Banished

"I've gathered this crew and they're loyal, because I am loyal... and because we share a vision. One where the blood we spill and the treasures we plunder are in the name of our own free will and nothing more."

- Atriox to his would-be assassins.

The Banished are a mercenary organization and splinter faction of the former Covenant Empire that rose to power after the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War. The organization is led by the Jiralhanae warlord Atriox.

History
"In the shadows of the Ark lurked a banished legacy of the shattered Covenant: a new opponent fueled not by religious fervor, but by raw lust for power."

- Curator on the Banished

The Banished were formed by Atriox and several Jiralhanae loyal to him who rebelled against their Sangheili masters during the Human-Covenant War. For a decade, the Banished were little more than raiders and pirates, conducting surgical raids against the Covenant and other targets while gathering mercenaries to their cause. Evading Covenant enforcers led to Atriox prioritizing stealth in his forces. Unimpeded by the Covenant's devastating Great Schism, the Banished managed to salvage many of the empire's former assets after its fall, becoming a formidable power in their own right. While Atriox had already recruited many allies during the Covenant War, the Banished gained many new members in the war's aftermath from former Covenant who wished to continue fighting.

Occupation of the Ark
In May 2559, 28 years after the lost contact with the rest of the United Nations Space Command, the vessel arrived at the extra-galactic Forerunner structure known as the Ark, only to find that a UNSC research facility on its surface had been attacked by the Banished, leaving no survivors but Isabel, a smart AI. Soon afterward, the crew of the Spirit of Fire engaged the Banished in combat.

Captain James Cutter and Isabel decided to strike at the Banished by attacking a salvage operation, in which the Banished searched for supplies among the wreckage left from the battle nearly seven years earlier, led by Decimus, one of Atriox's lieutenants. The UNSC forces managed to destroy the operation despite orbital support from the CAS-class assault carrier Enduring Conviction, the Banished flagship, although Decimus escaped.

From the wreckage of the fight, the UNSC discovered evidence of a Cartographer, a repository of data about the Ark's systems. As the Spirit of Fire sent Marines led by Spartan Jerome-092 to secure an elevator leading to the Cartographer, the Banished troops in the area were attacked by Sentinels. The survivors were unable to stop the UNSC forces from gaining access to the Cartographer.

Meanwhile, the Banished fell victim to a series of hit-and-run operations conducted by Spartan Alice-130, who was trapped behind enemy lines at the start of the battle, and liberated many captured UNSC troops.

The UNSC managed to capture the Cartographer and Professor Ellen Anders determined that the Banished were using the Ark's vast portal network to rapidly transport troops across the installation. The Banished forces at the network's control hub, led by Decimus, failed to prevent UNSC troops led by Jerome and Douglas-042 from destroying the hub, crippling the network. Decimus himself attempted to avenge the loss of the portals, but was killed by the UNSC forces.

The Banished then went on the offensive, launching an all-out ground assault on Alice's forces and sending several waves of Banshees from the Enduring Conviction at the Spirit of Fire. Alice managed to survive, but the Spirit of Fire was seriously threatened, as several of its deck turrets had been destroyed. Several Banished troops were diverted from the carrier's gravity lift in an attempt to stop UNSC forces led by Douglas from using a Forerunner particle cannon to disable the carrier's energy shields. The UNSC was ultimately successful, however, and Jerome and Isabel approached the ship's grav lift, intending to board the vessel and destroy it from the inside out. Their dropship was shot down by Banished anti-aircraft turrets as it approached, but they survived and Alice managed to use Kodiak artillery vehicles to destroy the Banished defenses to clear a path for them to board. On the ship, Isabel managed to fire the carrier's energy projector at the Ark's surface. The resulting damage caused swarms of Sentinels to crash themselves into the carrier, bisecting it. Jerome and Isabel were able to land safely on the Ark.

A new Halo ring
Atriox met with Shipmaster Let 'Volir, who survived his ship's destruction, on the Ark's surface, to assess the situation. They observed a new Halo ring rising from the Ark's Foundry, which the UNSC intended to disarm before sending it to the Soell system in the Milky Way in order to contact the rest of the UNSC. Atriox ordered 'Volir to send his surviving men onto the ring to capture it. However, Alice and Douglas led Marines in capturing a portal at the Foundry which the Banished were using to send troops to the ring. The Spartans went through the portal and it was destroyed afterwards to limit the Banished presence on the ring.

Atriox contacted Capt. Cutter and offered him a deal: the Banished would allow the Spirit of Fire to leave the area unharmed if the UNSC surrendered the Halo ring to him. He was refused, with Cutter reminding him that he did not make the same offer to the scientists at the Henry Lamb Research Outpost. The Banished troops on the ring were unable to stop Professor Anders hijacking a Retriever Sentinel in order to destroy a shield which the Banished had erected around the installation's Control Room.

