Editing New Colonial Alliance

The '''New Colonial Alliance''' ('''NCA''') is an [[Insurrectionist]] group that was founded by [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[Admiral]] [[Mattius Drake]] some time prior to [[2553#January|January 2553]].{{Ref/Comic|Id=HI3|HInit|Issue=3}} The organisation was one of the foremost opposition groups to the [[Unified Earth Government]] in the early [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|post-war era]], managing to spark high degrees of civil unrest among [[Human colonies|human space]] and contributing to the near-destruction of the UNSC flagship [[UNSC Infinity|''Infinity'']] on multiple occasions. At the onset of the [[Created uprising]], Drake was assassinated and replaced as the head of the NCA by [[Ilsa Zane]], who proceeded to align the organisation with the [[Banished]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=T3L|Halo: The Third Life}}

Later in [[2558#March|March 2558]], the NCA once again attempted to attack UNSC ''Infinity'', though this time to destroy the vessel. By this time, [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Daniel Clayton]], the illegitimate son of war hero [[James Cutter|Captain James Cutter]], had joined the New Colonial Alliance. Clayton served as executive officer to [[Rear Admiral]] [[Horatio Temkin]], the UNSC's ambassador to [[Sanghelios]], giving Clayton access to classified information.{{Ref/Comic|Id=HE5|HEsc|Issue=5}} The captain informed [[Shipmaster]] [[Vata 'Gajat]], a [[Sangheili]] mercenary from [[Jul 'Mdama]]'s [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction|Covenant faction]] about the negotiation attempts between the Sangheili and [[Jiralhanae]] on [[Ealen IV]]. 'Gajat's forces foiled the negotiations when they [[Battle of Ealen IV|attacked]] during the middle of the summit. Spartan [[Vladimir Scruggs]], one of the Spartans deployed to protect the diplomats, was actually a double agent for the NCA and was tasked with killing the lead negotiators.{{Ref/Comic|Id=HE1|HEsc|Issue=1}}{{Ref/Comic|Id=HE2|HEsc|Issue=2}}

Aside from their attacks on UNSC ''Infinity'', the NCA were prolific throughout human space and stirring anti-colonial sentiment in an effort to raise alliances against [[Earth]] and the [[Inner Colonies]]. After the news broke of the [[Raid on Biko peace talks|disastrous outcome]] of the human-[[Sangheili]] peace talks on [[Biko]] in early [[2558]], the NCA were quick to jump on the outrage caused by the apparent assassination of a diplomat by [[John-117]]. This included demonstrations and rallies across a number of colony worlds, with support resulting in thousands of attendees per-rally. The civil unrest sparked by the NCA resulted in UEG consulates shutting down on several worlds and [[law enforcement]] deployed to quell the unrest. In the rallies, NCA spokespeople preached their ideals of self-suffiency, boycotting the UEG, and the need to prepare for an inevitable embargo of their worlds by the UNSC (similar in nature to the one conducted over [[Gao]] during the [[Insurrection]]{{Ref/Novel|HDW|Chapter=Epilogue}}). For [[Katrina]], this unrest resulted in power outages and service interruptions, with the general unrest further inflamed thanks to the ongoing investigation by [[Benjamin Giraud]] into the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]'s cover-up of the [[SPARTAN-II program]] and an inability to explain the deep-space anomalies a result of the [[Guardian Custode]]s' awakening.{{Ref/Audio|Id=HtTS1E9|HtT|Season=1|Episode 09: Phantoms}} The stir caused by the NCA, in conjunction with the other issues of the time, caused the UEG to shut down [[Waypoint]] buoys throughout human space - cutting off colony worlds from communication with one another. However, the later framing of Ben Giraud as an instigator working for the [[Sapien Sunrise]] terror organisation was intended to let the widespread anger simmer with Giraud as the target, followed by trade being allowed to resume and the buoys brought back online.{{Ref/Audio|Id=HtTS1E13|HtT|Season=1|Episode 13: In the Bag}}

