Forerunner Dreadnought

"I've remotely destroyed our Keyships. A security measure. Without them I
cannot reach the Ark. But
neither then can the thing."
—Librarian to the Didact



The Forerunner Dreadnought, also known as the Keyship and colloquially known as the Forerunner Ship, was a Forerunner warship classification used in the Forerunner-Flood War.
They were also large part of the Forerunner strategy against the Flood, as they were the only vessels capable of activating the Portal to reach the Ark. One of these dreadnoughts would miraculously survive the Forerunner-Flood War and would become an integral part of the Covenant religion.



Specifications

The Forerunner Dreadnought is a geometric and angular warship, sharing many aesthetic features with other Forerunner constructs. Generally, it has a tetrahedral shape, with a forward, triangular prow, and, attached to it at equidistant points, are three similarly shaped struts to help ground the ship. Visually, its hull is grey or silver in color, and is estimated to be about 14 kilometers (8.699 miles) tall, 37,654 tons in weight, far heavier than leisure craft, but outweighed by a variety of transport and military vessels. The Dreadnoughts were an integral part of the Forerunner-Flood War, and were used as warships in confrontations such as the Battle of the Maginot Sphere, and were also used to travel through Portals to the Ark. Although their weapons systems were unknown, one Dreadnought was found and used by the San 'Shyuum during the Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War, and was far superior to Sangheili vessels of the time. During the Human-Covenant War, the same Dreadnought was resistant to even the heaviest of UNSC ship borne armaments, specifically the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon systems. The Forerunner Dreadnought has been known to carry over 1,000 beings, which is believed to be only a fraction of its full carrying capacity.


History
The history of the Forerunner Dreadnought is quite extensive, going back about 100,000 years.
Forerunner-Flood War
The Dreadnought was used extensively by the Forerunners in their war against the Flood. A number of Dreadnoughts were given to the Librarian, and combined with her ability to build Portals, the Librarian was able to transport herself back to the Ark with her Dreadnoughts if the situation required. The Librarian, however, bravely destroyed her Dreadnoughts to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Flood, who with them, would be able to instantaneously travel to the Ark, rendering the Halo Array useless. Near the end of the war, the Dreadnoughts were part of an unknown strategy to hold off the Flood for nearly 79 years, although this advantage would be foiled by the massive computing power of the Flood. At the Battle of the Maginot Sphere, Didact was in command of multiple Dreadnoughts, although near the end, when the Forerunners began generating Slipspace ruptures to destabilize the battlefield and destroy Flood craft, Dreadnoughts were recklessly piloted near the rifts, destroying them. However, at least one Dreadnought would survive the war and be rediscovered later by the Covenant.

Rediscovery
Early in the history of the San 'Shyuum, they found and worshiped the Forerunner Dreadnought. These early worshipers were split over the usage of the ship, as the Stoics refused to enter the vessel, while the radical Reformists wished to explore it. The Reformists then barricaded themselves within the Dreadnought, and left the San ‘Shyuumn home world, taking a gigantic piece of the planet with them.

Sangheili - San 'Shyuum War
After leaving their home world, the San 'Shyuum encountered the Sangheili, who also had familiarity with Forerunner technology. The San 'Shyuum believed that incorporating Forerunner technology was allowed by their religion. To the Sangheili, such a thing would have been unthinkable.
During the combat, the Sangheili had an early advantage, with each warrior comparable in skill to several San 'Shyuum in battle. However, the San 'Shyuum's technological superiority, and possession of the Forerunner Dreadnought, meant that they had the advantage in space, using the Dreadnought to great effect in devastating hit-and-run strikes against the Sangheilian Fleets. Eventually, the Sangheili were forced to amend their position of the treatment of Forerunner technologies and began incorporating elements into their own designs.
Eventually, in order to ensure the survival of both races, the two races merged to form the early Covenant with the San 'Shyuum as the head religious leaders and the Sangheili as their protectors and head of the military.

Writ of Union
The two races then penned the Writ of Union, which formally began the Covenant, and decommissioned the Forerunner warship, removing all known weapons, and placing it within the partially completed High Charity. It was then used to power the city, with its engines at partial power.

