Invicta Series Timeline

A Summarized Timeline of Recent Human History (2490-Present)

Key Sections of Timeline: The Resurgence (2541 onwards), pre-Resurgence events are not detailed as is protocol.

AD 2490: Over 800 worlds are within Earth-controlled space.

AD 2494: The Insurrection begins with the Far Isle Crisis. It will continue until after the Human-Covenant War.

AD 2506: Project Orion- the precursor to the Spartan Program- is shut down due to cost and time constraints.

AD 2511: John-117 is born.

AD 2517: ONI kidnaps 75 children for the Spartan-II Program.

AD 2525: The Earth-colonized world of Harvest becomes the site of First Contact between the human race and the alien Covenant. It would begin the decades-long war that would drive humanity to the edge of extinction.

AD 2526: Circinius IV is glassed.

AD 2528: Madrigal is glassed.

AD 2535: The Cole Protocol is established by military order, as dozens of Outer Colonies fall.

[The Resurgence]

AD 2541:

- A freighter inbound from Reach to Earth drops out of Slipspace too late, resulting in a crash-landing on the southern Promethei Planum region- which had always been known as the 'Bermuda Triangle' of Mars. Quick response units from the Mars Colonial Government and UNSC reveal an alien installation deep under the surface, the source of the gravitational fluctuations that became the catalyst for the 'Promethei Triangle.' A mad search for technologies to use against the Covenant begins, spearheaded by scientists.

AD 2542:

- The UNSC researchers in the 'Prothean' installation on Mars discover the Mass Effect, and renamed the installation into the Mars Archives the next month.

- A design for a Mass Effect-based FTL drive is built and utilized onboard a Charon-class Light Frigate, allowing for an impressive 12.7 Light Years per day. At the time, Human Slipspace Drives could reach 2.625 Light Years/day on average, with the faster ships reaching 3 LY/D. However, the ME Drive overheats after two days of continuous usage. This news, however, is secondary to what scientists hail as an earthshattering discovery. It allows FTL in real-space. Work begins on the Mass Effect-Slipspace Hybrid Drives, while the UNSC shifts dozens of starships for EEZO-finding and mining duties.

- The first 'Kinetic Barrier' systems are tested for infantry and starship usage, though it is far from effective against the Covenant's weaponry.

AD 2543:

- The ESD-43 Hybrid Drive is built and tested in early 2543, allowing the slowest of UNSC military ships to travel at 650 Light Years per Day. However, like the ME FTL Drives, this can only be sustained for an average of two days, with a record speed of 834 Light Years per Day for two and a half days for the faster starships. The speed of the Drive without EEZO remains the same. Though the transits are reportedly rougher, this gives the UNSC quick response capabilities that could only be dreamed about, although the exits from Slipspace are still an issue.

- Vice Admiral Cole initiates Operation TURNING POINT, using an upgraded Battle Group India (composed of 162 Warships) to lure the Covenant into a trap, before springing Battle Group Phoenix and Battle Group Orion (composed of 117 warships and 124 warships respectively) onto the Covenant fleet. Though one hundred and fifteen UNSC warships would be lost with all hands, the battle leads to the first decisive victory for the UNSC against the Covenant, who lost all 327 warships. It should be noted that this large force was a huge risk on the UNSC's part, as it comprised approximately a sixth of the entire UNSC navy. Cole's modern-day status as one of the five greatest Great War heroes likely stems from this battle.

- A heavily damaged but intact Covenant CRS-class Light Cruiser, as well as a single moderately damaged Covenant frigate are captured by the UNSC Marines and Spartans, and are towed back to UNSC space, a calculated risk given that there was a chance of being tracked.

AD 2544:

- A Mass Relay, later found to be of a Secondary Variant, is found in Charon, which is used by the Paris-class Heavy Frigate UNSC Maui to travel 38 Light Years in a blink of an eye to the Arcturus System, in the opposite 'direction' of UNSC space.

- The Covenant Frigate (CFG-class, as it named) becomes a focus of UNSC scientists, especially the anti-Plasma Torpedo 'counter guiding signals' system and the energy shield systems. Though much progress is made on the former, the latter finds no headway in the hands of the scientists.

- A further understanding of Kinetic Barrier systems is made, with the theories formed there being applied to the Energy Shields, with some minor progress being made as a result.

- More mass relays are activated, leading to systems that are thousands of light years away being discovered.

- Utilizing their newfound popularity, the UNSC takes the chance to fully abolish the civilian government this year. Civilian representatives' protests at the usage of mass nuclear detonations, torture of prisoners, mass executions of Covenant soldiers, and NOVA research have irked the UNSC for years.

- Civilians from 'risky' colonies are evacuated to the new ones planned beyond the Mass Relay Network, primarily Terra Nova, Demeter, and New Wales. As tens of millions flock to the planned colonies, large numbers of shipyards and mining complexes are planned to allow for more war material. These newly formed colony worlds are named the Haven Frontier, part of the Haven Frontier Colonial Sector (colloquially called the Haven Frontier or Haven Sector). Much of the Outer Colonies' industrial capacity is planned for movement to the Haven Frontier, spread across the three settled worlds.

AD 2545:

- The manic pace of research finally pays off. The Mk1 Plasma Torpedo Counter Targeting Systems is installed on UNSC warships, giving them a large chance of evading Plasma Torpedoes' target locks for up to ten seconds, buying invaluable time, and a smaller one at disrupting Energy Projector targeting systems, though it only buys a few seconds for the latter.

