Editing Banished (section)

==History==
{{Summarize}}
[[File:HW2 BanishedVsCovenant.png|thumb|250px|left|Atriox and his Banished conduct attacks and raids against the [[Covenant]].]]
===Early years===
{{Quote|Atriox and his Banished raided Covenant resources, cutting a swath across the galaxy… Growing in strength with each attack... Gathering killers and mercenaries to his side. The Covenant had two targets in those years. Humanity and Atriox. They almost got us. But Atriox? They never came close. The whole damn Covenant couldn't contain him at the height of their power.|[[Isabel]] tells the origin of the Banished.{{Ref/Reuse|ANE}}}}

The Banished were formed around [[2549]], during the [[Algolis Invasion]] in the late years of the [[Human-Covenant War]] by [[Atriox]], [[Decimus]], [[En'Geddon]] and several other disgruntled [[Jiralhanae]] who rebelled against their [[Sangheili]] masters, after being used by the [[Covenant]] as cannon fodder repeatedly.{{Ref/Reuse|ANE}} After establishing their group, the Banished started as little more than raiders and [[Piracy|pirates]],{{Ref/Game|Id=log foundry|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Foundry}} conducting surgical raids against the Covenant and other targets while scavenging for resources and gathering mercenaries to their cause.{{Ref/Reuse|log outpost}}{{Ref/Reuse|ANE}} Evading Covenant enforcers led to Atriox prioritizing stealth in his forces.{{Ref/Game|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Cloak Generator}} One such attack was on a Covenant training camp in [[2550]], where Atriox and the Banished killed the Sangheili guards and stole everything they could including vehicles and weapons. By this point, the Banished had attacked at least five other Covenant bases.{{Ref/Game|Id=HW2PL2|HW2|Phoenix Logs|Detail=Rise of Atriox II}}

Unimpeded by the Covenant's devastating [[Great Schism]], the Banished managed to salvage many of the empire's former assets after its fall,{{Ref/Reuse|Gamespot}} growing into a formidable power in their own right after a decade.{{Ref/Reuse|log foundry}}{{Ref/Reuse|log outpost}} While Atriox had already recruited many allies during the Covenant War, the Banished gained many new members in the war's aftermath from former Covenant who wished to continue living as warriors,{{Ref/Reuse|log rise iv}} and additionally renegade [[human]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|H:OSFM2}}{{Ref/Reuse|H:OSFM1}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW5|DW|Chapter=5}}

===Expansion===
{{Quote|Vengeance is petty. Vengeance has no reward.|Atriox attempting to recruit Resa 'Azavayl, pointing out the futility in feuds between species.{{Ref/Reuse|HP}}}}
[[File:HTFSS ElitesVsBrutes.png|250px|thumb|Silent Shadow Elites killing Banished Brutes out of hatred for their species.]]
Decimus advised Atriox that the Banished should travel to the planet [[Otraak]] to recruit an old friend of his, a [[Kig-Yar]] [[T'vaoan]] scientist named [[Sig Raan]]. Decimus was sent to investigate first, where Sig Raan initially welcomed him and his squad showing off her latest invention: a device that could control the [[Yanme'e]] by simulating their [[Yanme'e Queen|queen's]] pheromones. Sig Raan then attacked Decimus with her Yanme'e swarm, but were saved by Atriox. Decimus would ultimatly kill Sig Raan, putting an end to the skirmish.{{Ref/Comic|Id=ROA3|RoA|Issue=3}}

