sangheili and now Jiralhanae-led Covenant forces turned each other following the beginning of the [[Great Schism]].{{Ref/Reuse|encycearth}}{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}}{{Ref/Reuse|goo204}}{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}} By November 17 after very hard fighting, most of the Home Fleet had been obliterated by substantial Covenant naval forces loyal to the [[San'Shyuum|Prophets]], including the Prophet of Truth,{{Ref/Reuse|H2GJ}} and the majority of cities were destroyed as well throughout the battle.{{Ref/Reuse|HUI3}} After defenders and the orbital defense grid were overwhelmed, the Earth has been massively devatasted by a large Covenant [[orbital bombardment|bombardment]], resulting catastrophic human casualties.{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}} It was on this date that the Prophet of Truth himself, aboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] and with [[John-117|Spartan-117]] in tow, arrived and headed straight for the [[Portal at Voi|Excession]], by then fully excavated. Upon interfacing with the [[keyship]], the portal was activated and a large contingent of the remaining Covenant fleet under the Prophet's command departed through the [[Portal at Voi|Portal]] with the intention of activating the [[Halo Array]] from [[Installation 00|the Ark]].{{Ref/Reuse|H3Storm}}

Almost immediately after this, the [[Flood]] arrived aboard a [[Indulgence of Conviction|captured]] {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}, which crashed down in the town of [[Voi]]. A [[battle group]] assigned to the [[Fleet of Retribution]], a [[Covenant separatists|Covenant separatist]] fleet allied with the UNSC against Truth and his loyalists, was permitted to [[glass]] a large portion of [[Kenya]] to prevent the parasite's spread. With the threat from the Flood dealt with and the bulk of Covenant forces gone, several UNSC forces accompanied the Fleet of Retribution in pursuit of Truth.{{Ref/Reuse|H3Flood}} The remainder of UNSC forces remained behind to defend Earth from an expected full-scale Flood invasion and also began a major counteroffensive to eliminate all Covenant that remained.{{Ref/Reuse|H3Flood}}{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}}

Official accounts report that, facing with the potential human extinction by the alien hegemony, a signifiantly massive amount of civilians joined the UNSC forces to repel the Covenant throughout the campaign on Earth with various being an instrumental part of the war effort.{{Ref/Book|Id=OSFM69|Book=Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual|Page=69}}{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}}

The [[Human-Covenant War]] was a decades-long conflict wherein the Covenant hegemony was determined to exterminate all of humanity at the behest of its three [[Hierarchs]], who falsely considered humans as representing the living embodiment, and thus discreditation, of their [[Covenant religion|religion]]'s [[Forerunners|gods]] at the time of [[2525|their discovery]]. Also a goal of the empire, from long before first contact with humanity, was the location and activation of the [[Halo]] rings. In the aftermath of the [[Fall of Reach]], the UNSC began to pull the majority of its forces back to Earth, with most units assigned to defend Earth's six [[Space elevator|tether cities]].{{Ref/Book|Book=Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Section=Palace Hotel|SectionLinkText=Palace Hotel}} The Prophet of Regret learned "Erde-Tyrene" held a portal which led to the Ark and the Prophet of Truth simultaneously discovered the planet's location through other means.

===Formation of the Home Fleet===

The [[Prophet of Truth]] discovered the location of [[Earth]] after the [[Fall of Reach]], but withheld knowledge of this discovery from the rest of the Covenant leadership.{{Ref/Film|Id=waypoint|Film=Halo Waypoint|Story=Ten Twenty|StoryLinkText=Ten Twenty}} 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/Reuse|waypoint}}{{Ref/Novel|Novel=Halo: First Strike}} The fleet was discovered by the UNSC [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Cortana]] and preemptive strike was led by [[Vice Admiral]] [[Danforth Whitcomb]] and a [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]], strike team, which successfully destroyed ''Unyielding Hierophant'' and almost the entirety of the assembled fleet, some five hundred ships.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=HFS333|Novel=Halo: First Strike|Page=333}} Earth was granted a small reprieve.

