Human-Covenant War

The Human-Covenant War was a conflict spanning several decades and was the flashpoint for numerous major events in the WU. It was also a chief instigator of the Covenant Hegemony's collapse and eventual fragmentation.

The war began on the human colony of Harvest. The Covenant High Prophets rightly surmised humanity's existence as the Forerunner reclaimers would be the end of their religious cult, and therefore prepared all available Covenant assets to wipe out the humans. Covenant warships were instructed to begin a full-scale invasion of UNSC space, one of the first planets to be in the onslaught was the small mining world of Harvest.

After the Covenant utterly decimated Harvest, the UNSC knew of their existence and rushed to defend their borders and outlying colonies. However it was too late, the Covenant's invasion had begun. Led by Arbiter Ripa' Moramee and Supreme Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Watinree, the Covenant seemed unstoppable. Their assortment of alien creatures, from the cannon fodder Grunts to hulking Hunters to vicious Brutes, and the skilled Elites outclassed the UNSC.

UNSC High Command were forced to resort to Doctor Halsey's unethical Spartan Program and use the Spartan supersoldiers to hold back the alien assaults. John-117 would be instrumental in the UNSC defense, attacking key Covenant shipyards and outposts and putting off their schedules. Every small victory was a major one for the desperate UNSC.

Many factions like the United Nirn, Dark Empire, and Pike Empire looked on in interest. Due to the ongoing War of Darkness the Pikes were unable to send assistance to their UNSC allies.

The Covenant, whose supreme military might was viewed as an asset, was temporarily made a member-state of the Dark Empire. Covenant units proved very effective during the Core World Sieges.

The Covenant also destroyed UNSC morale after sacking the planet Reach, in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. UNSC Spartans mainly consisted of the defense force, as Reach was their home, versus an overwhelming Covenant horde that refused to back down. Over time, even the most dug in resistances were turned to glass by CAS-Cruisers, but not after the Covenant took heavy losses.

Meanwhile, the UNSC had finally some hope, as the Covenant itself was breaking apart. Numerous factions were beginning to emerge, driven by ideology and race, the Brutes and Elites seemed to be at each other's throats. Eventually, Thel Vadam began having secret doubts about the Covenant's Forerunner religion after disturbing words from the 343 Guilty Spark (Oracle)

Soon, the Covenant was erupting into full blown civil strife. The Prophets consolidated t

heir powerbase in the most loyal of Elites, the Brutes, and most other races, while the Covenant Separatists formed out of mostly Elites, some Grunts, and Hunters.

After the Flood was exterminated by the Dark Imperial legions after the Battle of Naboo, the Covenant Loyalists were taken over by the autocrat Ord Casto (The Prophet of Truth), whom then totally allied the Covenant Loyalists with the Dark Empire.

Loyalist forces were instrumental in ensuring the Great Counteroffensive didn't completely push Cutler Beckett's forces out of the Galaxy. Meanwhile, the Covenant Separatists assisted the Videogame League and Team Fortress Industries in their respective fronts.

The United Nations Space Command, ruined and without a centralised government after the second Covenant Invasion of Earth, turned into a rogue army. They were then forced to ally with the Covenant Separatists, and together joined the Coalition of Free States.

The last stage of the war began as Covenant Loyalist forces closed in on the Ark in an attempt to cleanse the universe and restart a new Covenant on the Ring itself. However, the CFS, headed by Master Chief and Thel Vadam, squared off against Imp

erial Admiral Xytan 'Watinree and Tartarus, Truth's greatest lieutenants, here.

After an epic and intense ground and space battle, with the Arbiter and Chief killing Xytan and Tartarus respectively, the two rushed through Truth's enclave of Loyalist soldiers. Together, Chief and Thel dually ran an Energy Sword after a brief resistance from Truth's bodyguards and Truth himself, who used his Grav-Chair's Fuel Rod Cannons in an attempt to incinerate the two.

Soon after, with news of their major commanders and political leader dead, the Loyalists began crumbling at the seams. The Banished mercenaries led by Atriox found great business in the Star Wars (Universe A-231) Galaxy while Covenant remnants formed out of the loyalists. The most major Remnant so far is Jul Mdama's Covenant, that has used the anti-human sentiments on Sangheilios to form a militarist faction.

Meanwhile old Loyalist commanders like Parg Vol are trying to reinstate the Forerunner religion in distant parts of the universe, and succeeding wildly due to the absence of local UNSC or SOS garrisons.