Alternate Past: Uncertain Future Mark II
A/N: Tried to make the timeline as close to canon as possible but a lot of it is not. If you are going to flame/rage on me for this, then perhaps my story is not for you. The title even states this story is AU or Alternate Universe. Can't say I did not give enough warning. The only that will be canon for the most part is order, just not when they occurred. Not including the events of Halo: Cryptum or Halo: Primordium as I am unsure how to do so. If you have any suggestions either tell me in a review or PM and I'll see if I can add them. Same with any other forgotten major events. I kept several parts from the original timeline by the original author of this story: Real Teagy SOT.
Also this will read like a codex entry from Humanity. Information that they managed to learn from Forerunner databases as such there will be holes. Oh, as for the Reapers… Well you'll have to wait and read on.
PS: Let me know what you think!
Codex Entry:
Timeline:
350,000 BCE: First known marked existence of the Precursor species with the birth of what would become Humanity(First Ascension) and the Forerunners.
280,000 BCE: Humanity(FA) and the Forerunners learn of the Precursors for the first time, but are kept at arm's length by the Precursors. Both remain unaware of the other species.
260,000 BCE: Humanity is chosen as the 'favorite' between the two 'children' of the Precursors and plans are made to further accelerate their development. Other plans are made in regards to the Forerunners.
250,500 BCE: Forerunners learn of the Precursor's' intentions and begin making plans to launch a pre-emptive attack, despite predicted losses. Forerunner military infrastructure grows to a scale only beaten by the Precursors. Humanity increases its own military power when the Precursors begin to take a more active role in Human society. Total number of military vessels at this time, active, mothballed and constructed by all three species number in the mid-hundred millions(500,000,000 estimate) Includes all ships from frigates to fortress class ships. Note of reference: Fortress class ships ranged anywhere from 50 to 100 Kilometers in length. Most of these vessels would be lost in the ensuing wars, either from combat or denial of assets to the enemy.
250,000 BCE: Precursor society undergoes a sudden rapid and unexpected decline. Military forces are pulled away from their borders with the Forerunners and Humanity and disappear. Military intelligence of both species calculate the slipspace vectors and determine the majority of the ships are headed towards what is considered the core of Precursor systems and the outer edge of the galaxy.
205,000 BCE: Forerunners begin their military campaign against the Precursors. Taking over their border system with little difficulty which changes as they push further in, meanwhile Humanity society is confused as the lack of presence of the Precursors near their borders and begin to expand as well. Taking several uncontested and oddly deserted worlds and systems, Human technology jumps ahead.
190,000 BCE: Humanity makes first contact with the San'Shyuum(Prophets). An alliance is forged between the two species.
180,500 BCE: Forerunner stratagem changes to include biological and viral warfare. The tide begins to turn. Precursor military stratagem stagnates, believing them to be superior to such weapons.
175,000 BCE: Precursors begin the development of contingency plan.
170,000 BCE: Forerunners are victorious against the Precursors. Former Precursor territories are taken by Humanity (FA) and the Forerunners. Forerunners remove all records and traces of Precursors and of the Forerunner-Precursor War, hiding it from future generations. Reason for sudden decline in Precursor decline is never found. Fragmented records report found of: hostile forces, total military government, and 'indoctrination'.
169,500 BCE: Humanity and the San'Shyuum settle on the once Precursor world of Charum Hakkor.
164,550 BCE: Fringe Human worlds encounter a sort of 'dust'. Causes genetic aberrations in affected lower creatures (species considered to be pets and livestock). Quarantine declared until changes are determined to be harmless. Rapid spread of the 'dust' and affected animals throughout Human and San'Shyuum space occurs. No detectable negative effects.
150,000 BCE: The aberrations begin to take on more horrific traits. Turning infected creatures hostile, mutating them. Quarantine is declared for all creatures. Humans, once immune to the 'dust' start to become infected. Mutating into horrific and hostile creatures. Infection is named "The Flood" for their wave tactics and unstoppable spread. The Human-Flood war begins.