The [[Prophet of Regret]] also independently learned of the location of Earth that was known as Erde-Tyrene as the location of a [[Forerunner]] artifact, [[Portal at Voi|the Portal]] leading to [[Installation 00|the Ark]]. This revelation came after long study by [[steward]]s of a Forerunner [[luminary]] taken from the moon, [[Meridian]], in [[2551]]. Not being privy to Truth's information, Regret set off to uncover the artifact without any knowledge  that Erde-Tyrenne was the humans' homeworld. Regret unknowingly led his [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|small fleet]], a mere two [[CAS-class assault carrier|assault carriers]] and thirteen [[CCS-class battlecruiser|battlecruisers]], straight into Earth's formidable defenses.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} Truth belatedly learned of Regret's expedition to Earth, and dispatched a large [[Jiralhanae]]-led support and excavation fleet to reinforce the remaining forces of the initial fleet. They arrived almost one day after Regret had fled.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}{{Ref/Reuse|waypointvergil}}<!--Halo Waypoint confirms that Truth's fleet arrived on October 21st-->

The [[High Prophet of Regret]]'s [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|fleet]] was detected near [[Jupiter]]'s moon [[Io]], as a series of [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] "whispers". [[Slipstream space probe|Probes]] were sent to investigate, but shortly afterwards the Covenant fleet exited slipspace near Earth, just outside the killzone of the planet's [[orbital defense platform]]s. UNSC forces went to [[Tactical Condition|TACCON]] Alpha 2. [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Harper]] ordered his battle group of the [[Fifth Fleet]] 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 [[Fall of Reach|Battle of Reach]], the relative weakness of the attack puzzled the defenders.{{Ref/Level|Id=H2CS|Game=Halo 2|Level=Cairo Station}}

The assault carriers converged on the battle cluster including ''[[Athens Station]]'', ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]'' and ''[[Malta Station]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|H2CS}} The ODPs opened fire as the enemy entered range. Covenant troops [[Type-28 Tick|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 dispatched to prevent the same fate from befalling ''Cairo''.{{Ref/Reuse|H2CS}}

[[File:H2A Cutscene Sniper&Spotter.png|300px|thumb|left|UNSC Marines preparing for the start of the invasion on New Mombasa as the reinforcing dropships arrives.]]

Regret's carrier came to arrive over [[New Mombasa]] in the [[East African Protectorate]] via [[slipspace]] and deployed troops into the city and the surrounding area in an attempt to clear and secure it.{{Ref/Game|Id=sscirc1arc2|ODST|Detail=Sadie's Story, Circle 1, Arc 2}}{{Ref/Comic|Id=HGN|HGN|Detail=[[Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa]]}}{{Ref/Level|Id=H2Out|Game=Halo 2|Level=Outskirts}} While the [[Mombasa Tether]] has been shut down, the city's population were trying to leave the city.{{Ref/Game|Id=sscirc5arc2|ODST|Detail=Sadie's Story, Circle 5, Arc 2}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=HGN}} While the UNSC, [[militia]]s and armed citizens was fighting against the Covenant forces, 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 [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODST]] in a trio of [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]] from the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} near the city. The dropships were shot down by a Covenant [[Type-47A Scarab|Scarab]] in [[Old Mombasa]].{{Ref/Reuse|H2Out}} 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]]. At the time, the [[Alpha-Five]] was tasked to [[Operation: WINDOW PANE|recover]] the [[Conduit]] that was brought by the Covenant on the city while another ODST [[Unidentified ODST squad|squad]] were ordered to retrieve information the Covenant were interested in.{{Ref/Game|Id=ss|Game=Halo: Spartan Strike}} The Scarab was eventually trapped and destroyed by John-117 at the end of a canal. Covenant forces started to withdraw to the carrier for [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] departure to the [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 05]].{{Ref/Level|Id=H2Metro|Game=Halo 2|Level=Metropolis}}

In orbit the Home Fleet [[Operation: BUMRUSH|began deploying]] ODSTs to [[Mombasa]] in [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|SOEIVs]], intending to board the carrier and capture the Prophet of Regret. One Squad, [[Alpha-Nine]], deploying from the {{UNSCShip|Say My Name}} and led by Gunnery Sergeant [[Edward Buck]], was diverted by [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] to secure the city's [[Superintendent|infrastructure AI]].{{Ref/Level|Id=H3RDrop|Game=Halo 3: ODST|Level=Prepare To Drop}}

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 the light frigate along with {{UNSCShip|Paris}}, {{UNSCShip|Redoutable}}, {{UNSCShip|Coral Sea}} were fast enough to follow the carrier into slipspace while {{UNSCShip|Dusk}} only followed in the fleeing ship's [[slipstream space#Slipspace wake|wake]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=goo186|Novel=Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Page=186}} The slipspace rupture severely damaged the city{{Ref/Reuse|H2Metro}} and generated an [[Electromagnetic pulse|EMP]]. Many ODSTs 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. Those who survived the blast were scattered across the city.{{Ref/Reuse|H3RDrop}}

