| abstract
| - Ostensibly the final battle of the Great War, the Siege of Sol was the month-long conflict that served as the culmination of the conflict, dealing serious political, military and technological blows to both factions. As the final days of the Human-Covenant War drew near, the UNSC's final fortress world, Reach, was destroyed in a swift Covenant siege. The loss of manpower and ships was immense, and once refugees arrived over the next week, moral began to fracture despite ONI Section 2's best efforts. As the UEG scrambled to assemble some form of counter-measure against the oncoming panic and the looming alien war machine, time at last ran out. The Covenant discovered Earth. At approximately 1000 hours on October 20th, 2552, the first forces of the Covenant invasion fleet exited slipspace near Earth and began the siege. While at first the battle received mixed results for both sides, the UNSC pushed on and appeared to drive the fleet away within a day's time as the Prophet of Regret fled. However, a second, far larger fleet soon arrived and began a renewed assault against the human defenders. This conflict expanded across Earth, Luna and Mars, as well as other small skirmishes, continuing for over a month. In the minds of many historians, the Sol campaign represents the culmination of UNSC military doctrine's successes and failures, as well as shedding significant light on their Covenant counterparts. It also serves as a lesson regarding the dueling roles of UNSC and UEG governing bodies: where the UNSC was busy supervising the defense of strategic locations and war assets, the UEG moved to undermine them, bidding for simultaneous escape and possible peace treaties. The enacting of UEG Article 17.J.34 by the UNSC Security Council - allowing them unlimited emergency power for the duration of the crisis - proved the only way for the UNSC to maintain order and continue the defense of the planet. The Siege of Sol also helped to both cement the legendary status of the Spartan supersoldiers, and to plant the idea that Covenant races were not always villainous monsters. The Spartans - most notably John-117 and the members of Blue Team - helped to defend and liberated numerous locations around the planet throughout the invasion. Aided by eye witness accounts and ONI propaganda, their status as larger-than-life heroes became even more ingrained into the psyches of every day citizens. As for the Covenant, the Sangheili separatist movement towards the end of the battle managed to convince a small portion of military personnel and civilians that the war was the fault of the Covenant's leaderships, not necessarily all its members. This mindset was a very small minority, however, and anti-Covenant sentiments would continue to rise for years to come.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)