Following the [[Great Schism]], a squad of [[Silent Shadow]] led by [[Resa 'Azavayl]] were among the Sangheili that continued their genocidal campaign against the [[Jiralhanae]] out of hatred. After slaughtering various Jiralhanae [[packs]] across various solar systems, the Silent Shadow boarded Atriox's {{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}} ''[[Elegy's Lament]]'', slaughtering several Jiralhanae crewmen until they encountered Atriox. The Warmaster talked them down, stating that he and the Banished were different from the Jiralhanae led by [[Tartarus]] and the [[High Prophet of Truth]] who had betrayed and massacred the Sangheili. Upon hearing this distinction, 'Azavayl's squad began to see the Banished as "other". Atriox then told them that they should rejoice that the traitorous Covenant was no more and invited them to join the Banished, to which 'Azavayl's squad expressed they were open to. 'Azavayl himself continued to harbor hatred toward Atriox for being a Jiralhanae, which Atriox dismissed that vengeance was petty. 'Azavayl attacked Atriox but was killed by his Silent Shadow brethren who wanted to join the Banished, which Atriox happily welcomed.{{Ref/Reuse|HP}}

[[File:HW2-Banishedfleet.png|thumb|left|250px|Atriox and his Banished being knelt to by Let 'Volir and his crew.]] 
After successfully persuading 'Azavayl's Silent Shadow squad, Atriox confidently sought out the powerful {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} ''[[Enduring Conviction]]'' and its Sangheili crew, devising a plan to meet with its [[Shipmaster]], [[Let 'Volir]]. Atriox and his Banished attacked a Sangheili-led base on [[Kostroda]], resulting in 'Volir and his forces deploying to the base to defend it. This left ''Enduring Conviction'' vulnerable for a separate Banished strike force to raid and capture the mostly vacant ship. On the ground, Atriox surrendered himself to 'Volir after seemingly losing the skirmish at the base and was brought back up to the bridge of ''Enduring Conviction'' as a prisoner. On the bridge, Atriox had his second team of Banished reveal themselves, ambushing 'Volir and turning the tables. Now as a prisoner of Atriox, 'Volir was offered a chance to join the Banished and allow his crew to live a new life as mercenaries and be provided with resources, rather than be used as cannon fodder for the Sangheili-Jiralhanae conflict. After being persuaded, 'Volir had ''Enduring Conviction'' abandon their Sangheili-led fleet. 'Volir and his crew would later pledge their allegiance to the Banished, albeit reluctantly,{{Ref/Site|URL=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-wars-2-new-character-images-and-details-revea/1100-6442098/|Site=Gamespot|Page=Halo Wars 2: New Character Images and Details Revealed|D=27|M=7|Y=2016|Quote=This arrangement was deeply unpleasant for the Shipmaster, especially since Elites were used to lording over the Brutes during the time of the Covenant…}} in return the Banished supplied their ship with fuel.{{Ref/Reuse|ROA4}} The Banished would later use similar methods to hire [[Thav 'Sebarim]]'s [[Warriors of Malaston|clan]] and [[Inka 'Saham]]'s [[Valorguards of the Chosen|crew]] as mercenaries as well.{{Ref/Game|Id=Target02|HINF|[[High Value Target]] dossier, [[Thav 'Sebarim]]}}{{Ref/Game|Id=Target01|HINF|[[High Value Target]] dossier, [[Inka 'Saham]]}}

Atriox's [[Chieftain]]s led divisions of Banished into Jiralhanae colonies and [[human]] criminal enterprises to build connections and spread their influence.{{Ref/Reuse|H:OSFM2}} Atriox was open to recruiting capable assets of any species and several humans had joined the Banished.{{Ref/Reuse|H:OSFM1}}{{Ref/Reuse|DW5}} As the city of [[New Mombasa]] began [[Project Rebirth|reconstruction]] on [[Earth]], Banished human mercenary groups would flock to the city for opportunity.{{Ref/Reuse|CFEndings}}

