Reckoning of the Reclaimers (v2)

by metts101

After the Great War Humanity was a different creature. Their brush with extinction left them cold and vengeful, and so they sought revenge for the transgressions of the Covenant species. With their eradication Humanity, driven by xenophobia, took their position as the unrivalled power in the galaxy. However, will a xenophilic alien federation, in a new galaxy, change their outlook?

1. Setting the stage

Hello everyone, welcome to chapter 1 of my rewrite of Reckoning of the reclaimers. The new story will be vastly different from my previous one but contain similar themes. a xenophobic humanity changed by the Human-Covenant conflict etc...

This story is going to AU right from the get go. It will follow the story of the first three games chronologically with few changes, such as the way the war was fought in certain respects. However that impact will be minimal as it will be told entirely within the first chapter.

It only diverges after the events of Halo 3. It will be massively AU after the end of the Human-Covenant war. I will not be sticking to the storyline in the 4th and 5th games, although elements, such as locations and characters and plot devices will be prevalent throughout the story.

This will be a fusion of Mass Effect and Halo, however the Mass Effect universe wont really be relevant until at least the 3rd chapter so be warned. I will also be adding the technology and government-ethics forms of Stellaris. Stellaris as a game has allowed me to understand the way technology could potentially advance for the Human species, meaning that there will be a fusion of all 3 games in some ways. Apologies if that is not for you.

I apologise if fans of the original story do not enjoy this one as much, but as I said, I didn't feel like i could realistically continue with the previous version, as there were too many holes and I honestly found it a bit cringe at times.

Please take note that this is massively AU for both the Halo and Mass Effect franchises and a suspension of disbelief is required to a certain degree, so please take what I write with a grain of salt. If you do see something glaring please let me know but the fact is that this is a fanfiction I have thought up. One of the main issues I have is with grammar and flow, so if you see any inconsistences please let me know.

I will be using the suffix A.D. (Anno Domini) to represent time for the UNSC and Covenant. However when regarding the former species of the Covenant it will also include 'First Age of Revival'. The suffix of C.E. (Common Era) will be used to represent time for the Mass effect universe, instead of GS. When both universes are present alongside one another, i will indicate both dates in the headings to prevent confusion.

Mass Effect and Halo are both property of Bioware and 343 Industries respectively. I own nothing.

Chapter 1: The Birth of the Dominion

London, Earth, Sol system: 28th November 2563 A.D.

The development of a species is much like the nurturing of a child, small events, such as the breaking of a leg or a poor result in school do not affect it so, and are readily forgotten to the passage of time. However, there may be a time where an event so significant permanently alters the child's personality and the way they see the world. It could be the death of a parent, abuse or neglect, or it could be that the child experiences something so devastating that they are killed or left crippled for the rest of their life. As the saying goes, psychopaths are born, but sociopaths are made.

Humanity had developed along those lines for centuries, small events, such as the Insurrection, did not affect the species as a whole. The Inner Colonies and Earth were not affected by the fighting, and the majority of Humanity went about their daily lives as if nothing had changed, while the UNSC sent ship after ship to wage war against the Colonial Administration and the United Rebel Front. While the news would report attacks every day, to many Humans, those events were far enough removed from them that they did not expect anything to change. Much like the United States of the 21st century when they felt it prudent to condemn genocide and civil wars far from their shores. In reality, Humanity experienced many of these 'small events'. The most significant of those was the Second World War, which led to the end of Imperialism and the rise of Communism, but again, it did not change the way all of Humanity perceived the world around them, just a percentage. In fact the only event in recent memory that altered the course of Human history significantly enough were the Interplanetary Wars, a conflict on such a vast scale, and with such a significant death toll that it forced the Human race under one banner for the first time in its history. Born out of the ashes of the conflict were the organisations that would go on to shape the future of mankind, the United Nations Space Command and the United Earth Government.

The Great War and contact with the Covenant changed all that. What had started off as a skirmish above the Outer Colony of Harvest turned into a campaign of systematic genocide against the Human race. At first Humanity was confused, why were they doing this? What had they done to warrant such visceral hatred from a people or peoples they had never even met before?

As colony after colony fell to the waves of fleets the Covenant sent against Humanity and the death toll reached 5 billion the Human race became increasingly desperate. Families were torn apart as their Sons and Daughters were conscripted into the UNSC to stem the tide of the Covenant, ultimately dying, at the hands of a cold and utterly unsympathetic enemy. Those Humans who managed to evacuate planets such as Eridanus II or Charybdis IX often did so alone, their loved ones killed mercilessly, their only crime; existing. It was in these Humans, and in the soldiers and sailors that fought to protect them from a seemingly unstoppable enemy that a seed began to sprout in the conscience of Humanity. While fear pervaded the minds of most, hate of the Covenant, and of the alien, began to take root in their minds.

The seed was carefully tended to as the trend continued, the UNSC despite every last resort being made, could do nothing but slow down the Covenant, a more numerous and technologically advanced adversary. So war came to more and more colonies. In the mid-2530s, with every outer colony glassed and their populations completely decimated, the Inner Colonies felt war for the first time. The UNSC achieved significant victories in this period, successfully defending the heavily populated worlds of Actium and Ballast from orbit, the Covenant unlikely recognising their significance. However, whatever victories the UNSC managed to achieve were offset with the numerous defeats they suffered, to Humanity it seemed the fight was hopeless.

It was in this time of hopelessness that ONI began to subvert the censorship placed by the UNSC on wartime footage and leaked it to the various surviving news sites around the UEG of what Humanity was truly experiencing. Those humans that had not experienced the brutality of the Covenant, while not being able to understand the experience, began to understand why the refugees that had arrived from the planets already lost spoke of the Covenant with such a deep seated hatred, and so, the seed grew further.

Economic crisis, compounded by the complete loss of Humanity's best agricultural worlds led to shortages from everything from food to fuel. Basic necessities were hard to come by, and as parents struggled to provide anything for their children, power shortages across the entirety of UEG space fanned the flames of an already increasingly scared and desperate populace.

It was in the closing years of the war that Humanity was dealt what many assumed would be the final blow. Reach, the most militarized world the UEG held, and the most important world to the UNSC outside of Earth fell in just a month. Only 40 million civilians escaped the planet before it fell and was partially glassed, leaving the other 660 million to be exterminated by the Covenants occupation forces. The Covenant, now with a foothold just 10.5 lightyears away from Earth looked poised to conquer Humanities home world, with defeat certain after that.

Thanks to ONI satellites in orbit two thirds of the remaining 24 billion Humans watched the fall of Reach as it happened. There was anguish in the streets, in homes and among the various fleets of the UNSC as Humanity watched the glassing of the UEG's most venerated world. To many in the UEG, Reach had always had a sort of legendary aura surrounding it, and was often spoke about with reverence, and when it fell within a month much of HIGHCOM expected that Humanity would soon fall afterwards. However, when the expected fall in morale failed to materialise after Reach was lost, they were confused.

