Rise of Conflict

The annals of humanity's celestial odyssey bear witness to a tapestry woven with strife. The advent of slipspace travel, enabling faster-than-light voyages, birthed a plethora of colonies, their distant abodes bridging the chasm of space, time, and culture, and exacerbating political tensions. Dissimilar to Earth and the inner colonies, these burgeoning outposts began yearning for self-rule, unsettling the Earth government that clung tightly to its dominion, fearing an erosion of economic prowess and the specter of unending conflict with ever-expanding colonies.

Empowered by the United Nations Space Command, Earth flexed its martial might, deploying force in a bid to quell uprisings, resulting in the launch of Operation: TREBUCHET, a decadelong campaign aimed at identifying and subduing insurrectionist factions across the outer colonies. Though moderately successful, this undertaking came at a heavy cost, exacting the lives of over one million civilians and fostering an even deeper resentment towards Earth and the UNSC.

With the specter of a full-fledged civil war looming large, the desperate Office of Naval Intelligence authorized the inception of the Spartan-II program in 2517. Tasked with transforming gifted children into unwavering super-soldiers, the program aimed to disrupt and quash insurrectionist activities. Although successful, the program's utilization against the Insurrection was short-lived, as humanity would soon find itself confronted by the formidable might of the Covenant in the tumultuous year of 2525.

Reduced to a Simmer

The insurrectionist movement, which had been a significant source of conflict prior to the Human-Covenant War, saw a shift in dynamics with the arrival of the Covenant. Faced with the sudden and overwhelming threat posed by a highly advanced alien alliance, the insurrectionist activities simmered down as attention turned towards the common enemy. Many insurrectionist factions, recognizing the gravity of the situation, chose to align themselves with the UNSC in the fight against the Covenant.

Nevertheless, some insurrectionist groups persisted in their resistance against the UNSC during the early years of the war, occasionally even attempting to forge alliances with the Covenant to further their own objectives. The initial onslaught unleashed by the Covenant, coupled with their primary focus on the outer colonies, dealt a severe blow not only to the insurrectionist cause but also to their physical strongholds. Many insurrectionist territories became casualties of the war, lost amidst the chaos and destruction.

While the UNSC managed to slow the Covenant's advance and ultimately achieve a hard-won victory through a combination of strategic maneuvers and fortunate circumstances, the toll on the outer colonies was devastating. Countless lives were lost, and the majority of these once-thriving outer colony worlds fell under the control of the Covenant, forever altering the galactic landscape.

Post-War Resurgence

In the aftermath of the devastating Human-Covenant War, the insurrectionist movement experienced a resurgence, albeit on a much smaller scale. The UNSC, weakened and stretched thin by decades of conflict, struggled to exert its influence as effectively as before, and the number of colonies sympathetic to the insurrectionist cause had significantly diminished.

Nevertheless, both established groups like the United Rebel Front and newly formed organizations such as the New Colonial Alliance emerged from the ashes, determined to challenge the authority of the UNSC once again. While the UNSC took decisive action to suppress most, if not all, major insurrectionist activities, there are still colonies that harbor rebellious sentiments, notably Venezia and Gao.

United Rebel Front

The URF, an enduring faction among the Insurrectionists, boasts a lineage stretching back through the ages of the colonies. Their genesis can be traced to the year 2509, a full sixteen years prior to the cataclysmic Human-Covenant War. Even with the apprehension of their leader, Colonel Robert Watts, during the first true mission of the Spartan-II candidates at the war's inception in 2525, the indomitable spirit of the URF persevered.

Throughout the ensuing three decades, the group found guidance in the form of distinguished figures such as General Howard Graves, Governor Jacob Jiles, and Captain Ingridson. Their influence culminated in 2554 when they successfully embedded an operative within the ranks of the revered Spartan-IV program. In a stunning turn of events, a mere year later, they managed to sway another Spartan-IV to their cause.

New Colonial Alliance

The NCA, although a relative newcomer to the ranks of human Insurrectionist groups, is by no means any less formidable. Founded in 2553 by former UNSC admiral Mattius Drake, the organization demonstrated its audacity when it nearly captured the UNSC Infinity before it even saw its first battle, thanks to the involvement of the Spartan-IV washout Ilsa Zane.

In subsequent years, the NCA expanded its ranks by recruiting Daniel Clayton, the illegitimate son of Captain James Cutter, and intensified its focus on the Infinity. Their tactics grew bolder as they launched an attack during a peace summit on Ealen IV with the aid of a Spartan-IV mole. Later, they lured the Infinity into a devastating trap at Oth Lodon, resulting in the crippling of Admiral Terrence Hood.

Sapien Sunrise

Although not officially classified as an Insurrectionist organization, Sapien Sunrise poses a significant threat as a terrorist group actively working to sabotage peace negotiations between humans and alien races. Their primary objective is to disrupt any attempts at reconciliation with former Covenant species, particularly the Sangheili, some of whom maintain close alliances with the UNSC.

In the year 2558, Sapien Sunrise executed a daring infiltration operation, successfully disrupting peace talks on Biko despite the heroic efforts of Spartan John-117. Their violent actions tragically resulted in the assassination of human ambassador Richard Sekibo.