Harvest Botanical Gardens: Difference between revisions

{{Status|Canon}}

{{Quote|The gardens were pretty grand.|[[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery Junior Johnson|Avery Johnson]]}}

The '''Harvest Botanical Gardens''' was a park on the planet [[Harvest]] in the [[Epsilon Indi system]] used to house and document plant material. It was the planet's largest park after the [[Utgard Mall]], and was located about 150 kilometers southeast of [[Utgard]].<ref name="ch238">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 238''</ref> The gardens stepped down from the [[Bifrost]] in three landscaped tiers, the lowest of which was a broad lawn of close-cropped grass. [[Magnolia]] trees grew around the tiers. The [[Mimir River]] ended at a waterfall, near the gardens, and turned into the [[Slidr River]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 239''</ref> On the garden's eastern edge was a white curvilinear greenhouse with a central elliptical dome and two wings, built based on nineteenth century designs. All plants in the garden were imported from other planets.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 242''</ref> The greenhouse had three levels, with the second level containing a flagstone path surrounded by flowering cherry and pear trees. The third floor had a large oak table in the center.<ref name="ch247">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 247-248''</ref>

The Harvest Botanical Gardens were chosen as the meeting place between the [[human]]s and the [[Covenant]] because of its scenic grandeur and relative distance from any human population center.{{Ref/Reuse|ch238}} When the [[Jiralhanae]] representatives landed, led by [[Maccabeus]], they were led to the third level of the greenhouse where a fruit basket was waiting for the aliens on the oak table.{{Ref/Reuse|ch247}} The human representatives were [[Governor]] [[Nils Thune]], [[Rol Pederson|Attorney General Rol Pederson]], [[Ponder|Captain Ponder]], [[Jilan al-Cygni|Lieutenant Commander Jilan al-Cygni]], and Staff Sergeants [[Nolan Byrne]] and [[Avery Johnson]]. The meeting ended poorly when a overeager [[Unggoy]], [[Yull]], attacked and killed [[Osmo|a member]] of [[Harvest militia|Harvest's colonial militia]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 257''</ref> Pederson was shot and killed with a [[Paegaas Workshop Spiker]] by [[Vorenus]] after the latter had heard Osmo firing his rifle. Several militia members were wounded in the engagement and the Jiralhanae [[Licinus]] was heavily injured.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 254''</ref> With Licinus wounded, the Jiralhanae fell back and the Covenant retreated from the area.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 258''</ref> Due to the Unggoy's incompetence, [[Tartarus]] grabbed the wounded Yull, ripped off his mask, and threw him into the Mimir River's rapids that led to the waterfall.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 257''</ref> The gardens were likely destroyed when the Covenant [[glassed]] the planet.

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