Prologue: Reseeding the Galaxies

UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN, 97,447 BCE (CSS Military Calendar), 00:00:00

Slipspace between Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies

In the dark depths of space between two gigantic galaxies resided a ship of unnatural origin. Its looked completely artificial, with a silver white appearance and a peculiar shape. At the top, there was a triangular prow. This was connected at the middle by three other shapes of the same design. The ship was a tetrahedral shape overall, and it was approximately fourteen kilometers in height. This ship was traveling faster than the speed of light in the realm of slipspace. Its destination was the center of the Andromeda Galaxy, the specific destination being a planet that would later be known as Coruscant by its inhabitants.

The crew of this ship were completely autonomous, lacking any organic life, save for the cargo itself. The builders of whatever was piloting the vessel were dead. Destroyed by one of their creations, in the pursuit of life and freedom for the sentient species of the galaxy in which they dwelled. A sacrifice unlike any other, indeed. The reason this ship was going to another galaxy rather than reseed the previous one was simple, to ensure the survival of the Reclaimers. In case the vile enemy that destroyed the Creators ever surfaced again, it would be best if the people that had the capabilities to fight them would be spread out. A way to maximize their chance of survival.

This did not mean, though, that the Creators did not want to maximize their chances even further. They had programmed the machines of this ship to toy with the genetic information of the Reclaimers. This was to give them a better chance to combat the unholy enemy in case they ever found it. Telekinesis was their ultimate goal. The Creators would have blessed all the Reclaimers with this ability, but the ones going to the Andromeda Galaxy would have more time to have their genetic code altered. Some of the Reclaimers in the Milky Way Galaxy would have this ability, but it would be few and far between.

Unfortunately, the Creators autonomous servants had difficulty achieving this goal. They found the only way to ensure the Reclaimers had the ability would be to alter their genetic code entirely, making them an entirely new species, and thus ineligible to use the Creators devices to defeat the Unholy Enemy. So, the autonomous machines resorted to other means to acquire this ability. The Creators had been tampering with a recently discovered energy force that transcended the universe, but their research ended prematurely when the Infection was first detected. However, the machines did come across something that would aid them in completing their task. Microscopic organisms that could manipulate this energy field, to be precise.

Once these organisms were created, they began spreading quickly, and an interesting thing occurred. They, like their distant relatives, the mitochondria, began infiltrating cells of organisms, regardless of size or organism classification. Once inside, they seemed to begin effecting the way the organism went about doing its processes, and even showed rapid micro-evolution. Organisms blessed with these midi-chlorians, as they would later be dubbed, would evolve quickly and towards the direction of sentience. While the process was still to take many thousands of years, the outcome would be the same, and even quickened.

However, organisms with high enough concentrations of these microscopic beings proved to be able to tap into and manipulate the still mysterious energy field, regardless of what the organisms was. Their abilities were far-reaching, ranging from simple telekinesis to manipulation of chemical interactions in the brains of organisms, to even ionizing air and creating an electric current upon one's will. All these actions, though, required conscious thought.

The ship left slipspace in orbit around the designated planet, and began its descend to the surface. It had the same rough dimensions of Earth, with the same relative gravity and atmosphere. The ship landed on a grassland near a raging river, with a woodland nearby. The local star was still shining brightly down upon the landscape, and a soft wind went through the area, swaying the local grasses and trees. This would be a prime area to begin building a civilization. When the ship arrived at the intended destination, the Reclaimers on board, (all already having the midi-clarions in their cells, but only less than four with high enough concentrations to allow manipulations) disembarked. They quickly went to work building structures that would give them shelter. They were developing rather quickly indeed.

With their mission done, the machines on the ship began traveling to a random planet in the Milky Way Galaxy, to remain until unearthed, hopefully by the Reclaimers. The Reclaimers in this galaxy would found a new civilization rather quickly, and their technological abilities would quickly surpass those in the Milky Way. Unfortunately, they would be conquered by hostile races for a brief period of time, allowing the midi-clarions to spread to encompass their entire galaxy, before their liberation was achieved.

Only one occupant would remain on board the ship, to await the arrival of the Reclaimers. It would later be known as an Oracle.