Instead of the predicted despondent and defeatist attitude that had seemingly infested the Human race in recent months there were fierce riots on the streets of almost every remaining world. The anger throughout the populace was palpable, however it was not anger at the UNSC's failure to defend them, as HIGHCOM had feared, instead it was directed towards their aggressors. The number of Humans enlisting in the UNSC rose by 400%, so much so that conscription was no longer necessary, they had an adult population of over 8 billion ready to fight for the future of the Human race. It was then that the seed bloomed into a venomous flower. Fear was replaced by rage, rage slowly replaced by hate, after Reach fell the attitudes of Humanity imperceptibly shifted to something almost unrecognisable and yet startlingly familiar. For it was the same attitudes of hate that led to the numerous genocides that had plagued Earth's storied history.

It was when Earth was attacked and billions were killed in the ensuing occupation, that the seed made its way into the minds of the upper echelons of the UNSC, as it looked as if Humanity would submit to the exhaustion that was plaguing the species after so many losses and defeats to the Covenant. The Prophet of Regret, not recognising the value of the world he had sought to attack was still able to inflict devastating losses on the UNSC and Humanities Home World below. As a consequence, despite Humanities valiant defence against Regret's fleet and the renewed vigour poured into the peoples of the UEG when the news came that Earth had been successfully defended, all every officer on board the remaining fleet of 172 vessels in orbit could think about was the obvious devastation inflicted on Humanities pristine green and blue jewel.

The alliance between the UEG and the Covenant Separatists was kept quiet for obvious reasons, and despite intense hatred from both sides it was victorious. Earth was attacked and defended successfully once again as the Prophet of Truth sought out the artefact in East Africa, and although the UNSC suffered horrendous losses and Earth was devastated once more, with most of Africa and Australia becoming a barren wasteland, it was still a victory to many. With the combined forces of the UNSC and their allies of convenience, Humanity was able to destroy the Covenant and kill the last Prophet, Truth, ending the threat of the Covenant led by the San Shyuum. The firing of the Halo Array above the Ark ended the war completely, the flood, unable to survive the weapons awesome power, were lost to the void. Humanity, although they did not know it, were at peace, a hard won, hard fought peace. People cheered in the streets when news of the end of the Covenant civil war and the death of the last Prophet finally reached the civilian population, since the battle of Earth ended 2 weeks ago, spirits had been rising, the defeat of the Covenant and the end of the war brought a smile to the face of many a Human. The sense of relief was palpable throughout the UEG.

As the Great War came to an end, Earth was just beginning to pick up the pieces, ravaged by the Covenant occupation just 1 year prior the UNSC had only just received realistic casualty numbers. When Fleet Admiral Hood saw the numbers, he wept for one of the first times in his life, up to 6 billion dead. Civilians, just like those on Reach, Harvest and so many others who just wanted to live their lives, have families to love and cherish and be at peace were decimated in the face of an unsympathetic enemy. The Covenant had destroyed that, destroyed the generous spirit that was part of every Human and had left behind only hate and desperation.

The loss of 73 habitable worlds to glassing and the eradication of over 23 billion Humans, more than half the Human population was something that was incomprehensible to many, the numbers were just so staggering. So when it was revealed that estimates of Covenant military deaths stood at only 850 million, the disparity to many was inconsolable and the hatred of all things alien grew further. The fact that Covenant worlds were left unaffected until the Covenant civil war and that they would be able to continue with minimal rebuilding was a kick in the gut to the majority of Humanity. When the Human-Sangheili alliance was revealed and the news spoke of their actions, this lessened the call for continuing the war against the remnants of the Covenant. However, when ONI leaked the specifics of the alliance and made it clear that Humanity was still hated and reviled by the Covenant species, this poured renewed vitality into the idea that the species of the Covenant couldn't be allowed to survive if Humanity was to prosper.

So when the UNSC retained control of the government indefinitely despite calls to return power to the senate of the UEG, few people opposed. When the Senate of the UEG was dissolved and the Military Council was inducted as the leadership of Humanity and the former UEG was reorganised into the Greater Human Dominion, very few opposed. There was opposition to the new regime, those who would not accept the rule of a military dictatorship now that peace was achieved began to riot in the streets. However, the newly replenished planetary defence forces were quick to subdue them. When more and more resources were diverted from the colonial rebuilding effort to the UNSC to increase fleet replenishment and construction, fewer people complained. In fact enlistment for the UNSC exceeded the levels seen in the opening stages of the Great War, with many of the remaining 17 billion Humans eager to bring the fight to their former enemies.

The following decade was hard for Humanity, the conditions were harsh, with 50% of the GHD's budget going towards the military there were limited resources available to rebuild Humanities devastated worlds. However, the resilience of Humanity was always something to be praised, many accepted the conditions they found themselves in because of the thought that they were giving future generations a better and more secure life. In 2556 they were rewarded with the sight of two newly commissioned Infinity class Supercarriers in orbit over Earth, preparing for their shakedown runs. Humanity, in just three years had rebuilt 45% of its fleet with technology stolen from the Covenant. Better equipped and more technologically advanced Humanities new fleet would be the dagger that struck the Heart of the former Covenant's worlds.

In 2557, Reach and New Constantinople were fully reclaimed, and the effects of the glassing were countered, the shipyards above them reconstructed and already churning out ships when over 250 million refugees began to flock to the planets to start a new and hopefully better life.

In 2560, the UNSC fleet stood at 1000 vessels, the integration of Covenant technology allowed for more advanced kinetic weaponry and Translight drives. The inclusion of energy shielding meant that they would be far more robust than Humanities previous efforts. No significant design changes were made however, with newer technologies on hand, older, less advanced vessels were scrapped in favour of new builds. And with the completion of the GHD's post-war fleet aims completed the military budget was cut by 10%, opening up trillions of credits for use in improving the lives of the civilian population.

Thanks to pronatalist decrees set by the Military Council, the population exploded, experiencing a baby boom unprecedented in Human history, in a decade the population increased by over 3.4 billion, families with 5 or more children became the norm and there were projections that by 2600 the population of Humanity would recover to pre-war levels. For the first time in over 30 years Humanity looked set to thrive like never before.

Today, Humanity was a changed species. The events of the Great War had shaped it into something far different to what it was before. Gone was the exploratory spirit, the wonderment Humanity had surrounded space exploration with, where once Humans looked to the stars in awe, now it was with fear and hate. The life of every Human had been affected by the war, they, as a collective species had witnessed untold horrors, they had watched their loved ones be exterminated in the name of a false religion, they had watched them die for nothing.

The lives of 23 billion Humans destroyed utterly without mercy. The Great War, left, in its wake, a cold and ruthless species, with a hatred of anything different to themselves, a hatred of the alien and anything they advocated. A revolution of ideals occurred once peace was achieved, the ideals of openness and freedom replaced by security and xenophobia. Supported by the dictatorial government, elements that espoused the former ideals were ruthlessly crushed and their supporters executed in the name of stability and security. Planetary defence forces put down riots with merciless efficiency, those who did not agree with the new government were used as examples to show what happened to those who opposed the military council. The majority of the populace accepted it, their lives were improving daily, they no longer had to ration vital goods and most importantly, they felt protected and safe, more and more colonies were being terraformed and normalcy was returning, albeit slowly.

