Sentiment Campaign

"I will burn the UNSC and finish what the Covenant started."

- General Connor Stewart The Sentiment Campaign was a month long engagement between the and the Coalition of the New Earth Government that encompassed the month of November in 2555. The battle was to retake control of the colony from rebel forces and shut down the new movement.

Background
Two years after the Human-Covenant War ended, some members of both the and the  were unpleased by the results or were simply too arrogant to see their own faults. Due to these individuals, the Coalition of the New Earth Government was created as a rebel force.

After capturing the planet of Agnes-V, the Coalition made an attempt at what was considered a spared yet backwater world of Sentiment. The planet had a diverse ecosystem and was many inhabited by farmers and war refugees. The Coalition saw the economic and political value of the world and launched a strike force against the planet on November 3rd, 2555 to make a quick claim to the world. However, the UNSC response was not nearly as anticipated.

Opening Engagements
Matthew Cross along with Stanford Doland deployed the Sentiment Fleet to the colony of the same name to make the Coalition known to the. While Cross and Doland would engage the UNSC defenses, several commanders led assaults onto the mega-cities of the planet. With the original UNSC space defense was wiped out, Cross was ordered to return, leaving Dwight Simpson to led ground forces. As the fleet orbited the planet, a small UNSC attack fleet came to the planet and engaged the fleet. While some ships returned to the surface, Doland and three of his ships retreated, leaving Simpson in complete command. Simpson had launched a large assault on the city of Longdale in Indigo Cove against the UNSC deployments there.

The UNSC Blitzkrieg arrived at the planet and unloaded troops to the planet for a response force. As troops were unloaded, the ship provided covering fire against the Coalition. Deploying, the was able to join the main UNSC attack force and punch a hole down to the planet. From there, the main UNSC fleet was able to deal heavy fire against the Coalition and forced the invaders into their own occupied space and locked them into place.

On -455, David Greyson’s squad was deployed to several locations along the planet. The team was first deployed to Longdale in order to chase out the Insurgents while Beta-4 was deployed behind enemy lines to assist the 196th's assault.

Battle of Longdale
The 196th landed in the main landing zone of the city and were immanently sent out on a demolition job with Gamma-8 into the outskirts of town. The teams were met with stiff resistance and heavy armaments, killing four of the eight  with them. Moving through the outskirts, the team encountered a heavily guarded facility controlled by the Coalition. The team was able to slip past the defenses and plant charges all along until the ODST's were discovered and all killed leaving Greyson and his team alone. With all the charges planted, Greyson led a diversion to let his squad escape and renter UNSC controlled ground. Rather than being shot and killed, Greyson was captured and interrogated by the stations commander, Norman Ross, an old squamates’ father. He blamed David for his son's death and wanted him to suffer for it. Greyson then detonated the charges and destroyed almost half the base and half go Ross' troops. He then proceeded to break free and attacked Ross, beating him almost to a pulp and killed his entire command crew. Greyson then proceeded to use Ross as a human shield and placed several beacons around the site and called in Beta-4.

Beta-4 was deployed along with several other ODST squads despite the the surround the area. But, Greyson then noticed that they were destroyed via explosives. He contacted Harrison Taylor who told him that the squad destroyed the AA guns and allowed the ODST's to drop in. Beta-4 and the 196th along with a now large assault set up by the local army and reconquered the area for the UNSC.

Battle of Ora
While some forces moved through Longdale, the city of Ora was attacked by Coalition forces. Fireteam Dragoon, or the Bad Batch, led by Joseph Avery arrived at the city only to see it abandoned with no one in sight. After about half-hour, Avery engaged forces and were stuck into a stale-mate. However, with air support, the Bad Batch were able to break the Insurgent line and clear the area.

Moving through the city, the team found a labor camp holding civilians and not well guarded. Jacob Wright then sniped a few guards overlooking the camp while Avery and Daniels slightly killed two guards by bushes. Soon, Wright sniped the remaining guards with Avery finishing them off. Avery freed the camp and requested a pickup. However, a jammer was blocking the transmission and all transmissions in or out of the area. Avery then had Wright and Daniels stay with the civilians while he looked for the jammer. After finding a heavy Insurgents presence in a old skyscraper, Avery attacked the building and cleared its lower levels.

While moving through the building, Avery cleared several floors and rooms using stolen grenades and other explosives until he arrived at floor 45. Once arriving on the floor, Avery killed all the Insurgents and deactivated the jammer. Afterwards he returned to his squad and pelican crews arrived. While on picked up civilians, three others deployed troops and vehicles to fortified the town. Hearing of Longdale's recapture, Avery and Dragoon returned the main UNSC force and prepared for their next assault.

