Battle of Miridem

"SPARTANs, Sailors, Marines, know this; come what may, until every last civilian makes it out of this system, we will stand our ground."

- Commodore Henry T. Ward, 11:39, February 18, 2544 The  was a major engagement between and  forces on the planet  in 2544. During the battle, a sizeable UNSC Naval defence force stationed above the planet attempted to repel the technologically and numerically superior Covenant invasion force; in this they were only partially successful. Despite taking heavy spatial losses, the UNSC Navy successfully repelled the Covenant fleet, while the UNSC ground force scored a rare and decisive victory held the invaders at bay long enough to evacuate the civilian population, saving hundreds of thousands of lives from what was otherwise a decisive Covenant victory.

Spatial Engagement
At approximately 11:17, long range sensors on Miridem detected a Covenant fleet exiting slipspace near the edge of the system. Defending the world of Miridem were four Hope-class Destroyers, seven UNSC Frigates, two and one, in addition to four ; these forces immediately mobilised in addition to ground forces. These were met by a Covenant force comprised of one, six , five and four , which were attempting to destroy the human presence in the system. The battle commenced just over twenty minutes later, as UNSC sensors detected the Covenant vessels moving into MAC range. In the opening moments of the battle, the Assault Carrier and three CCS-class Battlecruisers were obliterated by the ODP's opening salvo, depleting their charge but destroying Covenant forces just before they themselves opened fire. However, the Covenant returned fire and destroyed three of the Platforms and disabled the fourth with plasma torpedoes. The UNSC's three cruisers opened fire, destroying one Covenant Corvette and disabling a CCS-class, while a total of fifteen MAC rounds from the Frigates and Destroyers finished the disabled vessel off and scored kills against a further two Corvettes. The Covenant returned fire, gunning for the three UNSC Cruisers. Although succeeding in destroying one Halcyon-class Cruiser, two Hope-class Destroyers (the Courageous and the Starlit Sky), and three UNSC Frigates, deliberately turned into incoming plasma torpedoes, sacrificing themselves to protect the cruisers. Both fleets repositioned at this point; the UNSC's returning volley crippled another Covenant Corvette and two frigates, though following this three of the four remaining UNSC Frigates were destroyed, as well as the remaining Halcyon-class. The one surviving Marathon-class Cruiser survived because a third Hope-class Destroyer put itself between a plasma torpedo and the vessel, saving it from destruction.

The Covenant were now close enough to the planet to launch landing craft and, protected by and, headed past the UNSC forces and directly to the planet below. The invasion force's fighter escort engaged in a fierce aerial battle between the fleets and the planet as multiple squadrons of engaged them, immediately gaining the upper hand, but not preventing thousands of Covenant ground troops from landing. Shortly after deploying their complement of troop transports the remaining Covenant vessels withdrew rapidly out of weapons range, holding position just beyond it. Rear Admiral Matthews then ordered the surviving UNSC vessels not to pursue, and instead to remain in Miridem's orbit. The thousands of Covenant troops and aerial craft descending into the atmosphere sparked a large scale engagement between the invaders and the UNSC's ground and air forces, which began at approximately 12:00.

Air Engagements and Landing
The battle within Miridem's atmosphere began at 11:47, approximately thirty minutes after the space engagement began. A large invasion force consisting of hundreds of dropships and dozens of escorting Seraph-class Starfighters bypassed the UNSC fleet and headed for several landing areas. The Navy's Longsword-class Starfighters engaged the Seraphs and Banshees and had defeated the vast majority of them in under fifteen minutes, taking moderate losses. During this time, however, the Covenant Spirit and Phantom dropships had landed at nine separate landing zones; most of these were in rural areas where the landing forces had time to deploy before they were engaged by UNSC units (the Covenant also landed near the capital Redbridge and the small city of Whitehollow). The UNSC successfully counterattacked most of the Covenant's captured territory, with Longsword air strikes destroying two landing zones in their entirety. By this point large numbers of Covenant troops had massed at all their remaining landing zones, and their numbers pushed back the UNSC ground forces, which had previously contained them in a sort of bottleneck.

