Jul 'Mdama's Covenant

"John-117"

- Cortana

This Covenant faction, known simply as the Covenant by its followers, is a major splinter faction of the former Covenant who continue to worship the Forerunners and oppose the United Nations Space Command in the wake of the Human-Covenant War, the Great Schism, and the disappearance of the San'Shyuum. The faction is led by Supreme Commander Jul 'Mdama.

Although the faction is generally recognized as a continuation of the original Covenant, and indeed is generally identified as "the Covenant", its members are identified as terrorists by the UNSC and the organization itself is regarded as closer to a religious cult as opposed to the full-fledged empire of the original Covenant.

Formation
After the Human-Covenant War and the initial phase of the Great Schism, the Covenant's former member races returned to their home systems. Many Sangheili and Jiralhanae continued to fight each other, steadily dwindling both sides' military resources, though some Jiralhanae remained loyal to their Sangheili masters. A great number of Sangheili began to forsake the Prophets' false religion. The Sangheili soon fell into civil war, sparked by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's desire to make peace with humanity. In March 2553, a loose coalition of keeps opposed to the peace treaty launched an assault on the state of Vadam and the Arbiter's followers, though the timely intervention of the turned the battle in the Arbiter's favor.

Jul 'Mdama, a former shipmaster and an affiliate of the Servants of the Abiding Truth, became disillusioned with the Arbiter and humanity after being kidnapped by the Office of Naval Intelligence; his resolve was strengthened when his wife, Raia, was killed in the civil conflict. After escaping ONI custody on the shield world Trevelyan via a Forerunner portal, Jul gained a small following of Sangheili on the colony world Hesduros, the populace of which was unaware of the Schism and the war's end. Feigning religious devotion to the Forerunners, he resolved to recover Forerunner technology from the shield world Requiem, much as the humans had done on Trevelyan. Though he believed it unlikely that any Forerunners still lived, 'Mdama also planned to find the Didact, the leader of the Forerunner military, with whom he shared disdain for humanity.

In April 22, 2554, Jul 'Mdama's forces fought against the Shadow of Intent and managed to leave the ship combat ineffective.

Requiem and the Didact
'Mdama's fleet arrived at Requiem in 2554, though they could not gain access. The fleet subsequently took up position around the shield world. For the next three years, the Covenant attempted to awaken the Didact by broadcasting his name from orbit in thirty minute intervals, though their calls received no response. Also during this time period, 'Mdama frequently dispatched raiding parties to steal supplies from other planets. By July 2557, the group had gathered a formidable fleet, consisting of at least sixteen s and a single (Song of Retribution) as their flagship. At this time one of the returning raiding parties noticed a human ship,, drifting toward the planet. 'Mdama ordered the fleet to stop it from entering. Multiple boarding parties attempted to take the crippled ship, but were fought off by Spartan John-117, who had been awoken from cryo-sleep. A cruiser then attempted to destroy the Dawn, but the Master Chief manually launched a Hyperion nuclear missile and destroyed the cruiser before it could open fire. At that moment, the installation detected the presence of a Reclaimer, causing an entrance portal to open; both the Dawn and several Covenant ships were pulled into the shield world by the gravity well emitted by the portal. Despite losing many ships, the surviving Covenant forces immediately began establishing positions all over the shield world, engaging SPARTAN-117, who had arrived in the wreckage of the Dawn; they were also engaged by local Forerunner Sentinels. A trio of light cruisers eventually reached Requiem's core, where the Didact was imprisoned. By this point the forces of the revived Covenant had come under attack by the Prometheans, who tried to prevent them from reaching the Didact. Despite the mutual hostility of the Covenant and the Prometheans, John-117 soon reached the Didact's Cryptum and accidentally released him. Upon the Didact's release, the Covenant forces in the area (including 'Mdama himself) bowed down in worship.

