Bartoni

Bartoni, known formerly as Indus Corus b, is one of two planets in the Indus Corus system and the only one of the two not in the habitable zone, the other known as Indus Corus a and later Taradia. The small terranian planet was colonized during the Human-Covenant War with the help of multiple enclosed settlements in efforts to harvest its vast frozen deuterium deposits as well as the hydrogen filling its atmosphere. Later, iron mining operations were erected in multiple locations and raw materials were sent to the nearby Taradia for refining and shipping. In order to reduce dependance to other planets, multiple "bio-bubbles" were built solely for crops. These massive greenhouses required the use of thermal lamps on a similar scale to maintain the crops, which supplied nearly 20% of the planet's foodstuffs.

Another amazing feat of Bartoni is its use of geothermal heat as both a source of heat and power. Conductive rods reaching deep underground literally harvest the heat of the Bartoni's still active core. The heat is then concentrated to create steam from water and generate electricity, which supplies nearly one sixth of the planet's power. This heat can also be used to heat building of all multitudes as well as the life-supporting enclosures to an extent.

History
First colonized in early 2528, the planet supplied nearby colonies with what surplus it had. During the Second Battle of Taradia, a single Covenant Light Carrier attacked Bartoni. However, when the three hundred-meter ship entered atmosphere, the reactor malfunctioned and shut itself down, causing the ship to crash on the planet's surface before detecting the Human presence.

During the Great Civil War of 2553, the Union of Free Colonies maintained a strong presence on Bartoni, going as far as paying off local government to continue their presence. By the end of the war, the UFC presence had collapsed though rebel ideals would remain on the planet.

Over the next few years, the colony would quadruple in size to a population of nearly two-hundred thousand individuals and the colony would enter a miniature golden age. In 2574, Taradian Shipyards built a small shipyard in orbitand which produced freighters and other civilian craft which in turn aided the planetary economy.

In 2585, the power of the Miners' Rebellion had reached the miners of Bartoni and instigated multiple riots znd strikes. For the most part, however, local Colonial Militia and peacekeeping forces were able to keep this under control.

Trivia

 * It is unknown why the UNSC never chose to terraform Bartoni. It is possibly because the planet couldn't afford to be terraformed during the Human-Covenant War, and afterward efforts to adapt to the harsh environment negated the need to terraform.