Final Phase

Location: Side 6--Core 6.

January 3, 0080--Local Time: 1000

It was an extremely strange affair in the sense that a major military meeting was taking place in what once was a neutral cluster of colonies. However, since it was the only set of colonies left it was the only place where the local militaries could dock.

Half dead ships and mobile suits along with thousands of refugees crowded the hanger levels of every one of the 50 cylinders that made up the Side 6 cluster. Nearly every piece of military equipment no matter how old or broken was being pressed into emergency service by the remaining local government. Inside the cylinder a single limo pulled up to the local administration building. Commander Trent stepped out dressed in the usual human alliance dress uniform. Patches that represented both his fleet and the sentient coalition were recent additions, along with the usual salad bowl of medals.

Trent sighed and lit up a coffin nail. He hated these diplomatic meetings, but it was necessary for both the sentient collation and the halo task force to be present. Come to think of it, he wondered if the higher ups could have come up with a more creative name instead of halo task force. After all there were plenty of good ideas considering that the unit was in charge with main contact with more primitive galaxies. However, considering the fact that the unit was organized quickly, the name was of little consequence.

As he was being escorted into the building, he observed the two guards flanking him. One was a Earth federal officer. To Trent he looked like something out of his history books. The uniform resembled those of 21st century America. The other was a Zeon royal guard whose uniform reminded Trent of those of the Nazi soldiers of World War II with the addition of a few high tech bells and whistles. Both stopped in front of a single door. They opened the door for Trent and he nodded in acknowledgement and proceeded in.

Inside were the two remaining leaders of the local government. Ryan Cooledge, the only remaining leader of the Federation Counsel. It was ironic that when most of the Federation leaders were cowering in a bunker in fear, Cooledge was in the field railing as much support as possible. This action saved his life. One of the Covenant ships that was destroyed during the engagement fell through the atmosphere and landed on the Counsels hidden bunker in the Alaskan wilderness. Also with him was Kycilia Zabi, currently the undisputed leader of the principality of Zeon, or what remained of it anyway. All that was left were three closed cylinder colonies that the Covenant occupied and then abandoned, plus the two lunar colonies of Granada and Von Braun.

Trent sat down and quickly organized his thoughts. The Covenant were now long gone. Apparently, that single abandoned colony called Side 7 was indeed a secret mobile suit research facility and the Spartans were able to confirm that. However, according to the one survivor, the famous or infamous depending on your opinion, John 117, the Covenant had somehow managed to create their own equivalent of the Spartan next generation program. Based on the relative data, these Paladins as they were called were probably the biggest threat that the Covenant still had at their disposal.

Finally, he began to speak, "Ladies and Gentlemen…"

Location: Side 6--Batch 15. Darwin Colony

Local time: 1241

Amuro finally managed to get up. It was probably about time he did too. He had slept through the entire day yesterday. It was still fresh in his memory like a nightmare coming true. The battle was one of almost insane proportions, and now this strange force calling itself the Sentient Coalition was here and discussing something with the Federation and the Principality. From what little he heard, they were humans from another galaxy. He didn't know how it was possible, obviously there were other human civilizations that developed simultaneously in similar earth like conditions, but had a superior rate of technological development. He finally was dressed for the first time in months in his old familiar civilian clothes. He walked out of the hotel, one of many that was taken over by the government to house refugees and soldiers.

The streets were unusually quiet, probably because of the military curfew in effect for the colonies night cycle. He continued on down the street occasionally being stopped by Federation and Zeon soldiers.

Finally, he made his way into a small restaurant. Soldiers were taking up a good portion of the tables and booths. There were a few ordinarily civilians who managed to avoid the various patrols to dine out.

"Hey Fed--over here."

Amuro walked over to see Johnny and Kia sitting in a booth in the corner. He sat down and said, "I have a name you know."

Johnny replied, "Whatever. Your friend here is a real light weight, only one drink and he passes right out."

Amuro looked over at Kia who had his head down on the table. How he was able to get a drink considering he was under legal age he did not know. A waiter walked up and asked, "So you guys want anything else?"

Amuro just said, "Water and whatever is the specialty of this place."

Johnny said, "I'll just have the same."

"All right then two glasses of water and two curry surprises coming right up."

Suddenly the music from the radio blaring in the restaurant cut out replaced by static for about a minute and then an announcer said, "Side 6 broadcasting system--please stand by….We now present an emergency broadcast from Ryan Cooledge current leader of the Earth Federation."

"People of the Federation and the Principality of Zeon, for years mankind has always wondered since the dawn of the space age if we are truly alone in the universe. This question has obviously been answered.

On the date December 27, 0079 of the Universal Century, we came under attack by an extra-terrestrial force.

If it was not for the brave efforts of both the Zeon and Federation forces our world and way of life would have been all but destroyed. On the brink of our defeat we were assisted by another outside force. What I'm about to say will shatter the foundations of our beliefs.