However, the most prevalent emotion and thought running through the mind of every Human, was fear. Fear that they would once again be attacked and be at the mercy of alien aggressors. So, the military and the UNSC were venerated as the sword and shield of Humanity. When partial conscription was introduced in 2561 it was accepted wholeheartedly by the population, it was an honour to be conscripted and the fervour surrounding the UNSC was akin to zealotry at times, ironically just like the Covenant of times past.

The year is 2563 C.E., a decade has passed since the end of the Great War, and Humanity stands alone in the galaxy, surrounded by their former enemies. The preceding years following the end of the Great War have been a perfect showcase of Humanities indomitable spirit. The UNSC fleet, now stronger than ever was ready to take the fight to the former Covenant species and exact the lust for revenge that had plagued Humanity since their victory over the Covenant. Over 30 planets had been reclaimed and terraformed since 2553 and Humanity was moving forward again, seeking to achieve a new place amongst the stars, a position of unrivalled power, so that they would never fall to the alien again.

---

"Good were all here, we can begin." As he slammed the gavel down on the mahogany stand before him, the room quieted in anticipation. "I call to order the 89th meeting of the Military Council, on this, the 28th of November 2563 C.E." An ivory clad Grand Admiral Lord Terrence Hood said from his raised dais to those below him. Directing his pale gaze around the carnivorous and opulent room at the assembled Admirals and Generals he couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation for what was about to come and what role he would play in the coming events.

Grand Admiral Lord Terrence Hood would never describe himself as someone who was prone to bouts of anxiousness or trepidation. Being the highest-ranking officer within the UNSC chain of command required a certain kind of temperament, something that he was more that adequately suited for, and it showed. During the battle over the skies of Earth he kept his composure where lesser men had trembled in fear, he watched as his fellow Admirals sacrificed their lives for the security of Humanities home world and took it within his stride. It was expected of him, expected of any UNSC officer to show courage and fortitude in the face of the wanton destruction and spiteful wickedness that was shown during the Covenants brutal campaign of extermination against the Human race.

"We will first begin with an update on the status of the fleets, Fleet Admiral Harper has the floor."

All eyes turned to the stocky, unassuming man in the chair next to Hood. At 74 Harper had aged very well, his hair was still black, albeit with flecks of grey shining through and his face held fewer stress and age lines across his pale skin than was expected of a frontline UNSC Fleet Admiral, a clear contrast to his fellow comrades in the room.

"Thank you, Grand Admiral, I will begin by stating that as of this year our fleet numbers have exceeded pre war levels. Currently we field 1268 ships, split into 5 fleets of 248 ships with each fleet split into 4 battlegroups of 62. Camilla, could you please bring up the statistics on screen."

As the A.I. answered in the affirmative the large screen on the opposite side of the room bathed it in a blue hue. Showing the composition and ship count of each of the UNSC's 5 fleets.

"As we can see here each fleet contains an Infinity class supercarrier and an Atlas class dreadnaught as capital ships. With construction of a further 6 Infinity class and 12 Atlas class's planned, we expect that to increase significantly. Contained within each Infinity and Atlas class are their Stalwart II frigate escorts, numbering 10 and 16 respectively. They are supported by the newest Reaper class Battleships, each fleet containing 4, with further construction planned to bring this up to 8 in the new year. The New Argo-Class Assault Carriers are just now entering service, each fleet contains 3. However, as they are not oriented towards ship to ship combat it is likely they will be withdrawn and used in specific scenarios once operations against the former Covenant have been completed. Next, we have the 50 Artemis II class Battlecruisers, which have replaced the older and less capable Marathon and Valiant class Heavy Cruisers. To finish off we have the Frigates. Each fleet fields 75 Ajax Class heavy frigates, as a replacement for the older Heracles class Destroyers and Paris class Heavy Frigates. Next, we have a mix of Pikeman and Stalwart II class Light Frigate's, with each class containing 44 ships respectively. The objective is to slowly phase out the Stalwarts in favour of the superior Pikeman class over the next 10 to 15 years."

The Admirals and Generals in the room looked at the display with looks of approval. The amount of firepower the UNSC now possessed was staggering, it was a welcome site to everyone in the room and was a testament to how fast the UNSC was able to bounce back following almost complete annihilation in the war.

"Due to our budget being cut." Harper continued. "We have had to halt the expansion of the shipyards in the Oort Cloud in favour of rebuilding the yards over New Carthage and Ballast. However, now that the shipyards over Mars are fully functional I believe that we should start the dismantling process of the Oort Cloud shipyards in favour of the Mars Heavy shipyards. Their proximity to Earth weigh heavily in their favour."

"Are we on track to meet the UNSC's aims for fleet expansion Fleet Admiral?" As Hood asked the question everyone in the room directed their attention towards him. "We have been extremely successful in rebuilding, but looking past that, do we have the trained sailors needed to expand the fleet to the aimed 3,500 vessels by 2585?"

"Potentially." Harper stated as he steepled his fingers and mulled the question over in silence. "With our current budget at 35% of GDP we could complete the fleet expansion aims by 2578 at the earliest, but with a planned reduction of 15% over the next five years we may find it hard to complete our fleet aims on time. I would recommend we keep the UNSC budget at 25% of GDP at the minimum, at least for the foreseeable future. Once we have secured our space as planned then we can look towards reductions. As for enlistments and training, we have over 30,000 people enlisting for only 200 positions everyday, what we lack are seasoned, experienced officers, but that is something that can only be solved in the heat of battle. Otherwise the UNSC is in prime condition, especially in regards to trained sailors, there is nothing to worry about in that area." He said dismissively with the wave of a hand.

Hood was the first to speak after a long silence. "Very good Fleet Admiral. Tell me, in your opinion are we ready to proceed with Operation Retribution?"

Hood did not miss the look that Harper sent Vice-Admiral Osman's way and took that as an indication that the question should have been directed to her.

"Vice-Admiral Osman?" Hood inquired.

All Hood received was a silent nod as the Director of ONI rose for her chair and made her way to the podium. All eyes watched with rapt attention as she was sure to give a speech that would change Human history forever.

"Camilla, bring up all tactical data acquired by Prowlers 1 through 22."

As Osman received an affirmative from the A.I. the screen showing fleet statistics changed. Hood noted the thoroughness of the information that the 22 Prowlers requisitioned from the UNSC had achieved.

