64
edits
Human-Covenant War: Difference between revisions
→Background
Mstrchf117 (talk | contribs) |
|||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
The [[Prophets]] declared [[humanity]] to be an affront to their gods (supposedly because humans inhabited and 'defiled' areas which were once [[Forerunner]]), and called for a crusade against the [[Human]] species. An extended, though one-sided, ground battle took place on Harvest, where the [[human]]s successfully halted the [[Covenant]] for some time, but the [[Covenant]] eventually used their capital ships' [[plasma]] weaponry to vaporize the surface of the planet, turning the crust into molten glass, a process which would become known as "[[glassing]]." | The [[Prophets]] declared [[humanity]] to be an affront to their gods (supposedly because humans inhabited and 'defiled' areas which were once [[Forerunner]]), and called for a crusade against the [[Human]] species. An extended, though one-sided, ground battle took place on Harvest, where the [[human]]s successfully halted the [[Covenant]] for some time, but the [[Covenant]] eventually used their capital ships' [[plasma]] weaponry to vaporize the surface of the planet, turning the crust into molten glass, a process which would become known as "[[glassing]]." | ||
The campaign to exterminate all the humans was partly a religious issue and partly an attempt by the Prophets to keep power. The Prophets found out that the Forerunner objects that the Luminary was picking up on Harvest were actually humans (which the Prophets interpreted as meaning that the humans were descendants of the Forerunners, or possibly surviving Forerunners). The Prophets realized that that meant that it was possible to be left behind on the Great Journey. They agreed that if the rest of the Covenant found out, they wouldn't follow the Prophets anymore. They then decided to wipe out the human race so that none of the Covenant would realize that it was possible to be left behind on the Great Journey. | |||
From that point on, the [[Covenant]] continued to attack and destroy the human wherever they were found, using their [[Luminary]]s to find the [[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 they didn't need to fight planet-side to destroy the enemy; their ships simply needed to destroy the [[human]]'s space-borne defenses and any other threats planet-side, and then reduce the planet's surface to glass with orbital plasma bombardments. The few victories achieved by the [[UNSC]] were due to special tactical maneuvers, as human missile, and magnetic acceleration weapons were unable to compete with Covenant energy shields and [[plasma]] torpedoes. Over twenty-seven years, the Covenant whittled down the [[UNSC]] planet by planet. On [[Sigma Octanus IV]], the Covenant were [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV|defeated]] but placed a [[Spy Probe]] on the {{UNSCShip|Iroquois}}, which led the Covenant to the UNSC's stronghold and main headquarters, [[Reach]]. That is the most likely 'original goal'. The Covenant also got the religous artifacts that they wanted before they lost in space. The battle that followed had staggering losses for both sides, but ended in a pyrrhic Covenant victory. The {{UNSCShip|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]] ringworld of [[Halo]], being chased by a dozen Covenant warships. | From that point on, the [[Covenant]] continued to attack and destroy the human wherever they were found, using their [[Luminary]]s to find the [[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 they didn't need to fight planet-side to destroy the enemy; their ships simply needed to destroy the [[human]]'s space-borne defenses and any other threats planet-side, and then reduce the planet's surface to glass with orbital plasma bombardments. The few victories achieved by the [[UNSC]] were due to special tactical maneuvers, as human missile, and magnetic acceleration weapons were unable to compete with Covenant energy shields and [[plasma]] torpedoes. Over twenty-seven years, the Covenant whittled down the [[UNSC]] planet by planet. On [[Sigma Octanus IV]], the Covenant were [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV|defeated]] but placed a [[Spy Probe]] on the {{UNSCShip|Iroquois}}, which led the Covenant to the UNSC's stronghold and main headquarters, [[Reach]]. That is the most likely 'original goal'. The Covenant also got the religous artifacts that they wanted before they lost in space. The battle that followed had staggering losses for both sides, but ended in a pyrrhic Covenant victory. The {{UNSCShip|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]] ringworld of [[Halo]], being chased by a dozen Covenant warships. | ||
| Line 120: | Line 123: | ||
====November==== | ====November==== | ||
*[[Battle of Onyx]]. The destruction of [[Installation 04]] wake dormant Forerunner installations, including the [[sentinels]] on Onyx which then threaten the UNSC base there. The [[SPARTAN-II]]s of [[Blue Team]] fight there way off [[Earth]] and commandeer a [[Covenant Destroyer]], the ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'', to relieve Onyx. Covenant and UNSC ships converge on Onyx but ultimately all are destroyed except for the {{UNSCShip|Dusk}}. UNSC survivors retreat within the Onyx [[Shield World]]. | *[[Battle of Onyx]]. The destruction of [[Installation 04]] wake dormant Forerunner installations, including the [[sentinels]] on Onyx which then threaten the UNSC base there. The [[SPARTAN-II]]s of [[Blue Team]] fight there way off [[Earth]] and commandeer a [[Covenant Destroyer]], the ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'', to relieve [[Onyx]]. Covenant and UNSC ships converge on Onyx but ultimately all are destroyed except for the {{UNSCShip|Dusk}}. UNSC survivors retreat within the Onyx [[Shield World]]. | ||
*[[Battle of the Ark|Battle of Installation 00]] | *[[Battle of the Ark|Battle of Installation 00]] | ||
*All Loyalist vessels destroyed over the Ark by the Seperatist Fleet | *All Loyalist vessels destroyed over the Ark by the Seperatist Fleet | ||