Around this time, Covenant forces also attacked [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]{{Ref/Reuse|encycearth}} and [[Berkeley]], [[URNA]]. At Berkeley, a [[Covenant starship]], possibly a ''CCS''-class battlecruiser from the Fleet of Sacred Consecration, began deploying its [[Seraph]] fighters on the city.{{Ref/Game|Id=axon12|Game=I love bees|Detail=[[Axon Clips]] - [[Axon Clips Chapter 12|Chapter 12]] - Kamal: "Fiancée"}}{{Ref/Note|This is derived from numerous pieces of information from within the Axon Clips including: Chapter 12 which mentions Kamal taking a flight back to the west coast; Chapter 9 where Sophia mentions that one of the people she is talking to isn't a Berkeley police officer and Kamal having to take a packbus to Reno, Nevada as his first stop; Chapter 10 where Kamal mentions waiting for said bus outside of Oakland.}}

[[File:Portal odst.png|thumb|right|250px|After fully securing the East Africa, the Jiralhanae excavation fleet begin to uncover the Portal at [[New Mombasa]].]]

Immediately following the slipspace event, [[Jiralhanae]] forces loyal to the [[High Prophet of Truth]], who had embedded said troops into his political Rival Regret's fleet,{{Ref/Novel|Id=hnbc8|[[Halo: New Blood]]|Chapter=8}} enacted their leader's orders. The Jiralhanae violently displaced their Sangheili commanders left in the initial fleet both ground-side,{{Ref/Level|Id=H3RTayari|Game=Halo 3: ODST|Level=Tayari Plaza}} and in orbit, and then seized the full control of Covenant forces at Mombasa in order to secure Truth's arrival on the Portal by his loyalists,{{Ref/Reuse|Id=bungie}} the beginning of Truth's plan to place the Jiralhanae as the Covenant's primary warrior race.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} While ''[[High Charity]]'' and the rest of its [[High Charity defense fleet|fleet]] were following the ''Solemn Penance'' on their way to the newly discovered Halo Installation 05, the murder of Prophet of Regret's Sangheili ground forces remained secret from the rest of the Covenant.  

Surviving UNSC forces in the city, aided by the [[New Mombasa Police Department]], continued to resist, but were eventually overwhelmed. The next day on October 21, a [[Truth's fleet|Jiralhanae-led support fleet]] sent by Truth arrived at the African continent, joining the remains of Regret's fleet as the combined fleet began glassing [[Mombasa]] and the surrounding area together, uncovering [[the Portal]] to the [[Installation 00|Ark]].{{Ref/Site|Id=waypointvergil|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-vergil-reality|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Vergil Reality|D=15|M=06|Y=2021}}{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}<!--Halo Waypoint confirms that Truth's fleet arrived on October 21st--> Captain Dare and her [[Alpha-Nine|ODST squad]] managed to secure the city's [[Superintendent|infrastructure AI]] and escape before the city fell to the enemy.{{Ref/Level|Id=H3RCoast|Game=Halo 3: ODST|Level=Coastal Highway}} These forces of the new fleet was both archaeological and military.<ref>halo3.com - About Halo, Characters, Humans ([https://archives.halopedia.org/halo3/ Archive])</ref> While a handful of ships of the second fleet engaged Earth's forces, the majority of the fleet was preoccupied for the excavation of the massive slipspace portal.{{Ref/Reuse|mythos}}

The battle spread all over the globe in the following days and weeks with more and more [[Covenant fleet]]s of multitude of [[warship]]s continuing to arrive and attacked targeting cities and areas globally after the full compromise of Earth.{{Ref/Reuse|HUI3}}{{Ref/Reuse|goo204}}{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}} At the same time as these events, other colonies and parts of the [[Sol system]] such as [[Luna]] and [[Mars]] came under assault by the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}}  

While maintaining a significant presence in orbit, the Covenant ships deployed ground forces to multiple targets around the globe.{{Ref/Reuse|goo204}} However, due to many Covenant forces, notably those under the command of the [[Prophet of Truth]] and his Jiralhanae loyalists, that were concentrating their forces at Kenya for the excavation of the Portal at Voi, some forces were sometimes disorganized, hence less effectual.{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}} A [[Second Battle of New Mombasa]] between the UNSC and Jiralhanae-led Covenant ground forces takes place shortly after the [[Battle of Mombasa|first battle]] over seven days<ref name="JC">''Xbox.com'': Jake Courage (defunct, [https://archives.halopedia.org/halo3/jakecourage/ Archived])</ref> before the end of October.{{Ref/Film|Film=Believe|Story=Museum}} The [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[Blue Team]], consisting of [[Frederic-104]], [[Linda-058]], and [[William-043]], were constantly engaged for the first two weeks. They repelled enemy ships in orbit in numerous zero-gee operations whilst on the surface they neutralized Covenant excavations, first on [[Ross Island]] in [[Antarctica]],{{Ref/Reuse|goo204}} and then underwater off the [[Yucatan Peninsula]].  

