Chapter 3: RetributionRetribution is where we go off of the map and into uncharted territory story-wise. The intent is to outline what happens after the events of Halo 3 and the end of the Human-Covenant War. Consider the following: the Covenant split in a civil war, the UNSC is in tatters, human rebels still cling to their worlds but enjoy the absence of the UNSC policing them, and the human-friendly faction of former Covies is left without a purpose.
Much of the details are to be decided, but the general events I had originally planned include:
- The "Spared Colonies" of mankind most likely now out-populate Earth and with the fall of Reach they may very well have a greater construction capacity. What would you do in their shoes?
- The ex-Covenant alien forces have all these ships and nothing to fight...or do they?
- What about the Loyalist Covenant forces that were not present at either Earth or the Ark?
- You better bet your bottom dollar that whatever resources the UNSC has left will start reverse-engineering the hell out of some Covenant hardware. Can you say Longsword + Shields + Lazorz Beamz = Bad @#$ Human Ships?
- The Flood is presumably gone for good, so what will all this leftover Forerunner automated stuff start doing?
- Unanswered questions from the entire Halo storyline remains: missing Spartans, vague idea of where the Flood originated, Onyx and the Shield World, etc
These are many of the questions I asked myself years ago, and like any fervent fan I came up with an answer to most if not all of them. The current central story arc revolves around a single nemesis: the last surviving members of the Prophet's race will inexorably cling to power as much as they can. What happens when one of them - filled with ambition, charisma, and a seething hatred for those that broke the Covenant - takes power? Say hello to the aptly-named and quite pissed off Prophet of Retribution...
Feel free to leave your thoughts, opinions or comments.