Dovo Nesto
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High Lord Dovo Nesto, known as the Prophet of Sympathy,[1] was a near mythological San'Shyuum of the Covenant and the leader of the Order of Restoration.
Biography[edit]
Covenant political career[edit]
During the time of the Covenant, Nesto was the leader of the Order of Restoration, a fanatical sect which had been shrouded in secrecy for many ages. The Order of the Restoration was a clandestine group of high-profile San'Shyuum who had allegedly pulled the strings of the Covenant's politicians and nobility, all the while secretly plotting to restore the old ways of their forebears on Janjur Qom. It was an invisible lineage that flowed from the earliest days of the Covenant, even their time on Anodyne Spirit.[2] While Nesto never laid claim to the position of Hierarch, he was in many ways a shadow master of the Covenant, governing the purposes of the High Council and even exploiting many former Prophets through countless divinatory maneuverings. Nesto claimed to have done so since the very dawn of the empire thousands of years before and that he was the oldest living being in the galaxy. Nesto's will was never denied and he never failed to accomplish his purpose, leaving him in many respects without rival as Nesto operated silently from within the Forerunner Dreadnought.[3]
Severan first encountered Nesto in around 2535 when he was still a young warrior within the Covenant. While Severan's father Tartarus was attempting to lay claim to the title of Chieftain of the Jiralhanae in the eyes of the Hierarchs, Nesto took an interest in Severan, becoming his daskalo.
During the Fall of High Charity, Nesto escaped on the San'Shyuum flotilla, the greatest and most powerful San'Shyuum to survive the destruction of both High Charity and the Covenant.[3]
Rebuilding the Covenant[edit]
In the years following the fall of the Covenant, Nesto consolidated whatever remained of the San'Shyuum's influence into the Order of Restoration, carefully making preparations for the Covenant to rise again. Although many attempted to unite the empire's former species under one banner, all had failed.[3] Unlike everyone else, Nesto had the strategic acumen, connections and the history to make it happen.[4]
Rather than openly assaulting one of his opponents and seizing their strongholds, Nesto set himself up on the human colony world of Venezia which no one paid any regard, including the humans who lived there. This allowed his enemies to remain in the dark until everything was in order. The choice of location proved to be advantageous as all those under Nesto's command came and went as they pleased and any humans who were suspicious could be easily bought off. While Nesto's forces amassed starships and weapons on outer worlds, they could coordinate everything on Venezia, right under the nose of their greatest enemies.[3]
As a part of his plans, Nesto contacted Severan, promising the Jiralhanae a place at his right hand, appointed as an instrumental part in the Covenant's restoration. First, Severan was to build up the Vanguard of Zaladon, drawing in both his rivals and allies, something that he accomplished with little difficulty. Through his cousin Choros, Severan attained a position as a War Chief in the Banished, something that he and Nesto would use to their advantage when the time came.[3] Nesto also formed an alliance with Sali 'Nyon and his Covenant with 'Nyon pledging all of his forces to Nesto's cause.[5][6] In exchange for their help, Nesto promised 'Nyon and Severan the same thing: a position of authority in the resurrected Covenant, and a place at the head of the Covenant's military.[7]
Nesto sought to secure the Lithos, a gateway into the Domain. During the Fall of Reach, while serving under the command of Tulum 'Juranai, 'Nyon had recovered a record of a living clone of Dr. Catherine Halsey that held the key to accessing the Domain. Swords of Sanghelios ranger teams under the command of Mahkee 'Chava extracted a message from Nesto to Kafo Dein about this from a relay mite attached to a battlecruiser belonging to 'Nyon that was stationed on Venezia.[5]
Search for the Lithos[edit]
At Boundary, the Banished fleet established a defensive shell around the planet and were engaged by the UNSC Victory of Samothrace and the three remaining ships of Battle Group Omega, destroying two karves and a skeid in the first pass, but losing the UNSC Easy Does It in the process. During this pass, the UNSC 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.[8] 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 Victory received word that the UNSC was sending reinforcements in the form of the Fourth, Sixth, Ninth and Thirteenth expeditionary fleets to enable the Victory and Omega to finish their job which was to interface the key with the Lithos or destroy it in order to keep the Banished, Nesto and anyone else from accessing the Lithos. The tau spike from the arrival of the UNSC fleets -- nearly two hundred ships in total -- spooked the Banished into breaking up their defensive shell into smaller fleets to counter it.[9]
On the surface, Banished forces led by Severan, Ectorius, Dreka 'Xulsam and Gathgor excavated the location of the Lithos. However, the other Banished leaders began to grow 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, the Swords of Sanghelios were on their way and even with Cortana's destruction, the Lithos still required a key and that the Domain had been built by a predecessor race to the Forerunners. Nesto revealed that he had eyes everywhere and learned that a human girl was the key to accessing the Lithos and the Domain.[10]
However, a fleet from Sali 'Nyon's Covenant arrived as well[9] 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.[11] '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