Operation: INDIGO STORM
After the recapture to Longdale, the UNSC then had enough ground to begin a complete recapture of Indigo Cove and retake a large portion of Sentiment. The then deployed several, spartans, army and marines forces to engage the  in a head on assault. A Group and C Groups of Mammoths were assigned to the middle passage of the battlefield to hold of Coalition forces while D and B groups circled around and attacked from behind.

Greyson, his team and Beta-4 along with Drake were sent and rode along in Mammoth D-17 and were the first group to engage the Coalition while Avery and his team were sent of Mammoth B-12 and engaged the Coalition in a ground battle with the rest of B group.

All Mammoths took heavy fire as they closed in towards the Coalition’s main base. D group would move along the ridge line as Greyson and his squad would support Christopher Drake and the other of Beta-4 as they operated a mini-mac and engaged Insurrectionist on the ground from their ridge line. However, the Mammoth began taking too much fire and so, Greyson and Drake were sent ahead to take out a mortar squad with troopers from Mammoth D-22. The soldiers moved towards a mining facility being used as a forward outpost and attacked it in spades. Greyson led the charge and successfully recaptured the entire facility and the mines blow it. The team then rejoined Beta-4, the 196th and Mammoth D-17 and continued the assault onto the Insurrectionist. The UNSC were able to successfully push through the heavy Insurrectionist line and move towards a stable ground for addition ODST and UNSC forces to be deployed. Beta-4 was called ahead while the 196th was joined by Sigma-2.

Greyson and his teams moved through the North Woods and quickly eliminated Insurrectionist forces and were able to regain communication to and the rest of the inner colonies. The teams moved through and hijacked a small Insurrectionist convoy full of supplies and interrogated the commander. The teams then went to the destination of the convoy and quickly captured the supply depot.

Greyson and his teams then reunited with the main attack force and stationed several troops along the ridges he captured. Greyson then received word that Beta-4, Delta-5 and Alpha-1 were pinned down and getting hit hard on the forward front. Wasting no time, Greyson instantly got himself a Warthog and headed towards the front. After finding the, Greyson splattered the Insurrectionist closing in on them and loaded up the survivors and even found a scorpion tank. The group were actually able to hold position and capture the forward front and began to set up a camp there, resulting in a complete success of the operation.

Meanwhile, B-group of filled with naval strike teams were deployed to the far left ridge line and towards a small Insurgent outpost. The team arrived with other naval personnel and were quickly engaged by Insurrectionist forces the top of an rock wall. The team easily cleared them and proceeded into the outpost. Once inside, the troopers cleared the area and continued onward. Coming into what appeared as a courtyard the team was engaged by an sniper. Killing two of the other troopers, Avery and Wright were able to distract the sniper and kill him. The team continued on through and eventually cleared the entire outpost and found an Insurrectionist motor pool.

Taking a and a, the team proceeded on down through the ridge and cleared many insurgent camps. Soon afterwards, the team rejoined with UNSC forces who reached stable ground for additional UNSC forces to be deployed.

Afterwards, the two remaining troopers, Braden and  Hoffman were reassigned to Dragoon and the team would also be assigned with Beta-3 to do a drop insertion behind enemy lines. The team was deployed in three falcons in attack an outpost that had the ability to stop the entire attack force. The team landed with a small hike to the facility but were quickly engaged by a Insurgent platoon. The team made quick work of the teams and infiltrated the facility but with two causalities.

Once inside, the team proceeded to clear the main entrance of the facility and attacked an overlooking balcony. The team cleared the first floor and attacked the station's main vehicle bay holding several and. Avery and Braden placed charges along to bay while the ODSTs cleared the upper levels and Dragoon cleared the rest of the second floor. After the charges were set, the team evacuated and watched the facility go up in flames just as UNSC forces pushed into the area.

After the success of the operation, debates between high ranking leaders broke out on what action should be taken next. Percy Rammer argued for attacking the Coalition stronghold in West Barrow Valley and rescue captured soldiers. However, Quincy Leonwisnsky and  Mary Stroud argued to attack the city of Sistine to take on a small Coalition force to not out due UNSC troops.

However, either option was agreed upon and thus, both missions commenced and were approved by the respective higher ups.

