Orda Val 'Saham

"Battle and conflict is in our blood, our very way of life, and that is the only truth I can now find."

- Orda Val 'Saham reflecting on his and his species' purpose

Orda Val 'Saham was a male Sangheili warrior who served in the Covenant as part of the crew of the Enduring Conviction, under Shipmaster Let 'Volir. Following the Great Schism, 'Saham remained loyal to 'Volir and served as an Honor Guard in his crew as they fought against the Covenant. In 2553, 'Saham alongside the rest of 'Volir's crew, swore loyalty to the Banished, a faction led by the Jiralhanae warlord Atriox. During the Banished's battle with the forces of the on Forerunner Installation 00, 'Saham was killed by human forces while protecting his Scarab.

Covenant War
"The Shipmaster brought us through the war and to this place alive where so many others have perished. He asked us to follow him once more, and I will."

- 'Saham on Shipmaster Let 'Volir

Orda Val 'Saham was a Sangheili warrior who served in the Covenant fleet aboard the Enduring Conviction, under the command of Sangheili Shipmaster Let 'Volir during the Human-Covenant War. Following the Great Schism, a major civil conflict between forces loyal to the Covenant against the ousted Sangheili, 'Saham remained loyal to 'Volir and continued to serve as an Honor Guard aboard the Enduring Conviction as part of a larger Sangheili fleet.

'Saham's renunciation of the Covenant religion resulted in his estrangement from his family, who refused to fully condemn their faith.

Serving the Banished
"With Atriox there are no lies; he speaks like a warrior. He wished to break free from the yoke of the Prophets, so he did. Would that we had joined him earlier. Now he offers us a way to keep our ship and our crew together and I can think of nothing more truthful to fight for right now."

- 'Saham on his loyalty to the Banished

Some time before May 6, 2553, 'Volir broke away from the Sangheili fleet and he and his crew, including 'Saham, pledged their loyalty to the Jiralhanae warlord Atriox and his splinter faction known as the Banished. Now a mercenary, 'Saham felt he brought shame on his family name for offering his blade for hire but remained fiercely loyal to his fellow crew-members. On November 25, 2558, the Banished arrived at Forerunner Installation 00, also known as "the Ark," and proceeded to raid the United Nations Space Command research outposts on the surface.

Over the next few months, the Banished established their presence across the Ark. During this time, 'Saham had the opportunity to visit the installation's Cartographer as part of a Sangheili team tasked with sweeping the area for hostile elements. 'Saham felt great emotion at the Cartographer, a site that was considered legendary in the ancient fables of the Covenant belief, though he felt no religious fervor towards the structure. 'Saham recorded his thoughts on the Cartographer and its link to the Covenant faith in his journal on March 4, 2559.

Encounter with the Spirit of Fire
"You destroyed our carrier, demons! I shall see your remains scattered to the winds!"

- 'Saham while defending his Scarab from UNSC attack

On March 28, 2559, the arrived by slipspace portal at the Ark and battle soon broke out between the two groups. On March 30, 'Saham was ordered to defend the Banished's teleportation network from the human forces, and report to Atriox's lieutenant, General Decimus. 'Saham survived this operation and later learned of the destruction of the Enduring Conviction by UNSC forces, which angered him greatly. Commanding a Scarab, 'Saham was transferred to an access point the Banished were using to send reinforcements to a recently deployed Halo ring. The Sangheili soon came into contact with a contingent of UNSC Marines led by Spartans Douglas-042 and Alice-130, who aimed to commandeer the Scarab in order to reach the access point. 'Saham, armed with an energy sword, fought alongside the surrounding Banished forces against the humans, but was eventually killed. His Scarab was hijacked, allowing the UNSC to halt the flow of Banished reinforcements to the ring and eventually neutralize all forces there.

Personality and traits
"I remember how many hundreds of thousands of our warriors fell—how many were sacrificed for a journey that never existed. I feel anger and a deep sorrow for a race that has lost its way."

- 'Saham reflecting on the needless sacrifices of his species in the Covenant War

Like most Sangheili who lived under the Covenant, Orda Val 'Saham was a zealous believer in the Forerunner religion and the Great Journey. However, after the revelation of the true nature of the Forerunners, 'Saham became disillusioned and renounced his former beliefs. He felt great love for his Sangheili "brothers" and was sorrowful and angry that the Prophets had led so many of his species to needless death. After becoming a mercenary, 'Saham felt he had brought shame on his family name but believed that there was nothing more worth fighting for than his ship and crew. As such, 'Saham held great anger towards the Spirit of Fire's forces after the destruction of the Enduring Conviction.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars 2