Halo Timelines: The Forerunner Era
Millions of Years Ago, in a Time Unknown:
Precursors create various and numerous forms of life, testing them for worthiness of the Mantle of Responsibility for All Life. The Forerunners are tested and eventually fail, like so many before them. The Precursors were going to give the Mantle to Humanity. Then, based upon two accounts, one stating that the Forerunners rose to stop their extermination by the Precursors, the other stating that they rose unprovoked, they began a war of attrition with the Precursors. The Precursors, marveling at the ferocity of their creations, fled to the Magellanic Cloud, a small micro-galaxy somewhere outside the Milky Way. The Forerunners sent a fleet after them, which, after a series of orders failed to be followed and the near-extermination of the Precursors, committed suicide out of shame. Little did they know that some of the Precursors escaped extermination by sealing themselves in stasis capsules or turning themselves into a powder state, to resuscitate at a later time.
Before 150,000 BCE:
Forerunners are forced to leave home system after stellar engineering accident. When attempting to manipulate several stars, the Engineers set off a series of supernovae, rendering several systems uninhabitable, and their home planet, Ghibalb, burnt to a crisp. This leads to near total Forerunner extinction.
Approximately 150,000 BCE:
Forerunners rise to become the dominant power of the Milky Way galaxy. Around this time period, humanity also rises as a powerful, space-faring race, but move their civilization outward along the Galactic Arm, probably to escape Forerunner expansion. In their grab for power, the Forerunners take up the Mantle, believing it had been passed to them by the Precursors.
Approximately 125,000 BCE:
Forerunner capital is constructed.
Before 111,000 BCE:
Humans form an alliance with the San'Shyuum (They were known as the Prophets in the Covenant). While exploring planets both inhabited and uninhabited, they discover ancient stasis capsules and a mysterious inert powder, but the powder is only inert until it comes in contact with life, which is the Pheru, a pet favored by humans and San'Shyuum. After exposure to the powder, they began changing on a genetic level, and after a few centuries, began cannibalizing each other. Humans and San'Shyuum owning Pheru as pets began exhibiting similar behavior. Too late did the alliance realize the infection, and they began trying to stamp it out by burning whole planets, be they human, San'Shyuum, or Forerunner.
Approximately 111,000 BCE:
Forerunners believe humans are aggressively expanding into their territory. Reluctantly, and after much debate, they send their Warrior-Servants to combat the human and San'Shyuum forces.
Before 110,050 BCE:
Humans continue to fight the Flood while taking on Forerunners at the same time. After centuries of warfare, a new leader of human forces steps into power: Forthencho, Lord of Admirals.
Approximately 110,050 BCE:
Humanity is pushed back to the center of their empire, Charum Hakkor.
Approximately 110,040 BCE:
On the outer areas of the galaxy humans find an ancient capsule containing an unidentified being. Brought back to Charum Hakkor and revived, and to keep it at bay, a timelock is installed. Yprin Yprikushma and her team begin to interview the being, known as the Primordial, searching for answers about it and the Flood. The answers were so horrifying that some present killed themselves. When this information leaked, the morale of human forces began to drop. Still, with Yprin's help, the humans stood tall in their fight with the Flood and Forerunners. Eventually, they coaxed the solution to the Flood from the captive, purposely infecting 1/3 of their population, sacrificing many to counteract the Flood.