[[File:TerminalSydney.png|thumb|right|250px|The major city, Sydney, just prior to the Covenant attack on the city.]]

[[Sydney]], [[Australia]] was one of the cities invaded by the Covenant during the engagement due to its importance in UNSC's war effort. Though the city suffered heavy damage by Covenant bombardment, the UNSC's [[HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6]] remained undamaged.{{Ref/Novel|Id=glasslandsp.26|Novel=Halo: Glasslands|Page=26-33}} [[Diego Garcia]], following its effective attacks against the initial Covenant forces during the [[Battle of Mombasa]], was attacked by a Covenant [[capital ship]] to destroy the base, but the base managed to survive the attack.{{Ref/Book|Id=encycearth|Book=Halo Encyclopedia|Detail=Earth, p. 284-285, (2009); p. 296-297 (2011 edition)}}{{Ref/Novel|[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]|Page=265}} [[Aranuka]], a vast city-platform built, was aggressively invaded by the Covenant, killing thousands of Aranukan inslanders, and much of the city was destroyed in their research for a supposed hidden Forerunner artifact. Despite heavy casualties, the UNSC was able to drift the alien invaders away and the [[Aranuka Space Tether]] survived the siege of the city.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=loochapt2}}

On [[2552#November|November 3]] when the [[Great Schism]] finally erupted among the Covenant with all [[Covenant separatists|now-casted out]] Sangheili and Covenant forces, now led by the Jiralhanae as the new dominant military backbone of the hegemony, turning and fighting each other which resulted many Sangheili being allied with the UNSC following the death of the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]] during the [[Battle of Installation 05]],{{Ref/Reuse|H2GJ}} the Spartan Blue Team were [[Battle of Havana|deployed]] to [[Havana]], [[Cuba]], where they stole the enemy Jiralhanae [[CPV-class heavy destroyer|destroyer]] ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'', and destroyed another destroyer and the [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]]. They subsequently redeployed aboard the stolen ship to the Forerunner [[shield world]] [[Onyx]] to aid [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]], the creator of the SPARTAN-II program.{{Ref/Novel|Id=goop.220|Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Page=220}} During the same day, 3 UNSC [[expeditionary fleet]]s of the [[UNSC Home Fleet|Home Fleet]]: the [[Second Fleet|Second]], [[Seventh Fleet|Seventh]], and [[Sixteenth Fleet]]s,{{Ref/Novel|Id=goo204|Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Page=204-205}} were contesting Earth orbit against numerous Covenant vessels during major orbital skirmishes as the fighting in orbit is scattering the orbital defense, but the Covenant continued to raid the surface in search of [[Forerunner]] artifacts, with many under the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s command mostly concentrating in East Africa.{{Ref/Book|Id=mythos|Book=Halo Mythos|Page=117}} As of November, the majority of cities were destroyed over the course of the Battle for Earth,{{Ref/Reuse|HUI3}} and the population of Earth was reduced to 5 billion earlier this month.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=ENC}}

On [[2552#November|November 10]], Covenant forces began to excavate and occupy built-up positions centered around [[Free-fire Area OZONE]] in [[Arizona]], [[URNA]].{{Ref/Generic|Id=lootcrate2|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]}}

{{Quote|no=two|1=Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood|q1=Master Chief, you mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?|2=Master Chief|q2=Sir, finishing this fight.|3=Admiral Terrence Hood and John-117, as the Keyship arrived at Earth.}}

[[File:HU-John-06.jpg|right|250px|thumb|John-117 attempting to assassinate the Prophet of Truth before the Prophet's death being foiled by a [[Kig-Yar Sniper]].]]