148,600 BCE: Humanity starts to 'purify' infected worlds. First outer colony worlds then infected core worlds. Infected cities, planets and systems begin 'scorched earth' policy. Destroying their own worlds to wipe out the Flood. Trials are begun to test cures to slow down, halt and even reverse Flood infection.
146,000 BCE: Humanity starts to expand, searching for new worlds for refugees to settle. The Flood begins to search other worlds for new feeding grounds.
146,850 BCE: Humanity discovers the Forerunners and learns of Flood infestation spreading throughout Forerunner space. Operation Purification is put into effect: Lord of Admirals is tasked with the duty of searching for new worlds, in efforts of getting ahead of the Flood and trapping it in a pincer movement. The Lord of Admirals begins glassing infected Forerunner planets.
146,500 BCE: The Human-Forerunner war begins after a Human Fleet tracks down a Flood infested warship to a major Forerunner outer colony. Flood spread before it can be contained. The Human fleet is discovered by the Forerunners as they are glassing the planet. Signs of Flood infection are detected among the Forerunner fleet and are destroyed. Forerunner fleet transmits message back to Forerunner core system before destruction. *See Attached file: First Contact: Human/Forerunner for further details.
130,000 BCE: Humanity begins to expand ever further and faster than before. Bringing them into ever greater conflicts with the Forerunners.
120,000 BCE: The Human-Flood War is ended, with the Humans victorious and the Flood sent retreating into dark space.
115,600 BCE: The tide begins to turn against Humanity. Forerunner vessels begin to attain more and more victories over Humanity's Starfleet. The Lord of Admirals continues his service.
110,000 BCE: The Human-Forerunner War reaches its end with The Battle of Charum Hakkor. Humanity loses the Human-Forerunner war, due to the massive loss of resources and populations from the Human-Flood War. The Didact's sentence is carried out. All traces and evidence of Humanity's First Ascension is virtually wiped out and Humanity itself is devolved. With the exception of few, such as the Lord of Admirals, the majority of Human reverts to a Tier-7 society. They are scattered, some on the Halo rings, the majority on Erde-Tyrene.
100,000 BCE: The Flood returns and marks the beginning of the Flood-Forerunner War.
The Forerunner Council grants the Master Builder Permission to construct the Halo Array.
The Librarian begins the indexing of species.
The Didact begins the creation of his Shield Worlds.
Formation of Mendicant Bias to combat the Flood.
Formation of Offensive Bias in response to Mendicant Bias's betrayal of the Forerunners.
**Error Error: Unknown presence detected in system. Can not override. Can not-**
"A thousand other plans were tried and failed. "
"This was the last resort."
" Halo."
**System reboot successful. No aberrations detected; continuing with last registered request. **
The Reseeding of the Galaxy begins.
*See attached Documents for detailed reports.
52,000 BC – The Prothean Empire leaves its home system via Mass Effect Technology ( The newly implemented trap by the Reapers, if the Civilisations are based on Mass effect technology they will advance down a lesser path. Which will make them pose less of a threat. )
The Prothean Empire reaches its height as it controls most of the Galaxy and the Citadel. The other space-faring species that inhabit the Galaxy have the same technology as the Protheans, but are not as wide spread or large as them.
51,000 BC – The Prothean Empire discovers the Zha'til and realizes the threat posed by machine intelligence. The Protheans begin to wage war against them to defend themselves, the Zha'til are relentless. The Protheans begin calculating their chances of Victory.
The Protheans calculate they will lose. Military leaders assume control of the Government and 'Assimilate' the other species of the Galaxy to unite against the Hostile AI's. The war rages on devastating many worlds and crippling the Galactic Economy. The Prothean Empire pushes the Zha'til back to their home system and cause a premature stellar collapse, destroying the Zha'til entirely. The rebuilding of the Galaxy is a slow process.