- Kinetic Barrier systems are installed on many ships, and though it stops the plasma itself with ease, the 'heat' from the plasma used by the Covenant will always seep through. Still, thick UNSC armor can cope better with this, as the plasma is 'further' away when they release the heat. Before the new Barriers, the plasma hit the ship's hull, but now they explode outside the hull, with meters of space to cool some of the heat down. Smaller ships have a chance of surviving plasma torpedoes now- and with Plasma Torpedo CTS installed; it gives them a fighting chance. However energy projectors will still tear apart ships, as it is not plasma but energized matter, and has a range that exceeds that of the UNSC MACs, with the UNSC Kinetic Barrier systems being useless against it.

- Study begins regarding Covenant Energy Projectors, which were the specifically the downsized ones aboard the CRS-class Light Cruiser.

- Pulse Lasers were also taken from the Covenant frigate to further the research on human pulse laser systems.

- The Covenant attacks on Actium and Draco III are repelled by the UNSC 5th and 7th Fleets respectively, accompanied by Quick Response Flotillas, with dozens of Covenant starships being destroyed, although UNSC casualties are still high.

- The United Earth Directorate is formed as the replacement of the Unified Earth Government. At its top is the High Council, which is composed of the Head of the UNSC, Premier (Speaker of the Senate, who has little sway in reality), and Minister of Civil Affairs, with the head of ONI, high ranking intelligence/military officers and other senior officials as advisors. The other parts are the Senate -which are composed of the former UEG Senate, just inexplicably without the outspoken antimilitary senators, who all disappeared- and the Assembly, which is composed solely of three AIs that are randomly chosen depending on the circumstances.

- The Senate is used for drafting laws and handling interplanetary issues, while the Assembly is for the review of the aforementioned laws. A law requires both majority vote in the Senate and Assembly to be passed, with the Council only being able to veto it if it will cause undue harm to the State. The High Council is the ruling body of the entire UED. The Premier chairs it, but everything is put to a vote, with a majority needed to win. It is a widely known secret that the Premier has no actual power, with the Head of the UNSC being the final authority in the UED. The Minister of Civil Affairs is the head of the Directorate State Ministries, which contain everything from the Ministry of Science to the Ministry of Colonization, most of them with UNSC attaches. Ministers are elevated to their positions by the Council and Assembly (suggested by former, confirmed by latter). Going by the political systems Humanity developed, one could reasonably classify the United Earth Directorate as a military state.

AD 2546:

- As kinetic barriers prove to be rather useless for infantry purposes (especially against the Covenant), not much has changed in the ground warfare tactics, save for the increase of morale amongst the human forces.

- Several researchers predict a breakthrough in Shield Technologies, while the new industrial complexes in the Haven Frontier begin adding their might to the UNSC's established industries.

- Prowlers are sent to scout for Covenant worlds, and Vice Admiral Whitcomb's science teams finish the prototype NOVA Bombs, which have been altered to use Element Zero as one of its catalysts.

- Sargasso is attacked, and though the Covenant was initially victorious a counterstrike manages to destroy a portion of the Covenant fleet. Sargasso's population of fifty-one million is depleted to a scant two million, most of them younger than ten years of age. The Covenant force caged them for unknown reasons, killing their parents and other adults in front of them. A large portion of the initial Spartan-IV Program would be from Sargasso, trained as Spartan-IIs with advanced technologies. Upwards of ninety-seven percent of the Sargasso survivors would end up serving in the military in some function.

- The Sargasso Massacre is used by the UNSC to fan the flames of hatred against the Covenant, with activists seeking a peaceful resolution to the war being drowned out (the ones that didn't disappear, that is).

- A larger Covenant armada overruns New Llanelli's defense flotilla, and the colony is invaded, though the Covenant barely established a FOB before a UNSC Counterstrike Fleet forced them out of the system, although it was done at great cost. The sheer numbers of the Covenant infantry are somewhat countered by the skill and new tech that the UNSC Marines and Army are using, but getting swarmed is still a regular occurrence, especially with the Covenant increasing their number of Grunts.

- Several scientists begin designing a robot that might be able to provide battlefield support.

- On the High Council's authority, the Colonial Defense Act and Unconditional Service Act are implemented. The Colonial Defense Force is formed, with every colony required to maintain a CDF Unit. Conscription is put into place on all worlds, with the option of shorter terms of services in the Army, or longer terms in the CDF. The CDF is under Army jurisdiction, but does not deploy off-world under normal circumstances. Police, firefighting and paramedical units are considered part of the CDF when in combat situations.

AD 2547:

- As Covenant death tolls mount (with a gleeful humanity doing the killing this time) in space, the UNSC Prowler Midnight Blaze finds several Covenant Forward Operations Bases on several worlds. Spartan-III Teams are sent, with S-IIs as backup, to raid these bases and retrieve intelligence regarding the location of the Covenant homeworlds. While the raids are technically a success, no homeworlds are found. Rather, several colonies' locations were retrieved.

- Prowlers with NOVA Bomb payloads are deployed to these worlds, exiting Slipspace at the edge of a system and crawling to their targets. In the first week of Operation STRIKER alone, ten Covenant worlds are shattered and 4 and a half billion Covenant civilians are killed. The news is broadcasted all over human space, with a bloodthirsty human populace boosting the military state's popularity.

- A second set of Haven Frontier colonies are founded, bringing the number to twelve.

