HOME | DD

Description
Far beyond the edge of human space, beyond the region the Covenant Empire once controlled, there are far greater threats in the galaxy than the Covenant alone, beings of unknown and terrifying strength, knowledge, and power. Though they have not yet decided to turn their attention towards mankind, there is no telling when exactly they will. In response to this great unknown threat, ONI had devised a plan to counteract this threat. From here was born humanity's next great seed of potential: Project Astartes.

In the beginning, after the conception of the SPARTAN-II and Headhunter Programs, there was an idea that superhuman genome testing and tweaking could be stretched even further, with greater durability and survivability than even the master-crafted Spartan-IIs, despite insistence from Doctor Halsey herself saying no such thing was possible. Following upon her knowledge of such things, the project was merely a concept until June 16, 2520, where a UNSC battlefleet comprising of over 20 ships, including 2 carriers and several battleships, was attacked by an unknown fleet of indescribable speed and swiftness. The ships themselves, numbering a dozen at most, were comprised of what seemed to be a bone-and-metal composition, light and maneuverable yet extremely durable at the same time. The guns fired upon them included a variety of monomolecular, rapid-fire shuriken cannons, energy-composite missiles, and hybridized laser-plasma beams. They tore apart the first 5 ships in the first 60 seconds of combat, the titanium-alloyed hulls barely stopping the shuriken rounds as relentless hails of fire from a dozen different sources poured onto them. The missiles seemed to have an even greater effect than their shuriken couterparts and the beam weapons seemed to just annihilate that which was not already destroyed. Details of the remaining battle were fragmented at best, but it was confirmed that one of the unknown ships was destroyed by a lucky MAC round. It is stated at some point that the remaining ships were boarded. The defenders had little chance, with warriors in brightly-adorned color rushing to meet them, their weapons doing to them what the aliens' ships had done to their own. Many were simply to fast, some graceful yet deadly, others just wholesomely terrifying. The only ship to escape the fight was a small Charon-class frigate. With them were a small, battered contingent of surviving crew and defenders, most, if not all, bloodied and scared out of their minds. They brought with them a message from the aliens, calling themselves Eldar, telling humanity to stay away and not overstep their boundaries.

Upon hearing this great threat, ONI immediately deemed all information classified and began hurried construction of the newly-formed Astartes Program, gather data on all existing supersoldier programs as well as a few volunteers from the programs, mostly those who weren't actively fit for service. However, all production came to a screeching halt when the Covenant arrived. After almost ten years of losing battles, ONI had ordered the Astartes Program flown away from human-controlled space, into the unknown in a hope that humanity's future would be safe with them, out of sight of the Covenant. ONI managed to keep in contact with them for a five-year timespan before communications went dark. Many, although not all, assumed the project was lost, so they resumed their efforts on the war. The few that continued to believe continued to transmit information on a specific frequency, handing over data schematics, tactics, and prototype blueprints out, hoping the Project was receiving them. They still do it even to the current timeline.

And their efforts were not in vain. Many years later, after the end of the Human-Covenant War, a transmission was received by some old ONI personnel, coming from a Legion Commander Orelius of the Ultramarines, leader of the Thirteenth Legion of Space Marines, formerly known as Mark-221, or Mark Basillo, of Project Headhunter. He explained that a lot had happened while they were away, many new discoveries and inventions being made. They had created twenty group, or legions, of Adeptus Astartes, or Space Marines, and had stood a vigilant watch beyond human and even Covenant-controlled space. ONI wanted them to return to their jurisdiction so that the UNSC could properly retain control of the children of their Project. However, this is where the Commander refused, stating specifically that there were "far more dangerous things than Covenant waiting beyond" and that they would stand guard and protect mankind, as well as the Covenant, from the horrors of space. He said that they would not understand the magnitude of the xenos and vile constructs that they faced and thus would not handle the situation properly. They would protect man from where they were, as well as those within their domain. They would not protect the Covenant out of compassion like the rest of humanity, but because their proximity to humanity was too great for them to handle without causing serious collateral damage. Humanity also seemed to be getting along with them relatively better than the rest of the aliens they were fighting.
The Commanders stated that they would keep in contact, but would not give up their secrets so easily, just in the same way as ONI. From there, the line was dropped and ONI could only watch and wonder at what they had created. Surely they had made something marvelous. But maybe it was horrifying at the same time. Only time would tell...

