The Battle of CE 10-2165 d was both a planetary and naval battle in the Forerunner-Flood war. The Flood assailed the Forerunner planetside with 12,423 small recreational vessels and seven large freight carriers, jumping into the orbital perimeter. The recreational vessels were used as ablative armor, meaning they formed a disposable "heat shield" around the carriers upon atmospheric entry, therefore ensuring that the carriers made landfall, while the recreational vessels disintegrated on entry, and while the Forerunner Defense Fleet already had foreknowledge of the Flood strategy, the sheer number of vessels overwhelmed the orbital garrison and bulwark, and the carriers were able to enter the atmosphere and land their forces onto the major population centers to infect the Forerunner popula