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Second Fall of Arcadia: Difference between revisions

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(the UNSC abandoned the planet, apparently. All who remained were people who shouldn't have been.)
 
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{{Era|HCW}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Ratings}}
{{Battle infobox
{{Battle
|prev=[[Algolis Invasion]]
|prev=[[Battle of Skopje]]
|conc=
|conc=[[Siege of Paris IV]]
|next=
|next=[[Battle of Ariel]]
|name=Second Fall of Arcadia
|name=Fall of Arcadia
|image=
|image=
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]<ref name="timeline">'''[[Halo Wars]]''', ''[[Halo Wars Timeline Events|Timeline Events]]''</ref>
|date=September 9th, 2549
|date=[[2549#September|September 9, 2549]]{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}
|place=Arcadia, Procyon system
|place=[[Arcadia]], [[Procyon system]]{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}
|result=Covenant victory, planet glassed
|result=*[[Covenant]] victory{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}
|side1=Arcadian civilians
**Arcadia is [[Glassing|glassed]]<ref name="journal">'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', ''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''</ref>
|side2=Covenant Empire
|side1=Arcadians{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}
|side2=[[Covenant]]{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}
|commanders1=
|commanders1=
|commanders2=
|commanders2=
|forces1=
|forces1=*Several {{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}}s{{Ref/Book|Id=WF36|HWF|Section=In Amber Clad|Page=37-37}}
|forces2=
|forces2=*One massive [[fleet]]{{Ref/Reuse|journal}}
|casual1=Unknown, presumed heavy losses
*{{Pattern|Wuzum|Spectre}}s<ref>'''[[Halo: Fractures]]''', "[[Oasis]]", ''page 375''</ref>
|casual2=Unknown, possibly light losses
|casual1=*Nearly or all ''Stalwart''-class light frigates
*Nearly all Arcadians{{Ref/Reuse|journal}}
|casual2=Unknown, likely light
|civilian=
}}
}}
The '''Fall of Arcadia''' took place on [[2549|September 9th, 2549]] on the [[Outer Colonies|Outer Colony]] world of [[Arcadia]] in the [[Procyon System]].<ref name="timeline">'''[[Halo Wars]]''': ''[[Halo Wars Timeline Events|Timeline (2549)]]''</ref>
{{Quote|It's so easy for them to destroy us.|Doctor Catherine Halsey, after Arcadia's fall{{Ref/Reuse|journal}}}}


==History==
The '''Second Fall of Arcadia'''{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}} was the loss of the [[human]] [[Outer Colony]] of [[Arcadia]] in the [[Procyon system]], on [[2549#September|September 9, 2549]] during the [[Human-Covenant War]]. Although Arcadia survived the [[Covenant]]'s [[Battle for Arcadia|first attack]] in [[2531#February|February 2531]], the colony's major population centers were destroyed and most Arcadians evacuated the planet. However, over the intervening years, many Arcadians returned to their homeworld{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} and rebuilt around [[Abaskun]], a farming community.{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}
After the [[Battle of Arcadia|invasion of Arcadia]] in [[2531]], the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] left the colony alone, focusing their attention on other worlds with significant human populations. The [[United Nations Space Command]] abandoned Arcadia, leaving its population centers abandoned to nature. A small rural community was later founded in [[Abaskun]], a fertile area on the continent of [[Mu]]. Though self-governed and mostly lawless, this settlement provided the UNSC with food, water, and other vital resources. On September 9th, 2548, eighteen years after their initial invasion, the Covenant returned to Arcadia. As no [[UNSC Navy|UNSC naval]] or land forces were permanently attached to the planet, the attack easily succeeded and Arcadia was [[Glassing|glassed]].<ref name="timeline"/>


[[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] watched the destruction of Arcadia from cameras mounted on a meteorological satellite. She noticed that the Covenant attacked the planet with much more ferocity than was their norm, possibly because they had been defeated during their first attack on the planet. The satellite was destroyed before the glassing operation was completed. Halsey was greatly distraught by the sight of Arcadia's destruction.<ref>'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'''</ref>
However, the Covenant returned to the planet in September 2549, where a massive [[fleet]] [[Glassing|glassed]] Arcadia from orbit. Only a handful of Arcadians managed to evacuate the colony aboard transport [[shuttle]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|journal}}
 
