Pariah
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UNSC HistoryHere is history of the whole Halo story. SPOILER WARNING!
2160-2200: Early Conflicts
This period in human history was marked by a series of brutal conflicts between various governments and factions in our Solar System. Conflicts of particular historical importance included the Jovian Moons Campaign, The Rain Forest Wars, and a series of clashes on Mars.
As overpopulation and political unrest on Earth increased, a number of new political movements formed. The most noteworthy dissident movements of the period were the "Koslovics" and the "Frieden" movement. The Koslovics—supporters of neo-Communist hardliner Vladimir Koslov—sought a return to the glory days of Communism and the elimination of corporate and capitalist influence, particularly in orbital facilities and offworld colonies.
The Frieden movement was a resurgence of fascism, springing from anti-Koslovic sentiment that had taken root in the Jovian colonies (largely backed by Unified German Republic corporations, frequent targets of Koslovic "workers' crusades"). "Frieden" literally means "peace"—in this case, they believed that peace could be achieved only once the "oppressors on Terra Firma" were eliminated.
2160
March–June: The Jovian Moons Campaign began. Jovian secessionist attacks on United Nations Colonial Advisors on Jupiter's moon Io led to three months of fighting between the Earth military and Jovian "Frieden" forces. Though this was not the first armed conflict in our Solar System, it was easily one of the bloodiest, and is generally considered to be the spark of increased friction and militarization that followed.
The Jovian Moons Campaign escalated tensions, as Earth's national governments—many of which sponsored colonies within the system—began fighting proxy wars off-planet. As these proxy wars continued, tensions on Earth mounted, leading to a number of armed conflicts on Earth itself.
2162
The Rain Forest Wars: Armed conflict ripped through South America, as Koslovic, Frieden, and UN forces all clashed over ideological differences, sparking additional conflicts off-planet.
2163
December: In a conflict that stemmed from the Rain Forest Wars, the three primary Earth factions clashed again, this time on Mars. A series of lightning strikes against Koslovic forces near the Argyre Planitia marked the first extra-terrestrial deployment of Marines. The campaign was an unquestionable success. As a result, future military doctrine favored large contingents of Marines for ground assaults and ship-boarding actions.
2164: Interplanetary War
United Nations sponsored military forces began a pattern of massive buildups, culminating in the first real interplanetary war. After the successful Marine deployment on Mars, recruitment drives and propaganda tactics strongly bolstered UNSC (United Nations Space Command) forces. UN troops defeated Koslovic and Frieden forces on Earth, and then began a systematic and dedicated drive to crush their remnants on the various planets they held throughout the system. At the conclusion of these brushfire conflicts, Frieden and Koslovic forces were defeated in the face of a massive, unified and very powerful UN military.
2170: Expansion
A unified Earth government was formed in the wake of the conflicts of 2164. Now, the victors were forced to deal with a less obvious but equally serious threat: overpopulation and a massive military that had no enemy to fight.
In the postwar period there were massive population surges and overpopulation, coupled with the destruction and famine bred by the Rain Forest Wars, threatened to destabilize the economy.
2291: Faster than Light
FTL is invented.
2310: First Wave
The Earth government unveiled the first in a line of colony ships—and volunteers were in great supply. Conditions on Earth had deteriorated in the face of overpopulation, so hitching a ride out to a colony became an attractive option.
Each colony ship was assigned military personnel and escort ships to help better utilize the massive (and expensive) standing fleets that, in the collapse of armed dissent, were soaking up a great deal of funding and resources.
Because faster than light (FTL) travel in this period was still fairly new and expensive, colonists and military personnel faced a stringent regimen of physical and mental testing. In theory, only the best-qualified citizens and soldiers were allowed to colonize "nearby" worlds. This was the birth of the Inner Colonies.
2390: Inner Colonies
By 2390, the colonization of the Inner Colonies was fully underway. There were 210 human-occupied worlds in various stages of terraforming, and the population burden across human-controlled space was largely stabilized.
2490: Birth of Outer Colonies
Expansion continued at a rapid pace, and by 2490 human space encompassed more than 800 worlds throughout the Orion Arm of the Milky Way (ranging from fairly well-tamed planetary strongholds to tiny hinterland settlements). Outward expansion continued, and the Inner Colonies become a political and economic stronghold, though they relied heavily on raw materials supplied by the Outer Colonies.
During this period, the planet Reach (orbiting Epsilon Eridani, right on Earth's metaphorical doorstep) became the UNSC's primary naval yard and training academy. Reach was a major producer of warships and colony vessels, as well as a training ground for covert operatives and Special Forces.
2525: The Battle of Harvest
After a small vessel was sent to Harvest to find what had happened, and was subsequently destroyed the UNSC sent a task force to investigate lead by Captain Preston Cole. Cole's war fleet engaged the alien warship responsible for the decimation of the colony, scoring a victory (though the battle cost Cole two-thirds of his battle group). Only a last minute tactical inspiration turned the tide of battle.
