An Alternative Human-Covenant War

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I would prefer it if events were not added without approval, but I would love for anyone to elaborate and expand on events already added.
Work in Progress
Internal Links are largely unused a) because I can't get them to work, and b) because most of them are irrelevant to my timeline. 
This timeline for the Human-Covenant War diverges from the canonized timeline because of a single campaign promise made by Nils Thune while running for reelection as Harvest's governor. 
==Pre-War==
It was 2524, and Nils Thune was in the middle of a close gubernatorial campaign against challenger Dale Jenkins. In order to gain votes in the tight race, Nils Thune proclaimed under his leadership, not one citizen of Harvest would be victimized by the Insurrection. To make good on his promise, he discreetly sent for a UNSC security analyst to analyze the risk. The UNSC deployed Lt. Commander Jilan al-Cygni undercover as an efficiency expert. She arrived in system on August 21st, and learned that multiple ships had gone missing in the two months prior. Suspecting Insurrectionists, she requested the deployment of a scout ship and recommended that Governor Thune begin training a militia. The militia began training on October 15th under the command of Captain Ponder and his drill sergeants Nolan Bryne and Avery Johnson. The Prowler, CMA Argo arrived in system on January 13th of 2525. 
==Skirmish Over Harvest==
The Skirmish Over Harvest occurred on January 17th, 2525, and nothing changed from the canonical timeline. The same day the government of Harvest requested a battle-group to be deployed. After analyzing data acquired from after-action reports, Argo requested an entire fleet six days later.
==Skirmish On Harvest==
The Skirmish on Harvest occurred on February 3rd, 2525. It was the first part of, what in the canonical timeline, is known as the First Battle of Harvest. Other than being classified as a separate event, nothing is changed from the canonical timeline. 
==First Battle of Harvest==
First Harvest occurred on February 10th, 2525, and resulted in the destruction of the Jiralhanae cruiser Rapid Conversion and the CMA Argo. After stalling 7 days, the Jiralhanae chieftan, Maccabeus, began his attack-run on Harvest. The Argo moved to catch and intercept. The Argo eventually caught and took a position over the Rapid Conversion, along the way learning its four pods of Archer missiles were completely useless. Maccabeus ignored the Argo, believing no ship of Argo's tonnage could possibly be a threat to Rapid Conversion. The two exchanged point defenses fire, but the 50mm cannons of Argo were useless against the Covenant shields and the latter's pulse lasers tore were tearing through Argo's hull. Eventually, Argo rammed the Covenant cruiser with enough force to deplete its shields, but this sealed the Argo's fate. Fortunately for the civilians on Harvest, the Argo left a parting gift: a nuclear mine with a timer set to go off once the cruiser's shields were back online, sealing the harmful radiation inside. The only survivors of this battle were the Tartarus and a dozen Unngoy, who escaped on a Spirit dropship. This battle left the system clear, allowing Harvest to send to Madrigal for a rescue attempt, and sending to Reach for infantry reinforcements. 
==Second Battle of Harvest==
Second Harvest occurred on May 21st, 2525 and resulted in the destruction of CMA Heracles, CMA Arabia, and CMA Vostok. On April 1st, 2525, the Covenant Cruiser, Vengeful Prophet, arrived in-system. The cruiser picked up the survivors from the Rapid Conversion and orbited Harvest for six days before calling for an invasion fleet. On April 26th, the Carrier, Shadow of Intent, arrived with six warships in tow. This was a problem for the ground forces because nine days earlier, on the 17th, the rescue fleet from Madrigal had arrived. The evacuation of Harvest was scheduled for May 1st, but the human leadership was now caught in a vice. They could wait, and hope either a) the militia could hold back a force 20 times their size, b) a relief fleet arrived from Reach, or c) that the Covenant would leave. Realizing the ridiculous amount of luck any of those things would require, the leadership decided to commence with the evacuation. On May 1st, the ships launched. The Covenant were waiting, but because of the sheer volume of evacuation craft, nearly two-thirds made it through. 192,000 of 300,000 civilians made it to safely. Six days later, two capital fleets arrived in-system. The Covenant Fleet of Divine Justice and the Covenant Fleet of Righteous Anger had been summoned to help stop the evacuation but hadn't made it in time. There were now 38 Covenant ships in-system. On May 21st, when the Heracles, Arabia, and Vostok arrived, they were destroyed, with 100% casualties, in 100 seconds.