"As you can clearly see here, the former species of the Covenant are still in complete disarray 10 years after the end of the war. The majority of the Covenant fleet is in orbit around Sanghelios, discounting any ships in nearby systems the Sangheili possess approximately 1080 warships of various classes. However, over a third are in a state of disrepair, undermanned or unarmed entirely. The loss of the Engineers has clearly been a boon for us. ONI believes that none of the former Covenant species have been able to adapt as quickly as us to the new status quo. The rigidity of their caste system prior to the end of the war means that the Sangheili, the warrior caste, have been unable to form a stable and working society, this is to our direct advantage."

As Osman cycled through the species of the former Covenant and their various states of ability one thing was made clear. Despite suffering the greatest losses in the Human-Covenant war, Humanity had bounced back the fastest, and had successfully overtaken each individual species by some degree in all areas of society.

"At last we come to the Kig-Yar. What you should note is that the Kig-Yar have been by in large the most successful species in adapting to their new circumstances. Trade between their three colonies is flourishing and they have successfully kept their fleet in top condition. This is of concern to us, as their Home World of Eayn is the first world that will be hit once we commence operations against the former Covenant. The majority of their 300 ships are in orbit of their Home World and as such ONI believes that presents an unacceptable risk to the integrity of the new UNSC fleet."

"What do you propose then Vice-Admiral?" Hood queried.

"Simple, instead of risking the fleet we use the Prowlers already in system to deploy two NOVA Bombs. One to destroy the fleet, the other to destroy the Planet. With Eayn destroyed their other colonies will be quick to fall with minimal resistance expected."

Silence met her statement. Various looks of horror adorned the faces of half the officers present while the rest looked on in what could only be described as poorly concealed excitement. The fact that Osman had said it so nonchalantly did not go unnoticed by Hood either.

"You mean to completely destroy the planet?" Hood asked curiously.

"Of course Grand-Admiral. It is the most efficient way to achieve the goals set by Operation Retribution. Complete and utter annihilation of the Former Covenant. We do not want their worlds, we do not want to rule them, we seek only to do to them what they tried to do to us. It is a most effective solution. I would recommend that we do it to every single one of their capital worlds. A ground offensive would be costly and inefficient, we would most likely be bogged down by guerrilla attacks which could stall any offensive and cause it to last years. That is why I ordered each prowler shadowing their respective species to be equipped with NOVA bombs, for this exact scenario."

Everyone watched as Hood sat there in contemplation. As the Flag Officer for the entirety of the UNSC his word was effectively law, no matter how much that displeased him at times.

"Your Idea has merit Vice-Admiral. However, due to the magnitude of the decision that we have presented ourselves with, I will be putting this to a vote. I, as one man cannot make this decision alone."

Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the room at the proclamation. If Hood hadn't been watching Osman so closely, he wouldn't have seen the brief flash of irritation in her eyes at the prospect of her plan being shot down.

"Will we be including the Covenant remnant in Operation Retribution?" One General asked as he looked over the plan meticulously. The question caused all conversation to stop as they looked towards the raised dais.

"No." Came the immediate answer from Osman. "The Covenant remnant will be dealt with at a later date. Due to their scattered and disparate nature ONI thought it prudent to focus on the recovering Separatist factions first. However, this will change should they threaten the integrity of the Dominion, I assure you of that."

Satisfied with the answer, the gathered officers went back to their discussions.

"What are the projected casualty numbers should we proceed with Operation Retribution conventionally?" Inquired one Admiral.

"Camilla, bring up the numbers." As the screen changed once more it painted a startling picture. "As you can see, rough estimates put the military dead at around 800 million, we expect, that should we engage their fleets we will lose at least 700 ships, if not more."

"I see. Thank you, Vice-Admiral." was the terse reply.

The murmurs increased in volume after everyone in the room was made aware the stakes. It took 35 minutes but by the time the conversations between the various officers had ended it was clear which direction Operation Retribution was going to play out.

Grand-Admiral Hood made his way to the dais once all conversation had quieted. "We will now vote on Vice-Admiral Osman's alterations to Operation Retribution. The Aye's?"

Instantly, over 10 hands were raised, well above the half that was needed to pass the amendments.

"And the Nay's?"

Defeated, the remaining 4 hands were raised.

"The Aye's carry the motion. We will proceed with Vice-Admiral Osman's alterations. Operation Retribution is set to launch in two weeks. The 2nd, 3rd and 5th fleets, along with 2 million marines, 120,000 ODST's and 2,000 of our newest Spartan IV's will be partaking in the various invasions of installations and colonies along the projected route to the Jiralhanae Home World, the last and furthest bastion of former Covenant power. Ladies and Gentlemen, comrades of the Military Council, this day will be remembered throughout Human history as the time when Humanity took what was rightfully theirs, in two weeks we will have our revenge, and it will be glorious. FOR THE DOMINION, FOR HUMANITY!"

As the chant echoed around the room loudly the officers rose to their fleet and saluted their Flag Officer, Hood directed his gaze around the area, pleased with what had been accomplished today. He spied the rare smirk that currently graced Osman's porcelain face and thought nothing of it, she was allowed to be smug on today of all days. Much had changed in the past decade, at the start he was reluctant to retain the power vested in him by the Civilian government at the start of the war, but now, watching his fellow officers salute him, he realised it was the greatest decision he had ever made. He would make Humanity invincible, never again would they be threatened by a foreign adversary, the UNSC would defend Humanity to the last and usher in a new era of prosperity and security for all.

'Long live the Dominion'. He thought to himself, 'Long live the Dominion indeed'.

Unknown system, Outer rim, Milky Way: 2nd February 2564 A.D.

If Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee could describe in one most the most significant emotion invading the minds of the majority of his crew it would have easily been devastation. For him however, it would be overwhelming shame, he had failed in the mission that his people chose him for, to protect them and to lead them into a new era.

When 12 heavily damaged CCS-Battlecruisers entered the Urs system and the communications system aboard his CSO-Supercarrier was assaulted with cries for help from what could only have been the Kig-Yar, he should have acted faster and been less wary of their intentions. He could see that in their current state they were not a threat to the security of Sanghelios, and yet, he fervently questioned their intentions, instead of listening to their pleas for help.

By the time he had brought one of the battlecruisers aboard his carrier it was already too late. When he listened to the Kig-Yar captain describe the complete and utter destruction of his Home World of Eayn his mind could logically only come to one conclusion. The Reclaimers.

He had been extremely wary over the past decade at the continued silence from Humanity and their constant non-answers to his overtures of peace. However, he thought little of it, and that had been his downfall. He had assumed that as the species hardest hit by the Human-Covenant war that it would be decades before they recovered from the genocide wreaked on them and that, even though they had been silent, it was down to their post war recovery and the fear of their population. Ironically, he had been right in both respects at the reasons for Humanities silence, he just couldn't fathom the path that this new Humanity had taken.

As soon as the Kig-Yar captain had finished speaking he sent orders to his Fleet-Master to fan the fleet out and sweep the system for what could only have been a UNSC Stealth Prowler. It was this action and this action alone that saved 90% of the 523 ships that he now travelled with. Within minutes a Reclaimer ship de-cloaked near the ever loosening formation of his fleet and sent what could only be described as deliverance towards his fleet, and towards Sanghelios.

He watched, helpless, as the first missile struck the eastern flank of his fleet and bathed it in the light of a thousand suns, vaporising 460 ships almost instantly in nuclear fire. His Supercarrier and the three Assault Carriers his fleet contained were the only ships with shields strong enough to negate any damage the missile had done. The rest, from Battlecruisers to the lowliest Corvette had suffered damage ranging from minimal to completely devastating. The destruction of almost half his fleet shocked his crew to a standstill, it was as if they were trying to deny what they were truly seeing. But the worst was yet to come.

He screamed the order to shoot down the missile streaking towards Sanghelios at his stunned crews and jerked them into action, however, by the time the weapons on the nearest Corvette had rotated to shoot down the missile it had already breached the planets atmosphere. It continued on, slamming into the ground in the North-East of the continent of Yermo.

At first, nothing happened. He prayed to whatever god was out there that the missile had misfired, but it was not meant to be. Slowly, cracks began to appear on the planets orange surface, superheated magma poured out from crevices as the crust of the planet as it slowly began to destabilise. Tidal waves 100km tall smashed into the landmasses around the world as the planet began to shake more and more under the increasing pressure it was put under. It was like the flicking of a light switch, as the shaking increased, he and his fleet watched with despair as their Home World just exploded, crushed like an overripe fruit.

He slumped in his chair, numb, when his Fleet Master started barking orders for his remaining ships to initiate an emergency Slipspace jump to Balaho. He stood there, gazing at the remains of his beloved Home World and was struck by the sheer magnitude of the destruction, the complete and utter loss of life and was only shaken out of his reverie as his carrier began to enter Slipspace and the view of his broken planet, disappeared from view.

4 billion dead, in the blink of an eye. There were over 400,000 Sangheili sailors in his fleet and discounting the scattered pockets of Covenant loyalists around the Orion Arm, they were the last of his species. It was even worse for the Kig-Yar, the twelve surviving Battlecruisers were populated by only 30,000 evacuees, so he thanked the gods for the small mercy that a large portion of his fleet survived.

He would remember the conversation he had after witnessing what could be described as the end of his species as one of the most important of his life.

"Arbiter, I have set a course for the Unggoy Home World of Balaho. It is most likely the Humans next target, if we are going by distance from their space. Once we have arrived, I have ordered the Assault Carriers to descend into atmosphere and begin evacuation procedures. We will arrive before the Humans as our Slipspace drives are superior- "

"We don't know that." He cut off with a guttural growl.

"Arbiter?" The Fleet-Master asked questioningly.

"We don't know if we will arrive before the Humans. There are too many factors in play, it is likely that the ship that destroyed Sanghelios was already in the system when the Kig-Yar arrived to sound the alarm. Their arrival likely only accelerated the vermin's timeline." He said slowly, mandibles twitching in anger.

"Even so." The Fleet-Master continued urgently. "We must at the very least send a communication ahead for the Unggoy to begin evacuating Balaho. It could mean the difference between their species surviving or utter extinction."

Thel had to hold back a derisive scoff at his Fleet-Masters words.

"With what fleet will they begin the evacuation?" Tone bordering on condescending. "The Unggoy retained control of only 100 Battlecruisers and Corvettes, and that's assuming they can even pilot the damn things!"

"Arbiter." Fleet-Master Isna 'NoSolee said quietly. "Even if only 10,000 Unggoy survive it will be a victory for us. The Humans are seeking to exterminate us, just like we did to them. Our collective species must survive if we are ever to seek revenge for what they did to Sanghelios. Do not let your anger cloud your judgement at this critical juncture."

He had to bite back a scathing retort; he knew his subordinate was right. Taking a deep breath he surveyed the cavernous bridge of the Supercarrier.

"As always you are correct Isna. Even if this is the darkest day in the history of our species, a betrayal worse than anything the Hierarchs could have conjured, we must persevere. If we are to survive, our species must band together and work for the betterment of all." His words seemingly attracting the attention of his entire bridge crew. "Send word to Balaho, the Sangheili stand with the Unggoy and Kig-Yar in these desperate times. Together we will unite and survive, and one day we will pay the Humans back with their blood!"

He would forever remember the vigour his words injected into his fleet. Despite the devastating loss, they now had a new purpose, something the Humans were extremely good at. Survival. The united species of the former Covenant would survive to see another day.

Survive they had. It was a miracle, but somehow the Unggoy had managed to evacuate over 2 million of their species before the Humans struck Balaho. Using the remnants of the Covenant fleet and various transport and merchant ships the Unggoy fled from their planet before the Prowler in system realised what was going on. They had condemned the rest of their species to oblivion, a loss of 238 million Unggoy, but the most important thing was the survival of the species. 'A victory, however slight.' The Arbiter thought as he examined the reports laid before him.

He was brought out of his musing by the ship indicating they would soon be leaving Slipspace. He gazed around the bridge of the vast Supercarrier waiting for an update from his Fleet Master.

"Arbiter." 'NoSolee began. "We have reached the outer rim of the galaxy. We have put over 20,000 Light Years between us and the Humans. Now we should begin scouting nearby systems for a habitable wor- "

Her report was cut off by the squeaky voice of one of the Unggoy sensor technicians.

"Fleet-Master!" The high-pitched voice shrieked. "We have detected an anomaly at the systems edge, it is artificial in construction!"

"Where." 'NoSolee barked urgently as she marched over to the station to view the data.

"It is in geosynchronous orbit of the last planet of the system. Approximately 680,000 km above the world. Estimated length appears to be 32km, composed of an unknown alloy."

'NoSolee turned back towards the Arbiter. "Do you think this construct is Forerunner in design?"

"Perhaps." Thel answered with a non-committal hmm. "However, we will not know until we study it further. Fleet-Master, bring us to within 3 million kilometres of the construct and dispatch two Corvettes to move closer for more in depth scans."

He turned back to the preliminary report as the fleet entered Slipspace and was confused. The estimated age was over 3 billion years old, if not older. It was far more ancient than any Forerunner artifact the Covenant had ever come across. But who else would build such a thing so far out? The Forerunners were the masters of the galaxy before the Flood decimated their empire, so what could have escaped their notice? Or had it escaped their notice at all?

As the fleet left Slipspace and the two Corvettes moved closer to the device, eyes across the fleet were stunned when the rings in the centre began to spin slowly. Blue material in the centre of the rings began to light up as the rings spun faster and faster and before anyone could do anything the two Corvettes, only 300,000km from the device at the time disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Thel turned to 'NoSolee urgently. "What just happened?!"

'NoSolee was just as shocked at the Arbiter was. "Unknown Arbiter, had we detected that it was operational we would have been more cautious. However, no steps were made to activate it so a reasonable assumption would be that the device was in a state of dormancy."

