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Concurrent:	Scramble onboard Forerunner Dreadnought
Next:	Battle of Sector Six
Battle of Cleveland
Conflict:	Human-Covenant War Battle for Earth
Date:	c.November 16–17, 2552[Note 1]
Location:	Cleveland,Ohio,United Republic of North America,Earth
Outcome:	UNSC victory[1] Covenant forces repelled Remainingcivilians evacuated Much of Covenant occupation ofEarth successfully delayed
Details Belligerents UNSC UNSC Marine Corps UNSC Air Force Civilians Covenant Commanders SGTTwyker[1] IOMWesley[1] Minister of Inquisition†[1] ShipmasterLepidus[2] Strength 1+ODSTFireteam[3] M12 Chaingun Warthogs[2] M12G1 Gauss Warthogs[2] M831 Troop Transport Warthogs[3] AV-14 Hornets[3] D77H-TCI Pelicans[2] 1Moncton-class orbital weapon platform[1] Armedcivilians[2] 1+Ket-pattern battlecruiser[2] NumerousT-52 Phantoms[2] NumerousT-26A Banshees[2] NumerousT-26C Banshees[2] T-29 Shadows[2] 1+T-47B Scarab[4] Many ground forces[2] Jiralhanae Unggoy Kig-Yar Mgalekgolo Casualties COLJames Ackerson[1] Ruwan Ackerson[1] Heavy infantry casualties[4] Many civilians[4] Much of Cleveland destroyed[3] Heavy ground casualties Harbinger of Piety[1] Minister of Inquisition[1]

"I gotta know... how much of yourEarth campaign did you lose trying to find it? Come on, I really want to know... how many of you idiots did it take to screw in an imaginary lightbulb?"

—ColonelJames Ackerson on the Covenant's defeat shortly after the Battle of Cleveland.^[1]

TheBattle of Cleveland was anengagement between theUnited Nations Space Command and theCovenant that took place inCleveland,Ohio, onEarth during theBattle for Earth around betweenNovember 16 and 17, 2552.^{[Note 1]}Civilians notably were a significant part of the war effort against the Covenant in this conflict.^[2] This battle was a turning point of the Battle for Earth and ultimately delayed the Covenant from pressing their overrunning onslaught of Earth but at cost of the UNSC'sHome Fleet over Earth and most of surviving UNSC planetside forces being already routed by theProphet of Truth'sfinal overwhelming invasion forces despite particularly hard fighting.^[3][1][5][6]

Background[edit]

Colonel James Ackerson: "Good luck... you won't stand a chance."

Shipmaster Lepidus: "We're having our way with it. Right now. And you will be executed as part of the victory ceremony."

Colonel James Ackerson: "If you idiots...rrr...attack Earth... you will never find theKey."

—ColonelJames Ackerson and theShipmasterLepidus.^[2]

Following the loss ofMars at the hands of theCovenantFleet of Furious Redemption, the Covenant, now under command of theProphet of Truth andJiralhanae as of the beginning of theGreat Schism, began to concentrate more of their forces on Earth, resulting in a dramatic increase of ground and naval deployments on theplanet.^[3] At some point before the assault on Cleveland,Australia, particularlySydney, was assaulted by the Covenant and much of the country or the continent was brutally destroyed by the Covenantbombardment.^[7][8]

Aboard one of theFurious Redemptionvessels,Triumphant Declaration,ColonelJames Ackerson was captured aboard thebattlecruiser after theBattle of Mare Erythraeum, where he was about to be executed byLepidus, the JiralhanaeShipmaster of the ship, in celebration of the defeat of Mars and Earth.^[2] However, afterColonelJames Ackerson told them about theKey of Osanalan, a supposedForerunner artifact that was apparently hidden in Cleveland, while under interrogation after his capture at theBattle of Mare Erythraeum.^[2] Ackerson said that the Covenant will not find the Key if they are continuing to destroy remaining Earth cities, and that the Key was a necessary component for the firing sequence of theHalo Array.^[2] However, Ackerson told the Covenant about the Key of Osanalan only in order to confuse the Covenant and to save his brother,Ruwan; the Key was actually an imaginary object the brothers pretended to quest for when they were children.^[2][3] Confused and worried by the now unconscious Colonel, the Covenant assaulted Cleveland around morning of November 16 or evening of November 15 but would notdestroy the city before getting the Key, and Ruwan's knowledge of the Key would help him and others escape.^[2]

Battle[edit]

Fight for the Key of Osanalan[edit]

Covenant forces assaulting the UNSC in the middle of the city.

"This came!!That's what came!!! This is it?This?? Why are they here?? Look at all the stuff they have!! Why do theyneed to do this?? Blowing up a fancy hotel?? Taking over ahotel?? You came halfway across whatever to take over a resort city??I don't understand!! We weren't bothering anybody!!"