Battle of Sistine
After the success of Operation: Indigo Storm, Colonel Stroud and General Leonwisnsky located a small stronghold in the city of Sistine. Leonwisnsky and Stroud deployed several teams and launched a large assault force equipped with  and two  overhead to trap the city. Beta-4 was deployed to secure the banking district of the city and a hospital supporting the Insurrection. The team was sent in and was met with heavy Insurrection activity and resistance. Moving through the squad found both a standard and a   and then moved deeper through the district. Once at the hospital, the ODST found freedom fighters and assisted them in clearing the hospital. The freedom fighters then showed Drake and his mean local underground tunnels connecting to the main Insurgent camp.

Drake led two members of his squad while Fhajad led the other four to link up with the main assault force. Using the tunnels, Drake and his team were able to infiltrate the main camp and plant dozens of explosives before retreating and detonation.

Meanwhile, Fireteam Dragoon was sent in to secure the Admin Building of the city before Insurrectionist could full take control of the city. Avery and his troops attacked the building and halted the Insurgent assault and were able to push back the attack with assistance of ODST squads. Dragoon fortified the admin and held the position until the Insurgents attacked in force. The team fended off the attack and soon, Wright was killed leaving the left flank open to insertion. Avery and Braden reinforced the left and soon, the Admin was almost surrounded with no way out.

The team did their best and continued the main defense until the Insurgents eventually broke into the building. As Dragoon continued their, more Insurgents flooded through and soon, killed Hoffman. After Hoffman's death, Braden was wounded and killed. Seeing it as a last stand, Avery and Daniels did all they could to keep the defense up until an platoon came and saved the navy personnel. Dragoon was taken off mission and returned to the UNSC Starside for another deployment. However, the mission was proven a success.

Assault on Valley Three
After the success of Operation: Indigo Storm, General Rammer then deployed troops to an stronghold in West Barrow Valley, dubbed Valley Three. Greyson and the 196th was one such squad, the team's primary objective was to secure taken by Insurgents and to blow possible hole for the city to sink into the ground. successfully infiltrated the city due to the diversion from the arial forces deployed and found a POW camp about a klick within the city. Greyson ordered Taylor and two new squad mates to begin finding weak ground to place the charges on while he and. Anthony Dutch would free the prisoners.

After the prisoners were freed, Greyson, Dutch and the POW's moved towards a evac site and secured the location and called in a pelican. Taylor then reported that the Insurrectionist discovered them and were under heavy fire from almost all sides. Greyson then had the pelican come to Taylor's position and retrieved the army soldiers and then detonated the explosives they placed down. Though the explosives did not do what the team had planned, they still wiped out a small portion of the city and killed dozens of Insurgents. Though the city still stood, the Insurrectionist ceased to exist there and plenty of civilians were evacuated and given full medical care back in Longdale. Overall, the assault was a success and Greyson was then promoted to in the  and Taylor then becoming a  in his place.

Battle of Hanover
About a week after the complete recapture of Indigo Cove, most of the UNSC forces were moved to the continent of Morse, the last major stronghold of the on the planet. The 196th and Beta-4 were deployed to Hanover to set up a base of operations. Little did the UNSC know that the Insurgents had deployed motor and around the city and the continent holding a steady grip on the area.

Greyson and his team along with Drake and Beta-4 would be shot down outside Hanover and landed in Hanover Fields around two klicks from the city. Meeting stiff resistance along the way, the group finally made it to Hanover and were able to infiltrate the city via the sewers. After the group emerged, they headed deep into the city and found a power plant, suppling power to almost the whole city. The team destroyed the plant and ceased power to the outer defense and allowed the to invade the city.

UNSC forces stormed the city and quickly were able to gain air superiority within the battle. Simpson ordered all vessels to fall back while army and marines forces held off the attacking UNSC troops. However, both sides entered a stand still with one another as all air forces fell to one another. Ground forces were also locked in extreme combat, earning a stalemate. Greyson and Drake then led the 196th along with Zeta-12 into the deeper region of the city and entered an Insurrectionist controlled mine. The teams entered the mine and secured the main entrance and barricaded for extra reinforcement.

The teams moved through the mines and gained access to several Insurgent controlled stations including a water route. The teams entered in three small barges and set off down the underground river way. The group easily dealt with more Insurgents along the way and soon found the exit and came across the largest Insurgent stronghold on the planet, Ages Facility, an old massive mining facility underground.

The group made their way through and planted several charges and eventually found a landing pad. Hijacking three falcons, the teams sent off and escaped the facility without being spotted at all and returned to UNSC air space.

Operation: CLOUD COVER
Rammer approved a full scale assault on the stronghold and along with Greyson developed Operation: Cloud Cover. Greyson, Drake and their respective squads deployed from low-orbit drop pods and were sent in along with an entire ground assault team and several teams infiltrating the facility through the mines. The Insurgents were completely caught off-guard and had no time to prepare.

