Defense of Taratoga

Category:Gamestrider1
Category:Battles
Category:Battles of the Human-Covenant War
The Defense of Taratoga was a large battle between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant fought on February 11th, 2540, over the planet Taratoga.
== Prelude ==
On or before February 11th, 2540, the Covenant discovered the Human colony world of Taratoga and dispatched a fleet consisting of a single Kerel-pattern assault carrier to glass the colony and destroy the defenses in orbit. It arrived on February 11th and began its assault on the world.
== The battle ==
=== Opening engagement ===
The UNSC Navy fleet in orbit, Battlegroup Nevada, consisting of nine ships, immediately engaged the Covenant carrier. Despite inflicting heavy damage to the vessel's shields, the majority of the fleet was destroyed by a barrage of plasma torpedoes launched by the carrier, leaving only the Halcyon-class light cruiser UNSC Portsmouth and the Marathon-class heavy cruiser UNSC Hammer of Resolve still intact. The destroyed UNSC ships created a debris field around the battle as the remaining two ships attempted to hold out against the attacker.
=== Arrival of Task Force Artemis ===
"Artemis engage! We are all that stands between these bastards and the twenty million souls below!"
- Captain Alexis Merena, ordering Artemis to engage following the UNSC Portsmouth's destruction.
Later that day, Task Force Artemis, under the command of Navy captain Alexis Merena, arrived in the system with five ships. The captain's personal flagship, the UNSC Bainbridge, an Able-class heavy destroyer, led the charge.
By the time the task force had arrived, Battlegroup Nevada was in shambles. The assault carrier then instantly destroyed the Hammer of Resolve with its plasma lance. Forming up, Task Force Artemis barraged the carrier with missiles and MAC rounds, trying to cover the UNSC Portsmouth's retreat. While the barrage disabled the carrier's shields and heavily damaged its hull, the Portsmouth would be finished off by a trio of plasma torpedoes, completely destroying Battlegroup Nevada.
Task Force Artemis broke formation to engage the carrier, maneuvering through the debris field of Battlegroup Nevada's destroyed vessels and using them as cover from the continued plasma barrages. The Halberd-class light destroyer UNSC Mars was bisected by another shot from the carrier's plasma lance, provoking her sister ship, the UNSC Cayuga, to distract the carrier, opening up and opportunity for the rest of the battlegroup to destroy the plasma lance.
The distraction was short-lived, and the Cayuga was blown apart by a pair of plasma torpedoes. However, it bought enough time for Task Force Artemis's remaining three ships to line up in an arrow formation and arm MAC cannons, targeting the plasma lance. The UNSC Bainbridge's shot directly struck the lance, causing it to explode and detonate, heavily crippling the ship, but a final shot from the lance shortly before it was destroyed cut the Paris-class heavy frigate UNSC Stark in two. Her sister ship, the UNSC Last Resort would be destroyed seconds later by another round of plasma torpedoes, leaving the Bainbridge as the only remaining ship.
Another plasma torpedo struck the Bainbridge on her starboard side, the explosion ripping directly through the back of the ship. The ship's reactor instantly went critical, causing a complete engine failure. Arming the remaining of its missiles, including nuclear warheads, the Bainbridge fired everything it had left at the assault carrier right as the carrier launched its own storm of torpedoes. Bainbridge's struck first, completely obliterating the entire front half of the assault carrier. The carrier's torpedoes once again struck the vessel a moment later, finishing off the ship and the task force, killing captain Merena. All ships in orbit were now destroyed.
== Aftermath ==
"FLEETCOM online. Covenant fleet over Taratoga destroyed. Battlegroup Nevada lost with all hands. Task Force Artemis... lost with all hands."
- Captain Alexis Merena's last words, right before the UNSC Bainbridge is destroyed by plasma torpedoes.
The destruction of the Covenant carrier bought crucial time to evacuate the population of Taratoga. By the end of the week, over 95% of Taratoga's population of over 20 million had been evacuated from the planet. When another Covenant force arrived over the planet later, they found the planet completely abandoned, not even bothering to glass the planet, leaving the majority of the planet's infrastructure intact by the end of the Human-Covenant War.
Both Battlegroup Nevada and Task Force Artemis were completely destroyed by the Covenant assault carrier. Despite this, they succeeded their objective, destroying a Covenant assault carrier with only half of the ships that it would normally take to wipe one out. A funeral for captain Merena would be held on Earth, the valiant sacrifice of her and everyone with her remembered and honored.
== Source ==
* YouTube - Halo: Defense of Taratoga | UE5 Space Battle
== Gallery ==
File:BGNevadaTaratoga.jpeg|Battlegroup Nevada approaching the Covenant assault carrier over Taratoga
File:ArtemisEngage.jpeg|Task Force Artemis shortly after arriving in Tartoga's orbit
File:UNSCPortsmouth.jpeg|The UNSC Portsmouth firing its point-defense guns during the battle
File:UNSCHammerofResolve.jpeg|The UNSC Hammer of Resolve above Taratoga during the battle
File:TFArtemis.jpeg|Task Force Artemis preparing to fire MAC cannons at the Covenant assault carrier
File:UNSCBainbridge.jpeg|The UNSC Bainbridge in the battle
File:UNSCMars.jpeg|The UNSC Mars moments before its destruction
File:UNSCCayuga.jpeg|UNSC Cayuga charging the Covenant assault carrier
File:UNSCStark.jpeg|The UNSC Stark firing MAC rounds at the assault carrier's plasma lance projector
File:TaratogaOrbit.jpeg|The debris field above Taratoga during the battle
File:UNSC Last Resort.jpeg|The UNSC Last Resort in the debris field above Taratoga.