Glassing: Difference between revisions

The term '''glassing''', also known as '''plasma bombardment'''<ref name="Strike">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 105'' ''page 136 2010 edition''</ref>, is used to refer to the act by which a [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] ship or ships [[Orbital Bombardment|bombard a planet from orbit]] using heavy [[Plasma Weaponry|plasma weaponry]].  

The process of glassing a planet begins when a fleet has achieved air and space superiority on an enemy controlled world. The specifics of the glassing process vary depending on the strategic significance of the planet or the orders of the [[Fleet Master]]. A [[Minor Prophet]] is assigned to most Covenant fleets to oversee the destruction of a human world. In certain or possibly all instances, before the fleet is permitted to destroy a planet, the Prophet performs a religious ritual - the Prophet declares by which religious ideal of the Covenant, marked by a glyph, will the world be destroyed. There is currently only one known instance of a [[Kholo|human world]] having a glyph burned into its surface.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[The Return]]", ''pages 494-496''</ref> Any ground operations cease and local forces are evacuated, the Covenant will then begin glassing the planet from orbit by moving their large warships closer together and blanket the world with a series of crisscrossing orbits to ensure that every square millimeter of the surface is destroyed.<ref name="Strike"/> The glassing of a planet by the Covenant is a very taxing process, and requires a massive amount of energy even for the Covenant<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[The Return]]", ''page 495''</ref> nevertheless the Covenant are able to accomplish this feat in an effective matter.

Typically when fleet actions require no deployment of ground forces for any particular reason, the Covenant will glass the planet from orbit, this is accomplished by their larger warships gathering close together, aiming their plasma batteries, located along the lateral lines of their warships towards the surface and fire them.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 8'' ''page 22 2010 edition''</ref> Once discharged, the plasma rounds are guided towards the surface, contained in a magnetic bubble and controlled by the ships automation through miles of atmospheric interference until it strikes its intended target. Described as looking like a fireball in appearance,<ref name="strike2">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''' ''page 32'' ''page 46 2010 edition''</ref> these plasma lances are a hundred meters across,<ref name="strike2"/> and strike the surface with tremendous speed and force.

The impact of the plasma lance or bolt, is similar to that of a nuclear detonation on a much different scale. When the plasma bolt impacts the surface, the magnetic field sustaining and guiding the plasma collapses, and, depending on how powerful the release of energy is, the initial zone of impact is obliterated instantly. The areas outside of the initial impact zone are affected by the heat wave generated by the blast; depending on the range, those closest outside of the blast zone are instantly killed by the intense heat. As thermal expansion takes over, the resulting flames fan out and create a pyroclastic surge<ref>[[wikipedia:Pyroclastic surge|''Pyroclastic Surge'' on '''Wikipedia''']]</ref>, which will continue to burn the areas it comes into contact with until it has cooled enough that it cannot harm the surface.

 

Subsequently, the atmosphere is saturated with millions of tons of ash, debris and soot that are thrown up from the initial impact, blocking Sunlight and dramatically lowering the amount of sunlight reaching the planets surface, subjecting it to a impact winter. As the ground zero area cools, the surface is covered by extensive areas of molten soil, and is comparable to active volcanic sites in some parts of the world, on a larger scale.  

When ground engagements are in effect the Covenant will result to low range bombardment, bringing their ships closer to the surface and destroy an area in question. This is accomplished by either building up or focusing plasma though a magnetic envelope from the [[Energy Projector|energy projector]] located on the underside of the ship, and then discharging the plasma as a narrow beam. A single Covenant capital ship can glass approximately one acre of a planet's surface in fifteen seconds of sustained fire.<ref name="data10">'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', ''[[Data pads#Data pad 10|Data pad 10]]''</ref> The Covenant use low range bombardment in many battles where major ground engagement are occurring, smaller warships will use this method specifically to deal with human armies and low level structures during campaigns, while larger Covenant warships use this to level cities while engagements are occurring.  

