Human-Covenant War: Difference between revisions

The conflict was closely connected with, and the cause of, the [[Great Schism]], both of which resulted in the final defeat of the Covenant loyalists and Flood. The official cessation of hostilities occurred on March 3, 2553.<ref>[[Hillside memorial]]</ref> The war was incredibly costly to both sides, with over twenty-three billion humans and billions of Covenant killed during the hostilities and further heavy casualties during the Flood plague. The war ultimately lasted for a total of twenty-eight years.

Humanity and the Covenant first came into direct contact in February 3rd 2525, when a [[Kig-yar]] frigate, the ''[[Minor Transgression]]'', discovered a human ship transitioning out of slipspace and subsequently raided the vessel. The raid continued to another unfortunate human ship. Some time after, [[Sif]], Harvest shipping operations AI, investigated the raids and reported her findings to an [[Jilan al-Cygni|undercover ONI agent]].<ref group="notes">Prior to the contact, the AI and Jilan al-Cygni were unaware of the alien parties responsible behind the raid, thinking that it was one of the many common Insurrectionist activities.</ref> The ONI agent devised a trap for the raiding parties, which resulted in a [[Skirmish Over Harvest|minor skirmish]] between [[Staff Sergeant]]s [[Nolan Byrne]] and [[Avery Johnson|Avery Johnson]], and the Kig-yar privateers. When the Covenant returned with another ship and a contingent of [[Jiralhanae]], the UNSC proposed a meeting (via pictogram) with the intention to make amends and to trade with the alien species. The Covenant met the UNSC on Harvest, but were only interested in claiming the relics that the [[Luminary]] had detected on Harvest, completely oblivious that the humans were the "relics" in question. The meeting was botched after [[Osmo]], a member of the [[Colonial Militia]], — was attacked by a nervous [[Unggoy]] — who was part of a second Covenant force sent to look for the relics. As a result, a firefight erupted between the two groups and the Covenant promptly retreated back to their ship.

The political ramifications of these relics were abundant, and two [[San 'Shyuum]] bureaucrats, the [[Prophet of Truth|Minister of Fortitude]] and the [[Prophet of Regret|Vice Minister of Tranquility]], were already scheming to use the supposed reliquary to inaugurate a new Age of Reclamation with themselves as the [[Hierarchs]] of the [[High Council]]. To do this, they needed the blessing of the Oracle of [[High Charity]]. When the two San 'Shyuum approached the [[Prophet of Mercy|Philologist]] to affirm on their behalf, the data from the ''Rapid Conversion'' caused [[032 Mendicant Bias|the long dormant Oracle]] to reactivate. Mendicant declared that the Covenant had been misinterpreting Forerunner symbols: the "relics" in question were the humans, calling them [[Reclaimer]]s and his makers. This shocked the three San 'Shyuum, who concluded that the humans were actually living [[Forerunner]]s who had been left behind when the others transcended. Although they were able to prevent Mendicant from taking the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] to take the humans to deliver them to [[Installation 00|the Ark]], Fortitude concluded that if the masses learned that they might be left behind, they would rebel against the Prophets. Fortitude and Tranquility inducted the Philologist into their plan and ascended as the High Prophets of Truth, Regret, and Mercy. They declared that the humans destroyed the reliquary on Harvest and ordered the entire race to be eradicated.

The first battle of the war was the extended though one-sided ground battle which took place on Harvest, in which the UNSC managed to delay the Covenant long enough to evacuate many of Harvest's civilians. Eventually, the Covenant used their capital ships to [[glass]] the planet's surface.

