Battle of Sigma Octanus IV

"We've come to take Sigma Octanus IV back from the Covenant. To do that, we're going to kill every last one of them."

- Master Chief

July 17, 2552

 * 0000 Hours: UNSC Remote Scanning Outpost Archimedes detects a large silhouette in Slipspace heading for the system. It is suspected to be a group of Covenant ships but it could also be an asteroid. The station transmits its information to the planet Sigma Octanus IV.
 * 0300 Hours: The UNSC Destroyer Iroquois arrives in system on patrol. The vessel's captain, Commander Jacob Keyes, receives the sensor information and realizes it is a Covenant threat. He contacts FLEETCOM and informs them of the situation.
 * 0320 Hours: 4 Covenant vessels appear in the system: 1 Carrier, 1 destroyer, 2 frigates. The UNSC Iroquois engages the enemy and sends out a distress signal. The UNSC Gettysburg, UNSC Allegiance, and UNSC Alliance(NOTE: The Allegiance and Alliance are probably the same ship.) respond and begin heading to the system.
 * 0330 Hours: Commander Keyes executes a move dubbed the Keyes Loop which takes out three quarters of the battle group which includes two frigates and a destroyer, an almost impossible feat by any standards. The carrier launches landing craft toward Sigma Octanus IV, then retreats into slipspace.
 * 0345 Hours: Covenant ground forces invade the city of Côte d'Azur on the planet.
 * 0500 Hours: 47 additional vessels arrive in the system. Admiral Michael Stanforth arrives aboard the UNSC Leviathan and takes command.
 * 0520 Hours: Marine forces begin landing around Cote d'Azur
 * 0600 Hours: Covenant forces ambush and obliterate all marine forces on the ground. of the 400 marines sent to the ground, 14 enlisted men have survived. Corporal Harland takes tactical command.
 * 0625 Hours: Covenant vessels begin appearing on the edge of the system.
 * 0650 Hours: Spartan Forces arrive on the surface of the planet to relieve marine forces.
 * 0900 Hours: Spartans take tactical command of the ground situation.
 * 1800 Hours: Spartan and marine forces begin a counterattack on Cote d'Azur.
 * 2010 Hours: Spartans arm nuclear device below Cote d'Azur.
 * 2039 Hours: Nuclear warhead destroys all covenant ground forces at Cote d'Azur.
 * 2120 Hours: General alarm is sounded and fleets prepare to engage one another.
 * 2130 Hours: Repair station Cradle moves to protect UNSC fleet. First salvos are fired by the Covenant Vessels.
 * 0500 Hours:* The battle in orbit ends. All Covenant vessels either retreat or are destroyed.

''* Note: There is an apparent time discrepancy in the continuity of the book as to the exact times. Chapter 19 begins at 600 hours while Chapter 20 begins at 1800, and it seems as though there is no significant lapse of time between them. Chapter 22 Begins at 2010 Hours and then Chapter 23 begins at 0500 hours, yet they all claim to have happened on July 17.'' This may have been a typo, and Chapter 23 was meant to be July 18 or a flashback of sorts.

Ships

 * UNSC Iroquois
 * UNSC Leviathan
 * UNSC Gettysburg
 * UNSC Allegiance
 * UNSC Alliance
 * UNSC Lancelot
 * Cradle
 * Remote Scanning outpost Archimedes
 * UNSC Fair Weather

Characters

 * Captain Jacob Keyes
 * Admiral Micheal Stanforth
 * General Kits
 * Lieutenant Dominique
 * Lieutenant Hall
 * Lieutenant Hikowa
 * Lieutenant Jaggers
 * Ensign William Lovell
 * Spartan-117
 * Spartan-104
 * Spartan-James
 * Spartan-087
 * Spartan-029
 * Spartan-058
 * Corporal Harland
 * Private Fincher
 * Private Walker
 * Private Cochran