According to the outside force, which is known to both the Federation and Zeon as the Sentient Coalition, millions upon millions of years ago there was great society called the forerunner alliance. However, they became engaged in an genocidal war with an unidentified enemy. The forerunner alliance was spread out through many galaxies and the war raged for nearly a millennia. Eventually, realizing that the war could not be won, they used their weapon of absolute last resort. A series of ring fortresses known as halo which served as giant transgalactic gate linking galaxies of the alliance together activated their secondary function obliterating not only the forerunners enemies but the forerunners themselves in what could be only described as multi-galactic mutual destruction.

That may have been the end of all life, if it wasn't for a intentional after affect of this action. As a way of redemption for what they had done, the rings released probes carrying nano-machines. Each probe seekers out the nearest Terriformable world and seeded it, creating what we now know today.

Despite these revelations, there is still a place for personal religion, after all some ultimate power had to create the forerunner. Throughout the milliners that followed, hundreds of civilizations both human and what we consider alien flourished thanks to the evolutionary jump start that the forerunner engineered.

Now we are at a cross road of not only our history, but the history of the very universe itself. Fifty years ago, a civilization calling itself the Covenant Hegemony declared war on the human inhabitants of another galaxy far from here. Somehow the Covenant had gained knowledge of the forerunners and worshipped them as gods. Later they found out about halo and its dual purpose of genocide and a gate way. Finding out that there were other human civilizations as well as aliens who were lived in peace with them, the Covenant broadened their scope. They believed that the creation of multiple human civilizations was a mistake made by the forerunners and now they are hell bent on wiping out all human civilizations as well as any alien races who align with them.

People we have seen the way the Covenant operate, the almost complete obliteration of Side 3. They make the crimes of the one week war look insignificant. Right now the Sentient Coalition, a group of Alien and Human soldiers are fighting to protect their civilizations as well as their very existence from this fanatical on slot. After much discussion with their representative Commander Jimmy Trent of the Human Alliance a treaty has been signed between the Principality of Zeon, The Earth Federation, and the Sentient Coalition.

In exchange for technology and resources to rebuild, both the Federation and Zeon will send its best scientists and technicians to a currently undisclosed location. The Coalition has seen our mobile suits in actions and wish to develop their own with our assistance. As a gesture of peace and to stabilize ourselves for the long road ahead, the Earth Federation now officially recognizes the Principality of Zeon as an independent state. I hereby grant Kycilia Zabi and the Principality full control of both the moon and the Side 3 colony cluster which shall be rebuilt with coalition assistance.

As a gesture of good will towards the Coalition, the Federation and the Principality will welcome all refugees, human or alien that the Covenant have destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. The Colonies shall be rebuilt. We shall rise from the ashes and be ready to face the shadows of the unknown. Because of this historic event, I hereby declare the retirement of the UC calendar. It is now January 3, 0000 of the New Galactic Century or GC calendar.

We shall adjust to the changes that are ahead. We will not turn away or go astray, and for the hope of not only the Federation and the Principality of Zeon, but for all those who fight against the Covenant and their allies, we shall embrace the future and be victorious.

FOR THE FEDERATION! FOR THE PRINCIPALITY! FOR THE FUTURE--FOREVER!"

Epilogue

Location: Covenant Super Star Destroyer Moonlight Symphony in hyperspace transit

Exact Location and time unknown.

Commander Plo was standing in the hanger starring at something in the shadows. The elites artificial eye was glowing brighter than ever. The battle was almost won until the infidels damm coalition showed up.

To make things worse only two Paladins out of the 30 were still alive. Apparently, will inside Side 7 they ran into the demons--about a dozen of them. The good news was that they managed to take all but one of them out. Still one demon was one too many for Commander Plo, after all they had slaughtered his platoon on Reach and a single demon was solely responsible for the destruction of his soul eraser project and the lose of his eye and arm. He smiled wickedly, with the data and footage obtained here it should be little trouble to convince the Prophets that mobile suit technology would be worth pursuing. However, the thought that brutes were beginning to take over elite positions troubled him.

The lights of the hanger turned on revealing a massive machine called a mobile armor. His special ops team found it entombed during one last sweep of Granada . Plo thought to himself, "I'll hold back this machine and some of the more technical mobile suit information. The elites are being betrayed by the Prophets. They are being cast aside in favor of the brutes. If the day comes, I shall be ready. I know many others who will agree and join my side, if and when it happens."

He then took one last look at the mobile armor. Painted on the side of the half completed machine was its designation--XMA-09 VERTEIDIGER. With proper alterations this machine could possibly be one of the deadliest the infidels and treasons prophets would ever encounter. Plo simply laughed and flicked off the hanger lights.

Fin

Credits: I'd like to thank BombSquad for inventing the Far Flung Hope Series and Zalinko for his technical advice.

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