Greyson and Drake were tasked with the destruction of the power supply to shut down base defenses and active troop movements. Finding the power supply, the two did what they always do, blow it up and destroyed the flow of power and thus ceased all alarms and all station defenses. Troopers then infiltrated the facility and were able to completely capture the area and the leader,  Dwight Simpson and forced a cease fire and release of the planet back to  and  control.

Cultural
Following the campaign between both UNSC and Coalition forces, opinions on the matter seemed split into a four way streak. One group praised the and  for their interventions against the Coalition and thank them for freeing the planet from an “oppressive” regime. On the other side was those who supported the Coalition and believed that the UNSC only cared for the economics of the world and not the people. However, that group was shunned by society and many left the planet to join the Coalition. The third group of people grew to hate both the UEG and Coalition equally. The group was mostly made up of farmers and wealthy land owners whose land and crops were destroyed, raided or stolen during the battle and thus lost income to competitors. The final group of people were those not effected by the battle and thus, didn't truly care for the end politics of the matter. However, those in the fourth group did supply both economic and relief aid to those whom were effected by the fighting.

Memorial Hall
Following the rebellion, the UEG established Memorial Hall within the city of Longdale to commemorate the UNSC heroes and leaders of the battle against the Coalition. Paintings, images and other pieces of memorabilia are located within the hall. The hall also serves as a museum for the battle, having main exhibits and articles about the small war itself.

Veterans from the battle and those who lived through it also step in to give input on certain topics about the battle and to give presentations and discussions about it as well. However, these normally come from and  citizens and not Coalition personnel.

Economic
The campaign took a large economic toll on the planet, destroying much of the farming and mining industries across the world. Many stable farmers were forced to watch as their income fell to competitors and off world products. Many mineral business were closed down and other sources of income were in demand from store clerks and construction workers for the rebuilding efforts. The lack of economic aid from the UEG made many work not particularly enjoy the government’s leadership as jobs continued to slip away from people’s grasps.

Political
Select groups of people grew to hate the UEG for the lack of aid in the reconstruction efforts and for acting as an oppressive government once UNSC troops were permanently stationed on the world. Others only sought to increase the divide as those who did support the UEG would scream it out in public. Heated debates arose from the battle and how to operate Sentiment after the colony took such major economic and political hits by both UEG and Coalition forces.

November 3

 * The Sentiment Fleet of the Coalition of the New Earth Government arrives at Sentiment and engages UNSC forces.
 * naval defenses contact Fleet Comm and request reinforcements.
 * The UNSC Blitzkrieg arrives with other UNSC vessels and begin to fend off Coalition ships.
 * Both Coalition and UNSC deploy ground forces.

November 4

 * The Coalition take the cities of Longdale and Ora and the continent of Morse.
 * UNSC responds quickly by sending special forces to both cities.
 * The UNSC are able to drive the Coalition out of both cities and slowly out of the Indigo Cove.

November 8

 * Operation: INDIGO STORM begins.
 * The UNSC are able to retake the Indigo Valley in a matter of hours and push the Coalition back to its last two strongholds for the continent.

November 11

 * The Battle of Sistine begins. A bulk of the main UNSC ground and air forces attack Sistine’s outskirts and bomb major Coalition bases within the city.
 * Jacob Wright is killed in the defense of Sistine Admin Building.
 * Hoffman is killed in the defense of Sistine Admin Building.
 * Braden is killed in the defense of Sistine Admin Building.
 * Fireteam Dragoon is pulled from combat due to heavy losses.

November 12

 * squadron, Beta-4 and local freedom fighters attack and destroy the main Coalition campsite in Sistine, freeing the city.
 * Assault on Valley Three begins.

November 13

 * The 196th and other army special forces rescue UNSC  from Valley Three.
 * The 196th and other engineer teams plant explosives around the permitter of the city and in its swears.
 * The explosives go off and West Barrow Valley falls into a pit below.
 * UNSC recaptures Indigo Cove.

November 20

 * UNSC forces launch an attack against the city of Hanover.
 * UNSC gains air superiority and begins bombing runs inside the deeper city.
 * The 196th and Beta-4 locate a hidden mine shaft housing the Coalition’s command.

November 22

 * After reporting the find, the 196th, Beta-4 and other elite teams dropped into the shaft in Operation: CLOUD COVER.
 * The mineshaft was taken by UNSC forces.
 * Dwight Simpson surrenders and the Coalition is defeated.

November 25

 * The last Coalition forces are taken into custody.
 * The holds a ceremony for the considered heroes of the battle, promoting squad leaders to ranks higher than their original ones.
 * The battle concludes.