In [[2558]], a Jiralhanae in the [[Voice of Maardoth]] clan led by [[Hekabe]] suggested contacting the Banished after gaining control of the [[Sharquoi]] to move their new weapons, as they needed [[slipspace]]-capable vessels and their own had been destroyed. However, Hekabe refused the suggestion, unwilling to share power with Atriox and the Banished when he wanted it all for himself.{{Citation needed}} A dispute had also led to Hekabe killing Banished Chieftain [[Odanostos]].{{Ref/Novel|HEnv|Chapter=12}} The [[Children of Oth Sonin]] led by [[Lydus]], one of the strongest Jiralhanae master-packs in the wake of the [[War of Annihilation]],{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p247|Enc22|Page=247}} had secretly struck a deal with the Banished, using the Banished to take out Lydus' most dangerous rivals in exchange for full access to his shipyards and land.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p255|Enc22|Page=255}}

[[File:HW2-Chainbreakerslam.png|250px|thumb|left|Atriox intimidating the Spartans of the UNSC ''Spirit of Fire'', after meeting them for the first time.]]
===Occupation of the Ark===
{{Quote|In the shadows of the Ark lurked a banished legacy of the shattered Covenant: a new opponent fueled not by religious fervor, but by raw lust for power.|[[Curator]]'s update on the Banished.{{Ref/Book|Id=Mythos|HM|Page=200}}}}
{{Main|Attack on Installation 00|Second Ark Conflict}}
Atriox and the Banished took a fleet led by their flagship ''[[Enduring Conviction]]'' to the extra-[[Milky Way|galactic]] [[Forerunner]] structure known as [[Installation 00|the Ark]], with a force comprised of Jiralhanae, Sangheili, humans, Unggoy, Mgalekgolo, and Huragok. They attacked a [[Henry Lamb research outpost|UNSC research facility]] on its surface, leaving no survivors but [[Isabel]], a [[smart AI]]. The Banished would occupy the Ark, unaware that a large military force would soon encounter them.

In March 2559, 28 years after the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} lost contact with the rest of the [[United Nations Space Command]], the vessel arrived at the Ark to find Isabel in the raided outpost. After the crew's Spartan-IIs encountered Atriox in the facility and were chased away by him, the ''Spirit of Fire'' [[Second Ark Conflict|engaged]] the Banished in combat.{{Ref/Level|HW2|HW2:The Signal|The Signal}} Very quickly the UNSC discovered evidence of,{{Ref/Reuse|ANE}} and accessed an Ark [[Cartographer]]. There, the UNSC managed to determine that the Banished were using the Ark's vast portal network to rapidly transport troops across the installation.{{Ref/Level|HW2|HW2:The Cartographer|The Cartographer}} The UNSC would destroy the Banished's hold on the portals and killed Decimus in the process.{{Ref/Level|HW2|HW2:Lights Out|Lights Out}} The ''Enduring Conviction'' went on the offensive against the ''Spirit of Fire'', but after a couple of operations, Isabel and [[Jerome-092]] managed to cause the Ark's sentinels to destroy the ship.{{Ref/Level|Id=underdark|HW2|HW2:Under the Dark|Under the Dark}}

[[Shipmaster]] [[Let 'Volir]] survived his ship's destruction and was ordered by Atriox to take his surviving men to secure the [[Installation 09|new Halo ring]] rising from the Ark's [[Foundry (location)|Foundry]].{{Ref/Reuse|underdark}} Atriox would contact [[Captain (NAVCOM)|Captain]] [[James Cutter]] and offered him a deal: the Banished would allow the ''Spirit of Fire'' to leave the area unharmed if the UNSC surrendered the Halo ring to him. Cutter would refuse, reminding him that he did not make the same offer to the scientists at the Henry Lamb Research Outpost.{{Ref/Level|HW2|HW2:The Halo|The Halo}} The Banished would launch a last-ditch assault to stop the ''Spirit of Fire'' forces from disabling the ring's firing system and planting a distress beacon before they could send it to the [[Soell system]] in the [[Milky Way]] to contact the rest of the UNSC, but would fail and be ejected into space. The Halo ring then entered Slipspace after all of the UNSC troops, save for Professor [[Ellen Anders]], were evacuated. Cutter resolved to continue fighting the Banished on the Ark until she returned. Meanwhile, although Atriox's forces had been devastated by the combined losses of Decimus, the ''Enduring Conviction'', and the Halo ring, the warlord still commanded an impressive army with which to fight the UNSC.{{Ref/Level|HW2|HW2:Last Stand|Last Stand}}

