Battle of Himita

The Battle of Himita was a battle that took place during the  that was fought between the and the from February 4 2536 till April 1st 2536. The battle decided the ultimate fate of the colony which was abandoned by humanity due to the heavy Covenant presences. 
== Background ==
Over a decade into the , the Covenant Fleet of 1st Vengeance discovered and arrived at the colony world Himita. From there, the Covenant began preparations to invade due to the presences of not only humans but also Forerunner artifacts.
== The Battle ==
=== Opening Salvo ===
On February 4, 2536, the 1st Covenant Fleet of Vengeance emerged from Slip-space to the colony world of Himita. After only a minute of waiting, UNSC responded to the Covenant by deploying one of their defense fleets, fleet three. While the human fleet was large in size, it could not compare the the size and firepower that was the Covenant's mass. 
Under the command of Vice Admiral Arnaldo Ford, the defense fleet formed a massive blockade around the planet as troops and supplies began to fly their way from Faller Base. Ship Master Ripa Stormaee ordered his ships to keep with the surprising fire and have his carrier, the Demeter ram into the blockade. 
The ship's crew did as ordered and flew directly into the blockade's line, heavily damaging the carrier, yet also allowing Covenant access onto the planet's surface. Behind the carrier came several more Covenant ships which blasted away the smoldering remains of the blockade. However, Ford ordered the remaining ships in his fleet to return to different posts around the planet and initiate the Winter Contingency. Covenant ships landed on secluded land masses of the planet and deployed troops to begin their invasion. Meanwhile, Ford transmitted out a SOS to UNSC High Command and requested reinforcements. He was granted the request and expected the UNSC Liberation and Spartan Team Orange at the planet soon. 
=== Invasion of Faller Base ===
At 8:37 hours on February 8th, the Covenant launched an invasion force towards the UNSC base, Faller in the northern hemisphere. The base proved to be a blockade for both orbital deployments and stood as a guard between the Covenant and human civilization for the planet. 
United Nations Space Command forces attempted to repel the attack, using all possible resources to keep Covenant troops out of the main atrium of the compound and at the docks. However, after a constant push by Covenant forces along the docks, human forces were forced back into the main building of the compound. Though, a half-hour later, Orange Team was deployed to the base as Liberation began running arial interference along the base. After clearing the docks, Clark-055 began to run statistics on the base while his spartan comrades began to clear the Covenant presence in the base. But Clark discovers a drone nest underneath the base, forcing Orange Team to destroy it. 
Clark, Aidan-007, Dane-074 and Timothy-127 found and planted explosives around the entrance to the hive in order to blow it. However, while on their mission, the hive was awoken and drones began to attack. Aidan and Clark covered Tim and Clark as the latter planted explosives. After the explosives were planted, the spartans evacuated the base and destroyed it on their flight back to the Liberation. After the destruction of Faller Base, the Covenant began to attack New Boston. 
=== Battle of New Boston ===
The Covenant Fleet moved into the city of New Boston and began to fire at civilian skyscrapers and communications buildings. Marine and army response was quick as both Vice Admiral Ford and Colonel Trevor Raji began to led naval and army troops throughout the city. Raji would deploy troops to several parks around the outskirts of the city to act as evac points while Ford would command the naval defense with Henry Fawlkins. 
Troops entered the city and began to clear out some several towers infested with Covenant troops. After deploying ODST troops, to assist with the evacuation efforts, Raji developed the idea to use ODSTs to ran an op to eliminate the Covenant fleet. Personally leading the deployment from Vice Admiral Ford's ship, Raji and his company of ODSTs and army soldiers landed on several Covenant cruisers. Ford also led the rest of the Defense Fleet and Liberation against the remaining Covenant forces. 
While in the fight, Brigadier General Gregory Holden sent out the fighter squadron known as the Seekers to assist Ford in the defense of the city. Raji and his troops landed on the cruisers and began to clear out hanger bays and plant explosives within them and the engine rooms. After remotely detonating the engine room explosives, Raji and his troops were evacuated and remotely detonated the hanger bay bombs, forcing several ships to the ground. 
Due to the great loss of the Covenant ships, Stormaee ordered his fleet to retreat and thus the remaining 25 ships of the fleet raced away towards the Arigo Desert near the equator of the planet. Battlegroups 6, 7 and 9 also arrive from Slip-Space to give support to the UNSC defense. 
=== Operation: Longbow ===
On February 19th, Orange Team leads a massive UNSC strike force to the Arigo Desert in OPERATION Long Bow and board the flagship of Fleet of Vengeance, Demeter. The attack begins with General Holden's Seekers and Ford's fleet launching an assault against the main Covenant fleet. During the attack, ground forces were also deployed along a southern ridge, which were used as snipers and a way to take out Covenant supply routes. 