Battle of Redbridge
The largest Covenant landing zone was on the outskirts of the capital, Redbridge, where the 65th Marine Regiment and Marine air units immediately counterattacked. Approximately forty minutes after landing, the Covenant made a small attack on the suburb of Newbury, fifteen kilometres north of Redbridge's city centre. The attack was repelled by an assortment of UNSC forces including the 145th Marine Regiment; this battle served as a diversion for the Covenant's main assault. Half an hour later the Covenant launched a full scale attack on Redbridge from the south; the UNSC troops here fell under sustained attack from a column of Covenant armour and infantry. The UNSC commanders assumed the Covenant were making an attack in order to take the city and destroy its port, and sent nearby forces to repel the attack. In the ensuing battle, the 89th Marine Regiment was reduced to half its original size, until assisted by a unit of armour and aerial craft. SPARTAN-II Blue Team fought exhaustively to hold off the Covenant advance; in the battle, was killed in action by a Sangheili Major. By 14:00, the UNSC had defeated the invaders everywhere but Whitehollow and Redbridge; the latter soon became the largest conflict as both sides focused large amounts of their forces there. The battle remained relatively even until 15:25, when the one remaining UNSC Frigate entered the atmosphere to provide close fire support over Redbridge. This tipped the battle in favour of the defenders, and by 15:46 the UNSC had eradicated the Covenant presence, ending the battle for Miridem's surface.

Battle of Whitehollow
Whitehollow was the Covenant's second landing site that was not located in the rural majority of the planet. Entering the small city at 12:20, the Covenant quickly captured it and, within thirty minutes, had destroyed its space port and killed over 12,000 civilians. The Covenant then made extensive makeshift fortifications to the city including rudimentary earthworks and weapons emplacements. The UNSC counterattack began at 12:45 with the 103rd and 151st Marine Regiments, supported by Marine armour, entering the city. During the battle Longswords continually ran aerial attacks over the city, hitting fortified positions and Covenant armour. By 14:06, the UNSC forces had retaken the city from the Covenant and reached its centre, concluding the Battle of Whitehollow and freeing up a significant portion of UNSC forces to join the Battle of Redbridge.

Conclusion
After the Covenant forces had been defeated, the UNSC retrieved all surviving servicemen from the planet and began departing the planet. At around the same time, the last civilian vessel departed the planet; shortly before the vessels left the system, they detected the Covenant begin to move towards the planet again. Within twenty minutes they had commenced glassing.

Aftermath
In the immediate aftermath of the battle, a number of Covenant vessels entered the planet's orbit and commenced its glassing. The majority of escaping vessels were able to return to UNSC worlds via indirect slipspace jumps, however the Covenant pursued and captured one specific evacuation vessel. This vessel's passengers included, who was in cryo-sleep, and who was subsequently captured by the Covenant. This led to the, in which the SPARTAN-II Blue Team, who had participated in the Battle of Miridem, attempted to retrieve her.

At least one Covenant combatant, the Sangheili Major, was known to have survived the ground battle; the Elite lay unconcious in the debris of a building after the destruction of his battalion, until he was rescued upon the arrival of the Covenant fleet. Shamed by this failure to gain honour in battle or death, 'Lodamee later participated in the Raid on the Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence, where he encountered John-117 as he attempted to rescue Catherine Halsey.

Battle Timeline
February 18, 2544
 * 11:17: Long range sensors on Miridem detect a Covenant fleet exiting slipspace, near the edge of the system.


 * 11:18: Rear Admiral Robert Matthews orders the total mobilisation of the planet's Naval garrison, and alerts the Marine and Militia forces to do the same. Commodore Henry Ward orders the Navy to form a defensive formation around the ODPs.


 * 11:42: The UNSC fleet have arranged themselves in a defensive formation centred around the four Orbital Defence Platforms. In the opening exchange of fire three CCS-class Battlecruisers and one Assault Carrier are destroyed with three ODPs destroyed and the remaining one disabled. The remaining UNSC vessels destroy three Covenant Corvettes and one Battlecruiser with a MAC volley.