One month later, [[Colony]], a pair of [[Mgalekgolo]] who command all [[Lekgolo]] forces in the Banished, attempted and failed to launch a Forerunner {{Class|Despair|fighter}} to destroy the ''Spirit of Fire''.{{Ref/Game|HW2|Halo Wars 2: Operation: SPEARBREAKER|Operation: SPEARBREAKER}} As well during the battle, an [[Unggoy]] named [[Yapyap]] the Destroyer [[Yapyap's Rebellion|rebelled]] against the Banished with his subordinates. Many [[Sangheili]] and [[Mgalekgolo]] also defected and joined the rebellion. The [[Throne of Woe]] was established as their new headquarters. Following Yapyap's lead, they intended to locate the fabled [[Golden Methane Hydrate Mines of Sabator]].{{Ref/Site|Id=HoG|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/haze-of-glory|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Haze of Glory|D=13|M=05|Y=2021}}

After months of battle with the ''Spirit of Fire'', the Banished were still searching for victory against the UNSC crew. [[Pavium]] and [[Voridus]] were sent to scavenge old Covenant ships. Despite being told to not investigate the rubble of ''High Charity'', Voridus breached the containment field around the wreckage anyway. This [[Outbreak on Installation 00|unintentionally released the Flood]] onto the Ark,{{Ref/Level|Id=WCGW|Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|HW2:What Could Go Wrong?|What Could Go Wrong?}} some of which had survived the destruction of [[High Charity]] and the faulty firing of the unfinished [[Installation 08]] at the end of the [[Human-Covenant War]].{{Ref/Twitter|GrimeBrotherOne|874380206785445888|Jeff Easterling|Y=2020|M=11|D=11|Quote=Guns that are blowing up while firing might not be quite as effective…}} The pair and their forces quickly reactivated the Sentinel Defense Network that was previously disabled to allow them to get the wreckage.{{Ref/Reuse|WCGW}}{{Ref/Level|Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|HW2:The Archive|The Archive}} 

[[File:HW2-VoridusvsFlood.png|250px|thumb|right|Voridus inadvertently releases the Flood.]]
Atriox was furious at Pavium and Voridus, as he would now have to give up a lot of ground they had earned in the conflict with the ''Spirit of Fire'' to assist them in suppressing the Flood. The pair soon discovered that a Proto-Gravemind had formed and was commanding the Flood. With much effort they managed to kill it. Atriox commanded Voridus and Pavium to secure the breach and clean up their mess while thousands of Sentinels began cleansing the surrounding area of the Flood.{{Ref/Level|Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|HW2:Manifestation|Manifestation}} 

Following the incident, Pavium and Voridus' clan, the [[Clan of the Long Shields|Long Shields]], lost reputation among the Banished on the Ark. A few of the fifteen humans under their command would also defect to the UNSC following the outbreak,{{Ref/Reuse|DW7B}}{{Ref/Reuse|DW5}} leading Pavium to preemptively kick out the rest in his clan, killing some in the process. Atriox was upset with Pavium's decision as he saw all Banished humans as valuable assets.{{Ref/Reuse|DW6}} Atriox also learned of the [[Harbinger]] during his time on the Ark and sought to free her species, the [[Xalanyn]], to aid him.{{Ref/Game|HINF|Id=Harbinger|HINF:Audio log#Escharum's Testimony 03|Banished Audio logs|Detail=Escharum's Testimony 03: Harbinger}}