Through their mutual hatred toward humanity, the Covenant and Promethean forces (now controlled by the Didact) quickly formed an alliance, despite the Didact seeing the Covenant as little more than "beasts" and "primitives." The Covenant aided the Didact's forces in their attack on the, though the ship's point defenses disabled two cruisers and forced the Didact to retreat. Later, they defended a network of particle cannons which protected the shield world's gravity well generator, preventing Infinity from escaping; they were again unsuccessful. The Covenant later dispatched a flight of Phantom and Lich dropships to accompany the Didact's flagship to Ivanoff Station, an Office of Naval Intelligence facility. The Covenant spearheaded an attack on the station in order to acquire the Composer, a Forerunner superweapon. The attack caught the defenders off-guard and despite John-117's efforts the Didact acquired the Composer. The Didact then attacked Earth and tried to digitize its population, though he was defeated by the Master Chief. However, the millions-strong population of New Phoenix, URNA, was composed and the the victims' essences were transported to Requiem and converted into new Promethean Knights; there they would fall under the command of Jul 'Mdama and would fight alongside the Covenant in the battles that followed.

Later actions on Requiem
While their defeat at Earth proved a set back for the Promethean-Covenant alliance, it did not result in their defeat. The reformed Covenant still maintained a presence on Requiem in February 2558. By that time, they had begun searching for the Librarian's archived personality in hopes of finding more Forerunner artifacts.

This search brought them again into conflict with a combined force comprising all five branches of the UNSC: Spartan, Marine, Navy, Air Force and Army. The Covenant ships in orbit around the planet were swiftly defeated and scattered, due to the technological advancement of the UNSC since the end of the war. Arriving on Requiem's surface, Majestic, Crimson, and other SPARTAN-IV squads began to disrupt Covenant operations across Requiem and recover Forerunner artifacts for study. The Covenant in turn made numerous attempts to destroy Infinity. The Covenant and their Promethean allies engaged in numerous skirmishes with the UNSC expeditionary force. Territories and facilities around Requiem traded hands multiple times.

The Covenant forces discovered the Librarian's imprint at Librarian's Rest and set up a military base inside, with 'Mdama and his lieutenant Gek 'Lhar supervising the Covenant attempts at activating the imprint. Via a Forerunner artifact which was brought onboard the Infinity by its crew, the Covenant managed to abduct the ship's chief scientist, Doctor Henry Glassman, and forced him to work on activating the imprint. Jul told his followers that the Librarian would gift them incredible bounties spread throughout the galaxy, such as weapons and ships. During this time, 'Mdama began to discretely communicate with Doctor Catherine Halsey via data pads while she was aboard the Infinity. Despite lacking adequate equipment, Glassman managed to activate the shrine which caused all Sangheili, except Jul, to bow. Glassman used this opportunity to flee, but when 'Mdama was thrown back by the shrine due to a protective shielding, the Sangheili noticed Glassman's disappearance. Meanwhile, two Sangheili were bringing the captured Spartan Gabriel Thorne to Librarian's Rest. When Glassman exited Librarian's Rest, he encountered the two Sangheili. Thorne used this as an opportunity to kill both Sangheili and the two humans escaped the area. Although Gek picked up their trail and pursued them.

Gek eventually tracked down and ambushed the pair, and a battle between the Sangheili and Spartan ensured. After gaining the upper-hand, Gek prepared to kill Thorne and Glassman, but was suddenly killed by Spartan Fireteam Majestic. Meanwhile, Promethean Knights infiltrated the Infinity, captured Halsey, and brought her to 'Mdama at Librarian's Rest. At the shrine, Halsey deactivated the shielding. She then quickly ran into the beam of light before 'Mdama. Inside the shrine, Halsey met the Librarian's imprint, who offered her the two halves of the Janus Key, an artifact capable of locating every piece of Forerunner technology in the galaxy. She asked her to bring it to the Absolute Record to help mankind and Halsey was subsequently ejected from the shrine. Jul immediately took the piece of the Janus Key that he had seen for himself, unaware of the second half. Suddenly, the shrine was attacked by Fireteam Majestic and Spartan Sarah Palmer. Palmer attempted to assassinate Halsey, but instead only wounded her in the arm. Halsey and 'Mdama were then translocated away by a Promethean Knight.

