User blog:Reluctant.Shard/Humanity Within the Covenant An Alternate Universe

Due to some change of accounts the prophets side with the high council and agree to attempt to assimilate Humanity into the covenant. Perhaps the prophets see that humanity could be used for easier reclamation of forerunner artifacts and were biological creations of the forerunners to be used as tools and guides through forerunner relics similarly to how to forerunners created the Engineers.

In this Covenant Humanity might be similar to some of the covenant races who while serving the Covenant did not necessarily believe in the Great Journey but rather to avoid war and to gain accelerated advancement agreed to join the Covenant fleets. Humanity would perhaps have an embassy of their own that dealt with relations with the covenant and humanity who would at first attempt to maintain a level of separation from being assimilated into the caste system of the covenant making the transition slower. ONI would also remain intact and take the form of protecting humanities interests and ensuring leverage over the high prophets keeping some discoveries like that of the forerunner ruins on Reach a secret keeping the covenant from finding the halo installation when they originally did.

Acting largely separate of the Covenants traditional military structure would they lead units such as grunts but not jackals? Would spartans serve alongside Elite Zealots? Or would humanity operate directly under the Elites in a sense that Human ships would compliment Sangheili fleets but would not have integrated crews and instead would be present for the case of helping tame forerunner worlds and relics.

Depending on when they join the covenant (before or after fighting the sangheili) would affect their relationship greatly. After fighting Humanity many Sangheili respected Humans and perhaps would ally with them when Humanity discovered the true nature of Halo as they would be more willing to hear Humanity out before declaring them heretics. Humanity may insight a larger heretical movement as Sesa 'Refumee (the heretic leader from halo 2) leading to a Great Schism of greater effectiveness and leading to a much longer civil war than the one which took place in Halo 3 which saw the covenant almost immediately destroyed after the Sangheili left. In this civil war many sangheili would remain with the covenant, Jackals would likely stay loyal believing them to be the eventual victors of a war, the Jiralhanae would likely become equals to the Loyalist Sangheili in order to combat the heretics more effectively.

A longer lasting civil war within the covenant lead by Human/Sangheili/ against the Prophets/Jiralhanae/Sanghieli and the other covenant races divided with the Drones likely staying loyal to the Prophets would lead to a greater bond and cooporative engagements against the Covenant by the Seperatists leading to Humanity-Sangheili relations being much closer and more personal.

Debating making an Alternate Timeline universe for this idea. If anyone has any input, suggestions, or a desire to participate let me know.

--Charbonneau (talk) 07:17, November 10, 2016 (UTC)