From that point on, the Covenant continued to attack and destroy the humans where ever they were found, using their [[Luminary|Luminaries]] to find human worlds. Though the UNSC forces fought bravely, their inferior technology and numbers meant that even a ''close'' victory was far from guaranteed. The Covenant also had an advantage in that sometimes they didn't even ''need'' to fight planet-side to destroy the enemy; their ships simply needed to destroy the humans' space-borne defenses and any other threats around the planet, and then reduce the planet's surface to glass with orbital plasma bombardments. The few major victories achieved by the UNSC came about due to special tactical maneuvers, extensive use of nuclear weapons, and the crucial assistance of the Spartan-IIs and IIIs, as human missiles and magnetic acceleration weapons were unable to compete with Covenant energy shields and plasma weaponry. This was far from a permanent solution, however, as after just six years of combat, space battles with the Covenant depleted the UNSC's nuclear stockpile to almost nothing.<ref>'''''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''''', page 34</ref> Over twenty-seven years, the Covenant whittled down the UNSC planet by planet.

Realizing the threat posed to humanity by the Covenant, the UNSC [[Colonial Military Administration]] gave [[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]] the command of the then-largest fleet in human history with orders to retake Harvest. Cole [[Second Battle of Harvest|retook Harvest]] in [[2526]], and then spent five years chasing the Covenant around the [[Outer Colonies]], fighting them and scoring victories at [[Alpha Aurigae System|Alpha Aurigae]], [[XI Boötis A System|XI Boötis A]], and [[Groombridge-1830]]. Meanwhile, the Covenant returned to Harvest, determined to recapture the planet. This led to a five-year long [[Harvest Campaign|series of engagements]] on Harvest between the Covenant and the UNSC. Because of the threat the Covenant posed, the UNSC began deploying the [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN-II]]s, super soldiers originally trained to fight the [[Insurrection]]. The SPARTANs became one of humanity's greatest — and most celebrated — defenders, showing an ability to turn the tide of battle. Their prowess was not lost on the Covenant, who came to fear the SPARTANs as [[demon]]s.

Despite their major numerical and technological advantages over humanity, by [[2531]], the Covenant High Prophets had realized that the task of destroying an entire sapient species had a logistical burden beyond anything that the [[Covenant Military]] could muster without leaving Covenant space defenseless.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars]]''', campaign level ''[[Scarab (Level)|Scarab]]''</ref> In spite of the UNSC's inferiority in comparison to the Covenant, the Prophets apparently considered their armed forces to be powerful enough to pose a threat to the Covenant proper. The [[Prophet of Regret]] dispatched an [[Ripa 'Moramee|Arbiter]] to Harvest to claim a Forerunner [[Relic|artifact]] buried under the north pole of Harvest.

Preston Cole counter-attacked by leading a fleet composed of the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} and the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}} back to Harvest after receiving a message from an [[ONI]] [[UNSC Prowler|Prowler]]. The battle was a human victory despite major casualties. Upon discovering that the Covenant, under the command of 'Moramee, had excavated Forerunner artifacts in the northern polar region, [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[James Cutter]] deployed ground forces to remove the Covenant occupation. After a heated fight on the surface, the UNSC forces were able to examine the artifact, apparently some kind of star map, and realized that information from the map had led the Covenant to another UNSC colony: [[Arcadia]].

As predicted, the Covenant [[First Battle of Arcadia|followed the information]] from the artifact to Arcadia. The Covenant hoped that the planet would contain more Forerunner artifacts for them to claim, and while they only found a [[Arcadia Forerunner Ruins|complex of ruins]], information garnered from them led them to a [[Shield World (Halo Wars)|Shield World]]. The ''Spirit of Fire'' followed and removed the Covenant presence from the planet. However, 'Moramee's capture of an [[Ellen Anders|important civilian researcher]] forced Captain Cutter to pursue the Covenant to the newly discovered Shield World without reinforcements.

On the Shield World, the crew of the ''Spirit of Fire'' eventually discovered that the Covenant needed Professor Anders to activate [[the Apex]] and claim the huge fleet of [[Unnamed Forerunner Starship|Forerunner starships]] held there. A group of Marines, together with SPARTAN-II [[Red Team]], rescued the researcher and destroyed the Shield World by initiating the collapse of the interior star. The Arbiter was also killed by [[John Forge]] during the battle though the Prophet of Regret escaped.

