Stealth Sangheili
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
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Stealth, infiltration |
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Flanking, spying and stalking |
- "I still have nightmares about the Stealth Elites... they would come out of nowhere. You have to look very, very closely: you could see the air move just before they jump you. But then it was usually already too late..."
- — Private Roger Alfarsi[2]
The Stealth Sangheili are a class of specialized Sangheili units in the Covenant and some of its splinter factions, tasked with infiltration and stealth operations. Within the Covenant, they reported to Fleet Security of the Special Warfare Group.[1] They are typically equipped with energy swords and Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifles, and are often seen commanding a file of Unggoy soldiers.
Description[edit]
Not to be confused with Special Operations Sangheili, Sangheili Stealth soldiers are the assassins and spies of the Covenant Fleet Security.[1] Unlike the Special Operations Sangheili, Sangheili serving under the Stealth class are distributed throughout the Covenant's ground forces in standard battlefield units. Stealth Sangheili participate in most widespread ground engagements.[3] Though part of the Special Warfare Group, Stealth Sangheili report through Fleet Security as their role concentrates more on the acquisition of intelligence and strategic countermeasures than direct combat. Their commanders are usually high-ranking fleet leaders and can even be San'Shyuum Prophets, depending on the nature of their service.[1] The Stealth Sangheili corps is divided into several subgroups, such as the Ossoona. Ossoona was a title assigned to Sangheili ordered with recovering hostile intelligence from the battlefield, or sent on high-risk missions of critical importance, such as assassinations.[4]
During the events of the Great Schism, the Covenant replaced the Stealth Sangheili with the Jiralhanae Stalker, who have a similar set of equipment and role. During the Battle of Draetheus V in 2554, some Stealth Sangheili participated in the battle serving under Merg Vol's Covenant.[5] In 2557, many Stealth Sangheili would serve in Jul 'Mdama's Covenant during the Battle of Installation 03.[6]
Operational history[edit]
Stealth Sangheili saw usage by the Covenant throughout its genocidal campaign against the human race. During the five-year battle on the human colony world of Harvest, Stealth Sangheili were among the many troops deployed against the United Nations Space Command. After UNSC forces under Sergeant Forge prevented the Covenant from destroying an underground Forerunner structure in the northern polar region of Harvest, they went on to access the facility's star map. While the humans were distracted, a number of Stealth Sangheili disengaged their active camouflage and attacked Forge and his group. The Stealth Sangheili were soon joined by Mgalekgolo and other Covenant troops and were poised to overrun Sergeant Forge and his men when a pair of Grizzly tanks sent by the UNSC Spirit of Fire arrived, killing all Covenant, including the Stealth Sangheili, allowing Forge and his group to escape.[7]
During the Battle of Trove, a group of Stealth Sangheili armed with energy staves ambushed the Spartans of Red Team at the Apex Site, while Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee attacked Sergeant Forge. Although they outnumbered Red Team, the Spartans proved superior in terms of skill and quickly killed all of the attacking Stealth Sangheili while Forge personally slew 'Moramee.[8]
A large number of Stealth Sangheili served in the Fleet of Particular Justice, and were present when the fleet arrived at Installation 04 after pursuing the UNSC Pillar of Autumn from Reach. Several were onboard the Truth and Reconciliation when the ship was boarded by SPARTAN-117 and a team of ODSTs under Sergeant Parker in order to rescue Captain Keyes who had been captured by the Covenant. At least one Stealth Sangheili was present in the brig where Keyes was located. He managed to land at least one hit on the Master Chief with a beam weapon, but the Spartan was able to ascertain his location and quickly killed the Sangheili. Around the same time, another pair of Stealth Sangheili ambushed Parker and his squad while they were guarding the control room, and managed to kill all of the ODSTs. These two Sangheili were slain in revenge by the Master Chief, Keyes and several rescued Marine POWs upon their return to the control room.[9]
Another Stealth Sangheili ambushed the Master Chief shortly after the Spartan had deactivated the security system for the installation's Cartographer facility. Fortunately for the Chief, the Sangheili roared before firing his weapon, allowing the Spartan to quickly locate and kill him. A group of Stealth Sangheili were deployed onto the exterior platform of the Cartographer building by a Spirit dropship as a last ditch attempt by the Covenant to kill John-117 after he had accessed the Cartographer. They failed in their mission, and the Chief was able to escape onboard Echo 419.[10] Stealth Sangheili, along with other Covenant troops were deployed into the area around Installation 04's control room but all of them were killed by John-117 as he made his way towards the control room.[11]
Later in the battle, following the release of the Flood onto the installation, Stealth Sangheili were among the forces that attempted to stem the parasitic outbreak, with many deployed into the vast icy canyons where the Covenant engaged the Flood with the aid of vehicles, aircraft and Mgalekgolo support. During one such battle, where the Master Chief engaged both parties while searching for a Banshee to access the final phase pulse generator needed to delay the installation's firing sequence, a group of Stealth Sangheili broke through a line of Flood, specifically seeking out the Spartan to kill him but once again, the Chief was able to survive their attacks and eliminate all of his assailants.[12] A number of Stealth Sangheili were infected by the Flood onboard the downed Pillar of Autumn during the final phase of the battle. The resultant combat forms retained their host's active camouflage modules. They were discovered in the ship's armory by John-117 while searching for weapons to aid his assault on the engine room and despite the advantage of their camouflage, the infected Stealth Sangheili fell to the Spartan.[13]
During the initial stages of the Battle for Earth, Stealth Sangheili were among the Covenant boarders that invaded a cluster of orbital defense platforms to destroy them from within, to allow the Fleet of Sacred Consecration to descend to Earth's surface. A pair of them were engaged and killed by John-117 under Armory A-01, but their interference allowed more Sangheili to kill the gunnery sergeant in the armory.[14] Many more were deployed by the Solemn Penance directly into the city of Mombasa, particularly into the narrow streets and subterranean tunnels of the city, where they used their camouflage to ambush UNSC forces.[15][16]
Following the Prophet of Regret's arrival at Installation 05 on November 2, 2552, he deployed troops into the ruined structures and underwater facilities in the vicinity of the temple from which the Prophet conducted his religious sermons. A number of Stealth Sangheili along with similarly-camouflaged Unggoy were stationed in one of several underwater passageways that connected the various structures in the large artificial lake that ultimately connected to the Prophet's temple. This group was slain by John-117 as he passed through the area in his mission to assassinate the Prophet of Regret.[17] The next day, as the Great Schism broke out on High Charity, the Stealth Sangheili aided the rest of the species as they defended themselves from the now Jiralhanae-commanded Covenant military. A pair of energy sword wielding Stealth Sangheili along with a group of Special Operations Unggoy defended the door connecting the second Valley of Tears to the tower that would lead to the Mausoleum of the Arbiter, where the Sangheili prepared to fight a last stand against the Covenant. All members of both warring factions were slain by the Master Chief during his pursuit of the Prophet of Truth.[18]
After the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War, a number of Stealth Sangheili joined a faction of the defunct Covenant Empire led by Sangheili Zealot Merg Vol. In 2554, this "new" Covenant attacked the human research colony world of Draetheus V and its moon X50. As the battle raged on, Merg Vol discovered the true purpose of X50: the moon was actually a Forerunner insta