- Earth's Orbital Defense Grid has some of the ODPs removed to provide a static defense for other worlds, though more are being constructed. Focus, however, is placed on the warships.

- Covenant Repulsor Engines are reverse-engineered for human starship use, as are their inertial dampeners and reactors. The Human versions are notably less efficient than the Covenant's, but it helps the UNSC Navy close the gap.

- Due to the expensive price of a NOVA Bomb, smaller, Mini-NOVAs are created. Their effectiveness is somewhat decreased, being unable to shatter a planet, but a single Mini-NOVA will easily destroy the biosphere of a planet if detonated close enough, and that alone will kill off a large portion of the inhabitants (most planets won't have enough ships to evacuate the inhabitants below, not to mention the panicking that would complicate things).

- The destruction of their frontline supply bases and colonies deals a stunning blow to the Covenant's stretched supply train and morale, but efforts by the Elites to go into a total war stance are dismissed by the High Prophets, who are wary of power in Sangheili hands. As such, many of the tens of thousands of ships they have in mothball stay inactive, with only minor increases of orders for the many shipyards they have.

AD 2548:

- The first reverse-engineered energy shield system is installed onboard a UNSC ship. It is extremely weak compared to the Covenant's, allowing for ships to survive a single plasma torpedo. This practically doubles the Navy's capabilities in space.

- Covenant Inertial Dampening Systems are installed alongside the Repulsor Engines onboard UNSC warships to give them better sublight capacity, slightly increasing their Slipspace capabilities as well, allowing UNSC vessels to reach 863 LY/D on an average now, and 901 LY/D as a maximum speed. Without EEZO, the speeds increase to 5.85 LY/D.

- The armor used onboard Covenant warships is studied, with plans for it to be replicated for UNSC Starship hulls and Spartan Powered Armors, with the MJOLNIR GEN 2 being the official name. Progress on this, however, is slow.

- A lull in Covenant attacks is capitalized on mercilessly as Covenant worlds and outposts are bombarded from orbit (by nukes), with larger, better-defended planets being Mini-NOVA Bombed. The Covenant death toll hits 9 billion, just under the human death toll of eleven billion.

- Two days after the attacks on the Covenant worlds, New Roanoke is attacked and destroyed by the Covenant, with UNSC forces being unaware due to the colonial government's inability to send word. Ten million humans are killed.

AD 2549:

- A massive Covenant Armada numbering in the hundreds glasses Verent, a new human colony founded in 2520, and lays siege to the Inner Colony of Paris IV, with a large portion of the Armada continuing on to other systems. The UNSC 3rd, 4th and 8th Fleets manage to halt their advance at Arcadia, though they take grievous losses. Most of the surviving Outer Colonies are evacuated, with the evacuees being transferred to the Haven Frontier.

- The Siege of Paris IV is ended when the UNSC 5th, 6th and 9th Fleets arrive with Cole commanding them. Although it is nominally a UNSC victory, over half of Paris IV's population of 1.1 billion were killed during the Siege.

- An attempt led by Senator Nicholas Foster to restore civilian governance is crushed by the current popularity of the Military Government. Foster is trialed and executed for high treason and sedition.

- UNSC Fleet numbers are somewhat replenished due to the sudden influx from the Haven Frontier Shipyards, all upgraded with Energy Shields (much weaker than Covenant shields), Kinetic Barriers, Advanced Inertial Dampeners, Human Repulsor Engines, and Anti-Plasma Torpedo Counter Tracking Systems.

- The UNSC manages to create their own version of the Covenant Plasma Torpedo. Unlike the Covenant, who uses advanced magnetic technology for containment over long distances, the UNSC utilizes Mass Effect fields for containment. The upside to this is that Human Torpedoes are faster as a result, but the rate of fire is slower. In addition, the power costs of this (requiring a Mass Effect core for weapons alone) mean that a ship smaller than a cruiser will not be able to use the Torpedoes effectively.

- Initially developed as an alternative to the Plasma Torpedo, the Archer-II (Plasma) Cluster Missile has plasma containment fields added, with Element Zero used to power these fields. The missiles would split into five smaller missiles, increasing their chances of reaching the target. The Plasma payload also allows for greater efficiency on shields, although it is markedly less effective than Plasma Torpedoes.

- A development on the Human Plasma Torpedo is the Plasma Beam. Though Energy Projectors remain outside of the Human technological base, the intense study into Mass Effect fields allows the UNSC to innovate their own version of it. Instead of an energy-hogging weapon that would need time to charge (and drop shields at that), requiring power systems that the UNSC could only dream of, the Plasma Beams utilized a similar containment field as the Plasma Torpedoes, except that it is compressed by mass effect fields into something akin to a continuous ray. The Beam is continuous, and can last for varying amounts of time depending on power output. While not as powerful as an energy projector, and requiring intense power costs, the Plasma Beam would quickly become dreaded by the Covenant starship crews. Like the Plasma Torpedoes, however, the Plasma Beam's energy requirements means that anything smaller than a cruiser cannot fire it, and even then, a cruiser would not be able to use it very effectively.

- The Human version of the Plasma Torpedoes and Plasma Beams now see use in the new UNSC Atlantis-class Battlecruiser, which is 1.95km in length and has a main armament of Plasma Torpedoes and Plasma Beams. The downside of an Atlantis-class lies in its small fighter complement, requiring support from Carriers to ward off Covenant fighter craft, which are still a formidable threat. The UNSC Atlantis would later distinguish itself as one of the finest ships in the Navy, seeing action in nearly every major battle henceforth.