22 January 2587 (CSS Military Calendar), 13:32:10

Grand Library of the Galaxy, Washington D.C., Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

The Library of the Galaxy was an expansive structure, with hundreds of thousands of books from every sentient species in the galaxy. Most were in holographic form, with tablets organized on high bookshelves, but some were still in the original paper that made them. The staff of the Library required hundreds of librarians to organize everything, and machinery of immense proportions to handle the large volume of books and tablets. On a slow day, the library had about 500 people going through it. On a good day, about 5,000. The interior of the Library had levels that generally worked inwards towards the top, a full kilometers high. Each level had shelves that were over thirty meters high, and hundreds in the very center of the ground level stood a fountain that constantly shot our water at the bottom pedestal from five points, the water crystal clear. The statures that stood atop the pedestal rose ten meters high into the air, and were of Lord Hood and the Arbiter shaking hands. The granite was a polished, almost glimmering grey, with almost no ill marks anywhere to be found.

On this particular day, a high school student was doing a report about the founding of the Coalition of Sentient Species. This report was in celebration and remembrance of the 20th anniversary of its founding on January 25, 2567.

The student, a male human, said "Let's see if this is good enough."

The Human-Covenant War had changed the face of the galaxy forever. After its end on March 3, 2553, Humanity was still facing annihilation at the hands of the Covenant Loyalists. So, to ensure that Humanity could survive and their honor debt be repaid, the Covenant Separatists, lead by the Arbiter and his Sangheili brethren, would defend Humanity and help her rebuild. Thanks to the Separatists efforts, and tax breaks for large families, the human population skyrocketed, and re-terraforming glassed planets began in 2559. By 2564, Humanities population was at 27 billion, with projections showing that pre-war population figures will be reached by 2595. Humanity reclaimed all the inner colonies by 2565, and began moving to the outer colonies. While all of this was happening, the Covenant Separatists were fighting the remains of the Covenant Loyalists everywhere. Unknown to them, though, the Loyalists had gained control of a shield world, and were beginning construction of another armada.

Luckily for the Separatists and UNSC, A UNSC frigate (FFG-327 Rebirth) intercepted a Loyalists cruiser on December 16, 2566, and analyzed the information on board after successfully taking it. What they discovered was the invasion plans for the Loyalists once the fleet would be done. Its completion date was set for June 1, 2567. This information was immediately relayed to the UEG and Separatist Government. Knowing neither group would be able to defeat the capabilities of the Loyalists, they both formed a unified entity and combined militaries. On January 25, 2567, the Coalition of Sentient Species was officially formed amid a shitstorm (Note: change "shitstorm" for something more school appropriate) of protests from the humans. They still remembered the Great War, and didn't trust the Covenant, regardless of their allegiance. Social commentators railed against the formation of the Coalition, and demanded that it be dissolved immediately. But, it wasn't that simple, as this was the only way to ensure the Loyalists don't activate the Halo arrays, or enslave every sentient species in the galaxy. So, to satisfy the voters, government officials said the Coalition would be disbanded as soon as the Loyalist threat was dealt with.

When the Coalition fleets engaged the Loyalists ones, their effectiveness was unbelievable. All the projections said that the soldiers from the Separatists and UNSC would be unable to work together. Even military commanders told captains of their respective former faction to prepare to fire on the other former faction if necessary. But, the soldiers fought gallantly together, and formed unbreakable bonds of fellowship. Even the generals began respecting the other side, and began supporting the notion that the Coalition become a permanent entity when the war is over. Regardless, during the final battle over Instillation-01, the Loyalist fleet was demolished, and the Halo destroyed.

Now that the war was over, A vote was held to disband the Coalition, but the generals of both sides intervened and said that the entity should remain. They had found friendships and brotherhoods that transcended species, and did not want to see the catalyst to their newfound friendships be destroyed. The military men went so far as to launch a petition to keep the Coalition. Surprisingly enough, more than enough signatures were gathered by people who heard the stories of friendships being formed through the Coalition. The vote was held, and the Coalition remained.