The battle culminated in Jul 'Mdama sending Requiem into the the local star in a bid to destroy Infinity. The Covenant and the UNSC fled the planet before its destruction. While the Covenant suffered considerable losses, including the mercenary Parg Vol and 'Mdama's lieutenant Gek 'Lhar, they escaped with two important assets: one half of the Janus Key and Dr. Halsey, who offered to further assist 'Mdama in exchange for his help in achieving revenge.

After the destruction of Requiem, the was given the task of tracking down Halsey and 'Mdama.

Ealen IV
In March 2558, one of 'Mdama's shipmasters, Vata 'Gajat, led a mercenary force to attack a Sangheili-Jiralhanae peace summit on Ealen IV. 'Gajat told his human employer, Captain Daniel Clayton of the New Colonial Alliance, that he believed 'Mdama was unlikely to even notice his "moonlighting". Two weeks later he apparently abandoned 'Mdama's faction entirely.

The Janus Key
In a plot to acquire the other half of the Janus Key onboard the UNSC Infinity, Doctor Catherine Halsey and Jul 'Mdama launched an offensive against the human colony of Oban solely in order to draw the Infinity out into a vulnerable position. This allowed Halsey to use an artifact capable of contacting Infinity ' s Forerunner components to deny this ship access into slipspace. The following day, when the Infinity jumped into slipspace, its slipspace drive experienced an anomaly which trapped them in an uncharted system. Furthermore, 'Mdama's Covenant had created a faux Forerunner artifact that appeared to require the Janus Key to be functional and planted it on one of the system's planets, Aktis IV, in order to prompt the UNSC to take their half of the Key to the planet.

At the same time, Jul began to face other problems within his Covenant. Some of his followers began questioning his decisions, especially for allowing Requiem to be destroyed and letting Dr. Halsey work with them. Soon after, the Sangheili Sali 'Nyon began to recruit followers and plot against 'Mdama. Nonetheless, the Covenant succeeded in deceiving the crew of Infinity to bring the red half of the Janus Key to the surface of Aktis IV. While the UNSC half of the Janus Key was en route, the convoy carrying it was attacked and shot down by Sali 'Nyon's rebel forces. In the confusion, the shipmaster of Breath of Annihilation believed the attack on Infinity had begun earlier than expected, and Jul's entire fleet engaged the human ship. While 'Mdama traveled to the crash site to reclaim the red Janus Key half himself, Sali 'Nyon managed to retrieve it first and he brought it back to his hidden base.

As Jul and some of his ground forces began to eliminate the insurgents, the rest of his soldiers assaulted a Spartan reconnaissance team who had fallen back into a Forerunner structure. As the Spartans fled the structure using the planet's teleportation grid, reinforcements were deployed by the UNSC to combat Covenant forces. Meanwhile, a Sangheili Minor who had defected from 'Nyon's faction with the red half of the Janus Key contacted 'Mdama's forces and offered them the Key. 'Mdama allowed Halsey to travel to the planet in order to authenticate the artifact in person. 'Mdama dispatched a group of Phantoms, with Halsey aboard one of them, to meet with the defector while he continued to eradicate Sali 'Nyon's rebels across the island. Expecting no ambush on the Janus Key retrieval group, 'Mdama had most of the Phantoms redirected to combat the UNSC forces elsewhere on the island. This proved to be a mistake as Spartans Palmer, Thorne and Ray ambushed Halsey's group. Meanwhile, Jul 'Mdama's forces destroyed the last of Sali 'Nyon's outposts and a captive 'Nyon was brought before 'Mdama, who had the rebel leader kept alive for his punishment. Palmer captured Halsey but the doctor was able to distract her and escape, with Palmer's pursuit of her promptly halted by one of 'Mdama's Harvester excavators. Halsey, still in possession of the red Janus Key half, contacted 'Mdama and was recovered by a Phantom. Halsey and 'Mdama subsequently reunited the halves of the Janus Key and used the artifact to pinpoint the location of the Absolute Record.