- Plasma Torpedoes are planned to be a standard on all Cruiser tonnage vessels, though upgrades take time. Plasma Beams would only become standard on starships of Battlecruiser tonnage and up, although Heavy Cruisers were planned with the goal of sporting Beams.

- The first of the new Orion-class Frigates are launched. Initially designed to use Plasma Torpedoes, the Frigates now utilize Archer-II PCMs instead as a primary weapon. They also have payloads of smaller nuclear and conventional missiles for anti-fighter and ground support operations. The Orion-class is designed solely as a result of the Atlantis Program, which had by now become the name for the project that aimed to modernize the fleet. The Orion-class would bear a resemblance to the Halberd-class Destroyers.

- While the Orion-class would come with an EEZO-core to increase their maneuverability and speed, the Atlantis-class would not come with such additions. The EEZO cost of maintaining a Cruiser-level EEZO Drive Core would make them several hundred times more expensive than those for the Frigate-class EEZO Drive Cores. EEZO Weapons Cores are more specialized and cheaper to maintain, and thus see use in the newer UNSC warships of Cruiser tonnage and up.

- Plasma Weaponry is also shown to have more effectiveness against shields during the skirmishes fought involving the new UNSC vessels.

- Despite all their upgrades, it is abundantly clear that UNSC warships are still inferior to their Covenant counterparts, but the gap is much smaller now. UNSC AIs, in particularly, become even more of an advantage with the better weapons and defense systems.

- While the UNSC is still incapable of producing Covenant Nanolaminate Armor Plating, research done in that field nets the prototype of the tentatively named Titanium A3 battle armor, of which a Hybrid variant is planned. Titanium A3 is 25-30% stronger than Titanium A2, and while it is more time-consuming to produce, the UNSC plans to utilize them for Cruiser-tonnage vessels and up. Titanium A3h, on the other hand, is a 'cheap mix' version of Titanium A3, which is actually weaker than Titanium A2 but malleable enough to use as infantry armor.

AD 2550:
- ODST Combat Suits are produced, utilizing limited energy shields and the newer Titanium A3h (A3 Hybrid) armor coating. They have strength and speed enhancing synthetic muscles, as well as the newly updated Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance Mk2 (VISR II). Though it does not even come close to the MJOLNIR GEN1 in terms of strength, speed, or resilience, the ODST Combat Suits are a vast improvement on the existing armors.

- The Infantry Battle Suit, created for Army and Marine Corps soldiers, begins its prototyping phase. They are a heavily downscaled, cheaper and easier-to-produce version of the ODST Combat Suits, with even weaker shields, capable of only taking a small amount of hits before failing. The IBS would not come with A3h armor coating, as it is deemed to expensive for usage by general infantry.

- Naval Combat Teams and Aerospace Force Security Teams would eventually be equipped with the IBS. This would lower the casualty rates of the ground forces, but only certain units (most of them Marines) would have been equipped with them by the end of 2550. However, the sheer number of Covenant cannon-fodder troops (the Grunts) means that while Human soldiers can take and deal more damage for a short period of time, they will nearly always be overwhelmed.

- Attempts to modify Magnetic Accelerator Cannons with Element Zero have resulted in either prohibitive cost or unreliable systems, with a 600 ton shell using ridiculous amounts of element zero. Proposals are made to reduce the shell weight, but the redesign requirements and the fact that all existing production lines would be made redundant cause indecision in UNSC HIGHCOM. A small weapons development firm adopts the project, hoping to have a working prototype by mid-2551.

- Research on Pulse Lasers used by the Covenant helps the UNSC upgrade their existing Pulse Lasers, grouping them into Batteries. The Pulse Laser Battery is one of the few new UNSC developments that do not utilize Element Zero in any way. Human Pulse Laser Batteries are still inferior to their Covenant counterparts, but are far more effective than the Point Defense Guns the Navy has used for the past decades.

- The Intrepid-class Destroyers become stuck in development. While it was designed to field Pulse Laser Batteries, the goal was also for it to wield the new MACs that were supposed to have their designs finalized earlier that year. As such, this portion of the Atlantis Program is in limbo.

- The Haven Frontier colony of Haven, the planned capital of the Colonial Sector, is settled. The rich world would eventually be home to hundreds of millions and an industrialized manufacturing base. Manticore is also settled, but unlike the other Haven Sector worlds, it would be a fully military world, a backup Reach.

AD 2551:

- As the Covenant outposts near human-controlled space are destroyed, with Covenant Fleets being pushed back, the UNSC is in the best position it had ever been during the entire war. ONI Prowlers on recon missions into the area suspected to be Covenant Space hits what is considered to be a jackpot. Bahalo, the Unggoy (Grunts) Homeworld is found.

- A fierce debate within the UNSC High Command Committee rages regarding which course of action should be taken. Several Marine Corps Generals and Army Marshals argue for the subjugation of Bahalo, with the end goal of using them as the Covenant did (cannon fodder), while the Navy Admirals and Air Force Generals want nothing more than the dropping of a NOVA Bomb in the system, to further cripple Covenant long-term operations, while focusing on the 'Infantry Battle Droid' design submitted by a team of off-duty scientists. In the meantime, Prowlers continue to scout for more targets.

- The Covenant Navy begins a mass shipbuilding program to recoup their losses, as well as the initiation of taking ships out of mothball.

