Battle of the Midas Asteroid Belt

The Battle of the Midas Asteroid Belt, also known as Operation: SHOTEL to the Insurrection, was a engagement between the and the . 
One of the several battles that made up the First Battle of 40 Eridani, the asteroid habitats of the 40 Eridani system rebelled with the support of the URF and a UNSC naval task force moved to quell the uprising. 
The Insurrectionists launched a daring mission to hijack the UNSC cruiser. However they were detected and the mission was a failure and cost the rebels both the battle and the Midas colonies.
==Background==
In the asteroid mining colonies in the 40 Eridani system were ripe for rebellion. Decades of oppression and exploitation by the for the belt's rich metallic wealth and the negligence of the to do anything about it had left the miner colonists hungry for independence. 
Taking advantage of the unrest the prepared to stage a rebellion to make the asteroid colonies independent, but their plans were compounded by the presence of a UNSC naval task force in the system. If the Insurrectionists wanted to make the colonies independent then they would have come up with a plan to deal with the UNSC fleet. Otherwise, the UNSC would immediately respond in force and annihilate them. Neutralizing the fleet would paralyze their ability to launch a counter-attack and ensure the success of the rebellion. 
They brought in one of their elite special forces units, Hornet Company, for the task. Its commander, Captain Leonardo DeFalco, came up with a daring plan to deal with the UNSC. It was dangerous and extremely high-risk but it was cunning and its success would ensure victory. The plan was codenamed Operation: SHOTEL.
==The Battle==
On November 11th, 2530 the Insurrectionists launched a coup d’état and seized control of the asteroid habitats of the system in the name of the colonists. In sync with the uprising, they destroyed the system's Remote Scanning Outposts to take out the UNSC's eyes in the system. As expected, the task force moved towards the habitats in response to the rebellion.
As the UNSC ships approached the Insurrectionists detonated mining charges on the asteroids that hurled fragments at them in an echo of the . However, unlike then, the UNSC was able to use their MAC cannons, Archer missiles, and point defense guns to intercept the fragments. But while they dealt with that, the rebel fleet emerged from behind their asteroid camouflage. The rebels had mustered seven ships for the operation, the URF Freeman, Rumble, Sunrider, Flurry, Peregrine, Shieldmaiden, and Scyllion Blues, all of them militarized freighters armed with missiles, autocannons, and mass drivers. The UNSC's preoccupation allowed a window for the rebel fleet to open fire unhindered.
The UNSC took down most of the missiles and only a few managed to hit causing light damage to the destroyers. Having dealt with asteroids and missiles the UNSC fleet returned fire with a barrage of missiles while their ships prepared to take aim with their MAC cannons. However, the rebels deployed debris as chaff that obstructed the UNSC's fire before they retreated outside the range of their MAC cannons. The UNSC fleet gave chase, and after detecting no explosives among the debris moved through the debris field the rebels had left. 
Hidden amongst the debris field were the Insurrectionist commandos who were waiting to carry out their mission. The rebel's plan was to wait for the cruiser to pass into the debris field and then to board the ship via the hangar. Then using their Smart AI they would hijack the ship, turn its weapons on the rest of the fleet, and force the UNSC to retreat. 
As the ship passed by, the rebel EVA teams used thruster packs to stealthily make their way for the ship's open hangar bay. With the ship battle taking place, the UNSC should be distracted from the infiltration. However, they were detected. The UNSC noticed the Insurrectionists approaching them and opened fire with the ship's point-defense guns. Completely exposed, Hornet Company was shredded by 50mm high-explosive projectiles and lost almost half their company within minutes, Captain DeFalco among them. 
Some members of Hornet Company managed to make it into the hangar but their discovery had cost them the element of surprise. UNSC Marines were ready to meet them in the hangar and the survivors were pinned down by heavy fire with no hope of advancing. Unable to complete their mission, the remaining commandos planted explosive charges in a last desperate attempt to knock out the cruiser and to cover their escape. The cruiser was damaged by the explosion and its hangar bay was rendered inoperable, but the ship was not disabled. 
With their gambit failed, the Insurrectionist fleet was devastated by the UNSC ships and they lost four of their ships before they could retreat.
==Aftermath ==
The battle was a disastrous defeat for the United Rebel Front. They had failed to capture the cruiser and so failed to prevent the UNSC invasion. In the process, they had lost most of their fleet, a precious AI, and one of their most elite units. Hornet Company was almost completely destroyed with barely a handful managing to escape the massacre. 
Despite their failure, the rebel colonists still chose to fortify the asteroids and fight to the death rather than surrender. This led to the Battle of the Midas Asteroid Colonies where the rebels proved difficult to root out until the UNSC deployed ODSTs to take back the habitats and the rebellion was finally suppressed after seven days.
Category:Battles
Category:Insurrection