The Great War
Before the start of the Human-Covenant War, the Forerunner Dreadnought, the founding of the Prophet’s religion, would soon become the place where their religion was proven false. During the 23rd Age of Doubt, the Minister of Fortitude, and the Vice Minister of Tranquility went to the Forerunner Dreadnought for confirmation of two symbols found on the missionary vessel Minor Transgression. These two symbols were “Reclamation” and “Oracle”, which were found on what was known to Humanity as Harvest. After activating the "Oracle" inside of the Dreadnought, it began a series of cryptic messages, listed below:

LISTENED TO YOU MISINTERPRET
THIS IS NOT
RECLAMATION
THIS IS
RECLAIMER
AND THOSE IT REPRESENTS ARE MY MAKERS
I WILL REJECT MY BIAS
AND MAKE AMENDS
MY MAKERS ARE MY MASTERS
I
WILL BRING THEM SAFELY TO
THE ARK
FOR EONS I HAVE WATCHED

During this series of messages, the Oracle began a launch sequence, which would rip the Dreadnought from High Charity and destroy the artificial planet with it. The Oracle was disconnected, but this caused a spiritual crisis for Fortitude, Tranquility and the Philologist. Through the Oracle’s messages, the Forerunners (or their descendants), were still alive, which would shake the foundations of the Covenant itself to the core. In an attempt to keep the religion itself intact, they covered up the encounter, and would try and eradicate these Reclaimers.
For most of the Human-Covenant War, the Dreadnought remained a purely religious artifact, not a weapon, until the Battle of High Charity.

The Battle of High Charity

When the Flood attacked High Charity, SPARTAN-117 was on his way to stop the Prophet of Truth from escaping and at the end of the Battle of Installation 05. He was able to board the ship as Truth uncoupled it from the city's power grid by narrowly making it through a conduit and into the opening it connected to. The Forerunner Dreadnought lifted off, and slipspace jumped in the midst of a large three way battle between Covenant Loyalists, Covenant Separatists and the Flood.

Second Battle of Earth

Soon after it arrived in orbit around Earth, Lord Terrence Hood was about to give the order to destroy it. He only stopped because he found out that the Master Chief was aboard. The Forerunner Ship itself would soon become a battle ground as Master Chief tries to assassinate Truth.
Onboard the ship, Master Chief was contacted by a station on Io, but after going into radio silence, he killed four grunts, a pair of Jackals and then another group of four grunts. It is unknown what happened immediately afterward, but soon, Master Chief was found unconscious by a group of Brutes. The Brutes interrogate him, asking him where the Key of Osanalan is, when S-117 replies: “It means… always strip your enemy of weapons before you interrogate him”. The Brute looks down to see a plasma grenade, which soon detonates, killing him, a few other brutes and scattering the confused Unngoy. After making his way to the Prophet of Truth’s position, he reports to the UNSC that one Prophet Hierarch is on board and will transmit more information later. Then, Spartan-117 takes aim at Truth with a Covenant Carbine and fires.
Sometime afterward, Spartan-117 jumped from the Forerunner Dreadnought as it continued descending to Earth's atmosphere, falling two kilometers into the African jungle. The Forerunner Dreadnought continued its descent and landed on the portal to the Ark.
Though it is never explicitly stated, the Forerunner Ship is most likely a Key Ship, which would activate the Ark portal. This is evidenced by its apparent activation of the Ark portal on Earth while it was landing in the middle and Truth stating that the Ark portal on Earth is in its "true resting place" during game play.
The remaining UNSC forces on Africa planned to launch a surprise strike on the Dreadnought to eliminate Truth and stop it from activating the structure they thought to be The Ark. The Master Chief led a Marine assault on a Covenant loyalist anti-air battery sector in the town of Voi and successfully disabled the battery, giving the UNSC a clear shot at the Dreadnought. Lord Hood then attacked the ship with a squadron of Longsword fighters and three UNSC Frigates. The Dreadnought's advanced Forerunner armor allowed it to survive three MAC rounds and several missiles, and the UNSC attack was halted when the Portal was activated by the Key Ship.
After activating the portal, the Dreadnought entered it and landed on The Ark. It did not take part in the battle. The ship was possibly damaged beyond use from the combined effect of slipspace transition and the attack, and was most likely destroyed when the Halo destroyed itself. However, the fate of the Dreadnought is not known for sure.

