Editing Ages of Reclamation

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The '''Age of Reclamation''' was an era of [[Covenant]] history during which the true search for the [[Halos]] began. It was the final age of Covenant history, as the Covenant split apart in the [[Great Schism]] at the conclusion of the age. The Ninth Age of Reclamation was the time in which the [[Human-Covenant War]] occurred, and began when the Minister of Fortitude became the [[Prophet of Truth]] and declared war on [[Human|Humanity]].<ref>''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', page 379</ref>

This extract of Covenant history was probably the most desperate period for the Covenant. At the end of the age, all three of their main religious leaders were killed, and an entire species, the [[Sangheili]], successfully broke away from the majority of the hegemony, taking with it an unprecedented amount of personnel, equipment, and territory, during the Covenant Civil War.

The Age of Reclamation is represented by [[Forerunner]] metal.<ref>''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', page 196</ref>

The Age of Reclamation is one of the [[7|seven]] stages of the Covenant seen in a [[Halo 2]] deleted scene, where the Prophet of Truth shows the [[Arbiter (character)|Arbiter]] the Covenant's history.

== Beginning ==

The Age of Reclamation began in the year [[2525]], the year that the Covenant came into contact with [[Human|humanity]] for the first time, at the [[UNSC]] colony world of [[Harvest]]. The world was filled with Forerunner glyphs, which the Covenant misinterpreted as "Reclamation". The true meaning, however, was "Reclaimer", and every human was covered with such a glyph, denoting them as the [[Reclaimer|Reclaimers]] of the Forerunners. The Minister of Fortitude understood this revelation would shatter the Covenant's confidence in the teachings of the Prophets and to the [[Great Schism]], and thus declared humanity as a species to be heretics who threatened holy Forerunner relics and worlds. He was also sure that the war would lead them to other Relics that the Covenant&#160;could reclaim, and finally the [[Fortress World|Sacred Rings]], beginning the [[Great Journey]]. This reasoning led the Covenant to begin the twenty-seven year long war with Humanity.

== Human-Covenant War ==

{{main|Human-Covenant War}}

[[Image:Glassingship.jpg|260px|thumb|The Covenant glassing Harvest.]]

As one of the first acts of the war, the planet Harvest was immediately glassed. [[Spartan-II]] super soldiers were deployed in the [[Battle of Chi Ceti]], boarding a Covenant Frigate, planting explosives on the ship, and destroying it. It should however be noted that the victory came at a high cost. The Master Chief's personal friend, [[Samuel-034]] was killed when the nuclear devices confiscated from the Pelican dropship were detonated because he had a breach in his suit which meant he would die if he went outside the ship.

In 2530, the Covenant Empire attacked and glassed [[Eridanus II]], home world of the Master Chief. The [[Third Battle of Harvest]] then took place in 2531. In [[2535]], the Covenant destroyed [[Jericho VII]] in the [[Battle of Jericho VII]], and by that year, the Covenant were winning decisive victories against the UNSC, crushing and decimating its [[Outer Colonies]]. By 2536, Covenant militants swarmed into the UNSC [[Inner Colonies]]. For several years, human lives were spent in huge numbers winning ground operations, only to be wasted after the Covenant won the battle in space, glassing the Inner Colonies one after another.  

Then, in 2537, [[Spartan-III]]s were trained and deployed in the battles of [[New Harmony]], [[New Constantinople]], and the [[Siege of the Atlas Moons]]. In [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]], Spartan-III Alpha Company was slaughtered by Covenant forces. Noted however, they managed to succeed in their goal of destroying the reactors on the moon. In 2544, the minor [[Battle of Miridem]] took place. In 2545, [[Operation: TORPEDO]] resulted in the massacre of Spartan-III Beta Company at [[Pegasi Delta]].

[[Image:Ddd03.jpg|thumb|right|Installation 04 after its destruction.|245px]]

In 2552, the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]] led to a major UNSC victory, but at the cost of the Covenant learning the location of [[Reach]] and [[Installation 04]]. During the [[Battle of Reach]], the largest naval battle between the UNSC and the Covenant, Covenant forces won a decisive victory, destroying 152 UNSC ships and 20 Super MAC gun platforms. This was a major blow to the UNSC, who lost their last great stronghold, with the exception of [[Earth]]. A single UNSC ship, the ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]'' escaped to Installation 04. After four days of hard fighting in the [[Battle of Installation 04]], the Covenant discovered the [[Flood]] organism and Forerunner constructs, which severely hampered their efforts to control the Installation. The melee ended with the destruction of Installation 04, an event that left only a handful of survivors.  

==== Operation: FIRST STRIKE & the Arbiter====

The [[Supreme Commander|Commander]] of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]], the future [[Arbiter (character)|Arbiter]], was tasked with defending Installation 04 was put on trial and marked as a [[Heretic]] to quell discontent within the [[High Council]]. Later, he became the Arbiter, embarking on a mission to quell a Heretic insurgency by [[Sesa Refumee]], and a mission to retrieve the [[Index]] and the [[Oracle|343 Guilty Spark]]. Then, in [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]], Six [[SPARTAN-II]] super soldiers were able to rout and destroy all but a dozen or so of a fleet of 500 Covenant star ships in orbit around ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'' at the sacrifice of [[Admiral Whitcomb]] and [[Lieutenant Haverson]] on board ''[[Ascendant Justice]]''. The survivors on board the ''[[UNSC Gettysburg]]'' surveyed the damage and jumped to Earth, scoring a major UNSC victory. The [[First Battle of Earth]] then occurred. Though a relatively small and lopsided battle, (15 Covenant ships fighting 75 UNSC vessels and 300 [[MAC]] platforms), this event is significant in that the Covenant finally discovered the location of Earth.

==== Installation 05 and the end of the Ninth Age of Reclamation ====

[[Image:Ship3.jpg|thumb|right|Regret's carrier exiting slipspace.|240px]]

The UNSC won the fight with the help of the [[Master Chief]]. A single Covenant ship, belonging to the Prophet of [[Prophet_of_Regret|Regret]], survived the First Battle of the Earth and retreated to [[Installation 05]], also known as [[Delta Halo]]. The Covenant ship was pursued by a single UNSC ship, ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad]]''. This resulted in the [[Battle of Installation 05]]. Again, a massive fight ensues between the UNSC, Covenant, Flood and Forerunner Constructs ([[Sentinel]]s, [[Enforcer]]s, etc). The Flood appear to have been in control of part of Installation 05. The onslaught of the [[Covenant Civil War]] ended the 9th Age of Reclamation. This has been referred to as the ninth and final age.

== Trivia ==

*Curiously, the Covenant used the term "Reclamation" in describing their search for the Halos, possibly hinting that the Covenant saw themselves as affiliated with the [[Forerunners]] and worthy of "reclaiming" the Forerunner artifacts. It could also be related to the fact that the humans were known as reclaimers by the Forerunner, as this age started when the humans and covenant first made contact. Thus, it could have also meant the age of humanity.   

*The Ninth Age of Reclamation was the only known Age where all of the Covenant Hierarchs died.

*In [[Halo Wars]], when playing as the Covenant, players can research the Age of Reclamation, improving all Covenant technology by one technology level. This allows the player to research the Covenant Uber Unit, the [[Scarab]], symbolizing that this was the most important age to the Covenant.

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