Chapter 1
Unforgotten Memories
2552- After decades of bloody, one sided fighting, the Human-Covenant War is brought to a close following the Great Schism and the deaths of the once high Prophets. The majority of the Sangheili join the separatist movement led by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam. The majority of surviving Kig Yar, Jiralhanae, and Unggoy return to their homes peacefully, though some are drawn into the Covenant splinter groups. The Huragok flee the ex-Covenant and request acceptance into the UEG, much to the surprise of humanity. Huragok are assigned to assist in the recolonization effort and to serve aboard UNSC capital ships.
2552 (Late)- The United Earth Government begins to rebuild their broken empire and repair and recolonize worlds attacked by the Covenant. Reach, Harvest, and many others are slowly terraformed and will be habitable within a decade. Humanities population enters a phase of rapid growth as peace and recolonization cause an explosion of opportunity and prosperity. The biggest baby boom in human history occurs. UNSC Infinity is completed.
2553- The UEG's demilitarization projects are put on hold as the Storm Covenant makes their first devastating strike against a human colony on Tribute. The Storm Covenant, led by Jul 'Mdama absorbs many other Covenant splinter groups and rapidly grows in strength. Though the majority of their strikes target the newly formed Swords of Sanghelios, the UEG also feels their wrath.
2553 (Late)- Rearmament enters full swing to combat the growing threat from the Storm Covenant and a new faction, the Servants of Abiding Truth. UNSC Eternity is completed and joins UNSC Infinity as the flagships of the UNSC and humanity. Keels are laid down for three more Infinity class supercarriers. The old Marathon Class cruisers are slowly phased out and replaced by the new Autumn Class cruisers. These cruisers are the first mass produced warships in the UNSC to be equipped with shields and reverse engineered Forerunner technology.
The UNSC accepts a request for assistance from the Swords of Sanghelios, as the Sangheili were taking the brunt of the Storm Covenant's fury. Though there was some protest from people in both the UEG and SoS, the move is largely celebrated as a way to strengthen ties between humanity and their first alien ally. The Storm Covenant is pushed back from Sanghelios with the UNSC's assistance, are down, though certainly not out.
2554 (Early)- A massive scandal erupts when the Office of Naval Intelligence suffers a massive security breach, and many of their atrocities are leaked to the public. The following scandal is one of the greatest in human history, as hundreds of individuals are tried in Nuremberg for crimes against humanity. Many high ranking ONI officials are executed and many others enjoy life sentences in maximum security prisons. The Midnight Facility is destroyed and its inmates who were wrongly imprisoned are released and receive massive reparations. Among the leaked information is the origins of the ORION and SPARTAN programs, experiments with the Flood aboard UNSC Mona Lisa, and the tactics used against the Insurrectionist movement. The existence of the Forerunners, Flood, Halo Array, and history of the galaxy are made public, causing massive uproar, particularly from religious individuals. Dr. Catherine Halsey somehow manages to escape punishment and continues to work for the newly reformed Office of Naval Intelligence.
The new ONI is more transparent and receives massive oversight on their projects from the UEG and while some of their tactics remain questionable, the new ONI will not be committing the same sorts of atrocities as its predecessor.
Sierra 117 is recovered along with his AI when a SoS patrol ship detects the distress call from UNSC Forward Unto Dawn
2554 (Mid)- The first rumblings of a new ex-Covenant faction are detected, and the UNSC soon has their first encounter with the Banished, when the new remnant makes itself known as it begins raiding UNSC shipping lanes. UNSC warships are sent into the Outer Colonies to address this new threat.
The Storm Covenant continues growing in strength and begins a push back towards Sanghelios, breaking through several combined UNSC and SoS fleets. As the battle intensifies, a meeting is arranged between the Arbiter and UEG civilian and military leadership. At the UNSC capital in Geneva, a charter is hashed out, one that will define the Milky Way Galaxy for centuries to come. The UEG and SoS draft and sign a military allegiance similar to NATO in the twentieth century. Among the agreements are a clause to defend one another from outside threats, a ban on tariffs between its members, a clause allowing each to build bases in each others space (with oversight) and an agreement to share intelligence and technology relevant to the other. This agreement is widely celebrated as a way of ensuring that war does not break out in the future between the galaxy's strongest factions, and that Flood outbreaks will be put down quickly and efficiently.