A Banished force allied with the [[Legion#Banished|Jiralhanae legions]] [[Keepers of the One Freedom]], the [[Legion of the Corpse-Moon]], and the [[Clan of the Ravaged Tusks|Ravaged Tusks]], [[Operation: WOLFE|were deployed]] to the glassed surface of [[Reach]] to search for a [[Menachite portal complex|slipspace portal]] so [[Atriox]] could return to the [[Milky Way]] from [[Installation 00|the Ark]], under the orders of [[War Chief]] [[Escharum]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=SoI3|SoR|Chapter=3}} They successfully located the portal and activated with the help of the [[Ferret]]s, who were undercover in the Keepers of the One Freedom, allowing Atriox to return to the Milky Way aboard his personal [[Eklon'Dal Workshop Lich|Lich]], ''[[Pegoras]]''. However, the Keepers' leader [[Castor]] would betray the rest of the Banished by going rogue and taking his forces to the Ark to activate the [[Halo Array]] himself.{{Ref/Reuse|SoI21}}

Although Atriox's stated intention was to return to the Ark with reinforcements, he departed with Escharum and his other forces in an [[intrusion corvette]] to attend to a greater purpose, leaving thousands of Banished troops behind to hold the Ark. With the slipspace portal bound to catch the attention of [[Cortana]], Atriox and Escharum left Castor to escape Reach before a [[Guardian Custode]] arrived to investigate.{{Ref/Novel|Id=SoI21|SoR|Chapter=21}}

Utilizing the opportunity presented by the opening of the slipspace portal, [[Castor]] [[Battle of Epsilon Clarion|led the]] [[Keepers of the One Freedom]] to the Ark to fire the [[Halo Array]] where both the UNSC and Banished forces under the command of [[Pavium]] and [[Voridus]] sought to foil them, indirectly aiding the [[Ferret]]s in eliminating the majority of the surviving Keepers. However, in the process, the Banished inadvertently got in the way of the UNSC's plan to finally destroy [[Intrepid Eye]]. The Banished suffered heavy losses in the effort, but both Pavium and Voridus survived while the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} destroyed the installation that the Keepers intended to use to fire the Halo Array and Intrepid Eye along with it. The brothers intended to report to [[Let 'Volir]] that their efforts had delayed the Keepers long enough for the humans to launch their strike.{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW|DW}}

===Making plans and the Divine Hand===
{{Main|Battle of Netherop (2559)}}
While scavenging, [[War Chief]] [[Severan]] of the [[Vanguard of Zaladon]] had learned of the UNSC's plans to attack Zeta Halo and would inform Atriox and several other high ranking Banished members of it. Before departing the meeting, Atriox placed Severan in charge of the remaining Banished forces who did not accompany Atriox to Zeta Halo{{Ref/Novel|Id=ET4|ET|Chapter=4}} consisting of two hundred clans and more than thirteen hundred warships.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ET14|ET|Chapter=14}}{{Ref/Novel|ET|Chapter=16}}
{{stub|section=yes}}

===Razing of Oth Sonin===
The Banished had united many Jiralhanae clans across [[Doisac]] and its moons,{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p446|Enc22|Page=446}} though not all clans. Many clans, including those on [[Warial]], continued to resist the Banished.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p447|Enc22|Page=447}} While Jiralhanae infighting persisted, the Banished staged a defensive against the [[Created]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p446}} Upon the warmaster's return, the rogue [[AI]] leader [[Cortana]] ordered him and the Banished to surrender, and [[Razing of Oth Sonin|destroyed]] Doisac in response to his refusal by firing beams at it with several [[Guardian]]s.{{Ref/Level|Id=Raze|HI|Repository}}

Following the loss of their home planet, the Banished represented the largest surviving Jiralhanae military force under a single banner.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Page=424}} Atriox and his Banished force comprised of Jiralhanae, humans, Sangheili, Unggoy, Mgalekgolo and Kig-Yar would travel to [[Installation 07]] where the Xalanyn species were secretly hidden and where the rogue Cortana presided.{{Ref/Reuse|SA}} Other Banished forces occupied the former human colony of [[Camber]] and took possession of several UNSC assets that had been left behind. They began to refit and repurpose the ruins into tools to serve their needs.{{Ref/Reuse|CFLore}} 