Now, the Coalition stands as a governing body over the sentient species of the Milky Way Galaxy. While relative autonomy is upheld for each species, some ground rules are enforced strictly. These rules include, but are not limited to : 1) All species are allowed to have a fleet defending their homeworld, but it must be overseen by the military of the Coalition. 2) All member species are to have a democratic government of sorts, and uphold a Bill of Rights, which must include the right to free speech, free press, free religion, quick and speedy trial by one's peers, universal suffrage, and many others (Note: this was modeled after the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States of America (1783-2170), and UN Charter (1945-present)). 3) All unregistered military ships will be considered hostile, and the whole of the Coalition military will be devoted to destroying them and those who produced them. 4) All species will be required to partake in all military endeavors. 5) All rebellious forces that are formed against a member species will be considered a rebellion against the whole of the Coalition of Sentient Species, and it will act accordingly. 6) If any species falls to a despot, absolute ruler, king (queen), or any other leader not democratically elected for a set term will be considered hostile to the peace of the galaxy, and the Coalition of Sentient Species will work against said despot to install democratic government to the affected species. 7) If any other sentient species or organization of sentient species discovered, they will be asked to join the Coalition, or join in alliance of some sorts. 8) If a Halo is ever discovered, its termination will be of the utmost importance.

The Government of the Coalition is organized with a Senate, where each species is given 10 representatives that must be elected, and a House of Commons (or Representatives as called on Earth), where politicians are elected and the number of them is based on population of that species. There is an executive office, but they are only given control of the military, and has no veto power. Although, the Executive official (president) is given the right to request immediate legislation, emergency vote, or a vote for declaration of war. The court system is similar in structure to that of the former United States of America, only the Supreme Court has judges nominated every 30 years, similar to that of the former Republic of Mexico. Finally, trade is only voted on if it affects more than one species. Otherwise, only the two species shall vote on the matter.

The capital of the Coalition is Unity, Concordo, Concordo System, Coalition Capitol Sector. This planet was established after the end of the Covenant Civil War in 2567 and used a neutral territory for the government of the Coalition to assemble. A truly majestic city, using the structures of all the species represented. At the center of the city is a monument. A memoriam to the soldiers lost during the Human-Covenant War and Great Schism. It is a pyramid made of pure black marble rising 5 meters high, and 4 meters on all sides at its base. Etched into it is a depiction and said depiction is labeled at the top. For the Human-Covenant War side, there is an image of a battle between Humans and Covenant, with a Spartan and Arbiter leading both sides. On the Great Schism side, there is a depiction of the Arbiter leading Coalition forces against the Loyalists in a land battle. On the third and final side, there is a depiction of all the species assembled working together in a government building. This last one is a representation of the first meeting of the Coalition.

After typing all of this, the student said "That should be enough."

He then saved his work and walked out of the Library to his home.

24 January 2587 (CSS Military Calendar), 15:12:09

ONI Alpha Base, New Mombasa, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

In the dimly light basement that was Sector 6, a mysterious meeting was being held by the most powerful people on Earth. It was impossible to see any of their faces, as they were clouded by absolute darkness, but the identification cards they had to wear said enough of who they were. Among them was the ONI Director Mr. Ruckus, Leader of ONI Information Division Mr. Gibbson, Leader of ONI Domestic Division Mrs. Ilwhay, and Leader of ONI Inter-species Division Mr. Tranchon. They had been gathered here since noon, and were discussing some important findings. Namely, the discovery of possible sentient life in the Andromeda Galaxy. This discovery was made a day ago, and the discoverer was immediately silenced, the ONI way. The evidence to suggest that there were other sentient beings was that a probe that suffered a malfunction and was sent through slipspace to the Andromeda Galaxy and was intercepted by what can be assumed a space craft. Before it was destroyed, it appears on the video feed that plasma based weapons did the job. They broke through the relatively weak shielding of the probe and obliterated it within seconds

"We have to assume they are a threat" said Mr. Tranchon.

"Are you proposing war?" Mr. Ruckus asked silently while looking at the black space where Mr. Tranchon was.

"Not quite," Mr. Tranchon said, making sure to carefully pick his word choice, "but I believe we need to approach this carefully. Another set of probes would be useful. Then we can go from there."

"Can we send additional probes there without anyone noticing?" asked Mrs. Ilwhay.

