Covenant remnants
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
- "What does it mean to be 'Covenant' today? A hundred warlords claim they rule the Covenant, but each of them leads only a small faction."
- — Zef 'Trahl[1]
Covenant remnants are splinter factions originating from the former Covenant body and remain active after the dissolution of the Covenant,[2] though no single group uses the specific term "Covenant remnant" to refer to themselves.[3] These factions vary greatly in ethos and motives; while some consider themselves as upholding the legacy of the Covenant as it used to be,[1] others have been shown to pursue more extensive reforms or their own specific agendas. Although many former Covenant members discarded the Prophets' religion and the belief in the "Great Journey" altogether in the wake of the revelation of the truth about the Halos,[4] many Sangheili in particular have reverted to their species' ancient ways of worshiping the Forerunners and their technology,[5] while others continue to maintain their belief in the "Great Journey" while simultaneously renouncing the Prophets as false.[6] Thus, the various Covenant remnant factions range from pragmatic mercenaries to fanatical religious cultists.[1]
Unlike the Covenant at its height, the general scarcity of resources has forced many of the remnant factions to use whatever materials they can find. Intact capital warships are considered coveted assets among the splinter factions, as many ships were destroyed in both the Great Schism and the Human-Covenant War as well as a significant portion of the Covenant's infrastructure and shipyards remaining inactive following the wars.[7] Additionally, with the majority of the Huragok mysteriously disappearing, many former Covenant no longer possess the capacity to repair and maintain most of their equipment.[8] Still, select Sangheili armories have taken over the production of matériel formerly manufactured within High Charity and have even developed new assets such as the T-55 storm rifle.[9][10] Despite this, many remnant groups are forced to employ obsolete or second-hand military equipment and weaponry in the absence of the Covenant's extensive supply chain. On the other hand, black markets—many of them operated by Kig-Yar profiteering from the Covenant's end, and others by Yonhet—were flooded with former Covenant matériel after the war.[11] Because of their limited resources, some Covenant groups have resorted to terrorism to achieve their ends following the war.[12] While previously considered a major taboo among the Sangheili, some groups are also known to utilize human weaponry, namely nuclear weapons,[13] and have even recruited humans into their ranks.[14]
History[edit]
The Great Schism and dissolution of the Covenant[edit]
- Main article: Covenant separatists
While select remnant factions, such as the Ussans or the Banished, were already active before the Covenant's fall, many of the Covenant remnants can trace their origins to the aftermath of the Great Schism and the defeat of the Covenant. After the Hierarchs replaced the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae and ordered the genocide of the former, the Sangheili became separatists and rebelled against the San'Shyuum-led main body of the Covenant. Many of the Sangheili-led groups within the separatists that emerged from the conflict would continue to regard themselves as the "true" Covenant, some noting that the Sangheili had "kicked out" the San'Shyuum.[15] Amidst the turmoil of the Great Schism, all groups of Sangheili were called to their base world Joyous Exultation under the leadership of Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree, who announced the treachery of the Prophets and proposed the creation of a new, Sangheili-led Covenant. After Wattinree and the forces gathered at Joyous Exultation were killed by a NOVA bomb,[16] the bulk of the Sangheili rallied behind Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum. This group, initially centered around the Fleet of Retribution, would later come to call themselves the Swords of Sanghelios.[17]
Many Unggoy, Mgalekgolo, Yanme'e and Kig-Yar remained within either the Jiralhanae's or the Sangheili's respective command hierarchies and continued to serve their masters throughout the Great Schism.[18][19]