Canon

Truthseekers

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Truthseekers
Government overview

Type:

Reformation movement

Societal overview

Official language(s):

Sangheili language

 

The Truthseekers were a group of revolutionaries who sought to change the Covenant by discovering and exposing the truth of the Forerunners.[1]

History[edit]

An old warrior named Lindbeda 'Oodamee saw the potential in a young Seelior 'Andolee to become a Truthseeker and guided and steered him towards that path. 'Andolee trusted 'Oodamee, valued his closeness and treasured his advice, but as a young Sangheili, not quite understood what he was being told. Another student gave the old warrior away and 'Oodamee was publicly executed for heresy, a slow and painful death. It would only be years later when 'Andolee found his own path that he recognized 'Oodamee for setting him along that route and that the old warrior had been his first encounter with a Truthseeker.[2]

By late 2552, many of the Truthseekers had been caught, tortured and executed.[1]

In September 2552, 'Andolee participated in the Battle of Installation 04. 'Andolee saw the chance to find proof on Halo,[3] betraying the Covenant forces that he was with and surrendering to a group of humans led by Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto.[4] 'Andolee explained the Truthseekers and his mission to the humans, explaining his belief that the truth he sought to expose could potentially end the Human-Covenant War.[1] 'Andolee was certain that there was likely other Truthseekers amongst the Covenant forces on Halo, but also felt that he had likely gone further than most by betraying his keep and the Covenant and placing himself into the hands of humans in search of the truth.[2]

While crossing Halo, 'Andolee found a building adorned with the glyph for Reclaimer which he believed might contain the proof that he sought and investigated it. The building proved to be a tomb with pods that opened at the touch of Charlie Collins. The skeletons contained within were of Forerunners with nearly identical skeletal structure to a human and six fingers, proving a genetic link between the two species beyond a shadow of a doubt as well as the fact that the Hierarchs knew and had covered it up. Corporal Paxton used her helmet recorder to make a record of the find to show to the Prophets. 'Andolee believed that it would be enough to serve as at least a seed of change and cause enough to at least get the Covenant to declare a ceasefire and begin study.[5][6]

Before being overwhelmed by the Flood, Paxton gave 'Andolee her helmet and Gabby Collins sent him to the far side of the ring via the teleportation grid. As Halo was destroyed and he removed the memory disk, 'Andolee told Charlie that he would have to hope until his final moment that if he showed the evidence to the right Prophet, they would take heed and the Truthseekers' mission would succeed. However, part of 'Andolee feared that for some, peace would be more frightening than war and the truth of what humanity was would break the Covenant.[7] However, after the two were brought aboard the Mona Lisa, one of the guards destroyed the memory disk and the proof that it contained, leaving 'Andolee in despair that after everything, he had failed in his mission.[8]

Known Members[edit]

  • Seelior 'Andolee - Also known as "Henry," 'Andolee was a Sangheili warrior who sought the truth during the Battle of Installation 04.
  • Lindbeda 'Oodamee - An old warrior who guided and steered 'Andolee towards the path of the Truthseekers. Exposed by one of his students and publicly executed for heresy.[2]

Structure[edit]

None of the Truthseekers knew the real extent of the network. Instead, they functioned more as a loose coalition described by Seelior 'Andolee as betrayers and revolutionaries. If the individual Truthseekers knew the full extent of the group and were captured, they would be tortured until they revealed it using deep and dark methods by the San'Shyuum.[1] For their own security, the Truthseekers were few and far between, and spread all across the vast Covenant empire with no central organization.[6]

Religion and beliefs[edit]

Unlike the rest of the Covenant, the Truthseekers believed that the Forerunners were not gods at all, but rather a technologically advanced species that spent much of their time studying ways to defeat the Flood. The Truthseekers' ultimate goal was to find proof of their beliefs, that there was no Great Journey and no transcendence like the Covenant religion preached. With such proof, the Truthseekers believed that they could free the Covenant from their blind faith and end the Human-Covenant War.[1]

The Truthseekers believed that the Prophets held onto deeper secrets that the Covenant rank and file could never know or understand. While expression of that belief in itself would be heresy, but it was a self-perpetuating theory.[6]

Part of a Truthseeker's task was to learn the ways of heretics, such as being able to speak English. In the Covenant, it was usually the role of the Unggoy to learn the ways of heretics.[1] The Truthseekers studied many pieces of forbidden data on operating basic Forerunner control systems.[9]

At least one forewent the Sangheili's usual aversion to seeking medical attention, considering the Sangheili revilement of it as being foolish.[2]

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 15
  2. ^ a b c d Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 17
  3. ^ Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 4
  4. ^ Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 13
  5. ^ Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 21
  6. ^ a b c Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 22
  7. ^ Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 30
  8. ^ Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 32
  9. ^ Halo: Parasite's Wake, chapter 23