- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
The Humans and Enlightened Seperatists are lead to victory by the Master Chief. The Arbiter dies heroically, just as the Prophet of Mercy predicted, sacrificing himself to help save the true Forerunners (aka humanity), the gods of the Covenant religion. This could happen with or without the activation of the Ark.
A year later, the remanants of Humanity and the Enlightened begin to rebuild on Earth and learn to work together. The Master Chief vanishes out of sight, but we find him in a wooded area. He sees the ghosts of his fallen comrades, the SPARTAN-II's, who can now sleep in peace knowing that the battle is won.
New threats may emerge, so the Master Chief and his SPARTAN-II's task themselves with a new mission to make this new era safer, training the next generation of SPARTANs while safeguarding the galaxy from new threats. He returns to the settlements and has to learn how to adjust to a life without war, the ultimate difficulty for a hero like him.
[Edited on 7/13/2006]