The Eight
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
The Eight are a council of eight Banished senior leaders, each held in high esteem by the Warmaster Atriox,[1] and each commanding a major clan[2] and associated fleet within the Banished.[1] In November 2559, they and their combined forces were placed under the command of the newly-promoted War Chief, Severan, remaining in the galaxy to continue Banished operations against the United Nations Space Command and Swords of Sanghelios in lieu of Atriox's absence.[1]
Members[edit]
The eight consist of the leaders of several large clans within the Banished. As of late 2559, the Eight include six Jiralhanae Chieftains, one Sangheili Kaidon, and one Kig-Yar War-Queen.[2]
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Jiralhanae
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Sangheili
Kig-Yar
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History[edit]
The Eight were placed under the command of Severan following his promotion to War Chief on November 5, 2559. In a meeting aboard Atriox's dreadnought Ghost of Helotry, Atriox, Severan, and War Chief Escharum discussed Atriox's upcoming operation to Netherop to retrieve a superweapon that could destroy Guardian Custodes, with Severan promoted to War Chief and given charge of all remaining Banished forces left in the galaxy not already deployed at the Ark or intended for deployment to Zeta Halo. Severan was tasked by Atriox with anticipating, and countering, any aspect of UNSC Infinity's deployment to Zeta Halo that had not already been taken into account.[3] With this promotion, the Eight were placed directly under Severan's command and summoned to personally pledge their allegiance to him, Atriox hoping that by validating Severan's appointment, the Eight would be less resistant to their new overseer.[1]
After the Razing of Oth Sonin three days later on November 8, Severan was tasked by Escharum with exacting revenge on humanity for the destruction of Doisac by taking his forces to destroy the human homeworld Earth. In the immediate aftermath of the cataclysm, Severan ordered the Eight to rally every ship to a predesignated rendezvous point, though Severan and his flagship Heart of Malice did not immediately attend due to Severan's secret mission to Venezia.[1] Unbeknownst to the Eight, Severan was secretly a double agent working for Dovo Nesto and the Order of Restoration, meaning that the War Chief had to balance a precarious position of working for the Order without rousing the suspicions of the Eight, who already viewed him skeptically due to their personal loyalty to Atriox.[4] On December 5, Atriox contacted Severan and the Eight as they prepared their attack on Earth, confirming that his mission on Netherop had been successful.[2]
During the battle of Earth on December 15, midway through the battle Severan rallied the Eight in response to the deactivation of the Guardians, thanks to the simultaneous victory against the Created at Zeta Halo. During the brief meeting, Severan urged the Eight to abandon the battle, which they were winning, due to the need to uncover the Lithos on Boundary. The Eight were hesitant to Severan's arguments, preferring to continue their assault on Earth, though Severan argued that the Lithos presented a more important and time-critical target, as it would allow the Banished control of the Domain in place of the recently-defeated Created. Cassius, Ectorius, Gathgor, and then Kaladus were the first to acquiese, driven in part by suspicion of the other clans and a desire to ensure they not miss out on any of the potential spoils. This drove the others to side with Severan's cause, though none of them knew that Severan's real plan was to use the Lithos to place Dovo Nesto into the Domain and restore the Covenant empire by force.[2]
During the subsequent Banished occupation of Tyrrhen, Boundary, the Eight selected several of their number (via casting of lots) to distribute their ground forces around the digsite on the ground while the rest remained in orbit to form a defensive shell around the planet. Cassius, Ectorius, and Dreka 'Xulsam accompanied Severan and his Vanguard of Zaladon on the ground, while the others remained in orbit without a fuss, likely due to being unwilling to deploy more groundside assets than necessary. Severan reasoned that the remaining five leaders were eager to lay claim to the Lithos if it existed, but would not be willing to risk their own resources for it without proof.[5] Ultimately, during the ensuing Battle of Boundary, the Banished presence around the planet was heavily damaged by fighting with the UNSC and Sali 'Nyon's Covenant and the Lithos destroyed. During the fighting, Severan's secret pact with Dovo Nesto was nearly discovered, though due to Nesto's betrayal of Severan and the subsequent outbreak of fighting, the War Chief was able to avert any suspicions and fully aligned himself with the Banished. As the battle drew to a close, Severan ordered that any survivors of the Eight to retreat from Boundary to regroup,[6] and elected to position himself as a leader for the Banished in the absence of both Atriox and Escharum - both of whom were still missing at Zeta Halo.[7]
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo: Empty Throne (First appearance)