Thel nodded at the vague statement. He could do nothing else, both he and his fleet were in uncharted territory, having never encountered such a device before. As the minutes went by, he waited in anticipation, all contact between the fleet and the Corvette had been lost. When one of the them returned, seemingly unharmed, he began to issue orders throughout the fleet.

"Get me the Ship-Master of that Corvette on screen immediately." Thel barked at the communication crew.

A flurry of activity proceeded as the communications monitors set to work on establishing a connection. When the flustered Sangheili Ship-Master appeared on screen he bowed quickly before his leader before essentially vomiting what had occurred in his report.

"Arbiter." He began quickly. "The device is some form of spatial tunneler. Both my ship and my companion ship were lost in a sea of blue light for approximately 4 minutes before reappearing in a system on no known star charts. It even contained a habitable world Arbiter!"

"A habitable world?" Thel answered speculatively.

"Yes Arbiter, the Ardent Wish volunteered to stay in system to begin scouting the world, but it is believed to be perfect for settlement."

The entire bridge was silent as the Arbiter processed the information. It seemed almost too good to be true. A habitable world, in an unknown part of the galaxy, far away enough to be safe from Humanities vengeance. Truthfully there was only one decision to be made.

"Very well. Fleet-Master instruct the fleet to begin traversing the device. Begin with the Assault Carriers and continue on from there. We will enter it last to make sure every ship has navigated it safely."

"By your will Arbiter." 'NoSolee said as she began barking orders at the rest of the fleet to begin their travelling of the device.

All Thel could think of was what the future was going to hold for his motley refugee fleet. With over 400,000 Sangheili his species could easily survive and grow to become mighty once again. Unlike the Kig-Yar, they would most certainly perish if an artificial breeding programme was not enacted soon. The Unggoy bred at highly accelerated rates and with them numbering almost 2 million it would not be an issue.

As he watched the final Battlecruiser traverse the device before him, he noted the heightened spirits of those around him. The bridge crew seemed to have regained some of their sense of purpose and as his crew readied the behemoth Supercarrier to enter in its wake he smiled. This was not the end of the Sangheili, and one day the Humans would know of that. No matter how long it took. Before the dark thoughts fully invaded his mind he watched as the ship was enveloped in a corona of blue light, vanishing from sight. All the while completely unaware of the UNSC Prowler at the system edge that had seen the entire thing.

New Algiers, Reach, Epsilon Eridani System: 2nd March 2564 A.D.

Deep within the bowels of the ONI headquarters underneath the recently constructed city of New Algiers, Vice-Admiral Serin Osman was listening to the report her Prowler captain was giving with rapt attention. When she had instructed the UNSC Gobi to follow the Covenant refugee fleet after it had destroyed Balaho she would have never imagined that it would be reporting something so significant.

"You're completely sure of this?" She asked offhandedly as she perused the report on her desk. "The fleet just vanished through the device?"

"I am certain Vice-Admiral." The ONI captain replied nervously. "The A.I. onboard the Gobi was able to record the entire process and has begun a preliminary study of the device itself."

"Yes, yes, I can see." Osman said as she examined the footage. "You have done the Dominion proud today, Captain. I am ordering your ship back to Reach, where you will receive the Legion of Merit for your exemplary job. You should be proud Captain."

"Thank you, Vice Admiral." The Captain stuttered out. "However, aren't we going to follow them through the device?"

"Negative." Osman replied without thought. "It would be unwise to make a decision of such magnitude without thorough study beforehand. I will expect the Gobi back in UNSC space within 5 weeks Captain. That is all."

Osman turned in her chair as the screen before her blinked out. 'Well' She mused 'Things have most certainly become more interesting'

Unknown system: 2nd March 2564 A.D.

Deep underground in the bowels of a Forerunner site on the former Ecumene planet of Triniel the memory of the Librarian gazed on with barely disguised anguish. When she had spoken to the Old Council in favour of Humanities continued survival, despite complete opposition, she was sure that their humble beginnings would help them on their path to the mantle and allow them to correct the mistakes of their predecessors. However, watching Humanity indiscriminately slaughter billions without warning gave her reason to pause. She had championed Humanity as the Forerunner's natural successors to the Mantle of Responsibility, against all opposition, even that of her husbands, The Diadact, and now she was seemingly paying the price for her persistence.

The librarian watched as Humanity grew on Erde-Tyrene, a devolved and biologically inferior species to their predecessors, but with the same prevalent attitudes all Humans somehow collectively possessed. Stubbornness and determination, the complete and utter will to survive by any means necessary. Humanity, even in its most primitive form triumphed over the less developed species of their planet. For a thousands years they slowly conquered even nature itself using fire, the most destructive force they possessed as a means of positive change. Her view that Humanity were the natural successors to the mantle was further reinforced as Humanities population exploded en-masse as variations of their genus allowed for greater variations of physical traits, skin colour, eye colour and body shape and numerous other genetic specifiers all changed in different communities around the planet. A process that should have taken millions of years, had been achieved in only a few thousand as subspecies of Humanity migrated around Erda to begin their own communities.

The Librarian was astonished, one the problems faced by the Forerunners in their mission to uphold the Mantle of Responsibility was their complete lack of empathy or compassion for any species seen as 'different'. It was showcased in the numerous vassal species they controlled, but never gave representation to. It led to them, in her opinion, becoming poor masters of the mantle. That is not to say that they did not uphold its ideals, certainly not, without Forerunner intervention countless species would have perished, either from war or disease, or as a product of their own stupidity. However she had vehemently disagreed with the pre-emptive subjugation of space faring species and their forcible sublimation into the Ecumene. As time went on these species were callously, and without thought of the long-term consequences moulded into the visage of their benevolent masters. All species subsumed within the Ecumene became Forerunner, because to be anything but, was to be less than.

The Old Council refused to listen to reason when she stated the problems that a singular genus presented, she implored them to see that difference was not something to be shunned, but something to be celebrated, even if it was only in variations of the genus of her own species. Lined out in her extensive reports she tried to explain that a singular species, bereft of variation, would eventually perish, whether by natural means or by conquest once an enemy learnt of their strategy and tactics. However, using the example of the recently devolved Humanity certainly earned her no favours, because even after 8,000 years, Humanity was still viewed with scorn.

The Ecumene and its population were also arrogant, overwhelmingly so. They had ruled the Milky way for millions of years without challenge, and despite all of The Librarian's efforts it was only centuries before her fears would come to pass. Bereft of variation and suffering from war exhaustion after the Milennia long Human-Forerunner war, the Forerunners were wholly unprepared for the onslaught of the flood. The Ecumene, which had stood proud for millions of years, fell within three centuries of unrestricted warfare. Despite the Forerunners vast technologies and unparalleled understanding of the universe, they could do nothing but watch as world after world fell to the parasite. Once the Flood had understood their technology and battle tactics it was too late to adapt in order to combat it, and the Forerunners became increasingly desperate. The Halo Array's were the result of this desperation. Superweapons of unimaginable scale that would wipe out all sentient life within the galaxy, in order to kill the flood and bring about a cycle of rebirth.