==Battle of the Cataclysm==
The Battle of the Cataclysm, alternatively known as Third Harvest, or sometimes considered round two of Second Harvest occurred on May 27, 2525. The belligerents were the Covenant Fleet of Divine Justice and the Covenant Fleet of Righteous Anger pitted against the fleet assembled by Vice Admiral Preston Cole to take back Harvest. The Covenant Armada of 35 (two had departed after Second Harvest and the carrier, Shadow of Intent, took no part in the assault) ships was composed of 20 frigates, 10 destroyers, and 5 cruisers. Cole's fleet contained four cruisers, 16 destroyers, 32 frigates, and 64 corvettes, for a total of 116 ships. The battle was a complete disaster for both sides. It lasted only 12 minutes and resulted in 100 percent casualties for the Covenant. It is difficult to ascertain the amount of casualties suffered by the UNSC. Only 49 Corvettes escaped, none of which had more than 20 percent hull integrity. Every single other ship was destroyed, however many life boats were launched and landed safely on Harvest, which had been occupied by Covenant ground forces. Final UNSC casualty statistics indicate 75 percent of all serviceman and women involved lost their lives in this battle, and 58 percent of ships were lost. After the Cataclysm, both sides realized there would be no quick decisive victory in this war. The Cataclysm was also directly responsible for the three month long siege of Utgard, where the Covenant ground forces engaged the human survivors. Cole's surviving ships retreated to Reach, where a Battle Group Harvest was assembled. The carrier, Shadow of Intent fled the system and returned in July with reinforcements. 
==The Siege of Utgard==
The Siege of Utgard lasted from May 27th to August 18th of 2525. It was the first ground engagement of the war, and resulted in heavy casualties, with both sides claiming victory. After the Battle of the Cataclysm, roughly 14,000 crewman from Cole's fleet escaped from their doomed vessels onto Harvest. They took refuge in the city of Utgard, which was occupied by 750 members of the Covenant military, although they were soon reinforced by the other half of their army digging in the northern polar regions. The Covenant had superior weapons, training, sufficient ammunition, but they were outnumbered 10-to-1. The humans, many of which were unarmed, took incredibly heavy casualties, but succeeded in driving the Covenant back. They were especially aided by the June 14th arrival of the Spirit of Fire, which was carrying 350 Marines and Helljumpers. However, Captain Cutter deployed all his infantry to the northern dig site, where they spent the next two months filling in and burying what the Covenant was trying to dig up, and the vehicles, aircraft, and weapon drops were diverted to Utgard. The UNSC was highly successful, even driving the Covenant back to Harvest's other major city, Gladsheim. However, on July 16th, Shadow of Intent returned, along with two supercarriers arrived with Covenant reinforcements. On August 8th, the Cataclysm survivors were airlifted to the northern dig site, which the Covenant took back and renewed their excavation. Covenant casualties in the siege are estimated at 3,900, while the UNSC suffered a staggering 13,750 casualties. Both sides claimed victory, the Covenant because they recaptured Utgard, and the UNSC because the broke through the siege lines and escaped Utgard.
==The Harvest Campaign==
:The Harvest Campaign was almost 11 months of continuous fighting, from June 14, 2525, through April 26th, 2526. The Harvest Campaign began as the troops from the Cruiser, Spirit of Fire, sought to rebury a Forerunner artifact the Covenant had been excavating. The Covenant troops doing the excavating had been called back to Utgard to help do combat the survivors of the Battle of Cataclysm during the Siege of Utgard. With the Covenant victory in that siege on August 8th, they retook their northern polar base, and resumed excavation. The fighting climbed to a higher level of intensity when Battle Group Harvest arrived on October 20th. The battle group consisted of two carriers, two cruisers, three destroyers, and four frigates. The troops deployed by the battle group landed and retook Utgard, Gladsheim, established six bases, and began hunting down Covenant raiding parties in the mountains. They also began a siege of the Covenant Polar base. The momentum reversed, however, when, on January 11th, Covenant reinforcements arrived. The Covenant, began driving the UNSC back. On March 11th, the Covenant broke the siege of their polar base, and began examining the Forerunner artifact they had spent almost a year trying to excavate. As the Covenant was leaving, having finished their examination, Sergeant Forge led a team to take over the artifact. This team included Professor Eileen Anders, who had actually arrived in-system that day. Professor Anders realized, to her horror, the artifact was really a map that pointed to the UEG colony world of Arcadia. Captain Cutter, on the Spirit of Fire recalled all his ground teams and departed for Arcadia. Before leaving, he crippled the carrier, Shadow of Intent, in order to slow down the artifact strike team, and give the UNSC time to prepare. Five days later, March 16th, the Spartan II's arrived in-system. They turned the tide of the Harvest Campaign again, and the UNSC began a counter-offensive, which lasted until the 20th of April. Concurrent to the Harvest Campaign, the Covenant had glassed the colonies of Green Hill, Second Base, and Chi Cheti 4. The UNSC had decided to attempt to launch an offensive strike on the Covenant worlds, and on April 20th, orders came for the Spartans to capture a Covenant ship and take it to Green Hills, where Doctor Catherine Halsey waited to try and determine the location of Covenant worlds. On April, 26th, the Spartan's successful captured a vessel, and picked up the surviving Marines planetside before departing for Green Hills. The Harvest Campaign was a victory for the Covenant, but it was a meaningless one. They gained nothing from the battle, and a good portion of the UNSC personnel involved lived to fight another day.
Category:Human-Covenant War