The Second War

OVERVIEW The Second War was a four-year conflict that was a direct result of the Covenant Great Schism that took place during the Human-Covenant War, taking place mostly at Earth but culminating with the Battle of Omega Halo.

PRELUDE Towards the end of the Human-Covenant War, the Covenant Hierarchs betrayed the Elites, casting them out of the Covenant and ordering their deaths. As a result, the Elites aligned with Humanity, turning the war around and eventually destroying the Covenant. However, some Elites clung to old beliefs and refused the alliance. Shipmaster Orda ‘Kodomee was one such Elite. Still filled with Covenant religious bias, he desired the end of Humanity once and for all, as well as the uplifting of his species via the Great Journey, which required the activation of the Halo Array. Seeing an opportunity to do both, ‘Kodomee sought out a relic that would lead him to a Halo, and realized it would be found on Earth, the homeworld of his hated enemy.

HISTORY In May of 2553, the Shipmaster launched his attack, starting the Second War. With a fleet of five ships filled with like-minded Elites, he broke through Earth’s still-weakened defenses and established a position in Earth’s orbit. From there, he fended off UNSC retaliation in space and conducted operations on Earth’s surface for four years. Though some battles were especially bloody, such as the Sacking of Tripoli, most engagements of the Second War ended in stalemates, with neither side being able to budge the other. This standoff allowed Shipmaster ‘Kodomee and his right hand, Commander ‘Thalashee, to search for the relic easily, though without its exact coordinates, the rogue Elites were tasked with searching an entire continent for their prize.

By 2556, UNSC HighCommand was getting desperate. Seeking a trump card, they gathered up the remnants of the old Spartan projects and launched the SPARTAN-IV program. This program would be different from its predecessors; instead of a legion of soldiers trained from childhood, the Spartan-IVs would be composed of eligible adults already enlisted in the UNSC armed forces. However, the readily available augmentations had very narrow biological parameters; of the many soldiers considered for enhancement, only six met every single criteria. The resulting supersoldiers would be fewer in number and weaker in strength than those that came before them, but still powerful enough to turn the tide of the war; or so hoped the UNSC.

In February of 2557, the Spartan-IVs were officially commissioned. Saul IV-01, Jake IV-02, Cameron IV-03, Katherine IV-04, Christian IV-05, and Gabe IV-06 were quickly put to work fighting ‘Kodomee’s forces. After engaging the Elites in several ground operations including the Battle of Cairo, the IVs managed to assassinate Commander ‘Thalashee. This mission came at a heavy cost; four of the six Spartans were killed, leaving Saul and Katherine the only surviving team members.

By mid-April, ‘Kodomee was close to achieving his goal. He had excavated a Forerunner ruin underneath the Sahara desert housing a Forerunner star map. Using the map, ‘Kodomee located the nearest Halo ring and set course for it, but not before ordering his fleet to glass Africa. The Spartan-IVs chased after him aboard the UNSC cruiser Heart of Defiance. The ships arrived at the ring in June and immediately set troops down on its surface. As both sides delved into the ring to uncover its secrets, a long dormant parasite called the Flood resurfaced and began attacking humans and Elites alike. Now facing a war on two fronts with dwindling resources and manpower, the Spartans launched a risky assault against ‘Kodomee to stop him from activating the ring and dooming all life in the galaxy. Though costly, the assault was a success, with ‘Kodomee and his remaining forces being wiped out by the UNSC.

AFTERMATH Before he died, ‘Kodomee managed to activate the Halo ring, though it had a much greater charge time than normal due to structural damage. Saul and Katherine undertook a mission to destroy the Halo to both wipe out the Flood and stop it from firing. While they were successful, the SPARTAN-IVs suffered another casualty as Saul gave his life so Katherine could escape the ring. Katherine would return to Earth aboard the Heart of Defiance and live to participate in the Third War.

TRIVIA


 * The Second War is depicted in the SPARTANs duology, Generation and Omega Halo.