Covenant remnants

"What does it mean to be 'Covenant' today? A hundred warlords claim they rule the Covenant, but each of them leads only a small faction."

- Zef 'Trahl

The fall of the Covenant at the end of the Human-Covenant War led to the formation of numerous factions sometimes collectively referred to as Covenant remnants. These factions vary greatly in ethos and motives; while some consider themselves as upholding the legacy of the Covenant as it used to be, others have been shown to pursue more extensive reforms or more specific agendas. Although many former Covenant discarded the Prophets' religion altogether in the wake of the revelation of the truth about the Halos, many Sangheili in particular have reverted to their species' ancient ways of worshiping the Forerunners and their technology. Thus, the various Covenant remnant factions range from chiefly pragmatic mercenaries to groups of religiously fanatical cultists.

Unlike the original Covenant at its height, the general scarcity of resources has forced many of the remnant factions to use whatever they can find. Intact capital warships are considered coveted assets among the splinter factions, as many ships were destroyed in the Great Schism and many of the Covenant's infrastructure and shipyards are inactive. Similarly, while select Sangheili armories soon took over the production of matériel formerly manufactured within High Charity, many remnant groups are forced to employ obsolete or second-hand military equipment and weaponry in the absence of the Covenant's extensive supply chain. On the other hand, black markets—many of them operated by Kig-Yar profiteering from the Covenant's end—were flooded with former Covenant matériel after the war.

The Great Schism and dissolution of the Covenant
The remnant factions can trace their origins back to the outbreak of the Great Schism in November 2552. The first faction formed during this conflict was Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's separatist movement. With support from the vast majority of the Sangheili, the separatist movement rebelled against the San 'Shyuum-led main body of the Covenant which was supported by the Jiralhanae, who, with the Hierarchs' blessing, had replaced the Sangheili as the Covenant's primary warrior caste. Many Unggoy, Mgalekgolo, Yanme'e and Kig-Yar remained within both the Jiralhanae's and Sangheili's respective command hierarchies and continued to serve their masters throughout the Great Schism.

Formation of other remnants of the Covenant
The dissolution of the Covenant did not end with the formation of one remnant faction. After the death of the Prophet of Truth and many of the Prophets at the hands of the Sangheili, the remaining San 'Shyuum went into hiding, leaving a power vacuum within the remains of the Covenant. Various high-ranked members of the crumbling hegemony seized control of as many military assets as they could, many of them becoming independent warlords commanding their own factions, with many claiming to be a legitimate continuation of the Covenant. Others, including many Sangheili kaidons, hoarded ships and weapons for their own purposes while avoiding involvement in larger conflicts.

New conflicts
Defying the tenuous peace between humanity and the majority of the Sangheili aligned with the Arbiter, several Covenant groups—mainly religious cultists—once again rose to oppose humanity soon after the end of the war. One of the first and most prominent post-Covenant revival factions was formed by the Sangheili Jul 'Mdama, seeking revenge on the humans who supported the Arbiter during the Sangheili civil war—an event during which his wife Raia was killed. In 2553, 'Mdama, along with several other Sangheili from a remote colony planet called Hesduros, planned to go to the shield world Requiem and wake the "living god" known as the Didact to assist them in eradicating all humanity. The newly-formed remnant faction discovered Requiem shortly afterward and managed to gain access to the world in July 2557. Six months later, the UNSC again contested the occupying Covenant forces in the Second Battle of Requiem, ending in the shield world's destruction. Only weeks afterward, an offshoot of 'Mdama's Covenant was hired by the human insurgent group New Colonial Alliance to disrupt peace negotiations between the Arbiter and the Jiralhanae on Ealen IV.

'Vadam's faction
The original Covenant remnant group, this faction was formed by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam during the Great Schism and successfully rebelled against the San 'Shyuum-led Covenant, assassinating its remaining political leadership alongside the UNSC. Following the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War, 'Vadam sought to make peace with the humans. It is the most prominent post-Covenant faction to abandon not only the Covenant religion but the Sangheili's traditional worship of the Forerunners as well, which has been a point of controversy among some of the more conservative Sangheili. The Abiding Truth, in particular, consider 'Vadam and his allies blasphemers.

Servants of the Abiding Truth
The Servants of the Abiding Truth is an insurgent group led by Sangheili religious extremist and former Field Master, Avu Med 'Telcam. Unlike most of the post-Covenant factions, the Servants have their roots in an ancient order, mostly suppressed by the Prophets during the Covenant's reign and revived after the San 'Shyuum were overthrown. Outspoken in their opposition of the Arbiter and his abandonment of the worship of the Forerunners, the Abiding Truth launched an armed insurgency against 'Vadam in March 2553, assisted by elements of the human Office of Naval Intelligence.

'Mdama's faction
This faction was founded on Hesduros by Jul 'Mdama, who initially started as a member of the Servants of the Abiding Truth but grew disillusioned with their religious zeal and willingness to collaborate with humanity even temporarily. Despite the ostensibly religions trappings of the group and the genuine zeal of many of its members, 'Mdama himself does not view the Forerunners as gods, only projecting the facade of a religious leader to motivate his followers. Since the events of the first Requiem campaign, Jul 'Mdama's faction is considered by the UNSC to be the biggest threat among the many Covenant remnant factions, and has absorbed elements of one large faction and spun off another smaller group.

Vol's faction
Led by Zealot Merg Vol, the faction initiated one of the first engagements in the Reclamation conflict. The faction attacked the human research world of Draetheus V to access the Forerunner artifacts on its moon. Ultimately, the UNSC defeated the group and Vol was executed by Spartan Sarah Palmer, leading to the faction's dissolution. Parg Vol, a former member of this group, joined the faction led by 'Mdama following the battle.

'Gajat's group
Vata 'Gajat was a former member of Jul 'Mdama's faction, until he saw the benefit of human capitalism and turned mercenary. The faction's equipment and resources are a mixture from both the original Covenant and 'Mdama's group. By March 2558, 'Gajat and the group were employed by the New Colonial Alliance. The group was responsible for the disruption of a Sangheili and Jiralhanae peace meeting on Ealen IV.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Return
 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo 4
 * Terminals
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Spartan Assault
 * Halo: Initiation
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata