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This fanfiction article, Roleath, was written by Anonymous ONI agent. Please do not edit this fiction without the writer's permission. |
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Roleath (also known as DX Cancri II) was a human colony near Harvest. Established independently of the UEG and UNSC, the colony was annexed by these organizations in 2412, under the promise that its government could remain partially autonomous, under the rule of what then became known as the Roleath Independent Government.
Due to its partial separation from the jurisdiction of the UEG, Roleath became a popular offshore financial center, where the wealthy could take advantage of the limited scope of UEG authority on the planet to hide undisclosed income. This allowed Roleath to see rapid economic growth, quickly transforming it from a backwater frontier world into a center of finance and commerce, as well as an idyllic getaway retreat, with temperate weather and scenic landscapes, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the Inner Colonies, while still maintaining plenty of infrastructure to keep affluent clientele comfortable. Thanks to this, the people of Roleath also enjoyed a significantly higher standard of living than was typical on surrounding colonies, with higher quality housing, education, food, and healthcare. Roleath's capital city of Lotora was even home to the Moorstead Academy, a prestigious private school which rivalled even the most elite education institutions of Earth, while boasting a significantly more affordable tuition fees.
However, things would begin to fall apart in 2525, when the nearby colony of Harvest was razed during first contact with the hostile Covenant Empire. Fearing that news of the complete destruction of a neighboring colony by intelligent and hostile alien forces would cause a panic that would negatively impact the stability and thus profitability and prosperity of Roleath, the Roleath Independent Government issued emergency orders for a complete communications blackout and travel ban, using the ongoing Insurrection as a cover. This would be maintained for several years, even as intelligence was uncovered by the UNSC in 2529 indicating that the Covenant planned to attack Roleath with experimental new weaponry. Normally, the mention of a human colony by name in Covenant communications would result in the immediate activation of the WINTER CONTINGENCY emergency protocols and begin immediate civilian evacuation and military reinforcement of the targeted colony, but the RIG, more concerned with their own money and authority and having deluded themselves into believing the threat posed by the Covenant was far less severe than it actually was, only permitted the UNSC to carry out aspects of the WINTER CONTINGENCY plans which would not require revealing the existence of the Covenant threat to the general populace. This led to oddities such as the UNSC being permitted to prepare for an imminent full-scale evacuation of the planet, but not to actually carry it out.
When the Covenant inevitably did arrive and attack Roleath, the Roleath Independent Government's refusal to act on many of the WINTER CONTINGENCY plans would prove to have largely squandered the UNSC's rare advantage of having time to prepare for the assault, leading to dramatically increased military and civilian casualties. Even as Covenant warships loomed in the skies above Roleath's cities, the RIG attempted to stonewall UNSC efforts at every turn. Ultimately, the Covenant threat would be turned back, thanks in large part to the valiant efforts of a small team of SPARTAN-II supersoldiers, but at great cost, with millions dead, cities decimated, and large swaths of land glassed.
Following the battle, the Roleath Independent Government was dissolved and the colony was taken fully into folds of UEG authority, but it would be increasingly neglected as the Covenant continued their genocide and encroached ever further into human space, with resources being drawn from wherever they could be found to bring to bear in defense of the Inner Colonies. The Roleathan people would attempt to rebuild their home, but without the investment of wealthy offworlders were unable to do so fully. Ultimately, in 2546 the Covenant would return with a small fleet to finish the job, destroying the small naval picket defending the colony and glassing it fully with little difficulty, but thankfully by this time most of the population had forseen this and relocated elsewhere.
Photograph of the burnt out remains of Lotora, taken by ONI Section Two propagandist Benjamin Giraud shortly after the world was glassed in 2546. The image was never released to the public until a number of years after the war, when Giraud himself leaked the image as part of an exposé centered around the service career of SPARTAN John-117, although ironically SPARTAN-117 never once set foot on Roleath.