Near the conclusion of the [[Battle of Installation 05]], the [[Prophet of Truth]] departed ''[[High Charity]]'', near Halo [[Installation 05]], in the [[Forerunner]] [[keyship]] ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' on November 3, arriving at the [[Sol system]] on the November 8 and proceeding on course towards Earth at near-relativistic speeds.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=bungie}} The prophet sought to activate the Ark, fire the [[Halo Array]], and begin what he thought would be the "[[Great Journey]]". However, upon his arrival, the Prophet quickly learned that John-117 had stowed away aboard the ship and its crew then became [[Scramble onboard Forerunner Dreadnought|preoccupied]] with finding and eliminating the Spartan.{{Ref/Reuse|lrh}} After the [[Fall of High Charity|loss]] of [[High Charity]] to the [[Flood]], the Covenant reorganized to made a final push offensive on Earth.{{Ref/Reuse|H2GJ}}

Whilst on [[Installation 05]], [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]], [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]], and [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]] learned of the Prophet of Truth's intentions and departed the installation after the Dreadnought while [[Rtas 'Vadum]] and most of [[Fleet of Retribution|Sangheili vessels]] under his command, comprising hundreds of ships, stayed behind on Installation 05 in order to quarantine and glass the Halo ring as well as quarantine High Charity in order to stop the escape of the [[Flood]] and the Gravemind from both the Halo and the city. Upon arrival at Earth on or just before November 15 aboard one of Sangheili vessels,{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}}{{Ref/Site|Id=lrh|URL=https://youtu.be/8K3hG76Ctmo?t=164|Site=YouTube|Page=Halo 101: Long Road Home|D=14|M=06|Y=2021}} they took up station in an old military base, [[Crow's Nest]], near Voi, and waited for John-117 to arrive.{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}}{{Ref/Note|The Sangheili vessel carrying the Arbiter and the survivors of ''In Amber Clad'' arrived at Earth at least two days before Truth's Keyship, despite the latter leaving Delta Halo's orbit well ahead of the former. While this may appear strange given that Forerunner slipspace travel can vastly outpace that of the Covenant, the apparent discrepancy is explained by the Keyship exiting slipspace in the outer edges of the Sol system on November 8 and not landing on Earth until November 17. The reason behind this delay was that the Covenant soldiers inside the Keyship focused on killing John instead of proceeding, as they feared he would kill the Prophet of Truth.}} On November 15, Sergeant Major Johnson and the [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] interrogated [[Quick to Adjust]], a rebel [[Huragok]] since the Regret's attack on New Mombasa, to share information he had and relating to the [[Portal at Voi]].{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}}{{Ref/Reuse|H3RCoast}}

[[File:H2A - Earth and Dreadnought.jpg|left|300px|thumb|The Forerunner Dreadnought ferrying Truth jumps into Earth orbit where the final space battle continues to rage between opposing fleets over Earth.]]

 

At some point between November 15 and 16,{{Ref/Note|''Halo: Uprising'' indicates that John-117 and Ruwan's actions was both concurrent. While ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' and ''Halo 3'' show that Kenya, which was aimed by the Forerunner Dreadnought, was still in night at the time that the ship jumped into Earth and then landed on the Portal at Voi in November 17 in the morning on the [[Africa|African continent]], the Battle of Cleveland in ''Halo: Uprising'' seemingly took place on the very early morning, if not evening, on the [[North America|North American continent]] and still ongoing even after the sunrise on the Cleveland city, which would be likely and realistic that the battle took place at least one day before November 17, although the URNA is appearently still in daylight in the comic when the Forerunner Dreadnought arrived at Earth.}} while John-117 was still hunting the Prophet of Truth, the UNSC already lost their garrison on [[Mars]] at the hands of the [[Fleet of Furious Redemption]] following the [[Battle of Mare Erythraeum]],{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}} which led to a dramatic increase in Covenant force deployments on Earth as the Covenant began to concentrate more of their forces on the planet, worsening the siege.{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI3|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 3|3]]}} Despite the dramatic increase in Covenant deployments, the works of [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]] in the Battle of Mare Erythraeum helped buy UNSC ground forces on Earth precious time.{{Ref/Book|Id=ackerson|Book=[[Halo Encyclopedia]]|Page=??}} By this point, the UNSC would be hardly faced with impossible odds with no hope in sight against the full might of Covenant forces on Earth.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=HUI4}}

Shortly after the loss of Mars, Covenant also [[Battle of Cleveland|invaded the city]] of [[Cleveland]] on Earth without intending to destroy it or kill civilians, unlike other cities, looking for a supposed Forerunner artifact known as the "[[Key of Osanalan]]" as told by a wounded and Covenant-tortured Colonel [[James Ackerson]], who was captured aboard [[Lepidus]]'s vessel, the ''[[Triumphant Declaration]]'', and that was a necessary component for the firing sequence of the [[Halo Array]]. Additionally, his plan would help the population to escape the city and stall the Covenant assault on Earth and prevent the planet's [[Glassing|fall]] to the Covenant like [[Reach]].{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI1|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 1|1]]}}