- ONI's Prometheus Program finally manages to partially adapt the Covenant Slipspace Exit Protocols. It is extremely complicated even then, requiring a SMART AI to pull off properly. While drift is still in the same general range, the new Protocols allow for ships to exit in a formation, with the addition of a Ship Slipspace Beacon. This means that while ships exiting Slipspace will still be off-target, the ships will exit in formation, requiring less time to regroup (a few minutes instead of tens of minutes).

- The first Dauntless-class Battleships are launched. Utilizing the legendary Honeycomb Structure of the Halcyon-class, the Dauntless-class was designed to be a 'tank' in space. Armed with five Plasma Beams, Plasma Torpedo Turrets, and entire swaths of Pulse Laser Batteries, the Dauntless-class would quickly become renowned for its infamy in the Covenant navy ranks, being nicknamed a 'Devil of the Void.' An extraordinary number of power generation units were also installed on the Dauntless-class, allowing it to power the extraordinarily tough shields and kinetic barriers, for Human standards in any case. The Dauntless-class Battleship's main shortcomings are the fact that it can carry very few fighter craft (the role being shifted to Carriers), much like the Atlantis-class Battlecruiser.

- It should be noted that Dauntless-class Battleships would be a rare sight even in wartimes- Cruisers and Battlecruisers were always preferable as they could be built more easily.

- The Misriah Scandal occurs. It is revealed that during the Battle of New Roanoke, an ONI Prowler was in system. It revealed itself to extract Misriah Armory employees, including the heir to the company, Darius Misriah, and no other colonists. The report also implicated Admiral Margaret Parangosky as the authority behind the operation. It is unknown who leaked the mission report, but UNSC HIGHCOM is forced to take action, placing Parangosky under arrest, and seizing many Misriah assets. Shepard Defense Solutions (SDS), the company that adopted the MAC Mk2 Project, is quick to purchase the government-seized Misriah assets. ONI is placed under review.

- SDS tests a prototype Magnetic/Mass Accelerator Cannon (MAC Mk2/MMAC/M2AC) in the presence of UNSC Navy officers. At 700 meters long, the new MAC is able to fire a 20-kilogram shell at a 1.03% light speed (3080 km/s) every 4 seconds, inflicting 22.6 kilotons TNT equivalent. The fire rate is 3.75 times faster than a standard shipboard MAC (Standard MACs take 15 seconds to charge), and outranges a standard MAC a hundred times over (30km/s compared to 3080km/s). This means that in the timespan of a single Standard MAC being charged and fired, the M2AC can fire three times, and from a ridiculous range. It can also inflict more firepower than a standard MAC in that timespan (67.8 KT compared to 64 KT). There are several major flaws, however, including the overheating issues (extensive heat sinks will be required), and the delicateness of the equipment.

AD 2552:

- The tables are fully turned against the Covenant, as more raids are conducted on the Covenant frontline colonies.

- There are now twenty-five settled worlds in the Haven Frontier Colonial Sector, with just under three billion humans being moved there from the Outer Colonies and several 'At-Risk' Inner Colonies, including the now-empty Paris IV.

- Operation RAINSTORM is initiated. A dozen Battle Groups, totaling two hundred and fifty warships, are deployed in raiding actions on Covenant border worlds, with the entire First Combined Strike Armada (composed of the 6th Fleet, 9th Fleet, 10th Fleet, 14th Fleet and 19th Fleet) hitting Bahalo three days afterwards. The weak defenses of the Unggoy homeworld are swept apart with contemptuous ease, mostly due to the reason that these defenses were facing towards Bahalo rather than away from it. Several Covenant stations were captured because of this, with Spartans and ODSTs forced to work in tandem to complete these operations, and surprisingly doing so without any friendly fire incidents. This is the first of many future joint operations between the two Special Forces branches that have a history filled with animosity.

- Mere hours after the fleet had secured the system, over fifty Phoenix-class Colony Ships (now renamed the Phoenix-class Transport Vessels) jumped in, landing in predetermined landing zones secured by suited ODSTs, Marines and the occasional Spartan team. In this period, approximately five hundred thousand Unggoy were taken off into the Transport Vessels, a backup plan in case the invasion failed. The Covenant Fleet of Righteous Anger managed to arrive within two days (enough time to fully 'evacuate' 1.1 million Unggoy), pushing the human force out of the system.

- Operation RAINSTORM was considered a stunning success, and caused severe morale drops in the Covenant ranks, especially amongst the Unggoy. Despite the fact that Bahalo was considered the most weakly defended of Covenant homeworlds, it still proved to be a major psychological blow on the Covenant races.

- ONI scientists and biologists were tasked to create an addictive gas for the Unggoy, using existing samples recovered from Bahalo. Within a few months, a perfected version of the gas was successfully created and synthesized, produced in bulk amounts on the barren world (and current Unggoy relocation camp) of Holston.

- Unggoy were bred in egg clutches with a large number of young per clutch, with a one-year childhood period. At this time, mass amounts of the Unggoy were bred as cannon fodder to blunt a Covenant force (as advertised by the Marine and Army chiefs of staff), and as test subjects for bioweapons (as desired by the Navy and Air Force chiefs of staff). The Loyalty Gas (as it was called by the scientists) was used to control the Unggoy, being extremely addictive to the Unggoy and giving large amounts of pleasure when in concentrated amounts, also making them more compliant for their new human masters. Armed with specially designed, mass produced (and cheap) R-51 assault rifles (which used projectiles like human rifles), with a replica of the Unggoy Combat Harness for limited protection, the Unggoy Auxiliary Force would be seen on many worlds in the future, being used to bludgeon the enemy through the weight of numbers alone.