The Allied Charter forms the basis of the Allied Species of the Orion Arm, who's first two members are the UEG and Swords of Sanghelios. The clauses of the treaty take effect and trade between each faction causes great economic growth. The Swords of Sanghelios develop AI as efficient as the UNSC variety, and the UNSC develops Slipspace drives and shields as effective as the Sangheili types.
The Allies fight their first official battle against the Storm Covenant. Though they are defeated the Jul continues his push inwards, results are promising and integration between the fleets improves.
2554 (Late)- UNSC Infinity encounters a Banished fleet when it arrives on Delta Halo in search of more Forerunner artifacts and the fleets clash. After a bloody battle, Infinity is forced to retreat, with the Second Battle of Delta Halo going to the Banished.
New destroyers, the Fury Class, enter service with the UNSC. They use combined Forerunner, UNSC, and Sangheili tech to great success.
The Sangheili finish construction of their first new warship since the fall of the Covenant as the CSO Class supercarrier Tear in the Void enters service with the Swords of Sanghelios. Go big or go home.
The Banished launch a massive assault against the Outer Colonies. It seemed they were much larger and stronger than the Allies could have imagined. Many worlds fall to the onslaught and the Banished establish new strongholds. The UNSC deploys a number of fleets to push the invaders back.
Rearmament is in full swing as the UNSC fleet surpasses its pre-war peak. The public is shown to be massively in favor of a heavily militarized UEG, as the past years have shown that humanity may never again enjoy peace in space. The humans want to be prepared.
2555 (Early)- Atriox's fleet crushes the UNSC fleet sent to engage it as he continues to invade Outer Colony worlds. A massive UNSC fleet is prepared in the skies above Reach to push him back. UNSC Eternity will be its flagship.
The Allies break the balance of the Storm Covenant near Sanghelios, and the Storm Covenant is destroyed, their furious push inward ending in ruin as their faction fades into obscurity. Jul 'Mdama is confirmed killed after the battle.
The Servants of Abiding Truth lose a lot of their confidence following 'Mdama's defeat, and the number of Servant incursions declines drastically.
The Allies, having proven that they can hold their own against the ex-Covenant and protect their populaces from enemy attacks, begin to gain the attention of others. The Unggoy, led by Yiptap the Unifyer, become the third species to join the Allies. Though the Allied Charter requires each of its members work for the advancement of the whole, the Unggoy wish to avoid militarization. The Allies agree to protect their newest member in exchange for Unggoy agricultural production. While some in the UEG view this as forced servitude, the Unggoy protectorate is extremely happy with the arrangement, as they are protected by their stronger allies, and get to pursue farming exploits in peace. The Unggoy hold up their end of the bargain by providing the Allies with vast amounts of agricultural products.
2555 (Late)- UNSC Infinity leads a joint Allied task force to retake Delta Halo. The Allies find that the Banished have, for some unknown reason, abandoned the ring. The Allies track the Banished to Epsilon Halo, where a major battle occurs. The Battle of Epsilon Halo ends in a resounding defeat against the Banished, as the Allies secure their first major win against Atriox's faction. Let 'Volir is confirmed killed after the battle.
Following 'Volir's death, most of the Sangheili in the Banished abandon the cause, finding their way to the Swords of Sanghelios or Servants of Abiding Truth.
The UNSC Eternity and its fleet meet the Banished in battle and secure several wins, reclaiming a number of the Outer Colonies and pushing the Banished back towards the edge of UNSC space.
The tide had turned against the Banished.
2556- The Lekgolo notice the Banished no longer serve their interests, and become unsatisfied. ONI detects this, and reports it to Allied High Command. A secret meeting is arranged between the Allies and Colony, leader of the Lekgolo after the Human-Covenant War. Colony is offered a chance to join the Allies.
The Lekgolo agree, and Colony, being their representative, leads them out of the Banished and into the Allied Species. The Lekgolo become the fourth species to join the Allies, and they provide the Allies with great scientific knowledge as well as providing a hefty defense force of their own.
The Lekgolo expand beyond their homeworld of Te and colonize many surrounding systems, backed with economic support from the Allies. The first and only purely Lekgolo CSO class supercarrier, Triumph in Unity is completed. The Lekgolo join the Sangheili and humanity as the third superpower in the Milky Way.
The war in the Outer Colonies reaches a stalemate as the UNSC reclaim all their worlds but find themselves unable to push deeper into Banished space.