Despite the well-publicized victory at Harvest, the UNSC was already on the way to losing the war. A number of colonies had already been glassed by the Covenant or abandoned, including [[Eridanus II]], [[Dwarka]], and [[Chi Ceti IV]]. The UNSC's sole hope apparently lay with the SPARTAN-II Program. However, there were not enough Spartans to turn the tide of the war in favor of humanity. Recognizing this, the Office of Naval Intelligence authorized the creation of the [[SPARTAN-III Program]]. The brainchild of [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]], these Spartans would be trained with a greater emphasis on stealth and teamwork, and would be sent on missions against high-priority targets that would be impossible even for elite units.

With the majority of the Outer Colonies glassed or abandoned, the UNSC faced an economic crisis as some of their [[Agriculture World]]s had been destroyed, leading to food shortages. On [[Charybdis IX]], food riots broke out. Meanwhile, Covenant forces began to encroach on the [[Inner Colonies]]. In response, the UNSC issued [[United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1]], otherwise known as the "Cole Protocol". It stated that no UNSC vessel may lead the Covenant to Earth or any other human population center. Furthermore, all movement through space was restricted to [[UNSC Navy]] vessels. [[Insurrectionist]] attacks increased in the face of what they saw as a removal of their right to freedom of movement. Another development was the discovery of Insurrectionists using Covenant weapons modified for human use. The UNSC saw this as a threat to security as the weapons may have been carrying Covenant homing beacons. The Covenant saw it as heresy that humans would modify their weapons, and the [[Prophet of Regret]] dispatched [[Thel 'Vadam|Thel 'Vadamee]] to destroy the source of the modified weapons: [[The Rubble]].

Fleeing from the [[Battle of Charybdis IX]], the {{UNSCShip|Midsummer Night}} chased an Insurrectionist freighter to the Rubble and discovered that the Insurrectionists there had actually formed an alliance with a colony of [[Kig-yar]]. The Jackals were supplying the weapons and the Insurrectionists were modifying them. The crew of the ''Midsummer Night'', including its captain, [[Lieutenant (UNSC)|Lieutenant]] [[Jacob Keyes]], were captured, but later escaped and helped SPARTAN-II [[Gray Team]] and the Rubble's citizens stop an assault from the Kig-yar leader, [[Reth]], and 'Vadamee's forces. It later transpired that the [[Prophet of Truth]] had ordered the Kig-yar to ally with the humans so that they could discover the location of [[Earth]] from stolen navigation data of through tracking devices in the weapons. Through this, the Covenant found two more worlds to attack.

Throughout the 2540s, the UNSC was dealt ever greater blows with the death of the SPARTAN-II [[Sheila]] during the [[Battle of Miridem]] in 2544, followed by the [[Battle of Actium|defeat at Actium]] in [[2545]], defeat during the [[Second Battle of Arcadia]] and the [[Siege of Paris IV|loss of Paris IV]] in 2549. One of the UNSC's success was [[Operation: TORPEDO]] in 2545, and even then it was a Pyrrhic victory at best.

Of the few wins in the 2540's for the UNSC, one of the most significant and strategically advantageous was the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]] in 2543. This battle became colloquially known as Admiral Cole's last stand due to the presumed death of [[Preston Jeremiah Cole|Admiral Preston J. Cole]]. In addition to the alleged death of Cole, over 300 [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] vessels, two fleets worth, were completely vaporized when [[UNSC]] [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear missiles]] detonated inside the atmosphere of [[Viperidae]], a super massive gas giant. This detonation spurred spontaneous fusion at the core of Viperidae, temporarily turning the super gas giant into a brown dwarf star. Cole's achievements in this battle alone were only rivaled by the [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|destruction]] of the ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' and the actions of [[John-117|Spartan-117]] throughout the course of the war. A painting depicting the battle, titled "[[Admiral Cole's Last Stand]]" was created and by [[2552]], it hung on the wall of the [[HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6]] on [[Sydney]], Earth.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''', ''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]'', ''pages 472-485''</ref>

