Human-Covenant War: Difference between revisions

no edit summary
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 64: Line 64:
The '''Human-Covenant War''',<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001)''', ''back cover description''</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Flood (2001)''', ''back cover description''</ref> also known as the '''Covenant War'''<ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''pages 19, 74, 75, 92, 95, 98, 105, 112, 113, 120''</ref><ref>'''Halo Waypoint''': [http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/headhunters-1/c3d2dcb3-ac3d-4771-a270-e55e33ae118b ''Headhunters'' Part 1], [http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herocourage/c2ada678-e9ce-4db9-9ce9-1864070bd198 ''Hero - Courage'']</ref> and the '''Great War''',<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''' (2010), ''[[Petra]]''</ref> was a major interstellar conflict pitting the [[Unified Earth Government]] and its [[United Nations Space Command]] against the [[Covenant Empire]] during the mid-26<sup>th</sup> century between [[2525#February|February 11, 2525]] and [[2553|March 3, 2553]]. There were two additional factions sporadically involved in the conflict; them being the [[Flood]], and a small number of surviving [[Forerunner]] constructs. Both factions proved to be invaluable to the efforts of humanity, as the information taken from Forerunner constructs and the Flood invasion of ''[[High Charity]]'' were helpful in [[Great Schism|splitting the Covenant apart]] in November 2552.
The '''Human-Covenant War''',<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001)''', ''back cover description''</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Flood (2001)''', ''back cover description''</ref> also known as the '''Covenant War'''<ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''pages 19, 74, 75, 92, 95, 98, 105, 112, 113, 120''</ref><ref>'''Halo Waypoint''': [http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/headhunters-1/c3d2dcb3-ac3d-4771-a270-e55e33ae118b ''Headhunters'' Part 1], [http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herocourage/c2ada678-e9ce-4db9-9ce9-1864070bd198 ''Hero - Courage'']</ref> and the '''Great War''',<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''' (2010), ''[[Petra]]''</ref> was a major interstellar conflict pitting the [[Unified Earth Government]] and its [[United Nations Space Command]] against the [[Covenant Empire]] during the mid-26<sup>th</sup> century between [[2525#February|February 11, 2525]] and [[2553|March 3, 2553]]. There were two additional factions sporadically involved in the conflict; them being the [[Flood]], and a small number of surviving [[Forerunner]] constructs. Both factions proved to be invaluable to the efforts of humanity, as the information taken from Forerunner constructs and the Flood invasion of ''[[High Charity]]'' were helpful in [[Great Schism|splitting the Covenant apart]] in November 2552.


The war was instigated by the Covenant whose [[Hierarchs|High Prophets]] made a discovery which led them to believe that humans were directly related to the Forerunners, contradicting their ancient religion. Seeking to keep various political and religious orders intact, a war of genocide was declared against the human race. Over the next few decades the Covenant with superior firepower, numbers and technology, would repeatedly overpower the UNSC across hundreds of worlds, including heavily defended strongholds such as [[Reach]]. Humanity would only win scattered and costly victories.
The war was instigated by the Covenant whose [[Hierarchs|High Prophets]] made a discovery which led them to believe that humans were directly related to the Forerunners, contradicting their ancient religion. Seeking to keep various political and religious orders intact, a war of genocide was declared against the human race. Over the next few decades the Covenant with superior firepower, numbers, technology and just plain good old-fashioned luck, would repeatedly overpower the UNSC across hundreds of worlds, including heavily defended strongholds such as [[Reach]]. Humanity would only win scattered and costly victories, but they would always do so against the odds.


The conflict was also the cause of the [[Great Schism]] within the Covenant. Forced to fight a war on two fronts, the formerly monolithic empire was torn apart. While the [[Battle of Installation 00|deciding battle]] of the war was fought on [[2552#December|December 11, 2552]],<ref name="fortitude">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herofortitude/bfe5038b-314a-4f17-a6be-f7613e0e3788 '''Halo Waypoint''', ''Hero-Fortitude'']</ref> an informal ceasefire was not agreed upon until [[2553#February|February 2553]].<ref name="ceasefire"/> The official cessation of hostilities was declared on [[2553#March|March 3, 2553]].<ref name="Dr. Iqbal"/> The war was incredibly costly to both sides, with over twenty-three billion humans and billions of Covenant killed during the hostilities. An outbreak of the virulent parasite known as the Flood almost consumed both factions near the war's end. The conflict lasted for a total of twenty-eight years.
The conflict was also the cause of the [[Great Schism]] within the Covenant. Forced to fight a war on two fronts, the formerly monolithic empire was torn apart. While the [[Battle of Installation 00|deciding battle]] of the war was fought on [[2552#December|December 11, 2552]],<ref name="fortitude">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herofortitude/bfe5038b-314a-4f17-a6be-f7613e0e3788 '''Halo Waypoint''', ''Hero-Fortitude'']</ref> an informal ceasefire was not agreed upon until [[2553#February|February 2553]].<ref name="ceasefire"/> The official cessation of hostilities was declared on [[2553#March|March 3, 2553]].<ref name="Dr. Iqbal"/> The war was incredibly costly to both sides, with over twenty-three billion humans and billions of Covenant killed during the hostilities. An outbreak of the virulent parasite known as the Flood almost consumed both factions near the war's end. The conflict lasted for a total of twenty-eight years.
Anonymous user