Battle of Madagascar

The Battle of Madagascar, also known as the Madagascar Defense Front, or the Madagascar front, was a large-scale engagement of the Battle for Earth, taking place between the 22nd of October to the 15th of November, 2552. The Covenant attempted to take over the island, sending a large fleet and hundreds of lances to the island, taking several of the small villages and cities scattered throughout the island, like Fandresena and Vaovao. The bloodiest battle during the front was the Battle of Soroho on the 5th of November.
During the initial invasion phase, and the capture of several smaller villages, the Malagasy Resistance was formed, although the term was used as a loose term for any sort of resistance by the people of the villages. Several Malagasy pirates, who had stolen several rifles, including those of the MA5 ICWS and M39 DMR series. Some even used stolen Covenant weaponry. These resistance groups were fed propaganda by Henri Razakarivony. Many considered Pascale Rajohnson the de facto leader of the resistance. Most notably, Oliver Kanosa took the village of Mahery back, and somehow managed to kill the Sangheili zealot 'Ovro Sinkai.
Following the initial bloodshed, a Covenant special operations lance used a luminary nicknamed Deedah, and it located the Silent Basilica underneath Soroho. Soon after the lead Sangheili of the lance contacted the Prophet of Aggression, the spec ops lance was discovered and slaughtered by Fireteam Razor and Marvin-017. When a group of CCS-class battlecruisers arrived above the last known location of the lance, the team informed Vice Admiral Adam Lorenzo of the large force, and that's when the UNSC Salient Lance began engaging with the Covenant fleet. The ship was able to eliminate several of the battlecruisers, including the Sacred Auditor. Just when it seemed the ship would be destroyed, Battle Group Rivera's slip space trip finally finished, and they destroyed the remaining backup.  
==Background==
===Battle of Earth===
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. To attack the human homeworld, he ordered an 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. The fleet was discovered by the UNSC AI Cortana and preemptive strike was led by Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb and a SPARTAN-II strike team, which successfully destroyed Unyielding Hierophant and almost the entirety of the assembled fleet, some five hundred ships. Earth was granted a small reprieve.
===Madagascar front===
The Covenant invaded Earth on October 20, 2552. Regret's carrier arrived over New Mombasa, while other smaller naval squadrons arrived over other countries. The battlecruiser known as the Particular Servant arrived over Madagascar, and several lances were deployed to establish a group presence.
==Battle==
===Initial landing at New Voay===
Once the Particular Servant arrived over Madagascar, ground forces were deployed to establish a ground presence in Madagascar. Notably, Outpost Pallasius was built on the first day of the conflict in Vaovao.