Prophet of Mercy

"Halo! Its divine wind will rush through the stars, propelling all who are
worthy along the path to salvation."
—Prophet of Mercy



The High Prophet of Mercy is one of three Hierarchs that lead the Covenant High Council. He is by far the oldest. His birth name is Hod Rumnt.



Biography
He served as the Philologist on the Forerunner Dreadnought where he lead the priests prior to his ascension to Hierarch. He became the third Hierarch after the Oracle of the Dreadnought attempted to launch the Dreadnought during which time it referred to the humans as his creators. His tenure has been marked by several tense debates with Elite High Councilors over the proper dispensation of Forerunner artifacts. Mercy is considered one of the last of the old guard of the Prophets -- a hard-liner who publicly questioned the wisdom of the Prophets' demilitarization at the close of the Prophet-Elite War.
Being one of the eldest members of the Prophet triumvirate, Mercy is well-acquainted with the Covenant's governmental systems and its history. During a meeting with the Arbiter and the Prophet of Truth, he mentions a bit of Covenant history, referencing the Grunt Rebellion and the Taming of the Hunters.
He stayed by Truth's side after the death of Regret, and seemed to be more of a follower or supporter of Truth than an equal. As the Covenant Civil War began, Mercy still supported Truth's actions, even as it seemed that Truth was unraveling the very foundations of the Covenant through his extreme actions.
He and the High Prophet of Truth were attacked by the Flood on High Charity as they prepared to depart for Earth to begin the Great Journey. A single Infection Form made it past the Honor Guard Brutes, and latched onto his neck. Even as Tartarus attempted to save him, Truth intervened and let Mercy die, saying "The Great Journey waits for no one, brother. Not even you." Before his death, he was found by the Master Chief and questioned where Truth was going. He answered, "Earth, to finish what we started. And this time, none of you will be left behind." The Chief then killed the Infection Form, which had infected the prophet and with it, its host: Mercy.



Personality
Mercy can be seen as passionate and knowledgeable, as seen in the cutscene Sacred Icon where he shows his excitement about Halo expressing hope that the Great Journey should begin very soon. It's very possible that he has a sense of levity, seeing that he talked Truth out of condemning Regret as described on the level Regret, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know right from wrong. He is perceptible and a veteran of the Forerunners and their knowledge, he can be considered the Prophet of Truth's right-hand.

Harvest

Harvest was the seventeenth UNSC colony world, and one of the most remote. Located in the Epsilon Indi System, the planet had the unfortunate distinction of being the first human planet discovered by the Covenant. After disastrous First Contact, the planet was subsequently destroyed by the Covenant during the Battle of Harvest, and most of its population was killed due to the battle.

Population

Harvest was one of the UNSC's more productive and more peaceful colonies, within two decades of its founding it had the highest per capita agricultural manufacture of any inner colony. Major crops, such as corn, wheat, watermelons, peaches, apples, grapes, and numerous other foodstuffs nourished the inhabitants of more than half a dozen other colonies. The population of Harvest was three million but was destroyed by the Covenant in 2525 by invasion and orbital bombardment. The capital city and largest population center was Utgard, also home to Harvest's seven space elevators connected to the Orbital Space Station, Tiara.