A team of marines were killed during the occupation of the southern ridge by stealth elites and subsequently, cloaked Covenant troops and armaments emerged from a nearby mine and wiped out UNSC troops on the ridge, prompting a quick response by Colonel Raji. However, the colonel was killed in an attack led by a Brute chieftain and its pack. 
Meanwhile, thanks to escorts from the Seekers, Orange Team was deployed and boarded the Demeter. Once a UNSC presences is detected within the ship, Stormaee orders the Demeter to return to the upper atmosphere of the planet to escape the raining fire from human forces and to alert Covenant reinforcements. The spartans push and fight throughout the ship and enter the bridge. After a brief skirmish with Stormaee, the spartans are jettisoned outside the ship and fall back to the planet below. 
Rescue teams are able to recover the spartans as Ford's fleet, weakened and all but gone, forces Covenant troops to retreat, with humanity now outnumbering Covenant on the planet. With a majority of Covenant ships destroyed, Stormaee makes a desperate attempt to murder as many humans as possible by attacking Himita's capital, Osmium. In addition, a single Covenant ship emerges form Slip-Space, carrying  as cargo.
=== Battle of Osmium ===
On February 21, 2536, the Covenant invaded the capital city of Osmium in hopes of wiping it out in an act of desperation. Ford and Holden deploy naval and air forces to combat Covenant offensive while Orange Team is deployed to rescue Dr. Halsey whose presence was made know due to a intercepted Covenant transmission. The spartans are sent to Morse Mountain with spartans Dane-074 and Julia-063 acting as scouts and accessing the situation. 
Using a pelican and conducting an arial drop, Orange Team lands into battle and fights their way through Covenant troops to Halsey's location. While infiltrating the Covenant base, the Spartans realize it is neither human nor Covenant, rather a Forerunner artifact which is why the Covenant was so fascinated with the planet in the first place. Once inside, the team was able to find and rescue Halsey and requested an evac bird. 
After their rescue, the spartans return to Osmium and are told about the devastation as General Holden's forces were barely holding on and three more of Ford's ships were destroyed. The spartans deployed by another air drop and began to run through the city, collecting marines and other troops in their assault throughout Covenant territory. While in the rush, Aidan and Thomas-012 were separated from the rest of the unit, forced on foot. However, after a couple of minutes later, Ripa had Demeter fly over the city and glass the city center and the rest of the city, forcing the Spartans apart for some time. 
Three days later, search and find teams all but give up hope to find the remaining UNSC troops and the rest of Orange Team. Thomas is deployed to the other side of the planet with marines to investigate a possible Covenant base. Later that day, the rest of Orange Team is located with marines. From there, Ford, Aidan, Fawlkins and Holden devise Operation: March Lion. 
=== Operation: March Lion ===
On March 1, 2536, the UNSC Liberation and Lurther attack the Covenant base scouted out by Thomas a few days prior. From there, the rest of Ford's fleet attacks Stormaee's and begin to place further press on the Covenant leader. Orange Team lands at a nearby airfield to deactivate Covenant AA's to let the UNSC have a safe passage into Covenant territory. 
From there, UNSC ground forces land at the main Covenant compound and assist Orange Team in taking the base out. Commander James T. Avery led naval commandos within the base to secure the lower levels and to free possible prisoners of war, to which there were none. However, the team was ambushed by Covenant forces and were almost killed if not for Orange Team. Ripa and his remaining 15 ships retreat from the battle and enter Himita's orbit, leaving remains ground forces to struggle on their own. 
=== Offensive Takes ===
Following the success that was Operation: March Lion, Ford decides to push the offensive and clear out Covenant ground forces form the planet. However, both Aidan-007 and General Holden advise the Admiral not to conduct a rash maneuver. Ford agrees by secretly deploys his remaining six ships without the knowledge of either Aidan or Holden. He combines his remains fleet with that of the battlegroups that came to assist and push towards a Covenant position. 
After hearing of the assault, Aidan deploys Orange Team with General Holden's permission to assist Ford's forces. Upon arriving at the southern base, both battlegroups 7 and 9 were destroyed and Ford's flagship was heavily damaged. The Spartans begin to assist with Holden's Seekers in taking out Covenant forces. Due to overwhelming plasma mortars from both AA guns and wraith cannons, several of the Seekers were shot down and many more UNSC troops were killed. 
After the large push, several Captains deny Ford's orders and retreat to save their men with Holden's approval. Ford then understood the gravity of the situation as he was left with no one else and thus retreated with the rest of the UNSC forces. 