"Yes," said Tranchon, "we can and I believe we should."

"What will the rest of the Coalition think about this?" asked Mr. Ruckus to Mr. Gibbson, who was quite the whole time.

"We can safely assume that if they find out, they will support our decision." Mr. Gibbson responded, "But that's a big if."

"How long will it take for us to get probes there?" asked Mr. Ruckus to the whole group.

"About a day to get the probes," said Mr. Tranchon, "and another nine to get to the Andromeda Galaxy."

"And if they get destroyed too?" asked Mr. Gibbson.

"Then we send a manned vessel there, preferably a stealth cruiser, and try to open communications with them." responded Mr. Ruckus.

"Should we report our findings to Unity?" asked Mrs. Ilwhay.

Mr. Ruckus thought this out, and said after a ten second intermission, "Yes, we should."

"Finally, if we send a stealth cruiser, what do we do if it is destroyed?" asked Mrs. Ilwhay.

"Then the Coalition goes to war." said Mr. Ruckus, now beginning to stand up.

"If that is all," said Mr. Ruckus, now standing in front of the table, "then this meeting is adjourned.

Everybody else stood up, and began filing out of the room. The separate individuals went their separate ways again. Little did they know they had just made the most important decision of their lives. A decision that would affect the whole of the Coalition for years to come.

19:7 Before Battle of Yavin (BBY)

Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

The Chancellor was sitting in the Chancellor's Suite overlooking the cityscape of Coruscant. Palpatine was fascinated that of the one trillion lives that inhabited this planet, none had any clue regarding the Chancellor's true intentions. 'An ignorant group indeed', he though.

Just as Palpatine was musing this thought, a hologram appeared on his desk. the hologram was of Count Dooku on board a Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship in the Outer Rim territory of Tatooine

"What do you have to say Dooku?" asked Palpatine, angry that the Sith would interrupt his thoughts.

"We found a probe of some sort and before destroying it, took some images of it." Dooku replied, his cold, calculating voice present throughout the entire statement, like most that left his mouth

"So?" asked Palpatine, angry Dooku would interrupt him for such a trivial thing.

"We checked its design," he began, "and it matched nothing of either Republic or Confederacy design. In fact, it doesn't match anything in the databases."

Palpatine took this in for a moment, and said "Are you telling me that there is another space-faring civilization out there?"

"Possibly, my master." Dooku responded.

Palpatine thought over his options, then told Dooku "If you find any more scouts, destroy them. Understood?"

"Yes master." Dooku responded.

"That is all Dooku." said Palpatine, turning his chair away from the hologram.

"Thine will be done my master." finished Dooku as he bowed, then severed the connection.

Palpatine tried to return to his previous thoughts, but all he could think of is how this new faction could ruin his plans. After some time in silent contemplation, he thought of a plan. Something that would ensure this new faction would either help him in the extermination of the Jedi, or stay out of his way.

Official ONI report released to UEG and CSS officials on 26 January 2587 (CSS Military Calendar)

It has become even more evident that life exists outside out galaxy. Dr. Richard Fredrick of the Information Division of the Office of Naval Intelligence, discovered on 23 January 2587, at 21:04:23 that an unknown ship attacked a probe that accidentally traveled through slipspace to the Andromeda Galaxy.

The probe arrived in the galaxy on 23 January 2587, at 12:42:34, and began moving to the closest planet, which was approximately 700,000 kilometers away. The planet itself was completely covered in a planet-wide desert. Life living on this planet is questionable.

At 17:42:12, scans of the planet were conducted. The scans, which were finished at 20:24:56, showed cities and small settlements existed on the planet. Dr. Fredrick, who was awake and studying the data the whole time, began thinking of various theories. One such theory was that the inhabitants rely on outside exports for food, but that requires cheap and quick space travel.