During the battle, many civilians were [[Prisoner of war|captured]] and interrogated at [[Old Cleveland]] stadium for the Key of Osanalan,{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}} but later evacuated following a surprise attack from a [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers|ODST]] team that suddenly killed most of the Covenant forces.{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI2|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 2|2]]}} [[Ruwan Ackerson]], James' civilian brother, was aware of what the Covenant are looking for, and he along with [[Myras Tyla]] was later brought to a secret UNSC forces to meet [[Sergeant]] [[Twyker]] in attempt to repel the Covenant forces in Cleveland.{{Ref/Reuse|HUI1}}{{Ref/Reuse|HUI2}}

At some point prior to the Forerunner Dreadnought's arrival on Earth as the November 17 dawned, the final contingent of Truth's invasion forces, containing the remaining loyalist starships and fleets of the [[High Charity defense fleet]], which was previously the largest Covenant fleet recorded by the UNSC prior the [[Great Schism]],{{Ref/Level|Id=H2DH|Game=Halo 2|Level=Delta Halo|Quote=That's the largest Covenant fleet I've ever seen ... the largest anyone's ever seen.|Quotee=Cortana}} breached the Lunar perimeter, and then engaged the [[UNSC Home Fleet]] that was already weakened by the previous invasion fleets over Earth.{{Ref/Level|Id=H2GJ|Game=Halo 2|Level=[[The Great Journey (level)|The Great Journey]]}}

Back aboard the Forerunner Dreadnought, John-117 arrived in a large chamber with the Prophet of Truth and a pack of Jiralhanae soldiers and [[Jiralhanae Honor Guardsman|honor guardmens]] being present. However, as the Spartan attempted to kill the Prophet remotely via a [[Type-51 carbine]], John-117 was attacked by a [[Kig-Yar Sniper]] and the Prophet escaped, forcing John-117 to confront and engage a number of Jiralhanae warriors. While the Spartan was believed to be [[Missing in action|dead]], the Prophet of Truth orders the crew of the Forerunner Dreadnought to jump further in-system and finally arrived at Earth on November 17, spearheading the final contingent of Truth's forces as the final space battle is still raging and the ship was then surrounded by the massive space engagement.{{Ref/Reuse|H2GJ}}{{Ref/Reuse|HUI4}} Utterly, almost the entire [[UNSC Home Fleet]], hence many entire smaller fleets, has been overrun by the outnumbering and outgunning Covenant naval forces but it is likely that most of the overwhelming Covenant fleet, mostly the capital ships, was in return destroyed by the UNSC defenders, mainly due to Earth's formidable and fierce defense and Hood's brilliant leadership, especially thanks to multiple defending [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon#Mark V|"Super" MAC]]-equipped [[orbital defense platform]]s,{{Ref/Reuse|H2TA}} throughout the Battle for Earth.{{Ref/Level|Id=H3CN|Game=Halo 3|Level=Crow's Nest}} After demolishing most of Earth defenses, the recently-victorious Covenant fleet then lead a colossal [[orbital bombardment|bombardment]] on Earth, causing extreme terrestrial casualties and damaging much of the surface of the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}} The ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]'' survived the final space battle relatively intact but left damaged.{{Ref/Reuse|H2GJ}}

[[File:S117returnstoEarth2552.jpg|300px|thumb|right|John-117 and the Dreadnought entering Earth's atmosphere before crashing on East Africa.]]

In Cleveland, Ruwan was injected with [[Tykos 30]], an organic tracking device, as Tyla and the remaining civilians were evacuated. He was then taken to [[Chagrin Falls]], where a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] demanded that Ackerson relinquish the Key of Osanalan and an army of Jiralhanae surrounded him. However, Ruwan told them ''he'' was the Key, which confused the Covenant and brought him aboard an orbiting {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}, the ''[[Harbinger of Piety]]'' before the [[Minister of Inquisition]]. There, the Minister vows to spare Earth from the Covenant occupation in exchange for knowledge of the apparent "key". Aboard the Forerunner Dreadnought, John-117, unable to assassinate the Prophet of Truth and take control of the Forerunner Dreadnought's trajectory, was informed that the ''Harbinger of Piety'' that was holding the "key" is to be destroyed. Since the ship was near the keyship, the Spartan was ordered to find a way off the Forerunner Dreadnought to avoid being caught in the impending destruction of the cruiser. While the Minister was still interrogating Ruwan, the ''[[Nassau Station]]'' proceeded to shoot at the ''Harbinger of Piety'' with a single shot from its [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] gun, destroying instantly the cruiser and killing everyone aboard, including the Minister of Inquisition and Ruwan Ackerson. The Master Chief was then ordered to find a way to return to Earth quickly as the Forerunner Dreadnought began to enter Earth's atmosphere.{{Ref/Reuse|HUI4}}