The Banished launched a last-ditch assault to stop Anders from disabling the ring's firing systems and planting a distress beacon. However, a stiff UNSC defense did not break, allowing Anders to finish her work. Once this was done, Anders accessed the ring's gravity anchors and ejected a portion of the landmass, which was occupied by the Banished, into space. The Halo ring then entered Slipspace after all of the UNSC troops were evacuated. However, Professor Anders was stuck on the ring. Cutter resolved to continue fighting the Banished on the Ark until Anders returned. Meanwhile, although Atriox's forces had been devastated by the combined losses of Decimus, the Enduring Conviction, and the Halo ring, the warlord still commanded an impressive army with which to fight the UNSC.

Operation: SPEARBREAKER
One month later, Colony, a pair of Mgalekgolo who command all Lekgolo forces in the Banished, attempted to launch a Forerunner Despair-class fighter to destroy the Spirit of Fire. This plan was thwarted by Sunray 1-1, a team of UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Troopers from Boomerang Company.

Yapyap's rebellion
During the battle, an Unggoy named Yapyap the Destroyer rebelled against the Banished with his subordinates, and intended to locate the fabled Golden Methane Hydrate Mines of Sabator.

Awakening a nightmare
After months of battle with the UNSC, the Banished were still searching for victory against the UNSC. They unintentionally released the Flood, who had survived the firing of Installation 04B at the end of the Human-Covenant War.

Governance and society
As a mercenary organization, the Banished are essentially a military hierarchy led by Atriox. Their prevailing philosophy is one of ruthless pragmatism, with their operations focusing solely on accruing useful resources for their war machine. Their overall goals ostensibly center around increasing their power through raiding and conquest, with Atriox having laid plans for dominance across the Orion Arm. During the Covenant's reign, the Banished mostly laid low and kept on the move, never claiming territory; Atriox only attacked targets he had something to gain from, largely in the form of supplies and materiel. However, the Covenant does not seem to have been Atriox's ultimate target, instead only being leveraged as a source of supplies. ONI operative 'D' speculated that Atriox was planning to stabilize the Jiralhanae on their homeworld Doisac under his leadership, though his colleague 'S' suspected that Atriox's long-term goals were even more ambitious.

Societal conditions within the Banished reflect their harsh values, and most of the organization's members are mercenaries and killers. Most of the former client species of the Covenant are represented in their ranks, though the bulk of them are Jiralhanae, most of them being veterans of the Human-Covenant War. Their chain of command, predominantly composed of Jiralhanae, is a "twisted meritocracy" in which Atriox's subordinates constantly compete for influence and favor in their warmaster's eyes, in hopes of increasing their own status. Atriox has spies across his command hierarchy to snuff out signs of disloyalty, and his inner circle of loyal chieftains, known as Atriox's Chosen, are used to enforce compliance among the higher ranks. The Banished are thoroughly irreligious, and lack taboos regarding the treatment of Forerunner technology, for example; despite this, some individuals (namely Decimus) secretly harbor a reverence for the Forerunners.

Atriox does not care for the greater Sangheili-Jiralhanae feud, viewing it as petty. As such, he has welcomed many Sangheili to join the Banished as warriors. Because Atriox and the Jiralhanae in the Banished claim to not have been involved in the betrayal and massacre of the Sangheili, many Sangheili have willingly accepted the offer, and joined viewing the Banished as "other". The Sangheili crew of the Enduring Conviction joined the Banished since its shipmaster, Let 'Volir, reluctantly aligned himself with Atriox. Additionally, three Special Operations Sangheili from the Silent Shadow, a former Covenant Special Operations unit, were successfully convinced by Atriox to join the ranks of the Banished. Despite this coexistence, rivalry between the two species still manifests. The Sangheili under Decimus' command were treated with resentment and often sadistically sent on suicide missions. This is due to some Jiralhanae (Decimus in particular) still holding a grudge against the Sangheili for treating the Jiralhanae as inferiors during the time of the Covenant.

The Banished have numerous Unggoy in their service. They are generally regarded as mere cannon fodder and are often abused for sport by their Jiralhanae superiors. A number of "thrall colonies" exist where Unggoy are bred, only to be indoctrinated into the service of the Banished; the most violent individuals are set apart and formed into suicide squads. The Banished have amassed a small complement of Huragok; those serving on the Ark are imprisoned in harnesses equipped with control yokes keeping them in constant agony to keep them compliant, lest they be distracted by their innate need to repair damaged Forerunner technology. The Banished also field Mgalekgolo troops, many of whom are unusually violent for their kind, and may have been forced into service as well, while Banished Scarabs use unstable plasma generators that quickly kill the Lekgolo comprising their control systems. During their campaign on the Ark, the Banished did not employ Kig-Yar mercenaries, though the group has made use of T'vaoan Kig-Yar in the past.

