Editing Great Schism

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Battle infobox
|prev=
|conc=[[Human-Covenant War]]
|next=[[Sangheili-Jiralhanae war]]
|image=[[File:H2A - HighCharityBattle Concept.png|350px]]
|conflict=
|date= 
*[[2552#November|November 3, 2552]]–[[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]{{Ref/Note|The massacre of the Sangheili on Earth on October 20, 2552 (witnessed in ''Halo 3: ODST'') is regarded as an isolated incident leading up to the Schism, whereas the conflict at large is considered to have begun with the Sangheili's banishment from the Honor Guard and the subsequent outbreak of all-out hostilities within High Charity and its fleets on November 2.}} ([[Ages of Retribution|First Age of Retribution]]){{Ref/Site|Id=CF159|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-coming-of-age|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Coming of Age|D=13|M=11|Y=2024}}
|place=[[Orion Arm]], [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]]
|result='''Sangheili victory'''
*Dissolution of the [[Covenant]]
*[[San'Shyuum]] reduced to an [[Extinction#Near-extinctions (Endangered species)|endangered species]]
*Ongoing conflict between the [[Sangheili]] and the [[Jiralhanae]]
|side1=
*{{Icon|Covenant FB}} '''[[Covenant]]'''
|side2=
*{{Icon|Covenant FB}} '''[[Covenant separatists]]'''
|commanders1=
*[[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]†
*[[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]]†
*[[Prophet of Exquisite Devotion]]†
*[[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]]†
*[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Gargantum]]
*[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Avitus]]
*[[Jiralhanae Captain|Captain]] [[Melchus]]
|commanders2=
*[[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]
*[[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]
*[[Unidentified Shipmaster (Righteous Vigilance)|Unidentified Sangheili Shipmaster]]{{Ref/Anthology|Id=The Return|Evo|Story=The Return|Quote=It was a terrible war. The Prophets provided the Brutes with powerful new weapons, hoping that they would in turn defend their Prophets against our wrath. But when the Prophets went into hiding, the lack of leadership allowed the Brutes to return to their savage nature and they soon began to fight against each other. This lack of solidarity made them much easier prey. Some of my fellow commanders continue that fight even now}}
*[[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]†
*[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]]†
*[[Blademaster]] [[Vul 'Soran]]
*[[Fleetmaster]] [[Rojka 'Kasaan]]
|forces1=
*[[Covenant military]]
**[[Truth's fleet|Prophet of Truth's fleet]]
**Jiralhanae-led [[High Charity defense fleet]]
**[[Fleet of Furious Redemption]]
*[[San'Shyuum]]
*[[Jiralhanae]]
*[[Yanme'e]]
*[[Kig-Yar]]
*Few [[Unggoy]]
*Few [[Mgalekgolo]]
*[[Huragok]] {{C|unwillingly}}
|forces2=
*[[Fleet of Retribution]]
*[[Fleet of Righteous Vigilance]]
*[[Fleet of Recalcitrant Ire]]
*[[Joyous Exultation Covenant]]
**[[Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose]]
**Sangheili-led [[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoO27|GoO|Chapter=27}}
*[[Sangheili]]
*Most of the [[Unggoy]]
*Most of the [[Mgalekgolo]]
*[[Huragok]]
|casual1=
*Most San'Shyuum {{C|reduced to an [[Extinction#Near-extinctions (Endangered species)|endangered species]]}}
**[[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]]
**[[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]
*Many Jiralhanae
**[[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]]
*Many Yanme'e
*Many Kig-Yar
*Some Unggoy
*Few Mgalekgolo
|casual2=
*Many Sangheili
**[[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]
**[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]]
*Some Unggoy
*Some Mgalekgolo}}
{{Quote|By the Prophets… what have these Brutes done? They have shed our brothers' blood… and for that, they must die!|[[Sangheili]] on [[Installation 05]].{{Ref/Level|Id=Uprising|H2|H2:Uprising|Uprising}}}}