On March 7, 2536, Orange Team was deployed to Bulith Gulch to steel a Covenant Corvette in order to silence the remaining Covenant fleet in a single motion. Orange team is successful in their attack and the remains crew of the UNSC Lurther board the ship and navigate it to return to the Covenant fleet above. From the corvette, Orange Team departs with a Phantom drop ship to a Covenant Carrier, dubbed, Lost Warriors. Once on board, they are quickly discovered by the carrier's crew, prompting a call for reinforcements. 
However, rather than having boots on the ground, the Lurther crew charges full speed with its corvette directly into the bridge of the carrier, sacrificing themselves, but destroying the carrier and saving the spartans. Before the ship can go down, Clark, Tim and Julia find the manual firing for the port guns and opens fire at the Demeter. Lost Warrior is able to drain the shields of the Demeter and crack its hull. From there, the guns are able to crack the bridge open and the engines, prompting the entire carrier to be destroyed with the Lost Warriors. 
Orange Team then departs the fleet with a stolen phantom and retreats back to the surface below. The remaining 10 ships in the Covenant fleet begin a mass attack spree, deploying Bulith Gulch, Morse Mountains and New Boston.
Orange Team was deployed to New Boston with the UNSC Alexander and the UNSC Hades. With assistance form the Spartans running ground operations, the city was almost recaptured. However, a retreat was ordered by Locke as the Covenant Fleet of Conquest emerged from Slip-Space and began to glass New Boston. 
However, the UNSC Liberation and Battlegroup 6 were able to reclaim Bulith Gulch and construct a makeshift base named after the location. From there, Vice Admiral Ford devised Operation: One, Two Punch. 
=== Operation: One, Two Punch ===
On March 20, 2536, the operation began with the UNSC Liberation, Hades and Orange Team attacking the Morse Mountains to be-ride the area of Covenant ground forces. Meanwhile the UNSC Alexander and Battlegroup 6 were to attack New Boston. Avery once again proved his tactical prowess over the Covenant by outmaneuvering several of their fighters and even some plasma torpedoes. Eventually, the two ships were able to recapture New Boston. 
Back in the Morse Mountains, the UNSC Hades took heavy fire and was soon shot down. From there, Orange Team leads an assault into a Covenant dark zone to secure the sector. However, the Covenant Fleet of Warring States emerges form Slip-space and attacks New Boston. Around Orange Team and the UNSC ground forces, some of the Warring States ships arrive at Morse and begin to glass it, taking the UNSC Liberation along with it. 
Ford's own ship also came under heavy fire once again during the defense of New Boston. Realizing his fate, Ford ordered his crew to evacuate. However, the efforts took too long and the ship was shot down and Ford was dead. 
Aidan orders a full retreat and with assistance from the Alexander, UNSC personnel evacuate the area, leaving it to the Covenant. 
=== Abandoning the Planet ===
On March 29, 2536, Marcus Locke suggests that Himita is to be abandoned and the remaining UNSC forces evacuate while they can. The remaining members of Battlegroup 6 agree and Orange Team is sent out to gather up supplies and sensitive UNSC materials. After a couple of days of searching and gathering, the UNSC leaves the planet in Covenant's hands. 
== Aftermath ==
Following the end of the battle, Himita was completely glassed by the Covenant forces. Orange Team was also reassigned under Captain Marcus Locke's command and continued to act as part of his crew for years. The battle also made note of several individuals during the battle, such as James T. Avery or the of Orange Team. 
The planet was left dormant for almost 40 years before the only surviving member of Orange Team, Timothy-127 return for Operation: New Hope, which sought to honor Spartans, young and old and forever memorialize the battle as a sign of UNSC strength. 
== Timeline ==
=== February ===
==== Fourth ====
* Covenant Fleet of Vengeance arrives at Himita. 
* Vice Admiral Arnoldo Ford engages Covenant forces with Human Defense Fleet 3
* After a well fought battle, Ford's blockade collapses and the Covenant invade the planet. 
==== Eighth ====
* Covenant invade Faller Base. 
* UNSC Liberation arrives with Orange Team and assist in Faller's defense. 
* After the existence of a drone hive emerges, Senior Chief Petty Office Aidan-007 orders Faller base to fall. He and his team do so and evacuate to the Liberation. 
==== Ninth ====
* The Covenant invade New Boston. 
* With the efforts of Vice Admiral Ford, Brigadier General Gregory Holden and Colonel Trevor Raji, the city is saved and Covenant forces begin to dwindle. 
==== Thirtieth ====
* Battlegroups 6,7, and 9 arrive at Himita to give assistance to Ford's troops. 