Elsewhere, the NCA were busy corralling allies in various colonies by supplying military hardware in exchange for support.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Env21|Env|Chapter=21}} This was especially apparent in the [[Joint Occupation Zone]], where the NCA were eager to use any opportunity they could to stoke unrest for the UEG.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Env12|Env|Chapter=12}} On [[Carrow]], this included supplying the [[Surakan Militia Volunteers]] with military materiel including ex-UNSC ground and air vehicles, weapons, and ammunition.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Env4|Env|Chapter=4}} Vehicles supplied by the NCA included heavy-duty [[dropship]]s and gunships like [[D77-TC Pelican]]s and [[AV-22 Sparrowhawk]]s,{{Ref/Novel|Id=Env13|Env|Chapter=13}} alongside [[Warthog]]s and even an [[M313 Elephant|Elephant]] Heavy Recovery Vehicle.{{Ref/Reuse|Env21}} When the Surakans agreed to work alongside the UNSC and [[Sangheili]] colonists on Carrow for peace, the NCA cut their ties with the Surakans - with [[Ellis Gass]] suspecting that they may have even actively drawn the NCA's ire.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Env9|Env|Chapter=9}} [[Melody Azikiwe]] suspected that the [[Sapien Sunrise]] terrorist group were also responsible for supplying the Surakans with hardware.{{Ref/Reuse|Env21}}

On the remote [[human colony]] of [[Conrad's Point]], the NCA rebels and mercenaries were undisciplined and poorly led by an unidentified colonel. The colonel would be relieved of command when Ilsa Zane arrived on the planet. Zane organized the rebels into a more formidable force, operating ruthlessly and killing anyone who didn't carry their weight. Under her command the NCA forces on the colony started to prepare for war with the UEG and accumulated a large amount of [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear weaponry]].{{Ref/Audio|Id=HtTS2E2|HtT|Season=2|Episode 02: From Fire to Blood}}{{Ref/Reuse|T3L}}

In [[2558]], a Forerunner [[Guardian]] was activated on Conrad's Point, causing large-scale destruction to one of its cities. All NCA forces on the colony were sent to secure the site and sought to search the ruins for clues of the Guardian's next site of attack. Not willing to let the Guardian site fall into the NCA's hands, ONI tasked [[Commander]] [[Maya Sankar]] to go undercover as the [[insurrectionist]] leader "FERO" and gather information by infiltrating the NCA, with the help of the [[AI]] [[Black-Box]]. After rendezvousing with her contact [[Ari Rezneck]], they moved into the NCA encampment and discovered that the insurgents were celebrating the apparent death of [[Spartan-II]] [[John-117]]. ONI discovered Zane's presence in the camp and had warned Sankar of an incoming UNSC airstrike. Gaining what information they could, they attempted to leave but the camp was put on lock down and were then approached by Zane herself. Zane revealed both of them to be ONI operatives, killed Rezneck, then attempted to kill Sankar but was halted when the airstrike began. As the compound was bombarded, Sankar fled the planet and Zane with her NCA forces attempted to stop her but failed.{{Ref/Reuse|HtTS2E2}} Tracking down Sankar's group to [[Laika III]], Zane and her NCA forces shot down her ship and pursued her, intending to kill Sankar and then secure the planet's Guardian to use as a weapon against the UNSC.{{Ref/Audio|HtT|Season=2|Episode 05: Where the Third Life Shines}} During their pursuit, they encountered UNSC and ONI forces and engaged them as the Guardian started to rise.{{Ref/Audio|HtT|Season=2|Episode 06: Transcendance}}{{Ref/Reuse|T3L}}