ONI manages to locate the Absolute Record, and Infinity and her escort fleet are assigned to the critical mission of locating Forerunner artifacts.
UNSC Spirit of Fire is finally located adrift in deep space by a destroyer, UNSC Belfast. Humanity rejoices as these long lost heroes are finally returned home. Red Team joins Blue Team as the last operating SPARTAN II team. Blue Team is approaching retirement, however, and the UNSC knows it will not be long before Red Team is the only SPARTAN II outfit still in operation.
2557- The Servants of Abiding Truth, having been largely inactive, are finally located and destroyed by the Swords of Sanghelios. An ex-Storm Covenant Sangheili named 'Nthoko 'Nuntak creates his own faction from the Sangheili who had left the Banished, Servants, and Storm Covenant but refused to join the Swords of Sanghelios.
'Nuntak's fleet raids a number of Sangheili colonies, but is soon put down by a Swords of Sanghelios fleet.
A shockwave is sent through the scientific community when the Absolute Record reveals the location of the Greater Ark. Thought to be destroyed during the Forerunner-Flood War, it seemed the Forerunner had repaired the Greater Ark at the twilight of the Array, but could not make use of it before the activation of the array.
The Greater Ark's location is kept secret amongst the upmost echelon of the Allies until such a time when the Allies can spare a fleet to claim the hugely important artifact.
A minor Flood outbreak occurs on Zeta Halo, but is quickly stomped out by the UNSC. The Allies create a Flood specific task force to address any Flood outbreaks in the galaxy. Specialized units such as Hellbringers and Flame Warthogs are developed to deal with any Flood found across the galaxy.
On their homeworld, the Jiralhanae leader Chieftain Lydus convinces the Jiralhanae to join the Allies. The Allies are hesitant to accept the Jiralhanae, especially following the blood spilled during the Schism, but eventually they relent. New clauses are drafted to keep the Jiralhanae in check, but the Jiralhanae are eventually allowed admission into the Allies.
The UNSC's aging space fighters are slowly replaced. The Broadswords and Shortswords are deemed new enough to remain in service, but the old Longswords and Sabres are phased out. They are replaced by a brand new space superiority fighter, the F-17 Scimitar and a brand new heavy fighter, the F-11 Cutlass. Each one features numerous Forerunner upgrades including improves impulse drives, improved thrust vectoring, improved shields. Their greatest asset, however, are their new hardlight machine guns.
The SPARTAN V program begins. Following new advancements, the new Vs are as effective as the old IIs, though their ranks are made up of veteran UNSC special forces, not kidnapped children. The IVs are upgraded to meet the Vs standards. The SPARTAN program is now made up of Vs and the last serving IIs. The program is led by the famed former NOBLE Team sharpshooter, Jun A266, following the death of Sarah Palmer.
2558- The Lekgolo, with their new supercarrier, arrive to assist the UNSC in repelling the Banished. The SoS finally defeat all the Sangheili ex-Covenant factions from their colonies and arrive to assist UNSC. The combined Allied fleet drives the Banished back as the Allies begin to seize their worlds.
Atriox attempts to halt the advance by launching a surprise assault led by his top lieutenant, Voridus. Much to the Allies, surprise, however, the attack is repulsed by none other than Chieftain Lydus's brutes. By defeating a Jiralhanae led attack against the Sangheili, Lydus's Jiralhanae gained a little more trust within the Allies.
Voridus's fleet is by no means defeated, however, and they push on and seize Delta Halo, destroying the Allied defense.
2559 (Early)- UNSC Eternity joins an SoS force and is pulled off the main frontline to engage the Banished at Delta Halo. The Third Battle of Delta Halo occurs, and Voridus's fleet is crushed and he himself is killed. The Banished's situation grows increasingly dire.
UNSC Eternity is pulled off the frontline for repairs following damage it sustained during the battle. On the main Allied-Banished frontlines, Infinity returns to the battle, pulled away from its science assignments to fill the void left by UNSC Eternity.
The Allied fleet pushes deep into Banished territory. Both sides know the battle will soon come to a close.
2559 (Late)- The Allies meet the last remnants of the Banished fleet in battle around a pulsar deep in Banished space. Atriox's fleet is crushed, but the Brute in his dying breath uses a human captive to activate a Forerunner artifact. The pulsar collapses, completely destroying his fleet.
The Allies secure the area immediately, and science teams are brought in. Analysis reveals the portal to have the same spectral signature as the one over Voi that led to the Lesser Ark. No amount of scientific analysis can determine where the portal leads, however.