- Criticism from the human populace was muted, with several months' worth of anti-alien propaganda being played before the Unggoy were 'volunteered' to serve as combat units.

- Venerator-class Heavy Cruisers begin entering service. Armed with a single Plasma Beam, Plasma Torpedoes, and Pulse Laser Batteries, it would be used as the main 'capital ship' for the UNSC Navy, serving as the flagships of Flotillas and smaller Battle Groups (Fleets are at the very least commanded from a Battlecruiser). Energy Shields and Backup Kinetic Barriers provide a powerful defense, with shields and barriers making up for the lack of the Honeycomb Internal Armor Structures. The Venerator-class has the capability to field forty fighter craft, enough to establish a working CAP rotation. Although this means that Carriers won't be necessary for a Venerator-class Heavy Cruiser, it does not give the Heavy Cruiser any leeway to safely use fighter craft in an offensive manner. In essence, the Venerators were meant to be the ubiquitous heavy warships of the Navy.

AD 2553:

- Several new drop pods are designed to deploy entire hordes of purpose-bred Unggoy 'soldiers', used to soften up their targets. Though the casualty rates are staggeringly high (not that the UNSC cares), human casualty rates lessen a lot afterwards, as fighting worn-out, tired and potentially injured opponent is much easier than fighting a ready and armed warrior.

- The first Infantry Battle Droid (IBD-1) prototypes are tested during the Skirmish of New Falkland, shown to be multiple times as effective in comparison to the Unggoy. Despite having no energy shields or kinetic barriers, the IBD-1s were designed to be remote controlled in groups by a Dumb/Smart AI/human (the Dumb is the least effective, with Humans and Smart AIs being preferable), all of them armed with easily mass-produced light machineguns. The weaknesses of the IBD, however, are easily seen. An Elite/Brute/Hunter would have no problem taking down multiple IBDs without significant injury, and considering that a single IBD would only have enough charge for three days of operating before a new battery is installed or is recharged, initial usage of the IBD is met with skepticism. Despite this, however, the Perugia III colony begins construction of several massive Battle Droid Foundries, under contract from SDS.

- Shepard Defense Systems, a longtime rival of Misriah Armory, adopts the contract to develop these Battle Droids. SDS was formed and owned by the retired UNMC Colonel Anna Shepard as well as several veterans of the Insurrection and the early Covenant War.

- A subsidiary of SDS, Shepard Civil Defense, begins marketing the General Security Droid Model 1 (GSD-1) a cheaper, less armored, smaller and semiautomatic rifle armed version of the IBD-1, to the Directorate of Public Safety's Police Departments on various colonies.

- Several movie connoisseurs remark that the GSD-1 looks startlingly similar to the droids from the 2012 movie Total Recall. Mass purchase of the GSD-1, sold at a discounted price by SDS allows for increased Colonial Security, as part of the CDF.

- The Office of Naval Intelligence, as well as other UNSC Intelligence Agencies, are merged to form the Strategic Intelligence Group Command, placed under the command of Rear Admiral Jack Harper. SIGC is divided into Internal Affairs (Section-0), Military Section (Section-1), Domestic Section (Section-2), Special Projects (Section-3), and Special Activities (Section-4).

- Broadside Hybrid Accelerator Cannons are developed. Based on the Onager MACs, the Broadside HACs are light cannons that utilize Element Zero-based mass accelerators in conjunction with electromagnetic rails to provide fire support in naval battles and planetary bombardment. Each cannon is capable of firing once every two seconds, inflicting 0.5 Kilotons TNT equivalent per shot. Nearly all warship classes are to be armed with these weapons.

- The first Intrepid-class Destroyer is finally launched, after many delays. Primarily armed with a spinal Magnetic/Mass Accelerator Cannon, as well as Pulse Laser Batteries and Broadside HACs, the Intrepid-class Destroyers are meant for long-range support.

- Plans are drawn up for the Spartan-IV Program, with the last batch of Spartan-IIIs entering service. Proposals for a solely adult volunteer force are considered by the UNSC heads.

AD 2554:

- The Poseidon-class Light Carriers are launched. They are built on the same hull as Orion-class Frigates and Intrepid-class Destroyers, but sacrifice all weapons systems (with the exception of several Pulse Laser Batteries) for hangar capacity. The Carriers operate with vacuum-sealed hangars, further improving the security of the ship should one hangar be breached. There are four such hangars in the Poseidon-class, each approximately 210 meters long, with a capacity of 45 fighter craft in each. The 'Flight Deck' of the Carrier also holds 40 fighter craft, for fast launching. These carriers quickly establish themselves as the main source of fighter support during mobile space engagements.

- The Silver Loam Campaign begins after a UNSC Prowler tracks a retreating Covenant raider frigate back to a Covenant supply hub. Unlike past targets, the tentatively named 'Silver Loam' has a population well above three billion. Though the initial plan of action was to utilize a Mini-NOVA on it, the presence of a visiting Covenant High Prophet immediately causes the UNSC to reconsider.

