Unyielding Hierophant

The Unyielding Hierophant was a Covenant command-and-control center and refit-battle station that was capable of supporting a fleet of over 500 capital ships. It was capable of Slipspace jumps (possibly Halo: First Strike page 198) and was over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in circumference. This type of vessel possesses at least two fusion reactor cores for power.

Appearance
"I'm not sure what that thing is. Don't look like any 'uneven elephant' to me—more like two squids kissing."

- Avery J. Johnson

The Unyielding Hierophant is shaped like an eight, with two tear-drop shaped bulbous sections connected at the center, each 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) long which makes it 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) total. A rotating ring is connected to the central hub, and is used by Covenant cruisers and carriers to dock with the space station.

Internally it has large "rooms" that are built with foliage and animals to simulate the Covenant's worlds to make occupants feel more at home, rather than on a huge station. The Master Chief compares these to the large atrium that FLEETCOM HQ has in its lobby. These areas have temples for religious sessions. In these large rooms, the Spartans reported to have seen pipe-like tubes that carried passengers from one destination to the other in capsules. Also, the Covenant seemed to have an almost complete control of gravity in the station, as water was seen flowing up and sideways.

Destruction
At the time of its destruction it was located in the Tau Ceti system. The system was conquered by Covenant forces in 2530 and was therefore used as a rendezvous point for a Covenant force of approximately 500 warships before they prepared to launch their impending attack on Earth. When the UNSC discovered this, the crew of the Ascendant Justice-Gettysburg decided to initiate a first strike against the Covenant to postpone an inevitable Covenant assault against Earth. A team of SPARTAN-IIs, among them John-117, Grace-093, Fred-104 and Linda-058 commandeered a Covenant dropship, after they had reinforced the armor of the dropship with Titanium-A armor inside and out so the ship could withstand the transition from Slipspace to normal space. The team departed and made the transition from Slipspace to normal space in one piece.

The Spartans infiltrated the station, using the Covenant's own tugs to tow them aboard, finding themselves within a hangar capable of docking hundreds of single-ships. Avoiding the Covenant presence, the Spartans proceeded inward, with a copy of Cortana infiltrating the Station's network to distract and hinder the Covenant's coordination. Managing to cross an open plaza with only the loss of one Spartan, who was killed by Brute Shots, Blue team neutralized the Brute guards of a temple and proceeded to the 512 terra-watt reactors, with the copied Cortana setting them to overload, which would destroy the station and nearby fleet.

The Spartans attempted to flee using captured banshees, now taking heavy fire from the Covenant forces aware of their presence. After destroying one of the plaza's windows, they managed to escape, hijacking a floating Covenant dropship and making their way to the evacuation point for the Ascendant Justice-Gettysburg. The Ascendant Justice, separated from the Gettysburg, drew the Covenant's attention to the station with a holographic ruse, keeping them within the blast radius - the detonation destroyed virtually all of the five-hundred strong fleet, the largest space victory ever accomplished by the UNSC.

Trivia

 * Due to his trouble reading small text, Sergeant Johnson incorrectly (or jokingly) refers to this station as the "Uneven Elephant."
 * The assault on the station became the Spartan-II's first encounter with Brutes. John was almost defeated by one and Grace-093 took several Brute Shot rounds to her mid section, killing her instantly.
 * The five hundred twelve tera-watt energy that is used to power the shield generator of the station is strong enough to repel the collision of a small moon.
 * The 12 ships that survived the stations explosion are believed to be the ships the Prophet of Regret brought with him to Earth.
 * It is possible that this is a refit station similar to the UNSC Cradle.
 * A hierophant, according to Webster's Dictionary is a "priest in ancient Greece; specifically : the chief priest of the Eleusinian mysteries". This may be a reference to the Prophets and their role in Covenant Society. Also, the Eleusinian mysteries could be seen as referring to the Great Journey as both promised salvation to believers and an afterlife.