When the species of the galaxy were evacuated onto Forerunner Lifeships to begin the process of composition the Librarian, in secret, created a contingency. She sent a Lifeship, containing 400,000 live Humans to a secret location only known to her and her subordinate lifeworkers. So as the Ecumene prepared the Ark to host and reseed the countless species that called the Milky Way their home, the Librarian activated the unknown relic on the edge of the galaxy. A relic that she had been studying for the past 200 years.

First thought to be precursor in origin due to its age, that idea was quickly scrapped when it was discovered that it led to an entirely new galaxy. The nearest in the local cluster, Andromeda. The Librarian, accompanied by her lifeworkers, 2 Forerunner world shapers and the singular precious Lifeship set to work on finding a suitable system that could be used as a base for a new Humanity, should the countless contingency plans of the Ecumene fail. Humanity, at least to her and those under her, was just too important to be risked.

The creation of another Sol system, with a similar Earth as its crown jewel soon took shape in the Andromeda galaxy, it would be here that Humanity would begin anew, should the reseeding fail completely. However, as the Librarian was devising the survival of this secondary Humanity, she noticed something curious. There were no space faring races in this galaxy whatsoever, despite the convenient and easy to use devices that made up a sort of galactic transport network she could detect no transmissions of any kind that would have indicated a space faring civilization. However with limited time to explore and build to ensure her contingencies success, she failed to investigate it properly. Had she travelled just 1200 Light Years from Sol-2 she would come across what remained of the Home World of the Inusannon, the grave of the billions of souls that had recently been harvested by the Reapers, a monument to the cycle.

Before the Halo array's fired, the Forerunners had planned to retreat into their Shield-Worlds to live out the coming calamity, but the Flood broke through their lines of defence without any warning, forcing a preemptive activation of the Array's, and so the Forerunners fell, their technology locked behind walls of metal and Hardlight, left to the annals of time. Humanity had been successfully reseeded on Erde-Tyrene to once again begin their development and their path to the stars. What she didn't know was that even with the successful reseeding of Humanity, her contingency activated 500 years after the Halo Array's fired and so impossibly, Humanity, completely cut off from their home galaxy, began to develop anew across the gulf of space. Completely unknown to her.

After the reseeding she kept a close eye on the development of Humanity, for a hundred millennia they remained as hunter-gatherers, slowly but surely evolving at a much more subdued pace than their predecessors. However, the markers were all there. When different tribes of Homo-Sapiens branched out from what is now known as the continent of Africa, they developed into sub-species of the same genus. Different conditions resulted in a species that while the sharing the same genetic code, had vastly different physical appearances. As she watched Humanity grow into the species it was today she noted that her geas was certainly having an effect, unnoticeable at first, it began to present itself once they had expanded beyond the Sol system, she believed it was slowly preparing Humanity to ascend to their role as the stewards of the galaxy. She had seen with her own eyes the potential Humanity possessed, their Spartan's were triumphs of primitive genetic engineering, these upgrades, coupled with the inherent stubbornness all Humans somehow possessed allowed them to rise to challenges other species would cower from.

Humanities victory over the Covenant had come as a surprise to her in some ways. She supposed that against the religious fanaticism the Covenant preached that the cold pragmatism the Human government used as a means of control was far more effective at keeping their population in line in the face of oblivion. The zealotry showcased by the species of the Covenant was only as powerful as their faith, and when Guilty Spark revealed the lies of the Prophets that faith was shaken. However, once victory was achieved she felt vindicated. Her decision to champion Humanity as the successors of the mantle was the correct one, Humanity, against all odds had defeated a technologically superior adversary, they had managed to overcome a coalition of 8 species, despite disastrous losses.

What had happened to Humanity during the Human-Covenant conflict saddened her deeply. It was similar to the Human-Forerunner war of ages past. The Ecumene had never sought to exterminate the Humans, but they couldn't allow such an aggressive species to run amok through the stars. So they were punished for standing against the might of the Forerunners. After Humanity had been devolved and placed onto Erde-Tyrene only then did the Ecumene realise its grave mistake, she just hoped that Humanity would realise theirs in the coming decades and centuries.

As the Librarian began to focus on the actions of Humanity in the last decade she was troubled with indecision. She had been the one to Champion Humanity for the mantle, but their actions following the end Human-Covenant war pointed to them becoming even poorer masters of the Mantle of Responsibility than the Forerunner's ever were. As a Lifeshaper she had planned the reseeding of Humanity meticulously, she had intended to be seen as a surrogate mother to the Human race, in order to shape them into a species that would uphold the Mantle perfectly. However, she was too late, Humanities attitudes had already shifted too far, and attempts to control and subvert that mindset would be met with violence, that much she knew. Were she whole and able to be independent she would have refused to hand over the Janus Key and propel a race of genocidal xenophobes forward thousands of years technologically, but she could not refuse.

She knew that once she had revealed what the Forerunner's had done to Humanity over 100,000 years ago that Humanity would be even more wary than they were already likely to be. The fact that Humanity had been composed, their biological essence digitized and their bodies incinerated to form the basis of the new, biologically inferior Humanity would be a point of consternation to say the least.

However, she had a task to complete, a task to propel Humankind through a technological revolution. It was her hope that Humanity would listen to her, at least in some respects. They still had all the potential to be excellent masters of the mantle, but currently it would be a fools errand. So with a heavy heart, and an even heavier soul. She watched as the beacon placed on the Ark activated and waited for the Humans to find Requiem.

Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula: 2147 C.E. (2564 A.D.)

Councillor Virmik Ramal walked hastily towards the joint council chambers thinking on the information he had received from the STG. They were stumped, something that did not happen to the STG, who always had a plethora of contingencies to explain circumstances and extract information. But the conversation he had just had with Dalatrass Ivu had been extremely alarming. Something had activated almost every deep space sensor the STG had in the vicinity of the Perseus Veil, the fact that the anomaly had occurred so close to Geth space compounded the issue to form what would certainly be a big headache not only for the STG but also the council.

He stopped his hyper-active thought process to calm himself down once he had arrived at the council chambers. He entered calmly and spotted Yarrisa Tevos lounging in one of the plush armchairs, a glass of Thessian Red in her hand, as was her custom for these meetings. Her casual nature was offset by how rigid their Turian counterpart held himself. Ramal sighed internally at his fellow councillor, one would think that after leaving the Turian navy two decades ago Juliaris Varsis would have learned to relax a little, but alas, Turian training still held sway over all veterans.

"Thank you for meeting me on such sort notice Councillors." He said in what he hoped was a thankful tone. Inwardly he was seething, Tevos had taken an hour to answer the 'Emergency Council summons', no doubt taking her time to complete something frivolous as all Asari seemed to do.

"What has caused you to be so flustered Virmik?" Tevos asked offhandedly as she sipped from her oversized glass of wine.