After that a furious [[Lepidus]] was aware of the loss of ''Harbinger of Piety'' and the Key of Osalanan was in fact turned out to be a hoax perpetrated by Colonel [[James Ackerson]] while openly mocking the Covenant for their arrogance, the Jiralhanae [[shipmaster]] decapitated the colonel aboard the ''[[Triumphant Declaration]]'' over Mars. Ultimately, the attack on Cleveland was repelled due to the James's act of self-sacrifice, and that of Ruwan.{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI4|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 4|4]]}}  Though the Martian valiant defense forces were crushed during the [[Battle of Mare Erythraeum|Battle of Mars]], they are credited for delaying Covenant forces from pressing their siege on Earth.{{Ref/Site|Id=mars|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/mars|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Mars|Y=2021|D=14|M=06}} Shortly after the Covenant worldwide bombardment, the Earth human population was swiftly reduced to only 200 million individuals, initially around 10 billion prior the Covenant assault with heavy casualties and a major evacuation effort and the sudden change after Truth's arrival.{{Ref/Game|Id=bestiarum|Game=Halo 3|Section=[[Bestiarum]]}}{{Ref/Book|Id=ENC|Book=Halo Encyclopedia|Page=282}}{{Ref/Site|Id=populateTwit|URL=https://twitter.com/Mr_Admirals/status/429062324737953792|Site=Twitter|Page=@HaloWaypoint Hey, what was the population of Earth prior to November 2552?|Y=2014|D=04|M=02}} The refugees of Cleveland, including Tyla, were evacuated to a relief camp in [[Akron]].{{Ref/Reuse|HUI4}}

 

As the Dreadnought entered Earth's atmosphere, John-117 left the ship by leaping off during re-entry and crashing into the [[East African Protectorate|East-African]] jungle.{{Ref/Level|Id=H3S117|Game=Halo 3|Level|Sierra 117}} By this time most of remaining Truth's forces arrived to the now-uncovered Ark portal at Voi and had set up heavy [[Type-27 Mantis|AA batteries]] and other defenses near [[Voi]] and in the surrounding area to protect their work at the Portal.{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}}{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}} During Spartan-117's re-entry, a pair of ODSTs used a [[laser designator]] during [[Battle of Sector Six|an operation]] in [[Sector Six]] (near the [[Pakistan]]-[[wikipedia:Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] border) to track the Spartan's fall.{{Ref/Film|Id=landfall|Film=Halo: Landfall}} The data made it easier for Sergeant Johnson and Thel 'Vadam to locate the Spartan. After [[Recovery of John-117|making their way through the jungle]], they were extracted by a [[D77H-TCI Pelican|dropship]], despite Covenant resistance, and taken to [[Crow's Nest (location)|Crow's Nest]].{{Ref/Reuse|H3S117}} The Covenant tracked them back to the base, however, and [[Attack on Crow's Nest|launched an attack]].{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}}

Just before the UNSC offensive began, the Prophet of Truth hijacked Crow's Nest operations center monitors, broadcasting a message to the base, promising the reduction of Earth to [[glassing|glass]] by the Covenant, and then the Covenant attacked Crow's Nest. Miranda Keyes evacuated and destroyed the base with a [[Improvised UNSC bomb|bomb]] before it could be occupied. John-117 barely managed to escape the destruction of the facility but met up with [[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Reynolds]] and set out in [[M12 Force Application Vehicle|Warthogs]] on [[Tsavo highway (location)|Tsavo Highway]] to head for [[Voi]], as did scattered UNSC forces, [[Assault on the Tsavo Highway|engaging]] Covenant heavy vehicles along the way.{{Ref/Reuse|H3CN}}{{Ref/Level|Id=H3Tsavo|Game=Halo 3|Level=Tsavo Highway}}

