Taratoga

Category:Gamestrider1
Category:Colonies
Category:UNSC planets
Taratoga is a Unified Earth Government colony world with a population of over 20 million. On February 11th, 2540, the planet was attacked by the Covenant in a horrific battle known as the Defense of Taratoga.
== Overview ==
=== Orbital characteristics ===
Taratoga appears to be largely ocean on the surface, with no visible satellites in orbit. A large debris field left behind from ships destroyed during the Defense of Taratoga still linger in orbit, occasionally causing showers of debris to burn up like meteor showers in the planet's atmosphere.
=== Topography and ecology ===
Following the colonization of the planet by humanity, the planet became home to over 20,000,000 civilians, building various settlements on the surface. These settlements were completely abandoned following the population's evacuation after the Defense of Taratoga. Noticing the planet had been abandoned, the Covenant didn't bother to glass the planet, leaving much of the colony's infrastructure still intact by the end of the Human-Covenant War.
== History ==
=== Human colonization ===
Sometime prior to 2540, the UNSC colonized Taratoga to become a colony for Humanity, and the planet would come to host over 20 million civilians.
=== Human-Covenant War ===
==== Defense of Taratoga ====
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 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.
Later that day, Task Force Artemis, under the command of Navy captain Alexis Merena, arrived in the system with five ships. An intense battle would see the Covenant carrier, along with all remaining UNSC ships in orbit, destroyed. 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.
==Source==
*YouTube - Halo: Defense of Taratoga | UE5 Space Battle
Category:Planets