- Eventually, they opt for Operation SHANGHAI, with upwards of 250 Spartan-IIIs and 10 Spartan-IIs sent in by Prowlers. Concurrently, the 4th, 6th, 7th, 10th, and 16th Fleets are used to assault Silver Loam's space defenses itself, with Marine and ODST teams landing in Phoenix-class Assault Troopships (another variant of the Transport) as diversionary units. Intrepid-class Destroyers prove their worth here, filling in a long range fire support role while the other human warships close the range and try to keep the Covenant ships static. The Atlantis Program directors are given orders to develop a larger and more powerful Magnetic/Mass Accelerator Cannon.

- Though thousands of Marines and ODSTs would be killed in the ensuing battles, the pandemonium allowed the Spartan Task Force to capture the Lower Prophet of Malice (which turned out to just be a member of the Covenant High Council instead of the ruling High Prophets). Though it did not achieve its target of capturing a High Prophet, Operation SHANGHAI is considered to be a major success in the Human-Covenant War.

- Thousands of IBD-1s are deployed on Silver Loam to cover the Human retreat. Although most of the Droids would be destroyed while engaging Covenant forces, its application in battle and success in allowing an orderly retreat of Human forces from Silver Loam convinces the UNSC to form the Battle Droid Command, a force that is subordinate to the Navy, Marine Corps and Aerospace Force where necessary. They are used to complement Naval Combat Teams (shipboard security), assist Marine units, and to defend Aerospace Force Bases in conjunction with Aerospace Force Security Teams. SDS constructs another Droid Foundry to help meet projected demand.

- Dozens of Covenant fleets are formed after Malice was captured, as the capture of a member of the High Council shocked the very core of the Covenant leadership. The High Council finally allows the partial reactivation of the mothballed fleets…with the caveat that they be placed under Brute command as punishment to the Elites' inability to defend the Prophet of Malice. The Elites attempt to mire the process with gridlocks as a result.

- Kig-Yar (Jackal) raiders become a more prominent problem on the frontlines, causing problems for certain frontline colonies under UNSC control. Patrol Flotillas are formed by the UNSC Navy to counter this. Patrol Flotillas are essentially Light Carriers with a few Frigate escorts, detached from a main fleet. While Patrol Flotillas are wholly unequipped to deal with a Covenant capital warship (like CCS-class Battlecruisers), they are enough to handle the outdated and/or lightly armed ships that the raiders use.

- Unbeknownst to the UNSC forces, the same Kig-Yar raiders have also hit isolated or undefended Covenant colonies behind the frontline. Most of the Covenant fleets, which had just been moved to the Front by the Elite commanders, end up needing to be recalled back to their old posts. Thus, the Frontline stalemate continues.

AD 2555:

- Unggoy infiltrators are sent back into the Covenant proper, now thoroughly loyal to the UNSC and the Loyalty Gas that they are addicted to. The 'Superior' races' indifference to the Unggoy is worked on by the infiltrators among their own kind, leading to great dissent within the Covenant grunt ranks.

- A Heavy Magnetic/Mass Accelerator Cannon is placed on a Cruiser-scaled hull. At 1250 meters long, the new H-M2AC is able to fire a 20-kilogram shell (for ease of logistics) at a 3.27% light speed (9812.5 km/s) every 10 seconds, inflicting 230 kilotons TNT equivalent per hit. The monumental damage capacity and range comes at the cost of ridiculous Element Zero usage, as well as poor maneuverability. It is estimated that the UNSC cannot field more than five of such vessels with regular usage going by their existing Element Zero extraction rates.

- Plans are drawn for the Kilimanjaro-class Strike Cruiser, the ship that will field the H-M2AC. Rumors of such a weapons platform begin circulating among the UNSC Navy, with many likening the Kilimanjaro-class to a mobile Super MAC-equipped Orbital Defense Platform, regardless of the vast difference in firepower.

- UNSC Logistics Command is given a priority directive to find more Element Zero-rich regions to mine, in preparation for the Kilimanjaro-class.

- The UNSC 16th and 19th Fleets, under the command of Vice Admiral Aditya Singh, gets ambushed by the Covenant Fleet of Vengeful Reckoning during the Second Battle of New Falkland, leading to a near total loss of 131 warships, including the UNSC Invincible, one of the four Dauntless-class Battleships in the Navy. The loss of so many warships, especially one of the new Dauntless-class, shocks many in the populace, who have unknowingly grown complacent during the brief stalemate. The battle also led to the total loss of New Falkland and the groundside garrison. New Falkland had become one of the key frontline colonies, which meant that there was now a break in the Human defenses. Covenant forces begin fortifying New Falkland to serve as their forward operating base, but are hindered by raids conducted by the hastily deployed 2nd Fleet under the command of Admiral Kastanie Drescher.

- After a long series of drawn-out disputes over who has command over the Prowler Corps, where the SIGC retains control, a new set of Prowler scouting operations are authorized by SIGC Director Jack Harper, with the goal of locating more Covenant worlds.

- The first recorded incidence of biotic ability is recorded in Vancouver, Earth. The UED High Council and UED Assembly authorize an extensive investigation, leading to the conclusion that Element Zero exposure in utero was the root cause of biotic ability manifestation. Further investigation reveals that 60% of fetuses exposed to Element Zero in utero will not be affected in any way, while 30% will lead to dangerous cancers and complications. Only 10% will manifest in biotic ability.

- Director Harper authorizes Section-3 to begin research into biotics and its potential applications. Most of those that have showed biotic ability voluntarily sign up with the support of their parents. Harper makes it clear to the scientists that while the research is of high priority, he expects them to treat the volunteers humanely.