Topography

Harvest was a small planet, approximately one-third the size of Earth with only a 4,000 kilometer (2,484 mile) equatorial diameter, slightly smaller than the Sol planet Mercury. In terms of surface area, Harvest possessed ~50 million km², roughly one-tenth the surface area of Earth. Harvest orbited Epsilon Indi extremely quickly, much faster than most UNSC colonies, at roughly 150,000 km/h, or ~41km/sec (by comparison, Earth orbits Sol at roughly 30 km/sec). Harvest had no natural satellites. Out of a total of five planets in the Epsilon Indi System, Harvest was the only habitable planet. The super-continent Edda dominated the planet, taking up roughly 67% of its surface. Two low-salinity seas covered the remainder of the planet, Hugin to the north, and Munin to the south. Almost 86% of Edda is within 500 meters of sea level, the only major change in elevation is Bifrost, a escarpment that "cuts" Edda in half.
Harvest's surface was once beautiful, covered in grassland and forests, lush fields and rolling hills, and a thousand lakes swarming with fish. The orchards were filled with fruit trees that were able to grow several different fruit on it at once. At one point during his service on Harvest Sergeant Johnson noted both apples and pears growing on the same tree. At night, bats filled the skies. After being glassed, the surface was reduced to a layer of melted glass, the destruction visible from orbit. The environment suffered a catastrophic blow as a result, with most species quickly going extinct on the world due to the destroyed environment. Soon, all that remained of Harvest's original natural ecosystem were the scavengers, feeding off the rotting remains of the planet's once abundant wildlife, and even they too soon perished.

History

In 2502, Avery Junior Johnson was involved in the assassination of Jerald Mulkey Ander, the head of the People's Occupation Government on Harvest as part of the ORION Project's Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE. Harvest was the first colony to be attacked by the Covenant and the first human world to be glassed. It was also the first time humanity had officially made First Contact with the Covenant.
In 2524 Sergeant Johnson returned to Harvest along with Staff Sergeant Byrne and Captain Ponder, all survivors of Operation: TREBUCHET, to train a Colonial Militia, and unbeknownst to them, fend off what UNSC had believed to be Insurrectionist attacks on ships in the systems.
On February 3rd 2525 The Harvest Long range orbital platform made radar and spectroscopic contact with Minor Transgression. Contact with Harvest was lost thereafter.
By April 12th 2525 the Colonial Military Administration sent the scout ship Argo to investigate, other then confirming its arrival at Harvest no other transmissions were sent, and Argo was presumed MIA.
On October 7th 2525 Fleet Command assembled a battlegroup to investigate, due to the fact that the Harvest situation was deemed to have become serious. The battlegroup consisted of the destroyer Heracles, commanded by Captain Veredi, as well as the frigates Arabia and Vostok. They enter the Harvest system only to find the planet glassed, The Vostok and Arabia were lost with all hands while the Heracles jumped out of the system, but took several weeks to return to Reach due to damage sustained in the battle.

Escape from Harvest

The citizens of Harvest soon found themselves in the middle of the first battle between the Covenant and humanity, using their newly trained Militia to herd hundreds of thousands of civilian survivors from Gladsheim, Vigrond, and other locations to the Utgard Space Elevators to escape the planet. During the first Covenant attack on Harvest about +250,000 humans managed to escape the planet by packing into 236 freight containers which were then loaded into seven elevator depots in Utgard. Every five to seven minutes, seven pairs of freight containers were loaded into the Space Elevator. Loaded ahead of these freight containers were seven "grease buckets", maintenance containers, two which were loaded with Johnson's men and Jilan al-Cygni. The other five were decoys rigged with claymore mines which were used to soften the Brutes, Grunts and Drones which had boarded and taken control of Tiara. While the other two "grease buckets" holding Johnson and Co. stopped and they were fighting off the Covenant, the number seven strand of the Space Elevator snapped a few thousand kilometers above its anchor due to the stress caused by the load becoming unbalanced. There were 11 pairs of freight containers on the strand when it snapped, killing around 20,000 people. The remaining freight containers carrying the survivors of Harvest continued up the elevator, out into space, where they met up with propulsion pods that Sif had placed previously. Once Johnson and Co. finished fighting the Covenant on the Tiara, they joined the survivors and used the propulsion pods to enter Slipspace. In these freight containers was at least one future member of the Spartan-III project.

The Battle of Harvest

Vice Admiral Preston Cole fought in and barely won the Battle of Harvest in 2531, six years later. This battle was the single most titanic battle ever fought by the two opposing forces before the Fall of Reach in 2552, and resulted in the creation and implementation of the Cole Protocol. The UNSC was able to retake the planet but with the massive loss of 2/3 of their fleet.