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This fanfiction article, Covenant Conspiracy Theories, was written by Anonymous ONI agent. Please do not edit this fiction without the writer's permission. |
When details regarding the attacks on Harvest were first released to the general public, some found the idea of an alien invasion too outrageous to believe. This was especially true in the Outer Colonies, where decades or even centuries of tension and neglect had resulted in many developing a cynical distrust of the UNSC. The UNSC's attempts to quarantine the Covenant threat on Harvest were misconstrued as an attempt to keep what "really was going on" a secret.
The Insurrection fed off of these conspiracy theories, using them to rally support. While the UNSC diverted its attention almost solely to Harvest, the Insurrectionists were allowed to easily seed the rumors into the general populace, and openly recruit the supporters they generated to their cause. However, as more colonies fell to the Covenant and people realized that the Covenant was in fact real, the distrust began to shift over to the rebels instead, ultimately crippling them.
Major Theories[]
Political Plot[]
The most popular Covenant conspiracy theory was that the UNSC had engineered the Harvest attacks and subsequent military campaign as part of an elaborate plot to further its own political agenda. The Insurrection had fueled allegations of UNSC fascism in the Outer Colonies, and the UNSC's emergency disbanding of the CMA and various aspects of the UEG seemed overly convenient. The UEG limited the UNSC's authority, and the CMA's rebel sympathies interfered with the UNSC's military capacity in the Outer Colonies. With these organizations out of the way, the UNSC would be able to utilize its military power with little to no restriction.
Military Experimentation[]
A less popular theory claimed that the UNSC was experimenting with devastating new weaponry on Harvest. This theory accepted some parts of the UNSC reports, mostly those confirmed by those who had been evacuated from the system, while discarding others. There was much less evidence to support this, circumstantial or otherwise, but many people were convinced by leaked information regarding "seven-foot-tall armored cyborgs" on Harvest.
Military Operation[]
A very outlandish theory was popular among especially fanatic anti-UNSC groups and individuals, who claimed that the UNSC had begun an aggressive campaign to silence the Insurrection, and had started an operation to systematically deprive the Outer Colonies of food and supplies, explaining the military mobilization and (alleged) cover-up. This theory was also widely accepted by skeptics on colonies that had relied on Harvest for agricultural support, where people had begun to starve and food riots began erupting. Elsewhere however, most people, while they did not trust the UNSC, did not believe that they would go as far as to starve the Outer Colonies in its entirety.
Terrorist Attack Response[]
Possibly the most unusual conspiracy theory suggested that Insurrectionist forces had carried out a massive terrorist attack on Harvest by releasing a chemical or biological agent upon the colony, and the UNSC was trying to cleanse it. This theory was strange because it was actually pro-UNSC, and was therefore popular among skeptics in the Inner Colonies.