Unfortunately for all of the humans on the ground, the devastation caused by the Guardian was so great as to effectively render the battle meaningless. With most of the people on the ground incapacitaed by the Guardian, the site was left open for the arrival of the [[Banished]], who were quick to round up prisoners and put them in an open pen. Ilsa Zane was quick to kill [[Amatus]] - one of the [[Jiralhanae]] guards who had sized her up as a threat - impressing the [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] in charge enough to allow her to dine with the Brutes and choose a victim for them to eat. Initially, Zane expected to simply wait out the Brutes until Admiral Drake would arrive with a force of NCA troops to rescue her from captivity. Unfortunately for Zane, this never happened, and Zane spent weeks and months waiting for help to arrive. Zane grew to resent the admiral for this, and slowly grew accustomed to her life among the Banished{{Ref/Reuse|T3L}} - eventually rising to the title of [[Bloodstar]].{{Ref/Reuse|CFZane}}

By [[2559#May|May 2559]], Zane - now fully-integrated within the Banished - was able to arrange a meeting with Admiral Drake and the bulk of the NCA forces holed up at an ex-[[Covenant]] [[space station]] in the [[Edolas system]]. This force included the NCA's [[flagship]] [[NCA D'artagnan|NCA ''D'artagnan'']], around two dozen [[UNSC frigate|light frigates]], [[UNSC corvette|corvettes]] and merchant trawlers, and the remnants of Vata 'Gajat's mercenaries - now led by [[Tek]]. During the meeting, Zane demonstrated her distaste for Drake by tying him into his chair and executing him in front of the Banished [[War Chief]] [[Escharum]], before swearing the NCA's loyalty to the Banished as a whole. Zane felt that Drake had critically missed the NCA's prime opportunity to kickstart their war with the UEG and was too cowardly to do what needed to be done - in turn risking that all of the support the NCA had worked to build would eventually abandon them and go their own ways. By this time, Zane noted that NCA agents were dispersed across numerous front lines, and the NCA fleet was stationed throughout the colonies, and soon after pledging their allegiance, Escharum quickly put his new allies in the New Colonial Alliance to work.{{Ref/Reuse|T3L}} By the end of September that year, the NCA had begun a renewed campaign of raiding throughout the colonies, with an attack on [[Cygnus]]. This, combined with a number of other resurgent threats in the era, was an active contribution to [[Adam Andrews]]' efforts to pivot the [[Optican]] corporation towards the production of [[Janissary|supersoldiers]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=HVS|Halo: Venezian Sonata}}

Right from its earliest days, the NCA has employed a vast array of military assets to achieve its objectives. For the most part, these have consisted of materials stolen from the UNSC, with some small amounts of equipment of Covenant origin here and there. During the 2553 raid on UNSC ''Infinity'', the NCA utilised a [[prowler]] of [[Unidentified prowler class|unidentified class]] to retrieve Ilsa Zane after she was ejected from one of ''Infinity''{{'}}s airlocks.{{Ref/Reuse|HI3}} In this raid, the NCA's operatives also used an {{Class|Ibis|freighter}} to board the carrier.{{Ref/Reuse|HI2}}

As the NCA's power and prestige grew, they were able to corral the support of thousands of followers.{{Ref/Reuse|HtTS1E9}} This included defecting [[SPARTAN-IV program|SPARTAN-IVs]] [[Vladimir Scruggs]]  and Ilsa Zane, with the latter used to train and instruct the various allied [[insurrectionist]] militias and mercenary organisations that worked alongside the NCA.{{Ref/Reuse|CFZane}} The NCA's support of regional militias like that of the Surakans on Carrow demonstrated the depth of the NCA's stockpiles, with the organisation capable of supplying [[Warthog]]s, [[M313 Elephant|Elephants]], [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]], and [[AV-22 Sparrowhawk|Sparrowhawks]] to the militia (among other weapons, vehicles, and munitions).{{Ref/Reuse|Env4}}{{Ref/Reuse|Env9}}{{Ref/Reuse|Env13}}{{Ref/Reuse|Env21}} Much of the NCA's regular personnel consisted of disaffected colonists with grudges against the UNSC - and considered by [[Maya Sankar]] to represent the more extreme end of the insurrectionist spectrum. Groups working within the NCA included mercenaries and partisans known for attacks on [[civilian]] targets - with no common uniting thread except vengeance - something symbolised in the common saying "from fire to blood".{{Ref/Reuse|HtTS2E2}}