 * 11:43: The Covenant's return salvo destroy one Halcyon-class Cruiser, two Hope-class Destroyers and three UNSC Frigates.


 * 11:45: Both fleets reposition and open fire on the other; in the exchange one Covenant Corvette, two Covenant Frigates, the last remaining Halcyon-class Cruiser and three UNSC Frigates are destroyed. Covenant vessels deploy their complement of fighter and landing craft and then withdraw out of weapons range; Commodore Ward give the order not to pursue.


 * 11:47: The Covenant invasion force bypasses the UNSC fleet without attacking and heads for the planet's surface. The Banshees and Seraphs escorting the force are engaged by a numerically superior force of Longsword-class Starfighters, and an aerial battle begins in Miridem's upper atmosphere.


 * 11:59: The first of the Covenant landing craft touch down on the outskirts of Redbridge, the capital, and are immediately assailed by the 65th Marine Regiment and a unit of AV-14 Hornets.


 * 12:05: The UNSC's Longswords defeat the last of the Seraphs and Banshees with moderate losses. Following this they begin hunting down Dropships and providing close air support for allied units.


 * 12:11: Covenant land at eight additional landing sites and mass in a sort of bottleneck, with UNSC forces preventing their escape. Longsword air raids destroy two landing sites in their entirety, while elsewhere Covenant forces have begun pushing UNSC forces back due to overwhelming numbers.
 * 12:20: The UNSC has complete air superiority and is engaged in full scale firefights with the Covenant at every landing zone, as they attempt to advance into the urban areas. Five of the Covenant's landing zones are in rural areas, where they hope to organise themselves before they march towards the UNSC entrenched in urban areas. The sixth is the small city of Whitehollow, which the Covenant quickly capture.


 * 12:40: The Covenant make a small scale attack on the suburb of Newbury, fifteen kilometres north of the Redbridge's city centre. The attack is repelled by an assortment of UNSC forces including the 145th Marine Regiment. This is later revealed to be a diversionary tactic for their main attack on Redbridge.


 * 12:45: The Covenant destroy Whitehollow's spaceport and massacre approximately 12,000 civilians, and prepare makeshift fortifications in the city. The 103rd and 151st Marine Regiments launch a counterattack on the city supported by Marine air and ground units, with Longswords running attack runs over the city.


 * 13:15: At the Battle of Redbridge, UNSC troops come under sustained attack from a column of Covenant armour and infantry from the south. They are assumed to be making an attack in order to take the city and destroy its port. The defending 89th Marine Regiment is reduced to half its original size until assisted by a unit of M808B Scorpion tanks and an assorted VTOL craft force. SPARTAN-II sees extensive combat in Redbridge.


 * 13:23: is killed in action by a Sangheili Major.


 * 14:00: Covenant forces have been defeated in most engagements by this point. The Battle of Redbridge continues as Covenant forces concentrate their efforts there; nearby UNSC troops continue to bolster the area.


 * 14:06: The 103rd and 151st Marine Regiments overrun defending Covenant troops and retake the city of Whitehollow.


 * 15:24: The one remaining UNSC Frigate enters atmosphere and provides close fire support over Redbridge. This, as well as continued air and ground attack, tips the battle decisively in favour of the defenders.
 * 15:46: The UNSC eradicates the last Covenant ground force and ends the Battle of Redbridge.


 * 16:00: All military personnel retrieved and embarked on the UNSC's vessels by this point.


 * 16:02: The last civilian transport leaves the planet and enters slipspace. It is the last civilian vessel to leave the system.


 * 16:15: Four Covenant vessels are detected on on long range sensors. The UNSC's remaining vessels, one Marathon-class Cruiser, one Hope-class Destroyer and one UNSC Frigate, retreat from the system.


 * 16:22: The Covenant ships enter orbit and glass Miridem.