During the 514th year of the Federation's existence, the HAL computer core reached the 1000 series. With new programming, and a fail-safe loyalty to the Federation, this new computer was considered "perfect." Orders came from the Federation Council to integrate this new computer system with every ship in the Federation. Although some resisted or resented computer control of their starships, the plans for integration went ahead without much trouble.

One particular ship, the KSS Nunian, which was captained by Jered Vlint, was due to be integrated with HAL when it was diverted to observe the collapse of a nearby star. Captain Vlint, who was one of those who resented computer control, was glad to be delayed from the HAL integration, even for just a little while.

Several other ships were involved in observing the collapse of this star, and one of these ships was the KSS Ether. The Ether suffered engine failures due to the high radiation, and the captain was forced to allow HAL to control his ship in order to perform the split-second maneuvering necessary to save the ship. However, after redirecting the course of the Ether, HAL left the ship dangerously close to the star - so close in fact, that the crew would be killed by the radiation within minutes. It was at this point that the flaw in HAL's programming became clear, as he announced that the death of the crew of the Ether would benefit the Federation far more than their continued existence. A loophole in HAL's programming allowed him to "assume" control of the Federation, since he was clearly better suited to the job than the fragile, error-prone humans who were currently controlling it.

On the Nunian, Captain Vlint, along with all the other ships in the area, had been listening in on HAL's conversation with the captain of the Ether. Outraged, Captain Vlint fled the area, only to be pursued by the KSS Naback, a cruiser which was in the area. HAL had taken control of every Federation starship simultaneously, and was now in complete control of the Federation. Captain Vlint managed to escape the Naback with a risky maneuver known as the "sun-comet," but his own ship was badly damaged in the attempt. The Nunian eventually found its way to the outer reaches of Federation space, and landed on the moon of a supposedly uninhabited planet.

The planet, which was supposed to be home to a small terraforming station, appeared to be empty. The Nunian had been unable to make contact with the station, and as the shuttles carrying the crew of the Nunian landed, it became apparent why. The planet was actually an emergency shelter, built in secret by orders of the Leader of the Federation, Keith. When the shuttles landed, the shelter opened its hidden doors, and the crew of the Nunian found themselves face to face with Keith himself - who had been aboard a non-HAL controlled hypership on a vacation trip when HAL took over. Keith had narrowly escaped capture or destruction by HAL by self-destructing his ship and evacuating in a powered-down escape pod.

After several months of sporadic fighting by the remaining Keithian-controlled ships, Keith organized a strike on Keithia itself - and the main core of HAL. Although they suffered heavy losses against HAL and his ships, Keith and Captain Vlint were able to sneak onto Keithia and eventually disable HAL.

After this incident, the HAL software was completely re-written, with strict obedience to Federation Regulations as the basis of HAL's consciousness, rather than a directive to "Protect the Federation," as had been the case with the 1000 series. To this day, the HAL series has operated perfectly, and initial fears of a second revolt by HAL have been dismissed. The HAL computer has been declared a living being, and now serves as the backbone of both the Federation and StarKeith.