Biting back a scathing retort. "I have just been contacted by Dalatrass Ivu, head of the STG, and had an extremely troubling conversation with her." He answered neutrally.

That statement alone caused Varsis to straighten up even more than he was already, if that was indeed possible. Even Tevos looked alert as she placed her wine down on the table and gave him her full attention. He had to hand it to her, no matter how sedated Tevos seemed, the moment something truly important came up, the fierce diplomat within her suddenly awoke.

"Troubling?" She inquired. "That is not usually a word id ever like to describe something referencing the STG."

"Indeed." Concurred Varsis.

Ramal took a deep breath before speaking. "I will try and make this as concise as possible. An energy signature massive in scope was detected by all 10 of the STG's deep space detection satellites surrounding the Perseus Veil. We don't know the cause, or the precise location but we know enough for a rough estimate. However, while that is troubling, what is even more troubling is that if we have detected it, so have the Geth."

"How massive?" Asked Tevos.

Ramal looked down at this data pad to view the numbers. "The STG have equated it to a theoretical relay explosion."

His statement was met by silence from both the other councillors.

"Do we know the location of this 'energy signature'?" Varsis added, after they absorbed the startling information.

"Yes, it is around 400 LY from the nearest deep space satellite and over 2000LY away from the Perseus Veil. Theoretically there are two relays that could lead to it and whatever caused it. However, both are inactive, and both are on the borders of the Terminus systems. If we were to investigate, the STG has concluded that we would need at least two council suppression fleets each containing at least 2,000 vessels to prevent another Rachni incident from occurring and to prevent Terminus war lords and pirates from taking advantage of the newly opened relays."

You could hear a pin drop in the room once Ramal had finished speaking. Tevos opened her mouth to respond, no doubt rejecting the notion of upsetting the status quo but was quickly cut off by Varsis.

"I concur. An expedition of this magnitude however, will require at least a decade of planning and the complete and full support of all our races to succeed. We have been reluctant to open relays before due to the fact that we have no information of what is on the other side and there being no guarantee that such a costly and risky venture would succeed in bringing returns. However, the energy signature proves that there is something on the other side, and the possibilities are endless and I'm certain that if I brought this before the Primarchs, they would be eager to provide the Turian manpower for it."

Tevos, in the face of her two eager counterparts knew that refusing would damage the reputation of the Asari in the eyes of the Turians and Salarians. So she acquiesced.

"I will have to contact the Council of Matriarchs but with the agreement of the Hierarchy and the Union I'm sure they will see the merit in this expansion."

Ramal was very pleased by the response of his fellow councillors. The Union themselves was eager to open the relays purely to examine what could have caused such a massive energy signature but lacked the manpower to do so. The added benefit of an exploration mission, which could open new opportunities for millions of council citizens was just an added bonus. As the councillors went off to contact their respective governments, they were unaware that the course of a cycle that had stretched on for billions of years would be forever altered that day.

---

Codex:

Greater Human Dominion: Replacing the UEG as the government of Humanity in 2554. The GHD is a military dictatorship run by a small oligarchy of highly ranked officers in the form of the Military Council. Appointed 4 star admirals and 5 star generals make up the majority of the Military Council who all answer to the Flag Officer of the UNSC, currently Grand-Admiral Lord Terrence Hood. 14 in number, the job of the new Council is to debate and make recommendations regarding policy to be considered by the Grand-Admiral. Xenophobic and Isolationist in their outlook, continual increases to living standards and the support of the UNSC overshadow the fact that the GHD is in essence, a police state. However, as time passes and the evidence points to the GHD being a force for greater good of Humanity, riots have lessened over time and acceptance of the new regime is almost universal. Grand-Admiral Hood is due to retire in 2575 and so a new Flag Officer, and leader will be appointed by the military council when that time comes.

As of 2564:

Population: 20.4 Billion

Capital: London, Earth

Vital worlds: Mars, Reach, New Constantinople, Ballast, Circumstance, Tribute, New Carthage, Troy, Harmony, Actium, New Syracuse

Ethics: Xenophobic Isolationism

Ground Forces:

950 million marines and other assorted planetary defence forces.

3.5 million ODST's

6,000 Spartan IV's

800 Spartan IIIs

60 Spartan IIs

Naval Forces:

5 Infinity class Supercarriers

5 Atlas class Dreadnaughts

20 Reaper class Battleships

18 Argo class Assault Carriers

250 Artemis II class Battlecruisers

375 Ajax class Heavy Frigates

220 Pikeman class Light Frigates

350 Stalwart II class Light Frigates

25 Sahara class Prowlers

Infinity class Supercarrier:

Length: 5,964m

Height: 1,041m

Mass: 907,000,000 metric tons

Power Plant: 1 Watershed Division XX-1 Plasma Fusion Drive. 3 Watershed Division FF-203 Plasma Fusion Drives

Slipspace Drive: Watershed Division AX-7 Slipspace Drive

Frigate Escorts: 10

Atlas class Dreadnaught:

Length: 8,642m

Height: 1,789m

Mass: 1,403,000,000 metric tons

Power Plant: 1 Watershed Division XX-1 Plasma Fusion Drive. 4 Watershed Division FF-203 Plasma Fusion Drives

Slipspace Drive: Watershed Division AX-7 Slipspace Drive

Frigate escorts: 16

Reaper class Battleship:

Length: 3,765m

Height: 878m

Mass: 678,000,000 metric tons

Power Plant: 1 Watershed Division XX-1 Plasma Fusion Drive. 2 Watershed Division FF-203 Plasma Fusion Drives

Slipspace Drive: Watershed Division AX-7 Slipspace Drive

Argo class Assault Carrier:

Length: 4,182m

Height: 1,050m

Mass: 898,000,000 metric tons

Power Plant: 1 Watershed Division XX-1 Plasma Fusion Drive. 3 Watershed Division FF-203 Plasma Fusion Drives

Slipspace Drive: Watershed Division AX-7 Slipspace Drive

Artemis II class Battlecruiser:

Length: 1,442m

Height: 320m

Mass: 220,000,000 metric tons

Power Plant: 1 Watershed Division XX-1 Plasma Fusion Drive

Slipspace Drive: Watershed Division AX-7 Slipspace Drive

Ajax class Heavy Frigate:

Length: 840m

Height: 180m

Mass: 115,000,000 metric tons

Power Plant: 2 Watershed Division FF-203 Plasma Fusion Drives

Slipspace Drive: Watershed Division AX-7 Slipspace Drive

Pikeman class Light Frigate:

Length: 625m

Height: 120m

Mass: 89,000,000 metric tons

Power Plant: 2 Watershed Division FF-203 Plasma Fusion Drives

Slipspace Drive: Watershed Division AX-7 Slipspace Drive

Stalwart II class Light Frigate:

Length 565m

Height: 105m

Mass: 81,000,000 metric tons

Power Plant: 2 Watershed Division FF-203 Plasma Fusion Drives

Slipspace Drive: Watershed Division AX-7 Slipspace Drive