Probes are finally sent through the portal, revealing that passage is indeed safe. The probe's location however, sends shock waves through the scientific community when they send their message back through the portal.
The probes reveal that the portal took them to the very edge of the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy. Why the Forerunners hid a portal in a pulsar is anyone's guess, as is often the case with the Forerunners.
After much debate, the Allies eventually draft the Armageddon Initiative. The initiative states that, due to the continued threat of the Flood and the potential that some time in the future the Halo Array may need to be reactivated, it was vital for the Allies to establish a foothold in Andromeda to ensure that some of their populations may survive a Flood outbreak and the subsequent activation of the Halo Array.
Following the close of the war, the Kig Yar and Yanme'e request to be admitted into the Allies. They join the Jiralhanae and Unggoy as primary agricultural contributors to the Allies.
2560 (Early)- Operation MANIFEST DESTINY begins. The UNSC send their 23rd Fleet and the Sangheili send their newly created Fleet of Ascending Understanding into the new galaxy. The Lekgolo send a small fleet to settle a single world while the others stay behind.
The Sangheili settle a pair of systems they name Xihost and Vtlar. In each of these systems, the Sangheili establish an industrial, agricultural, and military presence as they work to create a Sangheili hub in the new galaxy. The Sangheili population defend their new colonies with the Fleet of Tranquil Solitude, led by Fleetmaster Rtas 'Vadum.
Colony led his Lekgolo to a form a colony on the rings of a gas giant they named Co. His Lekgolo fleet remained in the space around their world, and they kept largely to themselves.
The UNSC settle four systems. While each will come to bear a heavy military presence, three of them become civilian colonies. Thousands of colonists arrive in the new galaxy as the UNSC invests heavily in developing the new worlds. A massive supply of valuable ore and minerals is discovered on a temperate, forested world named Everest, and the UEG begins massive mining operations. The other three colony worlds, Horizon, Oasis, and Frontier, grow rapidly as each becomes an agricultural and tourist hub. Horizon becomes the main human population center in the Andromeda galaxy.
The most significant UNSC world in Andromeda was none of these, however. While each held a military presence, the main hub of UNSC power was kept somewhere else.
At a star adjacent to Horizon, was the Fortress system. The main world, Fortress, was a purely military world, and held the majority of the UNSC power in the galaxy. The UEG invested heavily on Fortress, and countless bases, shipyards, repair yards, motor pools, supply dumps, depots, and sensor arrays were set up across the foreboding, temperate, mountainous world. The other planets in the Fortress system became home to many early warning and sensor arrays.
The entire region of Allied space was surrounded by an array of early warning satellites built by the UNSC. All five UEG worlds were soon surrounded by a number of Orbital Defense Platforms.
On Reach, construction of the new Infinity class supercarriers, Eternal, Boundless, and Sempiternity is completed
2560 (Late)- As more economic growth occurs in the Andromeda sect of the Allied population, the area around the portal now named the Stargate became crowded, and the Allies decided that moving forward, only military craft could traverse the Stargate. Civilian and commercial shipping had to make the multi-week journey to Andromeda by conventional means.
The Allies locate the Greater Ark at the edge of the Milky Way and begin to unravel its secrets. ONI holds out hope that the great forge can one day be reactivated to churn out UNSC or perhaps even Forerunner ships.
Following a decision from the Allied Council, the UNSC and SoS each begin work on a number of 'super-ships' to supplement their supercarriers.
On Sanghelios, construction of their sole dreadnought Sword of Sanghelios begins. The SHD class dreadnought will be the most powerful warship in Sangheili history, though it will be decades before it is operational.
While in the shipyards above Reach, the first of ten planned UNSC Millennia Class dreadnoughts begins. The first is to be operational within twenty years. Along with the SHD Class, they will be the most powerful warships since the days of the Forerunners.
2561 (Early)- As Andromeda grows to be a major Sangheili and Human population hub, the Allies reinforce the sector. The UNSC 5th and 12th fleets arrive with the new supercarriers. With the exception of Infinity, all the UNSC supercarriers are now in Andromeda.
On May 4th, 2061, at precisely 1700 hours local time, an early warning satellite is triggered at the very boundary of Allied space, near Frontier. Magnetic analysis reveals the newcomer to be an unknown ship. For the second time in the 26th century, humanity will make first contact...