Description
Far beyond the edge of human space, beyond the region the Covenant Empire once controlled, there are far greater threats in the galaxy than the Covenant alone, beings of unknown and terrifying strength, knowledge, and power. Though they have not yet decided to turn their attention towards mankind, there is no telling when exactly they will. In response to this great unknown threat, ONI had devised a plan to counteract this threat. From here was born humanity's next great seed of potential: Project Astartes.

In the beginning, after the conception of the SPARTAN-II and Headhunter Programs, there was an idea that superhuman genome testing and tweaking could be stretched even further, with greater durability and survivability than even the master-crafted Spartan-IIs, despite insistence from Doctor Halsey herself saying no such thing was possible. Following upon her knowledge of such things, the project was merely a concept until June 16, 2520, where a UNSC battlefleet comprising of over 20 ships, including 2 carriers and several battleships, was attacked by an unknown fleet of indescribable speed and swiftness. The ships themselves, numbering a dozen at most, were comprised of what seemed to be a bone-and-metal composition, light and maneuverable yet extremely durable at the same time. The guns fired upon them included a variety of monomolecular, rapid-fire shuriken cannons, energy-composite missiles, and hybridized laser-plasma beams. They tore apart the first 5 ships in the first 60 seconds of combat, the titanium-alloyed hulls barely stopping the shuriken rounds as relentless hails of fire from a dozen different sources poured onto them. The missiles seemed to have an even greater effect than their shuriken couterparts and the beam weapons seemed to just annihilate that which was not already destroyed. Details of the remaining battle were fragmented at best, but it was confirmed that one of the unknown ships was destroyed by a lucky MAC round. It is stated at some point that the remaining ships were boarded. The defenders had little chance, with warriors in brightly-adorned color rushing to meet them, their weapons doing to them what the aliens' ships had done to their own. Many were simply to fast, some graceful yet deadly, others just wholesomely terrifying. The only ship to escape the fight was a small Charon-class frigate. With them were a small, battered contingent of surviving crew and defenders, most, if not all, bloodied and scared out of their minds. They brought with them a message from the aliens, calling themselves Eldar, telling humanity to stay away and not overstep their boundaries.

Upon hearing this great threat, ONI immediately deemed all information classified and began hurried construction of the newly-formed Astartes Program, gather data on all existing supersoldier programs as well as a few volunteers from the programs, mostly those who weren't actively fit for service. However, all production came to a screeching halt when the Covenant arrived. After almost ten years of losing battles, ONI had ordered the Astartes Program flown away from human-controlled space, into the unknown in a hope that humanity's future would be safe with them, out of sight of the Covenant. ONI managed to keep in contact with them for a five-year timespan before communications went dark. Many, although not all, assumed the project was lost, so they resumed their efforts on the war. The few that continued to believe continued to transmit information on a specific frequency, handing over data schematics, tactics, and prototype blueprints out, hoping the Project was receiving them. They still do it even to the current timeline.

And their efforts were not in vain. Many years later, after the end of the Human-Covenant War, a transmission was received by some old ONI personnel, coming from a Legion Commander Orelius of the Ultramarines, leader of the Thirteenth Legion of Space Marines, formerly known as Mark-221, or Mark Basillo, of Project Headhunter. He explained that a lot had happened while they were away, many new discoveries and inventions being made. They had created twenty group, or legions, of Adeptus Astartes, or Space Marines, and had stood a vigilant watch beyond human and even Covenant-controlled space. ONI wanted them to return to their jurisdiction so that the UNSC could properly retain control of the children of their Project. However, this is where the Commander refused, stating specifically that there were "far more dangerous things than Covenant waiting beyond" and that they would stand guard and protect mankind, as well as the Covenant, from the horrors of space. He said that they would not understand the magnitude of the xenos and vile constructs that they faced and thus would not handle the situation properly. They would protect man from where they were, as well as those within their domain. They would not protect the Covenant out of compassion like the rest of humanity, but because their proximity to humanity was too great for them to handle without causing serious collateral damage. Humanity also seemed to be getting along with them relatively better than the rest of the aliens they were fighting.
The Commanders stated that they would keep in contact, but would not give up their secrets so easily, just in the same way as ONI. From there, the line was dropped and ONI could only watch and wonder at what they had created. Surely they had made something marvelous. But maybe it was horrifying at the same time. Only time would tell...