The '''Great Schism''', also known as the '''Covenant Schism''',{{Ref/Reuse|GoO27}} was a major civil war between the forces loyal to the [[Covenant]] (led by the [[San'Shyuum]] and the [[Jiralhanae]]) against the [[Covenant separatists]] (the [[Sangheili]] and their followers), which split apart on [[2552#November|November 3, 2552]]. The [[High Prophet of Truth]] ordered the extermination of the entire Sangheili species,{{Ref/Reuse|TEVG}}{{Ref/Level|Id=QZ|H2|H2:Quarantine Zone|Quarantine Zone}}{{Ref/Novel|GoO|Chapter=23}} forcing them out of the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|Elites}} Battles during the Schism took place all throughout Covenant space, most prominently on [[High Charity]], the heart of the alien empire. The [[Flood]] additionally played a tertiary role, when they took over the holy city in an effort to assimilate the other warring factions. The deciding battles were fought between the Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]] allied with the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] against the [[High Prophet of Truth]] and his remnants of the Covenant on the [[Installation 00|Ark]]. The Schism marked both the end of the Covenant and the partition of its client species for a thousand years.{{Ref/Reuse|GoO27}} For the UNSC, it served as a major turning point that led to the [[Battle of Installation 00|end of the war]] after their [[Fall of Reach|disastrous defeat on Reach]].

The conflict went down in Sangheili history as the '''Great Betrayal''', its deep wounds continuing to stir animosity between their kind and the Jiralhanae for years to come.{{Ref/Anthology|Id=Return|Evo|Story=The Return}}

==Background==
{{Quote|no=two|1=Thel 'Vadamee|q1=We are strong, Kig-Yar. That is why we sit at the right hand of the Prophets.|2=Reth|q2=One day that shall pass.|3=Conversation between [[Reth]] and [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee in [[2535]]{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=34}}}}
[[File:H2A Terminals - Sangheili surrender.png|250px|thumb|left|The Sangheili threatened San'Shyuum power,{{Ref/Reuse|challenger}} while the Jiralhanae threatened Sangheili power.{{Ref/Reuse|Conversations}}]]
For centuries over the course of the [[history of the Covenant]], various high ranking [[Sangheili]] with great influence would use their power to ask questions, eventually coming close to discovering the truth about the [[Forerunner]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|challenger}} Discovering such a truth would falsify the [[Covenant religion]] and shatter the empire along with its power structure. As such, the [[San'Shyuum]] [[High Prophet]]s perceived these influential Sangheili as a threat to their authority, and would send them on suicide missions decorated under the ostensibly honorary guise of [[Arbiter]]s to discreetly remove their threatening presence.{{Ref/Game|Id=challenger|H2A|H2A:Terminals|Terminal 11|Quote=In some cases, that influence was already being used to question the decisions of your Hierarchs. In fact, that very questioning often gave rise to the charges of heresy that so neatly removed the challenger from the Hierarchs' concern.}}

With this history of troublesome influential Sangheili well documented among the High Prophets, the threat the Sangheili posed was made even more apparent during the [[Human-Covenant War]] in [[2552]], when [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction]] spread information about the [[Covenant religion#Great Journey|Great Journey]] being false.{{Ref/Level|H2|H2:The Arbiter|The Arbiter|Quote=Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a-|Quotee=Sesa 'Refumee}} Intending to prevent the Covenant from falling apart and losing power, the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] secretly made plans to eject the entire Sangheili species from the hegemony, viewing them as untrustworthy and doubting their reliability and loyalty.{{Citation needed}} As the war had waged on, some Sangheili questioned the need to exterminate [[humanity]] instead of welcoming them into the Covenant, given humanity's strength as a tenacious species and occasional displays of honor.{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Chapter=48}}{{Ref/Game|H2|Conversations from the Universe|Detail=[[Conversations from the Universe#Elite Conversation|Elite Conversation]]}} This changing attitude towards mankind who were deemed [[heretic]]al along with the failure to [[Battle of Installation 04|safeguard]] a holy [[Alpha Halo|"Sacred Ring"]], further perpetuated San'Shyuum distrust toward the Sangheili.{{Citation needed}}