—CivilianRuwan Ackerson when the Covenant began their assault on Cleveland.^[2]

The Covenant quickly assaulted Cleveland, taking light casualties as they battledMarines and armedcivilians. However, during the battle, the Covenant did not make any attempt to destroy the city or kill any civilians. At this time,Ruwan Ackerson who worked as a hotel concierge meetMyras Tyla, a famousstyllight player, in an attacked hotel. After successfully securing most of the city, the Covenantcaptured many civilians and brought them toJacobs Field inOld Cleveland in order to question them about the Key of Osanalan. Among the civilians, Ruwan Ackerson stated to Myras Tyla that he knew what the Covenant were looking.^[2]

Soon after the civilians were incarcerated, afireteam ofOrbital Drop Shock Troopers dropped off fromAV-14 Hornets attacked the stadium and swiftly killed most of the Covenant forces, allowing everyone to flee, and Ruwan and Myras Tyla escaped as well and drove aM831 Warthog to safety after taking two fallenType-25 plasma pistols. Tyla blamed her ex-boyfriend,Philip, for having left her behind in the city while thinking of spending a new life with Ruwan. They headed to a safe section of the city, where Myras killed off a trio ofUnggoy Minors with an overcharged bolt strike from her plasma pistol. They helped themselves to some supplies on the Warthog, and set up a little camp for themselves. Furthermore, they chatted a while, and almost kissed just when the ground started to shake and chunking sounds were from aDeutoros-pattern Scarab that appeared, forcing them to run to relative safety.^[4]

Then, after riding the Warthog again despite encountering several Jiralhanae resistances, Ruwan and Myra arrived at aD77H-TCI Pelican used as an evacuation transport for civilian to meet a team of Marines in attempt to find Ruwan's colonel brother,James, just when aRuwaa-pattern Shadow violently crashed on the area, causing a large explosion in the city. However, Ruwan and Tyla and other civilians survived the crash and were later saved by the team and escaped the city in the Pelican, where the two formers tell the Marines what the Key of Osanalan is.^[3]

Luring the Covenant forces[edit]

Ruwan Ackerson, Myras Tyla, and the squad were brought in the Cleveland sewers.^[1] By the time, theForerunner Dreadnought carrying theProphet of Truth, stillscrambled by theSPARTAN-IIMaster Chief Petty OfficerJohn-117, arrived over Earth on November 17 in early morning where theUNSC Home Fleet was now practically decimated by the fighting in high Earth orbit against Truth'sfinal and massive Covenant armada,^[1] which let the fleet to finish it off by beginning tobombard the rest of the planet, resulting massive human casualties.^[6] Ruwan, Tyla and the squad eventually end up in a secret underground UNSC base to meet with the leader of the remaining UNSC forces in the area,SergeantTwyker. There, Ruwan explains to the marines how he and his brother made up the Key of Osanalan when they were boys.^[1]

Although they were initially hostile to Ruwan, Twyker and Intelligence Operations ManagerWesley soon realized the importance of the Key of Osanalan. They contacted the Covenant to inform them that they had the Key and requested a meeting to deliver it to the Covenant. Ruwan volunteered to partake in the meeting and was injected withTykos 30, an organic tracking material. Meanwhile, Tyla and other civilians were evacuated.^[1]

He then was taken toChagrin Falls, where aJiralhanae chieftain demanded that Ackerson relinquish the Key of Osanalan and surrounded him with an army of Jiralhanae. Ruwan told them thathe was the Key. Confused, the Covenant brought him aboard an orbitingKet-pattern battlecruiser in mid-low Earth orbit and near theForerunner Dreadnought,Harbinger of Piety, before theSan'ShyuumMinister of Inquisition, who questioned him about theHalo Array, but the civilian was confused. Then again, he vowed to spare Earth from the Covenant assault in exchange for knowledge of Ruwan. The Minister of Inquisition then revealed he knew about the tracking material inside Ackerson and presumed that it was a homing beacon for rescue. Ruwan corrected him, stating it was a targeting vector for theorbital defense platformNassau to fire on the ship.Nassau Station then fired itsMagnetic Accelerator Cannon, destroying the ship and killing everyone aboard.^[1]

After hearing of the destruction ofHarbinger of Piety, Ackerson began to openly mock the Covenant, saying that their pompous arrogance would cost them the war. He was then beheaded byLepidus who claimed that the Covenant's blind fervor will lead to their victory.^[1]

Aftermath[edit]

The refugees were evacuated to a relief camp inAkron.^[1]

Because of their gullibility, the Covenant lost many soldiers and ships, as well as an importantminister, in the search for the nonexistent Key of Osanalan. However, this victory came at a cost: Cleveland was catastrophically damaged as a result of the furious urban combat that took place, and a large percentage of its civilian population were killed in the sudden invasion.^[1]

Participants[edit]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Covenant herding civilians in a stadium.

List of appearances[edit]

• Halo: Uprising(First appearance)

Notes[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Engagements in the Battle for Earth

• Articles with incomplete sections