==Prelude==
{{Quote|It's rare that anyone returns to a world once left in ruin by the Covenant. Very rare. Arcadia became a symbol of humanity's resilience.|Doctor Catherine Halsey{{Ref/Reuse|journal}}}}
[[Arcadia]] was a prosperous [[Outer Colony]] of the [[Unified Earth Government]], until the [[Covenant]] [[Battle for Arcadia|attacked]] the planet in [[2531#February|February 2531]] during the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref name="vis">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 12''</ref> During the Battle for Arcadia, the Covenant's [[Fleet of Glorious Interdiction]] destroyed the colony's major population centers and several orbital facilities. However, the Covenant fleet was eventually repelled by [[Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]] and the [[Third Fleet]].{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} During this time, the Covenant explored [[Arcadia Forerunner ruins|a series of Forerunner ruins]] on the planet, but were repelled by the forces of the [[UNSC Spirit of Fire|UNSC ''Spirit of Fire'']]<ref>''''Halo Wars''', '''Scarab'''</ref> which aided the planet's inhabitants during the early part of the battle.<ref>'''Halo Wars''', '''Arcadia City'''</ref>
 
After the Covenant left the planet, Arcadia was initially left alone by the empire. Most Arcadians had evacuated from their homeworld, leaving the capital of [[Pirth City]] and other cities to be overgrown with nature.{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}}<ref name="waypoint">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/theuniverse/locations/gallery/arcadia/3c9e9ac6-f13f-4712-ae1b-24d9c0e5504b '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Arcadia''] (defunct, backup on [https://web.archive.org/web/20111008060744/http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/theuniverse/locations/gallery/arcadia/3c9e9ac6-f13f-4712-ae1b-24d9c0e5504b Archive.org])</ref> However, some defiantly chose to remain behind.<ref name="gaines">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/jordan-gaines '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Jordan Gaines'']</ref> In the wake of the Covenant's attack, Arcadia was thrown into chaos and its surviving population fell into a state of anarchy. However, over the following years, Arcadians slowly returned to the planet and rebuilt their civilization{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} with the small, rural farming community of [[Abaskun]], a rich farmland area on the continent of [[Mu]]. Although Abaskun was largely lawless,{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}} the settlement continued to provide much needed foodstuffs for the [[United Nations Space Command]] and [[Inner Colonies]].{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}
 
==The fall==
[[File:Halsey's journal - Abaskun.png|thumb|250px|Abaskun, the last Arcadian settlement]]
{{Quote|It was terrible. So much power, for so much death.|Doctor Catherine Halsey, after watching Arcadia's destruction{{Ref/Reuse|journal}}}}
On [[2549#September|September 9, 2549]],{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}} the Covenant returned to Arcadia with a massive [[fleet]], one significantly larger than what was typically deployed to eradicate [[human colonies]] of Arcadia's size.{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} Tasked to obliterate whatever remained of the [[human]] presence on Arcadia, the fleet was taken back to find that flora had overgrown the colony's cities while the remaining human settlers at Abaskun were living in a bizarre state of lawlessness and anarchy.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}
 
Shortly after exiting [[slipstream space]], the Covenant fleet began [[Orbital bombardment|bombarding]] Arcadia's surface with [[plasma]]. Arcadia's population attempted to evacuate the surface aboard [[civilian]] transport [[shuttle]]s,{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} though some Arcadians were left trapped on the planet unable to escape.{{Ref/Reuse|gaines}} The Covenant fleet took particular care in [[glassing]] every vital part of the planet, incinerating Abaskun and all major urban areas.{{Ref/Reuse|gaines}} The fleeing Arcadians attempted to evacuate aboard hundreds of transport shuttles, though the Covenant fleet shifted their main plasma beams to catch the shuttles' outbound trajectories, broiling the ships in orbit before they had a chance to even reach slipspace.{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} Only a handful of shuttles escaped destruction.{{Ref/Reuse|gaines}} Several {{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}}s took part in the fighting including the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}, eventually conducting a fighting retreat.{{Ref/Reuse|WF36}}
 
The glassing of Arcadia was made public knowledge in the evening, with reports on the event from the Outer Colonies being sent to civilian news organisations.{{Ref/Generic|Id=ProjectMagnes|Heading=[[Become]]|Subheading=[[UNSC Archives]]|Detail=[[Project Magnes (trailer)|Project Mages]]}}
 
