Harvest

Harvest was a former human colony, and the first colony to be glassed by the Covenant.

Human-Covenant War
The first ship to arrive at Harvest after contact was lost was the CMA Argo, a humble scout vessel that was quickly destroyed soon after establishing orbit. After this, the CMA dispatched Battle Group 4, who arrived in the Heimdall system on August 29, 2525. They encountered a massive alien vessel that was bombarding the colony. After attempting first contact, Battle Group 4 was fired upon and almost destroyed in the span of a minute. Only the CMA Hercules escaped, and the damage it sustained meant that it spent months attempting to reach the UNSC military center of Falaknuma.

The UNSC immediately assembled the thirty-ship-strong Battle Group X-Ray, which was led by the newly-returned Vice Admiral Preston Cole. They returned to Harvest on March 1, 2526, where they were successful at defeating the battleship and retaking control of the system. However, they lost thirteen ships and only Cole's last-minute inspiration prevented more from being destroyed. This was the start of the Harvest Campaign, where the UNSC and the Covenant clashed for ground control of the colony, which did not end until 2531. During this time, Harvest was an extremely important logistical lynch-pin for the UNSC, and it also a launching point for deep strikes into the Holy Ecumene.

The UNSC's ability to reliably supply Harvest was compromised by the fall of the Asgard Stratum worlds and Madrigal. By 2533, the UNSC abandoned the system altogether.

Government and politics
After Harvest was glassed, a government-in-exile was established by former Governor Nils Thune and later led by Carl Olafssen. Although starting off strong, integration of Harvest's refugees into their civilian populations diminished the authority and need for a continuing government, and it was eventually shut down in 2533, when the UNSC finally abandoned Harvest.

Population
Out of a population of over three million, only a few hundreds of thousands managed to escape the bloodshed. Vengeful for the loss of their world, many Harvestites enlisted into the UNSC military. The majority of those who did not choose to serve established a farming area the size of Alaska on Gao.

List of appearances

 * Through the Bush, Nothing but Jackal