At Voi, the UNSC broke through Covenant defenses, as John-117 and [[Thel 'Vadam]] disabled the last Covenant AA battery. With the path to the Portal cleared, Fleet Admiral Hood ordered [[Battle Group Victory|at least seven frigates]] and multiple [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longswords]] to attack the Forerunner Dreadnought. Despite [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] fire, the enemy ship remained intact and was able to activate the Portal. The Dreadnought and the surrounding Covenant ships departed Earth through the resulting Slipspace portal.{{Ref/Level|Id=H3Storm|Game=Halo 3|Level=The Storm}} Covenant battlenet cohesion broke following Truth's departure, allowing UNSC forces in the southwest URNA to begin a major counteroffensive as part of their [[URNA Southwest Campaign|ongoing campaign]].{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}}  

 

[[File:H3 Floodgate ODST Concept.jpg|thumb|250px|right|To prevent the sudden loss of Earth to the alien infestation, UNSC forces engage the Flood before being reinforced by the Sangheili forces.]]

A [[battle group]] of [[Fleet of Retribution|Sangheili ships]], led by [[Fleet Master]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] aboard the [[CAS-class assault carrier|assault 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 cleansed by [[glassing]]. John-117 found the small storage device containing the AI; he entrusted to [[343 Guilty Spark]] for repairs and they were extracted by [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantom]] to ''Shadow of Intent''.{{Ref/Reuse|H3Flood}}

Shortly after the initial skirmishes with the Flood, the Flood-infested ''High Charity'' jumped out of slipspace further out in the Sol system. Shortly after discovering the presence of the Portal at Voi, the Gravemind conducted an arcane bridging maneuver allowing it to transport the former holy city to the Ark from the vicinity of [[Mars]] rather than physically accessing the portal on Earth; the human homeworld thus escaped further Flood contamination.{{Ref/Site|Id=Bulletin924|URL=https://blogs.halowaypoint.com/en-us/blogs/headlines/posts/the-halo-bulletin-9-24-14|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=The Halo Bulletin: 9.24.14|Y=2021|M=06|D=14}}

 

===Mopping up remaining Covenant forces===

With the majority of Truth's forces now bound for the Ark, the remainder of the Covenant was on Earth as several fortified themselves in [[Arizona]], [[URNA]]. On December 3, Admiral Harper of the Fifth Fleet initiated [[Operation: MARSH FLASH]], which eradicated clusters of Jiralhanae leadership attempting to activate an artifact here. The UNSC was then finally able to repel or wipe out the remaining Covanant invader forces on the planet and the system, effectively bringing an end to the invasion. Despite suffering enormous military and civilian losses, the UNSC retained control of Earth. Marines involved in mopping up Jiralhanae holdouts employed the "Rex" [[Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance|VISR]] system.{{Ref/Game|Halo 5: Guardians|Detail=Rex VISR description}} {{clear|left}}

On [[2553#March|March 3, 2553]], a special ceremony on a hill over looking the Portal at Voi was held to honor the end of the war and those who had fallen.{{Ref/Level|Game=Halo 3|Level=[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]}}

The rebuilding of Earth's infrastructure had begun in earnest as early as [[2553#January|January 2553]] in Sydney.{{Ref/Novel|Halo: Glasslands|Chapter=1}} Project Rebirth, an organized effort to rebuild also took place in [[Aranuka]]{{Ref/Reuse|loochapt2}} and [[Mombasa]]<ref name="Goldchief">''[[McFarlane Toys/Halo Point Prizes]]'', Campaign Master Chief</ref> took place at some point, with works in Aranuka being done by [[2558]].{{Ref/Reuse|loochapt2}}

[[Luna]], Earth's moon was also attacked.{{Ref/Novel|[[Halo: New Blood]]|Page=101 (Google Play edition)}}

Many fans, as well as ''Halopedia'', used to regard the Battle of Earth as two separate battles. Namely, the "First" was believed to comprise the events of ''[[Halo 2]]'' and the "Second" was thought to cover the events of John-117's return at the beginning of ''[[Halo 3]]''. Later sources have established that Truth's reinforcements arrived just one day after Regret fled, indicating that the "two" battles were one and the same. However, the ''Halo Encyclopedia'' (even the 2011 revised edition) lists them as two separate battles; this is one of several elements of the ''Encyclopedia'' that is seemingly lifted from this wiki.

File:H2A-Battlecruisers Battle of Earth.png|{{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}s engaging the UNSC Home Fleet above Earth.

[[Category:UNSC Victories|Earth]]