But while the Covenant were winning the war, there was growing tension between the [[San 'Shyuum]] and the [[Sangheili]]. At first, the Sangheili had followed the Prophets command to destroy the humans without question. But after more than twenty five years of war, humanity's continued resistance in the face of certain death had deeply impressed the martial Sangheili. There was a growing consensus among the Sangheili that the humans had earned the right to be offered membership in the Covenant, which the Prophets continued to reject. At the same time, the [[Jiralhanae]], the one race which could challenge the Sangheili's dominance of the Covenant military, were rapidly earning favor with the Prophets, as they were less-inclined to question orders and just get on with whatever the Prophets told them to do.<ref>'''[[Conversations from the Universe]]'''</ref>  

The last year of the war saw humanity's largest defeat since the war's beginning, but also saw several of their greatest victories, coupled with the destruction of the Covenant as a galactic power. On [[Sigma Octanus IV]], the Covenant were [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV|defeated]], though at the cost of not only heavy UNSC casualties but also the Covenant attaching a spy probe to the destroyer Iroquois leading the Covenant to Reach, which they attacked a few days later. On the ground, the SPARTAN-IIs secured a Forerunner [[Sigma Octanus IV Artifact|artifact]] covered in symbols that the Covenant tried to transport out of [[Cote d'Azur]].

The [[Fall of Reach]] that followed had staggering losses for both sides, but in the end the Covenant won a pyrrhic victory. The ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|Pillar of Autumn]]'' was among the surviving UNSC ships which fled the battle, and made a somewhat blind jump, as described by Cortana saying that she realized that the symbols on the retrieved artifact from Sigma Octanus IV were in fact very old star charts and were coordinates to the Forerunner ring world of [[Halo Array|Halo]], being chased by a dozen Covenant warships.

The Covenant's first costly defeat was on and around [[Installation 04]]. Here, the human survivors from the [[Halcyon-class cruiser|''Halcyon''-class cruiser]], the ''Pillar of Autumn'', managed to form an effective and surprising resistance to the Covenant. Unwilling to risk damaging the [[Halo|sacred ring]], the Covenant was forced to fight the humans on Halo's surface rather than using its usual bombardment tactics. The Covenant found the humans uncannily adapted to Halo's environment and very adept at fighting on the surface, with human firearms and vehicles proving effective despite their technological inferiority. Unable to counter the guerrilla tactics employed by the humans, the Covenant was soundly defeated in numerous raids, including one instance when the humans boarded their grounded cruiser, the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'', and successfully escaped with a group of captives, including the captain of the ''Pillar of Autumn'', Captain Jacob Keyes. The battle on Halo then suddenly took a turn for the worst for both sides when the Covenant accidentally released an ancient and deadly parasitic race called the [[Flood]]. The Flood, having been imprisoned within Halo for many thousands of years, spread quickly throughout the ring, killing or assimilating every unsuspecting human and Covenant in their path.   

During the course of the battle, the SPARTAN-II [[John 117]] discovered the true nature of Halo and proceeded to detonate the crashed ''Pillar of Autumn's'' engines, destroying the ring, and escaped, much to the Covenant's horrified dismay. The destruction of Halo and the later loss of the [[flagship]] ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' to the surviving UNSC forces led to [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]] being disgraced and demoted before being branded with the [[Mark of Shame]], leaving him dead in the eyes of the [[Sangheili]]. Only the intervention of the [[Prophet of Truth]] prevented 'Vadamee's certain execution. He was instead given the rank of [[Arbiter]] and sent to quell a [[Heretic]] uprising that had taken root on the [[Gas Mine]] around [[Threshold]].

