Nicole

Nicole-458, born on December 19, 2531, in New Legaspi, Katagalugan on Mars, was taken from her home at the age of six by the Office of Naval Intelligence and conscripted into the second class of the SPARTAN-II program. As part of the brutal training and augmentation process, she became one of humanity’s supersoldiers, specializing in both ranged combat and close-quarters fighting. Her background marks her as of Filipino descent, and she is noted to have Type O blood. Outside of combat, her rare personal details include her enjoyment of competition shooting, anime, and the Filipino dessert halo-halo. Among her peers, she was known for exceptional skill in hand-to-hand combat, adding to her versatility as a Spartan.

In October 2552, Nicole’s unit was preparing for a classified mission at Nassau Station when an unexpected anomaly changed her path. The ONI stealth ship UNSC Apocalypso appeared suddenly after being pulled along in the wake of a slipspace distortion. This anomaly intersected Nassau Station, forming a semi-stable temporal bubble that connected the 26th century with the 21st century. Nicole-458 was caught in this event and displaced in time. Recognizing the dangers of disrupting history, she chose to guard Nassau Station’s secrets while avoiding lethal action, aware that killing someone in the past could irreparably alter the future. She held her ground, waiting for the temporal anomaly to collapse and restore her to her proper time.

When the bubble finally collapsed, Nicole was returned to the year 2552, resuming her service as a Spartan-II.

The Covenant is a massive religious hegemony of multiple alien species that completely controlled a large portion of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way Galaxy for thousands of years. The Type-25 plasma rifle, used by Convenant infantry, is a battery-powered directed-energy weapon that is capable of fully automatic fire. The Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol, the plasma pistol, is a Covenant infantry weapon

The Sangheili, or "Elites" as they are known by humans, served as the military leaders of the Covenant. The Sangheili are the only race within the Covenant permitted to build and command starships within the Covenant, though the crews are always composed of a mix of races. The Jiralhanae, or "Brutes" as they are known by humans, were the most recent addition to the Covenant, and served as soldiers and bodyguards within the Covenant military. The Lekgolo are a race of worm-like creatures that can combine to form large, intelligent assemblages called Mgalekgolo, known by humans as "Hunters". Clad in nearly impenetrable armor and armed with their trademark Assault Cannon, they served as the Covenant's heaviest ground troops. Hailing from Balaho, the Unggoy, or "Grunts" as they are known by humans, were the most common and low-ranking caste of the Covenant. They breathe methane gas, and thus must wear a large tank on their back full of methane to survive on other planets. The Kig-Yar, or "Jackals" or "Skirmishers" as they are known by humans, were the scouts and marksmen of the Covenant military due to their superior senses.

The Human-Covenant War was instigated by the High Prophets of the Covenant following a discovery which led them to believe that humans were directly related to the Forerunners, contradicting their ancient religion. Seeking to keep various political and religious orders intact, the High Prophets declared a holy war of genocide against the human species, and the discovery of their relation to the Forerunners was kept a secret. With superior firepower, numbers and technology, the Covenant would repeatedly overpower the UNSC across hundreds of human-inhabited worlds, including the heavily defended strongholds of Reach and Earth. Humanity would win only scattered and costly victories.

The SPARTAN-II program was the first major success of the SPARTAN programs, an effort to produce elite soldiers through mechanical and biological augmentation. Spartan-IIs experienced the most extensive and invasive physical augmentations out of all the Spartan generations, starting augmentation at early pubescent ages increased their physical mass and height to around seven feet by adult age.