Before his departure, [[Escharum]] ordered Severan to destroy [[Earth]] in retaliation for the [[Razing of Oth Sonin]]. Secretly, however, Severan was working for [[High Lord]] [[Dovo Nesto]], a [[San'Shyuum]] of the [[Order of Restoration]] who sought to restore the [[Covenant]] empire.{{Ref/Reuse|ET14}}

===Double attack===
{{Quote|This Ring is different. It has secrets within… that I will have!|[[Atriox]] seeking to free the [[Xalanyn]].{{Ref/Reuse|SA}}}}
{{Main|Battle over Installation 07|Battle of Earth (2559)}}
In [[2559#December|December 12, 2559]], Atriox's forces, who had arrived at Installation 07, ambushed the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} and its escort fleet. The ship was boarded by Atriox and other Banished forces during the attack to retrieve [[CTN 0453-0]] in order to defeat Cortana and her Created empire. He also dueled [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]] and emerged victorious after tossing the [[Spartan-II]] into space.{{Ref/Quest|Id=WG|HI|Ringfall|Warship Gbraakon}} A few surviving [[UNSC]] forces of the devastated fleet managed to escape to the surface of the ring and would continue to engage the Banished in guerrilla warfare. The Banished would come to occupy the ring and establish themselves on it.{{Ref/Reuse|CFNY}}

After Atriox arrived at the surface of Installation 07, he confronted Cortana who had been locked down by CTN 0453-0, a UNSC infiltration AI. Now a prisoner of Atriox and unwilling to give him the secrets of the ring, Cortana detonated part of the ring to prevent him from controlling it, seemingly killing the Banished warmaster in the process.{{Ref/Reuse|SA}} Atriox was thought to be dead, leaving [[War Chief]] [[Escharum]] in charge of the Banished who were stranded on the ring once it suddenly moved its location.{{Ref/Game|Id=OI09|HINF|HINF:Audio log#Outpost Intel 9|UNSC Audio log|Detail=Outpost Intel #09 - To Andrew Valleros}}

On the same day, the Banished attacked Earth with 1,328 ships, far more than the Covenant had used in the [[Battle for Earth]] with Earth defending with its [[Home Fleet]] and [[orbital defense platform]]s. The battle drew two [[Guardian Custode]]s with a third Guardian joining soon afterwards. The Guardians attacked with their [[attenuation pulse emitter]]s, disabling a vast section of both sides of the conflict, leaving the remaining ships on both sides quickly scrambling to get away from the Guardians. However, the Guardians were suddenly deactivated following the destruction of Cortana on Zeta Halo, which [[Severan]] took to be the work of Atriox. Elated, Severan ordered all of his forces to pull back rather than taking advantage of the opportunity to destroy Earth, intending to secure [[Boundary Lithos|the]] [[Lithos]] on [[Boundary]] and return once the Banished were victorious.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ET19|ET|Chapter=19}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=ET20|ET|Chapter=20}}

====Search for the Lithos====
{{Main|Battle of Boundary}}
At [[Boundary]], the Banished fleet established a defensive shell around the planet and were engaged by the {{UNSCShip|Victory of Samothrace}} and the three remaining ships of [[Battle Group Omega]], destroying two [[karve]]s and a [[skeid]] in the first pass, but losing the {{UNSCShip|Easy Does It}} in the process. During this pass, the {{UNSCShip|Hazard Pay}} scanned the planet and discovered more Banished vehicles and personnel on-station in [[Tyrrhen]] than most of the UNSC had seen since the [[Fall of Reach]].{{Ref/Novel|ET|Chapter=23}} When ''Victory'' and Omega returned with the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' and ''[[Akkadian]]'', the Banished sent several dozen vessels to intercept them. Through superior tactics, the UNSC and [[Swords of Sanghelios]] ships destroyed several Banished vessels. The [[Fourth Fleet|Fourth]], [[Sixth Fleet|Sixth]], [[Ninth Fleet|Ninth]] and [[Thirteenth Fleet|Thirteenth]] expeditionary fleets ― totaling nearly two hundred ships ― would later reinforce ''Victory'' and Omega to finish their job of interfacing the key with [[Boundary Lithos|the]] [[Lithos]] or destroying it to deny the Banished, Nesto and anyone else from accessing it; the tau spike from the extra fleet's arrival spooked the Banished into breaking up their defensive shell into smaller fleets to counter it.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ET27|ET|Chapter=27}}