==Aftermath==
{{Quote|I was born on Arcadia. I saw the planet fall. I mean I was there, Gabriel. On the ground. Do you have any idea what I would give to have [[New Phoenix|a place]] like this? Someplace I have memories of being with family?|[[Tedra Grant]] to [[Gabriel Thorne]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Escalation]]''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 7|Issue #7]]''</ref>}}
The surviving Arcadians fled to [[refugee]] camps in the Inner Colonies, and then eventually to [[Mars]] in the [[Sol system]],{{Ref/Reuse|gaines}}<ref name="oasis">'''Halo: Fractures''', "Oasis", ''page 298'' (Google Play edition)</ref> resettling in cramped huts in the UEG's reserve camps spread across the southern dunes of [[Terra Cimmeria]].<ref name="envoy">'''[[Halo: Envoy]]''', ''page 73'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Some of these Arcadians would later resettle the abandoned colony of [[Carrow]] following the end of the Covenant War.{{Ref/Reuse|oasis}}{{Ref/Reuse|envoy}}
 
Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]] watched the destruction of Arcadia from cameras mounted on a meteorological satellite. She noticed that the Covenant attacked the planet with much more ferocity than was their norm, wondering if Arcadia posed some sort of threat or religious or political value to the Covenant. The satellite was destroyed before the glassing operation was completed. Halsey was greatly distraught by the sight of Arcadia's destruction.{{Ref/Reuse|journal}}
 
==Production notes==
First mentioned in the [[Halo Wars Timeline Events|timeline]] of ''[[Halo Wars]]'', the Second Fall of Arcadia is established to have taken place on [[2549#September|September 9, 2549]].{{Ref/Reuse|timeline}} However, [[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]], included with certain editions of ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', claims that the event occurred "''several weeks ago''" on a journal entry dated for September 9, 2549.{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} This inconsistency is ignored, as the journal has several errors in regard to entry dates.
 
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
**''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
**''[[Oasis]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Smoke and Shadow]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Become]]''
**''[[Project Magnes (trailer)|Project Magnes]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Hippocratica]]'' {{Mo}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources}}


{{Human-Covenant War}}
{{Human-Covenant War}}
[[Category:Battles of the Human-Covenant War|Arcadia]]
[[Category:Covenant victories|Arcadia]]

Latest revision as of 04:01, February 6, 2024

Previous:

Algolis Invasion

Second Fall of Arcadia

Conflict:

Human-Covenant War[1]

Date:

September 9, 2549[1]

Location:

Arcadia, Procyon system[1]

Outcome:

Details
Belligerents

Arcadians[1]

Covenant[1]

Strength
Casualties
  • Nearly or all Stalwart-class light frigates
  • Nearly all Arcadians[2]

Unknown, likely light

 

"It's so easy for them to destroy us."
— Doctor Catherine Halsey, after Arcadia's fall[2]

The Second Fall of Arcadia[1] was the loss of the human Outer Colony of Arcadia in the Procyon system, on September 9, 2549 during the Human-Covenant War. Although Arcadia survived the Covenant's first attack in February 2531, the colony's major population centers were destroyed and most Arcadians evacuated the planet. However, over the intervening years, many Arcadians returned to their homeworld[2] and rebuilt around Abaskun, a farming community.[1]

However, the Covenant returned to the planet in September 2549, where a massive fleet glassed Arcadia from orbit. Only a handful of Arcadians managed to evacuate the colony aboard transport shuttles.[2]

Prelude[edit]

"It's rare that anyone returns to a world once left in ruin by the Covenant. Very rare. Arcadia became a symbol of humanity's resilience."
— Doctor Catherine Halsey[2]

Arcadia was a prosperous Outer Colony of the Unified Earth Government, until the Covenant attacked the planet in February 2531 during the Human-Covenant War.[5] During the Battle for Arcadia, the Covenant's Fleet of Glorious Interdiction destroyed the colony's major population centers and several orbital facilities. However, the Covenant fleet was eventually repelled by Admiral Preston Cole and the Third Fleet.[2] During this time, the Covenant explored a series of Forerunner ruins on the planet, but were repelled by the forces of the UNSC Spirit of Fire[6] which aided the planet's inhabitants during the early part of the battle.[7]