Unfortunately for Regret, four human ships, the ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]'' among them, had followed them through their own slipspace rupture to [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]]. With the orders "Find out why he came to Earth; why he came here," the Master Chief was hard-dropped with a complement of [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]]s to Delta Halo's surface. Led by the Chief, the humans forced their way through Regret's forces until they had reached the Prophet himself. At that moment, ''High Charity'', having learned of Delta Halo, arrived and launched multiple waves of [[Phantom]] dropships to aid Regret. However, they were withdrawn by the Prophet of Truth as part of the plan to remove the Sangheili from power in the Covenant. The Chief killed Regret. The Prophet of Truth then gave the order to glass the temple in which Regret was residing. It seemed as though Master Chief was eliminated. In fact the Chief narrowly avoided being glassed, only to be captured by the [[Gravemind]].

Meanwhile, the majority of the human forces on ''In Amber Clad'' had traveled to Delta Halo's [[Library]] to obtain the [[Index]], which is the key to firing Halo. Originally, the Covenant had been unaware of the Index's importance, but luckily for them, Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee had obtained [[343 Guilty Spark]], the monitor of [[Installation 04]], while destroying the Heretic base. The monitor, known to the Covenant as an Oracle, told the Prophets of the Index and the Arbiter was sent to retrieve the "Sacred Icon". The mission was complicated though by the unexpected release of the Flood. Despite this, the Arbiter successfully reached the Library and prevented the humans from claiming the Index. Just as [[Miranda Keyes]] claimed the index, the Arbiter stole it from her, kidnapping her and [[Sgt. Johnson]]. However, then Index was stolen from the Arbiter by the [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]], who was under the Prophets' orders to retrieve the Index and kill the Arbiter, whom Tartarus knocked down an apparently bottomless shaft. With the Index secure, the Prophets then ordered the Jiralhanae to begin eradicating the Sangheili, thus starting the [[Great Schism|Covenant Civil War]]. Ultimately this led to the death of Tartarus at the hands of Vadamee and Johnson and an alliance between the Sangheili Separatists and the human forces. Delta Halo was prevented from firing by Miranda Keyes and the Flood killed the [[Prophet of Mercy]], leaving the Prophet of Truth firmly in control over the Covenant.

Meanwhile, the [[Covenant separatists]] under the leadership of [[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] had deployed a fleet to Onyx to claim the "sacred relics" for their fight against the Jiralhanae and the other [[Covenant loyalists|loyalists]]. After Blue Team made landfall, [[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]'s fleet arrived at Onyx, taking down hundreds of orbiting Sentinels before discovering the UNSC forces in the recently-uncovered Forerunner city below. 'Mantakree personally led the Covenant forces on the surface, before the UNSC [[Battlegroup Stalingrad]] arrived and used tactical skill and indirect help from the Sentinels to destroy the majority of the separatist fleet before being wiped out by reinforcements from [[Joyous Exultation]], with only [[UNSC Dusk|one ship]] escaping.

On the surface, the Spartans had discovered the [[Core Room Antechamber]] and were preparing to enter the Shield World. They managed to hold off hundreds of Covenant troops before being forced to retreat into the Core, while Kurt-051 sacrificed himself by detonating two [[FENRIS Nuclear Warhead]]s, killing the entire Separatist force. Following the Core being sealed, Onyx broke up into trillions of Sentinels, guarding the construct.

The final battle of the war was fought in [[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herofortitude/bfe5038b-314a-4f17-a6be-f7613e0e3788 '''Halo Waypoint''', ''Hero-Fortitude'']</ref> as Truth attempted to activate the [[Halo Array]]. Led by the Master Chief, the human forces smashed through the remaining Covenant resistance on the ground. The battle was complicated by the arrival of ''High Charity''. As the Flood began to spread, the Chief and the [[Thel 'Vadamee|Arbiter]] went on to thwart Truth, who died in mid-Flood-infection at the Arbiter's hand with the Flood helping to reach him. John-117 deactivated the Halo Array and brought an end to that threat as well. With the Covenant forces completely shattered, Truth's death marked the effective end to the war. The Flood still remained a threat, but were destroyed by John-117, the Arbiter, Cortana and Sergeant Johnson by firing the Halo over the Ark, destroying both, but John-117 was presumed dead afterwards as he never made it back to Earth.