Chapter Four: War Briefing
Excerpt from UNSC Nova Company Admiral James Hawke's "Report on 'The Battle of Spira.'"
I had visited Haven a week before the invasion. I remember stumbling into a small girl, who had dropped her chocolate-chip cookie into the sewer drain. I had comforted her and got her to stop crying; telling the girl that I would buy her an entire truck full of cookies. She had hugged me, surprised that I would be so kind. The next day I had ordered the cookies; they would've arrived in nine five days…
The attack on Spira was a complete surprise; we were caught completely off-guard. We believe the Covenant were first able to scan human activity on Spira, and locate our COMM Facilities. With our global communications and Defense Grid offline, we would be unable to mount an effective defensive strategy or counterattack; giving the Covenant the element of surprise AND the upper hand.
On the morning of July 1st, the Covenant managed to sneak Phantom Dropships into our atmosphere, using stealth camouflage and radar jammers. The Phantoms headed straight for our COMM Centers, taking most of them out in less than two hours; dropping our BattleNet Communications and disabling the Orbital Defense Grid.
Within the next hour Covenant Cruisers exited slipspace and entered the atmosphere, decloaking and casting shadows on the cities below. Seven cruisers occupied our airspace while other frigates kept our ships in space at bay. Spira was cut off entirely from air support and our reinforcements; we were trapped.
The Covenant hammered our forces with a fierce offensive, conquering cities and forcing our armies to retreat and regroup. We were separated and disorganized, and unable to provide air evacuation and support to our soldiers.
Survivors in enemy territory have given reports of the Covenant digging into the ground; searching for something. We also know that the Covenant now occupy the area around Gamma Halo, keeping our recon ships away from the area. The Covenant are searching; digging on Spira for some kind of clue on how to get into the Halo and activate it.
We need help. The Covenant Fleet is larger than we anticipated, and their leader, an Elite General known as Odin, is more than capable of leading another Covenant Empire. Spira is now a battlefield, not a colony. If the Covenant is able to find a way onto Gamma Halo; all will be lost. If the Covenant are able to uncover the secrets of Spira itself; all will be lost. It's Reach all over again, sir.
We need to act now; we need the entire UNSC army aboard Frigates and en route to Spira immediately. If we lose this planet to the Covenant, it will be the end of time itself.
-End Transmission