The probe made its way planet side to begin a discussion with the inhabitants, to discover their placement on the Forerunner technological tier system, but the probe was intercepted by an unknown vessel. The ship was a small ship, with a general triangular design. In the middle of the three arches that made the general shape of the ship was a glass ball. At the front of the ship was a tube of some sorts, probably a cannon. The probe conducted a quick scan of the ship and found no life signatures, indicating it was either piloted by a robot or was controlled by an A.I. of sorts. The, the ship fired out of the tube a red beam of light. It moved exceedingly slow for a light beam, and roughly as fast as Covenant era plasma based weaponry. So it will be assumed that the ship fired a heated plasma round. The plasma was stronger than the Covenant era weapons, and broke through the shields with ease. The first bolt of plasma destroyed the shields, and the second fired milliseconds after the first shot destroyed the probe.

The weapons of this civilization are far stronger than previously assumed. While the shields of the probe were relatively weak compared to the CSS Liberator-class fighter/bomber, it can be assumed that the plasma weapons of the hostile vessel would be able to breech the shields in roughly four shots. Then another two shots, probably, to hit the engine compartment, and destroy the Liberator. Unfortunately, we are unable to assume anything else about this civilization other than their fighter capabilities.

So I don't need to say the weapons capabilities later, I will do so now

Weapons:

BR55HB SR Battle Rifle (Battle Rife)-BR60HB SR (Capabilities: Rounds travel faster and a smaller slug that goes through a superheating process increases stopping power and penetration. Magazine size increased to 48 rounds)

MA5C ICWS (Assault Rifle)-MB7C ICSW (Capabilities: Has an overhead sight that allows increased accuracy, and goes through same superheating process that increases penetration and stopping power. Magazine size increased to 90 rounds)

SRS99D-S2 AM (Sniper Rifle)-SRS03E-S1 AM (Capabilities: Sight modifications allow increased range. Round size, speed, and magazine size remain the same)

M6G PDWS (Magnum)-M7B PDWS (Capabilities: Rounds are also superheated. Rounds also move faster, has additional stopping power, and deeper penetration. Magazine size increased to 12 rounds)

M90(A) CAWS (Shotgun)-M90C CAWS (Capabilities: Remains unchanged save for a magazine increase to 18 rounds and automatic pumping system)

M7/Caseless SMG (SMG)-M9A/Plasma SMG (Capabilities: Plasma rounds used instead, but plasma is not as strong as that found in the Type-28 Directed Energy Rifle or even Type-28 Directed Energy Pistol. To compensate, rate of fire increased to 1,100 rounds per minute, and magazine size increased to approximately 120 rounds before battery needs changed)

M319 Individual Grenade Launcher (Grenade Launcher)-M401 Individual Grenade Launcher (Capabilities: Can use either standard fragmentation/EMP grenade or plasma/EMP grenade. Number of grenades able to be fired increases to 2 grenades fired per magazine (Note: experimental version can fire a magazine of 5 before needing changed, but it's deployment to the battlefield is still in progress))

M41 SSR (Rocket Launcher)-M47 SSR AV/AA AW (Capabilities: Additional explosives used to increase blast radius and power. Magazine size of two remains)

M6 G/GNR (Spartan Laser)-M7E/GNR Capabilities: Increased battery life, allows for twice the shots before a new battery is required)

T2 EW/H (Gravity Hammer)-T3 EW/H (Capabilities: Battery life increased to use gravity functions almost indefinitely)

Type-25 Carbine (Spiker)-Type-79 Carbine (Capabilities: Sight and increased barrel length (8 cm.) to increase range)

Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol (Plasma Pistol)-Type-81 Directed Energy Pistol (Capabilities: Increased battery life. Also, a mini EMP is produced, rendering all electronic based items temporarily useless in a 10 meter radius)

Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle (Plasma Rifle)-Type-83 Directed Energy Rifle (Capabilities: Rifle length increased by 12 cm. allows increased range, accuracy, and power)

Type-25 Grenade Launcher (Brute Launcher)-Completely phased out

Type-31 Rifle (Needler Rifle)-Type-73 Rifle (Capabilities: Additional crystals increase magazine size to 30 rounds. Crystals changed to allow increased explosive capabilities. Sight modifications allow increased accurate range)

Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher (Needler)-Type-72 Guided Munitions Launcher (Capabilities: Increased range through additional sight modifications. Crystals changed to allow increased magazine size to 30 needles (again), and increased explosive discharge)

Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon (Fuel Rod Gun)-Completely phased out