- The Covenant begins launching multiple probing operations with flotillas of 'lighter' warships, mainly CRS-class Light Cruisers, CAR-class Frigates and a small number of CPV-class Destroyers. They display tactics inferior to the norm showed by the Covenant. Upon inspection of the ones destroyed by UNSC warships, the Covenant vessels are crewed mostly by Brutes, with no Elites being found among the crews. SIGC Section-1 notes this with interest, although they do not have enough data to make more than wild guesses as to reasoning behind the personnel changes.

AD 2556

- The UNSC Kilimanjaro's keel is laid in the Reyes-McLees Shipyard, Mars. Due to the new components that the shipbuilders are not familiar, construction is estimated to take a year.

- The Prowlers sent by Director Harper begin returning to UNSC territory, bringing the locations of twelve Covenant outposts and colonies, three of which are of great interest to the UNSC High Command. The three worlds are shown to be home to several large Covenant repair bases, one of which contains several Covenant Battleships, which haven't been seen since the Harvest Campaign decades ago.

- Covenant High Council members become split on the subject of whether Brutes should be given more leeway in the Navy. Sangheili Councilors argue that Jiralhanae-commanded vessels have shown to suffer much higher casualty rates than those commanded by Sangheili shipmasters. The High Prophets remain adamant in supporting the Brutes, but cannot fully transfer command of the Navy to them without the consent of a majority in the Council.

- Captain Vladimir Alenko is handpicked for command of the UNSC Navy's first Prowler (a concession by Director Harper of the SIGC), the Sargasso. Its first operation is to deploy a Mini-NOVA near a Covenant colony of approximately fifty million. This is an especially sweet form of revenge for many of the crew, as more than half hailed from Sargasso, which had been destroyed ten years ago.

- Section-3's research into biotics, located in Gagarin Station (Jump Zero), leads to a potential method for artificial creation of Element Zero nodes. However, the proposed method is purely theoretical at the moment, with its chances of failure being admittedly high. Director Harper nonetheless orders funding to be directed for investigating the proposed method's viability.

- The Spartan-IV Program is delayed by SIGC Section-3's research into biotics. The UNSC wants at least a portion of the Spartan-IVs to be able to wield biotics in combat. Given that all existing biotics are in their early teens at the oldest, the program predictably runs into blocks. Dr. Halsey directs the researchers to focus more on the non-biotic augmentations, MJOLNIR GEN2 Powered Armors and weaponry instead of designing hypothetical biotic augmentations.

- Operation RED HERRING. Raids are conducted by UNSC flotillas on the other nine worlds found by the Prowler scouts, leading to minor losses among both sides. They also have the desired (for the UNSC) effect of pulling out detachments from the three main worlds that they are prioritizing.

- Operation CRATER. A full third of the UNSC Navy, comprising nearly a thousand warships, is deployed to assault the three worlds that have been prioritized. They are divided into the First, Second and Third Armadas, under the command of Admiral Preston Cole (First), Admiral Kastanie Dreschner (Second), and Vice Admiral Jurgen Prost (Third). They are met with varying levels of success.

- First Armada manages to catch the defenders by surprise, where a large number of defending ships were in the middle of docking procedures. They manage to annihilate the space defenses, and deploy ground forces in short order. Accompanying Spartan and ODST units manage to capture local data nodes, gaining potentially valuable intel. One Covenant Battleship is captured, another destroyed.

- Second Armada drew the short straw of the three. They entered their target system at the same time as an arriving Covenant reinforcement fleet. The nasty battle for system dominance is only won through heavy losses and the tactical acumen of Admiral Dreschner. Their ground deployments are also notably bloodier, with the data nodes having been wiped by the time Spartan and ODST units capture it. The two Covenant Battleships in system manage to escape the attack (they launched as the defending units were destroyed), but Second Armada manages to capture the orbital repair yard.

- Their target system's defending squadrons, who show noticeable skill, intercept third Armada but the UNSC's overwhelming numbers sweep past them with ease, if not moderate losses. The two Covenant Battleships being repaired groundside manage to take off, but cannot get more than one volley off before they are destroyed. The sole Covenant Battleship being repaired in the orbital shipyard is damaged, but captured by ODST and Naval Combat Teams.

- The UNSC Kilimanjaro nears completion, with engineers optimistically hoping that it will be ready for launch by mid-January 2557.

- Analysis of data retrieved by the Navy during Operation CRATER allows SIGC to deduce a rift between the Brutes and Elites. Furthermore, they find out that a Brute 'Scout' fleet (the first of its kind) is being massed on the first week of January, in a system noted to have a Mass Relay. Feeling wary but curious all the same, Harper volunteers to send a Prowler to shadow the fleet, but is overruled by Hood, who sends the Sargasso instead. An ODST unit (composed of potential Spartan-IV candidates) and a Spartan-III team are sent along with the Sargasso.

AD 2557

January 9, 2557: Present Date

Author's Note: Ten months ago, I posted a teaser chapter of Invicta: Second Front. To be clear, this is supposed to be an improved and overhauled version of the Reclaimer Effect, which was (in my opinion) predictable and overdone. I actually started the worldbuilding in late 2014, although it was done in bits (due to a hectic Real Life and a certain MMORTS). I wanted Invicta to be a true fusion of Mass Effect and Halo, without the influences of other series and to avoid the common missteps that ME/Halo Fics tend to make. This was posted before the main fic itself because A., I wanted to get a read on what the reaction would be, and B., I wanted this to be a primer for the first real Invicta: Second Front chapter.

Have a good day!