After the Covenant left the planet, Arcadia was initially left alone by the empire. Most Arcadians had evacuated from their homeworld, leaving the capital of Pirth City and other cities to be overgrown with nature.[1][8] However, some defiantly chose to remain behind.[9] In the wake of the Covenant's attack, Arcadia was thrown into chaos and its surviving population fell into a state of anarchy. However, over the following years, Arcadians slowly returned to the planet and rebuilt their civilization[2] with the small, rural farming community of Abaskun, a rich farmland area on the continent of Mu. Although Abaskun was largely lawless,[1] the settlement continued to provide much needed foodstuffs for the United Nations Space Command and Inner Colonies.[8]

The fall[edit]

Abaskun, the last Arcadian settlement

"It was terrible. So much power, for so much death."
— Doctor Catherine Halsey, after watching Arcadia's destruction[2]

On September 9, 2549,[1] the Covenant returned to Arcadia with a massive fleet, one significantly larger than what was typically deployed to eradicate human colonies of Arcadia's size.[2] Tasked to obliterate whatever remained of the human presence on Arcadia, the fleet was taken back to find that flora had overgrown the colony's cities while the remaining human settlers at Abaskun were living in a bizarre state of lawlessness and anarchy.[8]

Shortly after exiting slipstream space, the Covenant fleet began bombarding Arcadia's surface with plasma. Arcadia's population attempted to evacuate the surface aboard civilian transport shuttles,[2] though some Arcadians were left trapped on the planet unable to escape.[9] The Covenant fleet took particular care in glassing every vital part of the planet, incinerating Abaskun and all major urban areas.[9] The fleeing Arcadians attempted to evacuate aboard hundreds of transport shuttles, though the Covenant fleet shifted their main plasma beams to catch the shuttles' outbound trajectories, broiling the ships in orbit before they had a chance to even reach slipspace.[2] Only a handful of shuttles escaped destruction.[9] Several Stalwart-class light frigates took part in the fighting including the UNSC In Amber Clad, eventually conducting a fighting retreat.[3]

The glassing of Arcadia was made public knowledge in the evening, with reports on the event from the Outer Colonies being sent to civilian news organisations.[10]

Aftermath[edit]

"I was born on Arcadia. I saw the planet fall. I mean I was there, Gabriel. On the ground. Do you have any idea what I would give to have a place like this? Someplace I have memories of being with family?"
— Tedra Grant to Gabriel Thorne[11]

The surviving Arcadians fled to refugee camps in the Inner Colonies, and then eventually to Mars in the Sol system,[9][12] resettling in cramped huts in the UEG's reserve camps spread across the southern dunes of Terra Cimmeria.[13] Some of these Arcadians would later resettle the abandoned colony of Carrow following the end of the Covenant War.[12][13]

Doctor Catherine Halsey watched the destruction of Arcadia from cameras mounted on a meteorological satellite. She noticed that the Covenant attacked the planet with much more ferocity than was their norm, wondering if Arcadia posed some sort of threat or religious or political value to the Covenant. The satellite was destroyed before the glassing operation was completed. Halsey was greatly distraught by the sight of Arcadia's destruction.[2]

Production notes[edit]

First mentioned in the timeline of Halo Wars, the Second Fall of Arcadia is established to have taken place on September 9, 2549.[1] However, Dr. Halsey's personal journal, included with certain editions of Halo: Reach, claims that the event occurred "several weeks ago" on a journal entry dated for September 9, 2549.[2] This inconsistency is ignored, as the journal has several errors in regard to entry dates.

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Halo Wars, Timeline Events
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Halo: Reach, Dr. Halsey's personal journal
  3. ^ a b Halo: Warfleet - In Amber Clad, page 37-37
  4. ^ Halo: Fractures, "Oasis", page 375
  5. ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 12
  6. ^ 'Halo Wars, Scarab
  7. ^ Halo Wars, Arcadia City
  8. ^ a b c Halo Waypoint: Arcadia (defunct, backup on Archive.org)
  9. ^ a b c d e Halo Waypoint: Jordan Gaines
  10. ^ Become - UNSC Archives: Project Mages
  11. ^ Halo: Escalation, Issue #7
  12. ^ a b Halo: Fractures, "Oasis", page 298 (Google Play edition)
  13. ^ a b Halo: Envoy, page 73 (Google Play edition)

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