The High Prophet of Truth plotted to eventually replace the Sangheili with the [[Jiralhanae]], as he saw the latter as more willing and unquestioning pawns. Ever since the Jiralhanae's integration in [[2492]], their dominating physicality and aggressive behavior was perceived as a threat by the Sangheili to their superior status in the Covenant hierarchy.{{Ref/Game|Id=Conversations|H2|Conversations from the Universe|Detail=[[Conversations from the Universe#Grunt Conversation|Grunt Conversation]]|Quote=And you have ears, you've heard the disrespect the Jiralhanae show the Sangheili. They hate each other. The Sangheili have lived too long under the shelter of the Covenant as the strongest of us. The Jiralhanae come stomping along and suddenly it's not so simple as it was}} In turn, the Sangheili treated the Jiralhanae poorly and oppressed them, to keep them in line.{{Ref/Site|URL=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-wars-2-new-character-images-and-details-revea/1100-6442098/?ftag=GSS-05-10aaa0b|Site=GameSpot|Page=Halo Wars 2: New Character Images and Details Revealed|D=27|M=7|Y=2016|Quote=Decimus still harbors some resentment against the Elites under Atriox's banner due to how Elites treated the Brutes during the time of the Covenant…}} Competition for dominance in the Covenant military and hatred festered between the two species,{{Ref/Reuse|Conversations}} though the Sangheili maintained their authority and power as a founding race.{{Ref/Book|Bestiarum|Quote=The Sangheili are, simply put, technological and societal equals of the Prophets yet, for a significant period, found themselves as the dominant military muscle for the entire Covenant structure}} Feeding off of their societal rivalry, Truth knew that the Jiralhanae would be more than happy to replace the Sangheili as the Covenant's military leaders. He had appointed [[Tartarus]], a loyal Jiralhanae, to the position of [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] who would help him execute his plan. Truth kept these schemes to himself and waited until the time was right to implement them.{{Ref/Novel|BC|Chapter=15}}

===Secret preparations===
After the [[High Prophet of Truth]] learned the location of the [[Earth|human homeworld]], he secretly amassed [[Truth's fleet|a fleet]] of over five hundred warships, commanded entirely by Jiralhanae, at the Covenant's command-and-control station ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 297''</ref> In [[2552#September|September 2552]], this station and the fleet [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|were destroyed]] by [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan-II]] [[Blue Team]] who learned of its purpose shortly before the invasion could commence.{{Ref/Novel|FS|Chapter=Epilogue}} This put a temporary halt to Truth's plans to replace the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae.{{Ref/Site|Id=oct20|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/detail/ten-twenty/f4adbef8-e9bc-44f8-aefa-d8e9b69f7139|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Ten Twenty|D=19|M=1|Y=2012}}

At some point, the Prophet of Truth also commissioned the creation of [[Drekar]] ships to be used by the Jiralhanae against the Sangheili.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=461}}

[[File:H3ODST FamilyFeud.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Edward Buck]] comes across the aftermath of an early skirmish between Sangheili and Jiralhanae during the [[Battle of Mombasa]].]]
A month later on October 20, the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] made a move the High Prophet of Truth did not expect. Having discovered a significant [[Forerunner]] [[Excession|artifact]] on a planet called "Erde-Tyrene" all by himself, but unaware of the fact it was humanity's homeworld known as Earth, Regret took [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|his fleet]] of only fifteen ships and rushed to "Erde-Tyrene" to investigate it.{{Ref/Reuse|oct20}} Immediately after Truth learned of this, he sent the remnants of the fleet he had amassed, to Earth as well. Truth gave his Jiralhanae troops orders to forcibly overtake the Sangheili in command of the remaining forces on and above Earth.{{Citation needed}}

To Regret's surprise, he was invading the human homeworld,{{Ref/Game|H2A|[[H2A:Terminals|Terminal: Fourteen & Fifteen]]}} resulting in a [[Battle of Mombasa|massive battle]] forcing him to flee.{{Ref/Level|Id=Metro|H2|H2:Metropolis|Metropolis}} When Regret retreated from Earth, his Sangheili-led ships in orbit and ground forces continued to engage the [[United Nations Space Command]] without his leadership.{{Citation needed}}

Moments after, the Jiralhanae forces within the fleet and on the ground discretely killed all remaining Sangheili on Earth,{{Ref/Level|Id=odst|ODST|Coastal Highway}} as Truth had ordered. [[Vero 'Ahtulai]] was one among many of these Sangheili victims.{{Citation needed}} They took over the Sangheili's duties to occupy the human city of [[New Mombasa]], until more Jiralhanae reinforcements sent by Truth arrived. As ''[[High Charity]]'' and the rest of the [[Covenant fleet]] were on their way to the newly discovered [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 05]], Delta Halo, the murder of these Sangheili ground forces remained secret from the rest of the Covenant.{{Citation needed}}

