User:XW3 AR3 L3GION/Ballastine Conflict

The Ballastine Conflict, also known as the Occupation of Ballast or the Second Insurrection, is a UNSC military campaign from February 7th 2560 to November 8th 2584, which began with the invasion of the Inner Colony world of Ballast. Ballast, once a previous economic jewel of the UNSC, had been invaded by the Covenant Empire during the latter stage of the Human-Covenant War, although it was successfully defended by a small UNSC Naval contingent and afterwards, a vicious ground campaign ensued between the UNSC Marine Corps and Army against the Covenant Army. Ballast was ironically saved when the Covenant discovered Earth, diverting the Covenant's attention but also the UNSC's as well, which in a controversial decision to this date the commander of the small fleet, Fleet Admiral Sean Maxwell retreated his forces back to the Sol System, leaving Ballast with a skeletal garrison.

Due to a lack of food (30% Ballast's food supply had been from an nearby Outer Colony world called Mace, which was 'glassed' in the winter of 2549), fuel and direct control from the UNSC forces, over the next seven years - from early 2552 to 2559 - the citizens of Ballast lay seige to each another, all desparately trying to survive before the surviving 280 million separated themselves into numerous groups or gangs, all laying claim to as much territory as possible.

During the Spring of 2560, the 8th Fleet of the UNSC Navy exited Slipspace into the August Phi System and took an standard orbit around Ballast. When Fleet Admiral Jason Gardner couldn't recieve a reply from the supposed UNSC garrison, he sent down several flights of Pelican to discover the citizens of Ballast had rebelled with many not wanting to be a part of the UNSC but an independent colony. However, the UNSC was in need of habitable colonies and was keen to reconnect with the Ballastines after lack of communication for seven years. Gaining support from the soon-to-be retired Fleet Admiral Hood, Gardner began the Occupation of Ballast by reclaiming and fortifying the warehouses underneath the damaged Drenthe City Space Elevator.

Although attacked on a regular-basis, the UNSC forces declared a 'Green Zone' for the people of Ballast, promising them food, water, shelter, warmth and medical attention in exchange for peace and co-operation. Many non-combatant's jumped at the offer such as women, children, the disabled and the elderly all seeking to end the constant gang warfare or at least escape it. As more and more accepted the UNSC offer the larger the Green Zone grew and the more frequent the rebel gangs began to attack them and the refugee's. The rebel gangs tactic's changed from the threat of violence and sometimes death to almost a guerrilla warfare, from full out shoot-out's at UNSC checkpoints to car bombs in the Green Zone, ambushes on UNSC patrol's and even suicide bombers in amongst the refugee's.