Ares Defence Fleet

As one of the last frontline worlds the Forerunners still controlled in the galaxy, GA 44259-306 was deemed of strategic importance. Resources were invested in the construction of the Halo Array, and evacuation of the thirteen billion colonists and refugees on the planet was deemed an impractical short-term option. Nevertheless, the local security fleet was reinforced in preparation for an expected Flood attack, under the command of Guardian-Class Construct LV-666 Curator.

The assault itself was larger than the Forerunners had expected, consisting of hundreds of converted freighters and barges packed with Flood biomass, dozens of Conviction- and Ascension-class dreadnoughts, and thousands of singleships - fighters, bombers and dropships. A state of emergency was declared planetside, and command of all military and security assets was transferred to the Curator. In the opening hours of the battle, the tide seemed to have turned in the Forerunners' favour - the Flood fleet was nearly obliterated, though at the cost of half the Forerunner fleet itself. Unfortunately, a handful of small craft had managed to evade the Defence Fleet's weapons, crash-landing on the planet's surface, and beginning the infection of the planet's population centres.

The fleet itself would continue to mop up the remnants of the orbital battle, while the largest warships assisted the battle for the civilians by striking from orbit with directed energy weapons. As the Flood made significant gains, however, JD/907 Archivist seized control, overriding both the Curators and 07/306 Overseer's authority to "enforce Containment Protocol," ordering the Sentinels to fire upon the refugees. Horrified, the Curator assisted the Overseer by striking the Labyrinth facility with a combined effort from seven warships, and although it was unable to penetrate the energy shields of the structure, it distracted the Archivist long enough for the Overseer to use the Translocation Grid to evacuate the last dozen or so survivors to safety behind the Maginot Line. Another strike from orbit destroyed it utterly, denying its use to the Flood.

As the Halo Array activated, wiping the Flood out in the galaxy, the Defence Fleet was left devoid of personnel to operate it. The Curator settled the warships on GA 44259-306A, the planets moon, buried beneath the surface on a protective chamber for preservation. The Curators fate is unknown, but the moon, known as Juno to the UNSC, survived the destruction of the planet in late 2552, spun off into an unstable orbit around the system's star, Mu Arae. Presumably, the ships are still there, though whether they still remain intact or not is unknown.