==== Ninetieth ====
* Operation Long Bow is initiated. 
* Orange Team infiltrates the Demeter and attempts to assassinate Ripa Stormaee. 
* Colonel Trevor Raji dies during the land battle of the operation. 
* After the failed attempt to assassinate the Ship Master, Orange Team orders a full retreat of UNSC forces. 
* Covenant Prisoner ship-33 arrives with  as a prisoner. 
==== Twenty-First ====
* Covenant begin their invasion of Osmium. 
* Orange Team is deployed to rescue Dr. Halsey. 
* After a successful rescue, Orange Team and Halsey are evacuated from a Forerunner installation and return to Osmium. 
==== Twenty-Second ====
* Orange Team returns to Osmium and are deployed into battle. 
* After only fighting for a few minutes, Orange team is separated and a glassing ray destroys a majority of the city. 
* UNSC begins search and rescue operations. 
==== Twenty-Fifth ====
* Thomas-012 and a marine fireteam locate a Covenant base. 
* The rest of Orange Team is found. 
* Operation March Lion is devised. 
=== March ===
==== First ====
* Operation: March Lion begins. 
* A Covenant ground base is destroyed during the operation, leading to UNSC victory. 
* Vice Admiral Ford refuses advice from Generals Holden and Spartan Aidan-007 and proceeds forward to crush Covenant forces. 
==== Sixth ====
* UNSC Liberation and Lurther with Battlegroups 6,7 and 9 under the command of Ford attack another Covenant ground base. 
* Orange Team is then deployed to assist Ford's troops. 
* After two hours of warfare, Ford agrees to his captains terms and retreats, saving his men. 
==== Seventh ====
* Orange Team is sent to Bulith Gulch and captures a stationed Covenant Corvette. 
* Using the crew of the Lurther, Orange Team navigates to the Covenant Fleet. 
* Once returned to the fleet, Orange boards a Covenant carrier but is quickly discovered. The Lurther crew sacrifices themselves to save the spartans and rams the corvette into the bridge of the carrier. 
* Orange Team uses Lost Warrior's guns to take out the Demeter, crippling the Covenant. 
Sixtieth
* The remains 10 Covenant ships begin glassing Bulitch Gulch, Morse Mountains and New Boston. 
* The UNSC Alexander, Hades are sent to New Boston to stop the Covenant. 
* The Covenant Fleet of Conquest arrive at Himita and invade New Boston forcing a UNSC retreat. 
==== Seventieth ====
* UNSC Liberation and Battlegroup 6 recapture Bulith Gulch and build a makeshift base there. 
==== Twentieth ====
* Operation: One, Two Punch begins. 
* UNSC Hades is destroyed by heavy Covenant fire. 
* Covenant Fleet of Warring States emerge and glass New Boston and destroy the UNSC Liberation. 
* Vice Admiral Ford dies. 
* The UNSC Alexander gathers Orange Team and UNSC survivors. 
==== Twenty-Ninth ====
* Captain Marcus Locke suggests an evacuation of the planet. Battlegroup 6 commanders agree. 
* Orange Team is sent to gather supplies. 
=== April ===
==== First ====
* UNSC leave Himita in the hands of the Covenant. 
* Covenant claims victory. 
== Combatants ==
=== ===
==== Space Assets ====
* Human Defense Fleet 3
* Battlegroup 9
** UNSC Alexander
* Battlegroup 6
** UNSC Lurther
** UNSC Hades
* Battlegroup 7
* UNSC Liberation
==== Units ====
* 53rd Attack Battalion
* 122nd Attack Batallion
* 3rd Infantry Division
* 22nd Infantry Division
* 94th Armored Division
* 12th Armored Division
* Orange Team
* Seeker Squadron
==== Personnel ====
* Arnaldo Ford
*  Gregory Holden
*  Trevor Raji
*  Henry Fawlkins
*  Marcus Locke
* James T. Avery
*  Aidan-007
*  Dane-074
*  Timothy-127
*  Julia-063
*  Clark-055
*  Thomas-012
* 
=== ===
==== Space Assets ====
* 1st Covenant Fleet of Vengeance
** Demeter
** Lost Warriors
** Prison Ship-33
* Covenant Fleet of Conquest
* Covenant Fleet of Warring States
==== Units ====
* Several Infantry Units
* Elite Stealth Team
* Unnamed Brute Pack
==== Personnel ====
* Ship Master Ripa Stormaee
* Unnamed Brute Chieftain
* Unnamed Covenant Commanders
Category:Battles
Category:BEN THE BESTverse
Category:Battles of the Human-Covenant War