Type-50 Sniper Rifle System (Particle Beam Rifle)-Completely phased out

Type-51 Carbine (Covenant Carbine)-Type-86 Carbine (Capabilities: Slight sight modifications allow increased accurate range. Magazine size increased to 24 rounds)

T52 GML/E (Plasma Launcher)-Completely phased out

Type-52 Pistol (Mauler)-Type-74 Pistol (Capabilities: Increased magazine size to 35 rounds)

Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword (Energy Sword)-Type-2 Energy weapon/Sword (Capabilities: Increased battery life allows for almost indefinite use)

Vehicles:

M808B Main Battle Tank (Scorpion)-M875 Main Battle Tank (Capabilities: Personal shielding. 110 mm. cannon instead of the 90mm in the Scorpion. Faster speed for rounds courtesy of Covenant tech study, higher explosive capacity, and 2 coaxial machine guns)

M12 Force Application Vehicle (Warthog)-M15 Force Application Vehicle (Capabilities: Improved armor and faster speed. No shields were added to decrease weight)

M145D Mobile Artillery Assault Platform (MAAP) (Rhino)-Completely phased out

M274 ULATV (Mongoose)-M302 ULATV (Capabilities: faster speed)

M312 Heavy Recovery Vehicle (Elephant)-Completely phased out (Exception: scientific explorations)

M850 Main Battle Tank (Grizzly)-Completely phased out

M9(A) Main Anti-Aircraft Tank (MAAT) (Wolverine)-M9G Main Anti-Aircraft/Mobile Artillery Tank (MAA/MAT) (Capabilities: Miniature plasma torpedoes added to increase power and speed)

SP42 Main Battle Tank (Cobra)-Completely phased out (Exception: Plans for SP76 Main Battle Tank are on the table, but only can be produced, as per Congressional Resolution 341-A, during a time of war. In that case, the 16 MJ LRG Rail Guns remain, but the 80 MJ LRG Rail Guns are improved to allow faster speed out of rounds, faster coaxial rotation for turrets, and faster vehicular speed, but the new model lacks any personal shielding)

Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle (HEV)-No changes

GA-TL1 Longsword interceptor (Longsword)-GA-TL3 Liberator Interceptor/Close Air Support (Capabilities: Plasma turrets added. Personal Shielding. Missiles given longer range and higher explosive output)

AC-220 Vulture (Vulture)-AC-270 Behemoth (Capabilities: Missiles replaced with miniature plasma torpedoes)

AV-14 Attack VTOL (Hornet)-AV-19 Attack/Defense VTOL (Capabilities: Nose mounted auto cannon replaced with plasma cannon. Missiles given additional explosive firepower and range)

D77-TC Pelican (Pelican)-D83-TC (Capabilities: autocannon replaced with plasma turret. 40 mm. chain gun remains)

Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle (Brute Chopper)-Completely phased out

Type-26 Assault Gun Carriage (Wraith)-Type-79 Assault Gun Carriage (Capabilities: Faster speed, increased explosive power per plasma round. Lower cooldown time. Personal Shielding added to all "Wraiths")

Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft (Banshee)-Type-85 Ground Support Aircraft (Capabilities: plasma turrets and fuel rod cannon have increased power per shot. Lower cooldown time between shots. Personal shielding)

Type-25 Troop Carrier (Spirit)-Completely phased out

Type-29 Troop/Vehicle Transport (Shadow)-Completely phased out

Type-30 Light Excavation/Anti-Fortification Platform (Locust)-Type-76 Anti-Fortification Platform (Capabilities: Focus Cannon has increased power and personal shielding)

Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle (Ghost)-Completely phased out

Type-46 Infantry Support Vehicle (Spectre)-Completely phased out

Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform (Scarab)-No changes (Did it really need any?)

Type-48 Light Assault Gun Carriage (Revenant)-Completely phased out

Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle (Brute Prowler)-completely phased out

Type-52 Troop Carrier (Phantom)-Type-68 Troop Carrier (Capabilities: Plasma turret faster firing rate, stronger plasma bolts, and quicker cooldown time)

Nicknames remain the same for sake of convenience for reader and myself. Also, so the majority of this chapter isn't devoted to weapons specs, others not mention like the MAC's will be explained later.