After returning to Earth, Cole—promoted to Admiral—learned that a number of outlying colonies had been destroyed, leaving behind no survivors. Cole began to rearrange his fleet in an attempt to intercept the invaders. Ground and ship-to-ship battles began in earnest, raging throughout the Outer Colonies. During one ground engagement, human forces captured one of the aliens. Before he succumbed to his wounds, interrogators learned that the aliens referred to themselves as "the Covenant."
2525: The Covenant War Begins
Contact with Havest Colony was lost on April 20, 2525. It was destroyed by an alliance of alien races calling themselves the "Covenant". Since 2525 humanity has been falling back against the onslaught of the Covenant armada. For more information on the Covenant and Harvest colony, visit the different sections for those respective categories.
2526-35: Outer Colony Massacre
Over the next several years, Cole's forces were hammered, despite his excellent leadership and tactical brilliance. It was simply a matter of being outgunned; Covenant kill ratios topped four to one in ship-to-ship combat.
By November of 2535, virtually all of the Outer Colony worlds had been destroyed by the Covenant. The "Cole Protocol" was established by military order: All human vessels must ensure that Covenant forces do not find Earth. Human ships, when forced to withdraw, must not travel on an Earth-bound vector, even if that requires jumping into Slipspace without proper navigational calculations.
If blind jumps are not possible, the ship's captain must order self-destruction if capture is imminent. In addition, it is also imperative that the powerful, shipboard AI data cores do not fall into Covenant hands: this protocol involves either the removal or destruction of the ship's AI in extreme situations.
Major engagements in this period include the Siege of the Atlas Moons, the Battle of New Constantinople, and the Massacre of Jericho VII.
2536-2552: Inner Colonies Fall
Covenant forces swarmed into the Inner Colonies. For several years the war fell into a pattern: humans emerged victorious from isolated battles—typically during ground operations—but at a horrible cost. In space combat, the humans lost at a precipitous rate, and one by one, the colonies fell.
Major battles fought during this period include The Siege of Paris VI, and the Fall of Reach.
2552: The Fall of Reach - Halo
Covenant forces arrived at Reach and obliterated Earth's last major military stronghold. The battered cruiser, the Pillar of Autumn, fled the devastation, carrying with it the sole surviving Spartan. The Spartans—an elite unit of supercommandoes, equipped with the fearsome MJOLNIR assault armor—were created as the ultimate soldiers.
Now, only one Spartan remains to carry the fight to the enemy. In accordance with the Cole Protocol, Captain Jacob Keyes—the Autumn's commanding officer—plotted a random, long-distance jump, hoping to lure the Covenant fleet away from Earth.
After deactivating the drive, the Autumn dropped into a distant, uncharted system. There was a Covenant fleet in the system as well, near a planet-sized ring-shaped construct, "Halo."
2552: First Strike
After rounding up the survivors Halo's destruction, SPARTAN-117 captured a Covenant flagship and headed for Reach. Their goal was to look for survivors and hopefully get out of the Epsilon Eridani star system with as many as possible. There were survivors including several Spartans, Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb, and Dr. Catherine Halsey, the creator of the SPARTAN-II Program.
Upon escaping Reach, the Master Chief devised a first strike operation after learning that the Covenant already knew the location of Earth, and were massing a huge fleet in preparation for an attack. He, along with a few other Spartan soldiers, boarded the Covenant battle station Unyielding Hierophant and set nuclear charges near its two fusion cores. The ensuing explosion left only 12 damaged Covenant cruisers, out of over 500, undestroyed. This set back the Covenant considerably, and was the most damage the UNSC had ever done to the Covenant in a single battle.
2552: Delta Halo
Earth was finally discovered and attacked by the Covenant in October of 2552, only a month after the events on Halo. The Covenant were searching for an artifact, and discovered the humans on Earth by accident. They landed troops in New Mombasa, Kenya, and then jumped while still inside a planetary atmosphere, causing devastation to the city. The UNSC cruiser In Amber Clad, commanded by Miranda Keyes, following the Covenant ship and jumped as well.
Once exiting Slipspace, they discovered the Covenant's destination: another Halo. There, the Master Chief and Cortana revealed that the Covenant were planning to activate Delta Halo and begin their "Great Journey".
Even though they stopped the Covenant from activating Delta Halo, 343 Guilty Spark revealed that there are six Halos out of the original seven that had been constructed by the Forerunners. Since the firing of Delta Halo failed, a beacon was activated that put all other Halos in stand-by mode, awaiting activation from a location known as "The Ark".
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HaloMasta
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Took me awhile to read it but wow agian great information. Never knew half this stuff.
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mcneillj
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Good info
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Pariah
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Yup. Help me learn the story a bit better.
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