Regret arrived at Delta Halo weeks before ''High Charity'' and the rest of the Covenant, and indirectly served yet another purpose for Truth plan: to scapegoat the Sangheili.{{Ref/Reuse|oct20}} With the arrival of the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} commanded by [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] on Delta Halo, the UNSC managed to [[Assassination of the Prophet of Regret|assassinate the Prophet of Regret]] in a temple on the Halo ring after they got the intel they needed, with [[Spartan-II|Spartan]] [[John-117]] carrying out this task.{{Ref/Level|H2|H2:Regret|Regret}}

===The Changing of the Guard===
{{Main|Changing of the Guard}}
[[File:H2A Beamish cameo.jpg|thumb|250px|Kig-Yar and Unggoy protest on High Charity.]]
After the High Prophet of Regret was killed by the [[John-117|Master Chief]] on [[2552#November|November 2, 2552]], the two remaining [[Hierarchs]] reorganized Covenant society. Claiming that the Sangheili could no longer protect the Prophets due to Regret's death, the High Prophet of Truth publicly replaced the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae as the Prophets' [[Honor Guard|protectors]]. Much to their dismay, all [[Sangheili Honor Guardsman|Sangheili Honor Guardsmen]] were ordered to give away their armor and weapons to the new [[Jiralhanae Honor Guardsman|Jiralhanae Honor Guardsmen]]. The Sangheili viewed this as a violation of the principle that the Covenant had been founded upon and threatened to resign from the Covenant.{{Ref/Level|Id=icon|H2|H2:Sacred Icon|Sacred Icon}} [[Special Operations Commander]] [[Rtas 'Vadumee]] relayed this warning from the [[Sangheili High Councilor]]s to Truth, who attempted to comfort the situation by calling it a mere "exchange of hats". Several Unggoy and Kig-Yar would join in protest against this change as well.{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}}

The High Prophet of Truth further demoted the Sangheili by giving command of their fleets to the Jiralhanae, including the [[Fleet of Profound Solitude]], [[Fleet of Tranquil Composure]] and [[Fleet of Inner Knowledge]]. Many Sangheili [[Shipmaster]]s and [[Fleetmaster]]s would be replaced with new Jiralhanae commanders. Truth allocated more loyal forces to his disposal by pardoning and releasing all Jiralhanae prisoners, while publicly framing it as a celebration for the species newly elevated status in Covenant society.{{Ref/Game|Id=HWTimeline|HW|HW:Timeline|Timeline|Detail=Edict of the Office of the High Prophet of Truth}}

The Sangheili found these changes to be deeply humiliating, as founding members of the Covenant they were insulted to see their societal status quickly becoming relegated below the Jiralhanae.{{Ref/Site|URL=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-wars-2-new-character-images-and-details-revea/1100-6442098/?ftag=GSS-05-10aaa0b|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…}}

==War==
===Conflict erupts===
{{Quote|The Great Schism is upon us. The unbreakable Covenant [[Writ of Union]] has been split asunder. This is the end of the Ninth, and final, [[Ages of Reclamation|Age]].|Xytan 'Jar Wattinree{{Ref/Reuse|GoO27}}}}
[[File:HTMCC-H2A — Terminal MurderOfTheCouncilors.png|thumb|300px|left|The massacre of the Sangheili High Councilors.]]
The High Prophet of Truth predicted that the High Council would elect a new Hierarch to replace Regret, and so he made his move to eliminate the [[Sangheili Councilor|Sangheili High Councilors]] to prevent another moderate Prophet from being elected.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/factions/high-council|Site=Halo Waypoint|Section=Universe, Factions|Page=High Council|D=27|M=10|Y=2015}} Once enough Jiralhanae were in place, Truth instigated a pogrom by ordering the assassination of all Sangheili Councilors.{{Ref/Reuse|Uprising}} Many Sangheili High Councilors and former Honor Guards were ordered to meet in the [[Control Room (Installation 05)|Control Room]] of [[Installation 05]] to begin preparing for the [[Covenant religion#Great Journey|Great Journey]]. However, [[Jiralhanae Captain]] [[Melchus]] arrived at the Control Room, with a large heavily armed contingent of Jiralhanae, and proceeded to massacre the Councilors and former guardsmen. All Sangheili in the room were killed except for [[G'torik 'Klemmee]] who survived a deadly fall and later escaped, the rest were smashed into bloody pieces by [[Gravity hammer (fiction)|gravity hammer]]s.{{Ref/Novel|BC|Chapter=16}} Concurrently, [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]] and his guards attempted to kill [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]] in the [[Library]], seizing the [[Index]] and knocking him into a deep pit, as ordered by Truth. This would spark the start of the Great Schism.{{Ref/Reuse|QZ}}

