OUROBOROS Directive

Project OUROBOROS was the UNSC's plan to ensure the continuity of human civilization in the event Earth and the major human colonies fell to the Covenant.

Launched in 2541, the project had various facets, one of the more notable being the construction of the enormous Jormungandr-class arkships. Constructed in shipyards within the Sol system's asteroid belt, the arkships were to house thousands of densely-stored cryotubes and equipment for colonizing new worlds, with comparatively few "warm" crew. Additionally, they would contain various samples of Earth's ecology as well as libraries of most of human history and knowledge. In the event of imminent invasion, specifically-selected groups of people would be evacuated onto the arks and they would set off on an exodus into the void, with each traveling hundreds of light-years galactic spinward on random slipspace trajectories. Designed to operate independently for years, even decades, the arks were virtually self-sufficient but also sluggish, lightly armed and relied largely on a military escort for security. Seven arks were planned, though only two completed construction prior to the end of the Human-Covenant War.

The other major aspect of the project was the relocation of vital industries from Sol and Epsilon Eridani to star systems further away from the Covenant, along with decentralizing industrial production and the development of mobile shipyards and mining vessels. This included further surveys of outlying regions of the Human Sphere, including the Cygnus Verge.

While the end of the war provided a reprieve for humanity, it did not guarantee lasting peace. The efforts of Project OUROBOROS continued, though construction on the remaining arks slowed down, and eventually, with four arkships completed, the UNSC discontinued their construction indefinitely in 2654. The project's efforts to decentralize industry continued, however, and branched off to additional directions including the decision to make the UNSC command increasingly mobile as opposed to relying on fixed groundside facilities.