50,000 BC – The Prothean Empire begins 'Guiding' primitive species to become ready to 'join' the Empire when they become Space-Faring. The Reapers Attack through the Citadel, destroying the Galactic Government and taking control over the Mass-Relay system. The Protheans stop all 'Guiding' projects to prevent them from being targeted by the Reapers. The Protheans wage an war to prevent the Inevitable Extinction they face. The Protheans are defeated and the Reapers retreat through the Citadel to allow the Cycle to continue.
A team of Prothean scientists survived the war in stasis pods on Ilos. They use the Conduit to travel to the Citadel and they prevent the Citadel from being able to open as a mass relay to dark space. They die completing their goal and the keepers remove any trace of their existence from the Station.
2200-2100 BCE: The San-Shyuum Civil War begins. It ends with the Reformers taking the Forerunner Keyship for their own and fleeing their homeworld.
1000 BC – The Krogan Civilisation begins a long cold war between each of its individual Nations. Each trying to out do the other. They prevent Nuclear catastrophe as they realise they would crumble their society to cavemen once again. However, a genetically engineered virus intended to prevent rival nations from out reproducing their own escapes containment. It infects the entire Krogan Population and reduces their birthrate from 1000 eggs per clutch to just 50. it become so ingrained into Krogan DNA that it is incapable of being removed.
The Release of the Virus taught the Krogan what they could do if they were pit against each other. They set aside their differences and form the Krogan Empire.
Because Nuclear war was averted, The Krogan population is not all succumb to blood rage. The few who are become submitted to special programs to help themselves to overcome it.
938-852 BCE: The Sangheili(Elites)-San-Shyuum war begins.
The war ends and the Covenant is formed. The search for the Sacred Rings begins.
Unknown: Circa 850 BCE to 784 BCE
The Taming of the Mgalekgolo(Hunters) 784 BCE
The Unggoy(Grunt) Rebellion.
The other races of the Covenant are absorbed.
648 BCE: The San'Shyuum homeworld is lost in a stellar collapse. High Charity is created and the Forerunner Keyship(Dreadnought) is decommissioned and made the center-point and Power source of High Charity.
500 BC – The Asari Discover the Citadel and make it their head of Government. They expand into more territory. The Krogan become a space-faring race and open their mass relay.
450 BC – The Salarians discover the Citadel and the Asari. They together form the Citadel Council to oversee the Galaxy. The Council time line is formed at 0 GST
400 BC – The Council discovers the Volus and with their help create the Galaxy wide Banking act. Establishing the Credit as standard Currency. The Volus become the first associate-member species of the Council.
350 BC – The Elcor join the Galactic Community as they are discovered by the Asari. They become the 2nd Associate-Member species of the Council.
300 BC – Council space expands. A Salarian research vessel opens a Relay to Rachni Space. The Rachni Wars begin with the Rachni declaring war on the Council species. The War becomes one-sided with the Rachni overpowering the Council.
250 BC – The Salarians Discover the Krogan Empire and negotiations begin between the Council and the Krogan Empire. The Krogan agree to help the Council in the war against the Rachni, realising they too will be threatened. They become the 3rd Associate-Member species of the Council. The Krogan agree to it because the Council will provide them with more effective technology in the War. The Krogan become the front-line force of the Citadel.
235 BC – The Quarians make contact with the Council and join the Galactic community, becoming the 4th associate-member species. A law forbidding the opening of dormant mass relays is instituted.
The Krogan discover the Turian Hierarchy trying to open a mass relay and open fire to prevent them. Starting a brief war between them. The Council intervened forcing a truce and apologized to the Hierarchy explaining their predicament. The Turian Hierarchy join Citadel as the 5th associate-member species.
200 BC – The Rachni are declared extinct as the Council took the fight to the Rachni home world and destroyed them. The recovery of Council Space begins.
100 BC – The Turian and Krogan are made Council members in respect to their instrumental efforts against the Rachni. The Treaty of Farixen is signed, restricting the amount of ships each species has.
The Turian and Krogan become the main peace-keeping force of the Council, while the Salarians become the intelligence experts and the Asari are the most influential species in the Galaxy. The ratio of Dreadnoughts from Council Member species to Associate-Member species follows 5:1.