Word of the massacred Sangheili Councilors immediately spread and was perceived as an insurrection against the Covenant to the Sangheili. The Jiralhanae and other loyalists were led to believe it was a Sangheili revolt, rejecting the Jiralhanae's newly elevated status,{{Ref/Novel|Env}} and were ordered to exterminate the entire Sangheili species and kill all of them on sight.{{Ref/Book|Id=TEVG|EVG|Page=25|Quote=…when the High Prophet of Truth appointed the Brutes for his own security, proclaiming the Elites to be heretics deserving extermination.}} After the slaughter of the Councilors, war and violence broke out on High Charity, with the two sides polarizing quickly. Video messages of the various massacres were sent to all Sangheili forces,{{Ref/Anthology|Evo|Story=The Return|Quote=We were scouting for humans when the message came in. I could not comprehend what I was seeing. Our betrayal by the Prophets. The Slaughter of our leaders.}} resulting in the entire species learning that they had been forced out of the Covenant.{{Ref/Site|Id=Elites|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/jiralhanae|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Universe: Jiralhanae|LocalArchive=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124211139/https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/jiralhanae|Y=2015|M=10|D=27|Quote=The resulting conflict would be called the Great Schism, and it would divide the Covenant into two, ultimately forcing the Sangheili out.}} The ships within the [[High Charity defense fleet]] began shooting each other down while gunfire erupted aboard the interior of High Charity. At the front lines of the conflict, the species of the Covenant took distinct sides. Those who followed the High Prophets included all San'Shyuum and Jiralhanae (with a [[Zo Resken|few]] [[Piety|exceptions]]),{{Ref/Novel|Gla|Chapter=2}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=BC18|BC|Chapter=18}} many [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Yanme'e]], some Unggoy, and a few Mgalekgolo. The forces allied with all the Sangheili consisted of many Mgalekgolo, Unggoy and [[Huragok]].{{Ref/Anthology|Evo|Story=Wages of Sin}}

[[File:H2A-Brutes vs Elites.jpg|300px|thumb|Former Sangheili Honor Guards fight with the Jiralhanae on High Charity.]]
The [[Prophet of Exquisite Devotion]], who had been torturing Sangheili, discovered that the [[Zo Resken|Prophet of Clarity]] was attempting to aid them.{{Ref/Novel|BC|Chapter=17}} Devotion then attempted to have Clarity executed for [[heresy|treason]]. However, a group of Sangheili led by G'torik 'Klemmee arrived and rescued the Prophet of Clarity—killing Exquisite Devotion in the process.{{Ref/Reuse|BC18}} After the Sangheili-led and Jiralhanae-led forces fought each other in High Charity for several hours, [[Flood]] infected [[Pelican]]s eventually crashed into the holy city, spreading the parasite. Around this time, the High Prophet of Truth left the [[High Prophet of Mercy]] to die at the hands of the Flood, solidifying his place as the autocrat of the Covenant.{{Ref/Level|Id=gravemind|H2|H2:Gravemind|Gravemind}} The chaos was further intensified when Truth abandoned High Charity in the [[Anodyne Spirit|Forerunner Dreadnought]] on a journey to [[Earth]], disconnecting it from the grid, leaving the entire city in the dark without power amongst the Flood. Clarity, 'Klemmee, and the rest of their small group would later escape High Charity aboard a stolen supply ship, ''[[Journey's Sustenance]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|BC18}} High Charity fell to the Flood, leaving the Covenant without a capital and the dying San'Shyuum without a homeworld. Sangheili ships attempted to quarantine the region of space around High Charity, preventing any possibly infected ships from leaving, while also shooting down enemy Jiralhanae ships.{{Citation needed}}