 

Low range bombardment isn't limited to energy projectors, lower class Covenant ships like the [[Covenant Corvette|Corvette]] are equipped with bombardment guns<ref>'''Brandy Games Halo: Reach Legendary Edition Guide''' ''page 440''</ref> that fire smaller less powerful lances then that fired from their capital ships. Capital ships can also use their energy projector for excavate areas of interest for the Covenant, such as unearthing the [[The Artifact|portal]] to the [[Installation 00|the Ark]] during the Battle of Earth.

 

 

 

 

 

Since the formation of the Covenant in 852 B.C.E. the Covenant have used their ship-borne plasma weapons to threaten the lesser species of the Covenant into a truce and their eventual induction into the Covenant. The [[Lekgolo]] were the first to be threatened with such destruction because of their transgressions against Forerunner technology before becoming the first outside species to join the Covenant in 784 B.C..<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 270''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''' ''page 114''</ref> The [[Unggoy]] almost faced orbital bombardment for their [[Unggoy Rebellion|Rebellion]] in 2462 C.E, or the 39th [[Age of Conflict]] by Covenant records.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 151''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''' ''page 142''</ref> Although the [[Kig-Yar]] were not threatened with orbital bombardment, they were quick to realize the Covenant had such a capacity to destroy them and thus chose to join the Covenant for greater wealth that the Covenant would provide.

After the Prophets declaration to wipe out humanity, the Covenant would put all of their destructive methods to use, the first planet to suffer this fate was [[Harvest]], glassed from the [[Jiralhanae]]-operated [[Covenant Cruiser|cruiser]] ''[[Rapid Conversion]]''.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 285''</ref>

 

The term "glassing" was coined by the UN military think tank group [[Assembly (group)|The Assembly]] that same year. The group at the time estimated that it would take 30.3801 years for a [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] fleet of comparable size to that of the [[UNSC|UNSC's]] to literally turn the entire surface of Earth to glass relying on the available facts. The Assembly chose the term magnify the horrible act and hoped it galvanize humanity into action.<ref name="data10"/>

Throughout the rest of 2525 and 2526, the Covenant continued their campaigns in the Outer Colonies glassing a number of worlds and human establishments including Biko, Green Hills, and Bliss. Admiral Cole and his fleet continued fighting for these colonies but they were lost causes, the Covenant with their firepower and determination continued their ruthless campaign until the last outer colony was glassed in [[2535]]. Each battle human forces face with the Covenant were brutal ground forces were often deployed first, but as UNSC forces were routed in space, the bombardment would commence resulting in either loss of life or retreat.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''' ''page 173'' ''page 199 2010 edition''</ref>

Their bloody campaign continued as the Covenant moved into the inner colonies and began glassing major worlds, throughout the 2540s the UNSC continued their attempts at slowing the Covenant down, and although some of these tactics succeeded the covenant continued to swarm human controlled space glassing every world they found. After the believed death of Admiral Cole in [[2547]] the Covenant for a brief period of time halted and renewed their bloody tenacity and attacked human controlled worlds with even more ferocity. After the Fall of Reach in August of [[2552]] the Covenant leadership believed humanity would lose the will to fight<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[The Return]]", ''page 499''</ref> however the loss of Reach caused humanity to fight to the last breath eventually achieving victory and ending the war.

'''2539''': [[Kholo]]

File:ReachConcept - FoR.jpg|The surface of Reach after being glassed.

File:7inTheSky.png|A orbital lance strikes Reach's surface.

File:HaloReach - Glassing.jpg|A CCS-class Battlecruiser glassing [[New Alexandria]].

File:Halo3 E3 TRAILER 2007 720p30 ST 6300Kbps 002 0001.jpg|Two {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s perform a low range glassing of [[Voi]].

File:Covenant Destroyers Glass Harvest.jpg|Two Covenant destroyers glassing Harvest.

File:HW genis back cover.png|Three Covenant Destroyers glassing Harvest.