On the surface, Banished forces led by Severan, [[Ectorius]], [[Dreka 'Xulsam]] and [[Gathgor]] excavated the location of the Lithos. However, the other Banished leaders grew suspicious of Severan's knowledge of the Lithos and his actions in withdrawing from the attack on Earth. However, Dovo Nesto learned that UNSC ground forces and the Swords of Sanghelios were on their way, and even with [[Cortana]]'s destruction the Lithos still required a key. Nesto revealed that he had eyes everywhere and learned that a human girl was the key to accessing the Lithos and the Domain.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ET24|ET|Chapter=24}} While investigating human activity in a nearby barn, Severan's forces were attacked by [[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops|Cyclopses]] from the local militia, killing two [[Jiralhanae]] before the Cyclopses were taken down.{{Ref/Novel|Id=ET28|ET|Chapter=28}} Banished forces led by [[Arxus]] were able to find and capture [[Chloe Hall]], suffering great casualties in the process, but also leaving [[James Solomon]] severely injured.{{Ref/Novel|ET|Chapter=29}}

However, a fleet from [[Sali 'Nyon's Covenant]] had also arrived{{Ref/Reuse|ET27}} and helped to push the UNSC forces back. The Covenant forces were let through the defensive shell because they had Severan's own fleet's clearance codes. The number of Covenant ships was great enough and they were everywhere once they got through the defensive shell that the Banished were unable to stop [[Sali 'Nyon]] from sending out detachments to claim the key to the Lithos for himself. The collusion between Nesto and 'Nyon caused Severan to realize that Nesto had promised the [[Sangheili]] what he had already promised Severan;{{Ref/Reuse|ET28}} a position of authority in the resurrected Covenant and a place at the head of its military.{{Ref/Reuse|ET32}} 'Nyon himself made his way to the Banished encampment where Nesto revealed himself, surprising the members of [[the Eight]] who were on the ground as they were unaware of Severan working with a [[San'Shyuum]] and leading to a standoff that 'Nyon tried to defuse. Covenant dropships unloaded several waves of soldiers which converged on the group of leaders, creating a tense situation where the Banished now appeared to be outnumbered. A UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios team attempted to assassinate Nesto and 'Nyon, but they were betrayed by [[Blademaster]] [[Vul 'Soran]] and Spartan [[Merrick]] who injured [[Jai-006]] and [[Adriana-111]] and killed Spartan [[Stefan Vídalín]].{{Ref/Novel|ET|Chapter=30}}

With this development and with the Banished only minutes away from reaching the Lithos, ''Victory'' was ordered to destroy the Lithos from orbit with a [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC]] strike. [[Captain (NAVCOM)|Captain]] [[Abigail Cole]] had the ''Shadow of Intent'' attempt to warn the surface team of the incoming strike while ordering the remaining UNSC ships to provide ''Victory'' with cover to make the shot against the combined Banished and Covenant forces.{{Ref/Novel|ET|Chapter=31}}

The Banished and Covenant leaders were able to reach an uneasy peace, but Severan realized that he had been lied to and manipulated by Nesto due to both his alliance with 'Nyon and Nesto's utter disregard for Severan'