100 AD – The Batarians join the Galactic community as the 6th associate member species. The Council warn them of their anti-slavery laws. Nevertheless they remain a slavery involved society and expand.
1112: The Yanme'e(Drones) are brought into the Covenant as a slave race.
1342: The Kig-Yar(Jackals) join the Covenant after a temporary defense as surveyors and scouts.
1970 circa: A viral outbreak occurs in High Charity. Killing a large percentage of the population before it is contained. The hardest hit is the San'Shyuum. Their numbers decimated to the point where the species dwindles to extinction in a few decades.
2160 AD – The Human race unites under the UNSC and ends the Interplanetary war in their solar system.
The Quarian made Geth rebel and the Morning war begins.
2291 – Humanity creates the Slip-space drive in order to expand outside of its solar system. The colonization era begins.
2300 – The UNSC territory consists of over 500 worlds, all tightly nit into the Home Cluster of Humanity. Expansion shows no signs of stopping.
The Quarians are defeated by the Geth and request aid form the Council. They refuse and banish the Quarians from the Citadel for their foolish actions.
2525: First Contact is made with the Covenant at Harvest.
The colony is lost. When a Human Fleet arrives to learn what has occurred, they are attacked by Covenant ships currently glassing the planet. Luminary's on Covenant Ships are misunderstood by their translators. The Humans are seen as desecrations and affronts to the gods. The Human-Covenant War begins.
April 18, 2543: The Battle of Psi Serpentis. And the Presumed death of Vice Admiral Preston Jeremiah Cole.
July 17-18, 2552: The Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. A victory for the UNSC. Newly minted Captain Jacob Keyes travels to planet Reach.
July 23rd, 2552: High Charity. Sangheili researchers are combing through the Forerunner Keyship searching for more secrets to be unlocked. As they do so, the Ancilla or AI awakens. The Covenant council is informed and soon are in front of the AI.
The AI, later identified as a fragment of Mendicant Bias, tells them of their error. Telling them of how Humanity are the Reclaimers. Those stated in the Ancient texts as the 'Children of the Gods'.
A religious and political crisis occurs. Many are grief and horror stricken at the prospect of having been part of a genocidal war against the Reclaimers. Some commit suicide in their anguish. Others refuse and proclaim the Mendicant Bias's words as lies and heresy.
The majority of the Council are remorseful and beginning making plans to attempt reparations with Humanity. Orders are sent to cease all hostilities and a video recording of Mendicant Bias's words are sent with them to all ships of the Covenant. Due to the spread of the fleet and the weight of the message, it takes time for the message to be relayed to all fleets.
July 24th, 2552: The Battle of Reach begins.
As the Covenant make landfall, the words of Mendicant Bias and the Council's orders finally arrive to the Covenant Fleet. *See attached file for the exact orders given.
In a move that confused the Human population, many of the invading Covenant forces, particularly the Sangheili, begin to commit suicide. Either with their own weapons or, post-battles records has confirmed, running towards armed Humans completely unarmed. Allowing themselves to be cut down.
In space, the majority of Shipmasters (Covenant equivalent rank of a Navy Captain) ceases fire and recalls all forces. But several, including the Shipmaster of a CAS-Class Assault Carrier refuse to believe the message and press on the attack with renewed fervor. In a move that astonished the Human Navy, after the arrival of Bia's Message, most of the Covenant Fleet ceased their attack. Of those that continued to open fire, most, if not all of the plasma fire was taken by other Covenant ships and found themselves quickly destroyed by their allies.
All remaining Covenant Forces abandon reach and return to their ships. The Covenant Fleet takes position away from Reach and outside the range of the remaining Orbital Defense Platforms.
UNSC Trafalgar and UNSC Pillar of Autumn survive the Engagement.
July 25th, 2552: What is now named the Heretic Wars begins. Also known as the Covenant Civil War.
*See The Heretic Wars for Full documentation
End of Part 1.
Begin Part 2?