Jiralhanae

 * Atriox: Warmaster and supreme leader of the Banished.
 * Decimus: A general in the Banished and Atriox's right hand. Killed by UNSC forces on Installation 00.
 * Balkarus: A Jiralhanae Captain.
 * Pavium: A Jiralhanae lieutenant.
 * Voridus: A Jiralhanae lieutenant.
 * Teranus: A Jiralhanae Guard.
 * Forticus
 * Odanostos: A Jiralhanae Chieftain. Killed by Hekabe prior to September 2558.

Lekgolo

 * "Colony": Mgalekgolo pair that reports directly to Atriox.

Sangheili

 * Let 'Volir: A Sangheili shipmaster reluctantly serving the Banished in exchange for supplies for his ship and crew.
 * Jato 'Ratum: A Sangheili who served in a mining expedition for the Banished.
 * Orda Val 'Saham: A Sangheili Guard in service to Atriox and Let 'Volir. Killed by Douglas-042 and Alice-130 on Installation 00.
 * Val 'Telram: A Sangheili Guard and Huragok translator.

Unggoy

 * Yam-Blim: An Unggoy thrall-taskmaster under the command of Decimus. Killed by Spartan-II Alice-130 on the Ark.
 * Yapyap the Destroyer: An Unggoy leader that later rebelled against Atriox.
 * Shadow Master of Buwan

Huragok

 * Floats Low But Steady

Jiralhanae

 * Atriox's Chosen: Jiralhanae warriors promoted by Atriox to be his personal enforcers.
 * Captain: A class of field leaders.
 * Chieftain: Clan leaders.
 * Jumper: These warriors wield gravity hammers and use jump packs.
 * Warlord: Jiralhanae Chieftains loyal to Atriox, tasked to intercede on the Banished leader's behalf to subdue uncooperative packs and direct critical operations within the organization.

Lekgolo

 * Captain: Mgalekgolo officers directly linked to "Colony".

Sangheili

 * Enforcer: units specialized in structure destruction.
 * Honor Guard: Skilled mercenary swordsmasters who evoke the traditions of the old Covenant Honor Guard in the service of shipmaster Let ‘Volir.
 * Ranger: Specialist scout and and marksman units.
 * Shipmaster: This rank is held by Let ‘Volir, commander of the Enduring Conviction.

Unggoy

 * Suicide Unggoy: Drawn from the Banished's thrall colonies, Unggoy in this role are selected for their aggressive and violent tendencies and indoctrinated by the Banished to serve in dedicated suicide squads.
 * Thrall-taskmaster: A role for Unggoy, some of whom serve under the command of Decimus.

Equipment
Having salvaged and repurposed a great deal of Covenant matériel as well as equipment from other sources, the Banished are well equipped with a wide range of military technology. Covenant technology plundered by the Banished is modified to match the aesthetic tastes of its new masters, including an overt preference for layered armor plating, spikes, and sharp angles contrasted with the smooth curves and surfaces favored by the Covenant.

Armor
Most of the infantry personnel of the Banished are equipped with crimson armor, including Jiralhanae power armor, Sangheili combat harnesses and Unggoy combat harnesses. Additionally, the Banished employ specialist Jiralhanae soldiers known as Jump-pack Jiralhanae, who are equipped with jump pack propulsion systems. Many of the Sangheili in the Banished's ranks lack energy shielding.

Weaponry
Weapons used by the organization include the Type-1 energy sword, Type-2 gravity hammer, Type-25 Spiker, Type-51 Carbine, Type-25 Brute shot, Type-25 Brute plasma rifle, Type-25 plasma pistol, Type-25 plasma rifle. Type-33 fuel rod gun and a mace-like weapon called Chainbreaker used by Atriox.

Vehicles
The vehicles at their disposal include the Blisterback mobile missile battery, Shroud aerial stealth vehicle, Marauder tank, and Reaver anti-aircraft walker. The spike turret is used for static defense. They also field the Goblin, Methane Wagon, Skitterer, Type-25 Chopper, Type-25 Spirit, Type-26 Banshee, Type-26 Wraith, Type-30 Locust, Type-32 Ghost, Type-47 Scarab, Phantom and Type-56 Lich all of which depart from typical Covenant aesthetics. They also have at least one, the Enduring Conviction, at least five s, and at one point captured the SDV-class heavy corvette Elegy's Lament.

Symbol
The emblem of the Banished, known as the Mark of Atriox, is modeled after the appearance of Atriox's gravity mace, Chainbreaker, when viewed from a top-down perspective.

List of appearances

 * Know Your Enemy
 * Halo Mythos
 * Halo: Tales from Slipspace
 * Hunting Party
 * Halo: Smoke and Shadow
 * Halo Wars 2
 * Halo: Envoy
 * Halo: Retribution
 * Halo: Rise of Atriox