===Broadening conflict===
Conflict occurred all across Covenant space, including from within [[Covenant starship|ships]] themselves. Notably, one [[Unidentified Shipmaster (Righteous Vigilance)|Sangheili Shipmaster]] grabbed the [[Prophet of Conviction|Prophet]] aboard his ship, having barged into his cabin, and executed him before the rest of the crew.{{Ref/Reuse|Return}} [[Chol Von]], a [[T'vaoan]] [[Shipmaster|shipmistress]], captured a [[Phantom]], killing two [[Sangheili]] in the process.{{Ref/Novel|MorDi|Chapter=3}} She renamed her [[missionary ship]] ''[[Paragon|Joyous Discovery]]'' as ''Paragon''.<ref name="md141">'''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''', ''page 141''</ref>

At the onset of the conflict,{{Ref/Game|Id=Target03|HINF|[[High Value Target]] dossier, [[Okro 'Vagaduun]]}} the [[Bloodbrave Guardians of Suban]] on [[Suban]] were attacked by loyalist forces on the orders of the Hierarchs, with all but [[Okro 'Vagaduun|one member]] of the organization being killed in the attack.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P458|Enc22|Page=458}}

Covenant ships in orbit above both [[Tribute]]{{Ref/Site|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/tribute|Site=Halo Waypoint|Section=Universe, Locations|Page=Tribute|LocalArchive=https://archives.halopedia.org/waypoint/www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/tribute.html}} and [[Reach]] would begin firing at one another.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Page=43}}

The civil war was at first a conflict over orthodoxy and leadership, as [[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] summoned many Sangheili to [[Joyous Exultation]] in a plot to wipe out the Jiralhanae.{{Ref/Reuse|GoO27}} However, a revelation among the Sangheili occurred when Thel 'Vadam's [[Fleet of Retribution|contingent]] discovered the truth that the Halos would kill all life in the galaxy and that the Great Journey was a lie, from both the [[Gravemind]] and [[343 Guilty Spark]]. Their disillusionment changed their goal from reforming the purity of the Covenant to actively standing against the [[Covenant religion]] the following day.{{Citation needed}} Wattinree's separatist forces would be destroyed in the meantime in the accidental [[NOVA bomb]]ing of Joyous Exultation and the [[Onyx Conflict]].{{Ref/Reuse|GoO27}}

===Sangheili-human alliance===
[[File:HLC The Great Schism.jpg|250px|thumb|left|One of the Sangheili leaders, [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]], duels against the Jiralhanae leader [[Tartarus]].]]
On [[Installation 05]], [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Major Avery Johnson's]] [[Marine]]s met [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam|Thel 'Vadam's]] forces and united to prevent the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]], [[Tartarus]], from activating Delta Halo and firing the Halo Array.{{Ref/Level|Id=journey|H2|H2:The Great Journey|The Great Journey}} The Arbiter fought Tartarus face to face, while Johnson picked away at the Jiralhanae's shields with a [[beam rifle]] from afar. After killing Tartarus, the Arbiter solidified this alliance of circumstance by bringing in all local Sangheili forces to side with Commander [[Miranda Keyes]] and the UNSC. A shaky alliance between these Sangheili and their former foes, the [[human]]s, was forged out of necessity and revenge against the Covenant to some extent.{{Ref/Level|H3|H3:The Covenant|The Covenant|Quote=I will have my revenge on a Prophet, not a plague!|Thel 'Vadam}} Both sides had two common enemies that wished for their extinction: the Covenant and the Flood. Meanwhile, [[Rtas 'Vadum]] led a strike team of Sangheili to capture the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' from the Jiralhanae as a flagship for their local forces, forming the [[Fleet of Retribution]].{{Citation needed}}

The Fleet of Retribution stayed behind on Delta Halo to quarantine the Flood outbreak by [[glassing]] the surface, while the Arbiter joined the UNSC forces back to Earth to chase the High Prophet of Truth. Truth was excavating [[Excession|the Forerunner artifact]] on Earth that Regret had discovered nearly a month prior and was seeking to use it to travel to the Ark to fire all the Hal