Notable individuals

 * Jul 'Mdama – Known to his followers as the "Didact's Hand"; self-appointed leader of the faction
 * Gek 'Lhar – Jul 'Mdama's lieutenant; killed during the Requiem Campaign
 * Parg Vol – Mercenary and commander of Covenant ground forces early in the Requiem Campaign; killed during the battle
 * Vata 'Gajat – Abandoned the faction around March 2558 and formed his own mercenary force; attacked the Elite-Brute peace summit on Ealen IV under the employ of the New Colonial Alliance
 * Sali 'Nyon – After March 2558, he began to recruit followers and to plot against 'Mdama.
 * Doctor Catherine Halsey – Reluctantly joined the faction after being kidnapped during the Requiem Campaign, seemingly wanting revenge against ONI

Military structure
As in the Covenant hegemony's prime, the Sangheili serve as the modern incarnation's military leadership caste. The Unggoy still serve as cannon fodder. Likewise, the Kig-Yar are still deployed as snipers and light infantry. The Mgalekgolo are still deployed as super-heavy infantry. The faction also infrequently uses Jiralhanae and Yanme'e infantry.

'Mdama's Covenant use a streamlined version of the hegemony's long-standing rank hierarchy. Veterans of the war with humanity are organized into cadres of higher-ranked personnel. The highest-ranking Sangheili, most notably Zealots, also hold sway in the restructured Covenant's civil arena.

Military assets
Although a less formidable force than before the Great Schism, the reorganized Covenant have amassed a considerable pool of military assets, though it has been observed that they "aren't outfitted like standard military." Many of the faction's Sangheili personnel are from Hesduros, though the majority hail from the species' homeworld, Sanghelios, and other core worlds. Most matériel, such as the Type-25 plasma pistol, Type-33 Needler, Type-51 carbine, and rarely the Type-25 plasma rifle ,Type-51 plasma repeater, and Type-52 focus rifle, has been carried over from the pre-Schism Covenant, though more recently developed weapons like the Type-55 storm rifle are also common. In other cases, the faction uses older models, such as the Type-27 beam rifle rather than the Type-50, due to the scarcity of modern weapons. Some older weapons and vehicles are produced by new manufacturers but are generally unchanged in design. Infantry are equipped with armor that appears to be a mix of new variants and styles used by the original Covenant; for example, Unggoy Storm troops are equipped with rebreathers modeled on traditional Unggoy diving apparatuses, whereas Sangheili Commanders wear armor that is very reminiscent of the armor worn by Sangheili officers during the war.

As under the hegemony's reign, the Ghost and Wraith are the mainstays of the Covenant's vehicular ground forces. The Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Wraith is used in relatively small numbers. The T-26B Banshee remains the organization's primary ground support aircraft; post-war modifications to the variant used during the Fall of Reach allow the T26B to serve in a limited exoatmospheric scouting capacity akin to the purpose-built Type-27 Banshee, though the Seraph remains the Covenant's primary space fighter. The Type-52 Phantom see less extensive service than during the war, as the older Type-44 Phantom has become the Covenant's primary dropship. The Type-25 Spirit and Phantom gunboat are both used, but not in the same numbers as the Type-44 Phantom. The Type-56 Lich provides ultra-heavy transport capability when needed. The faction also frequently uses the Type-51 Individual Breaching Carapace, the Type-53 Squad Breaching Carapace, and the Type-54 Mass Deployment Carapace to deploy troops from orbit. 'Mdama's forces use the older Type-29 Shade, automated plasma turrets, and the newer Type-55 Shade for static defense, along with an unclassified type of stationary artillery and Type-38 Tyrants. An unknown amount of Type-58 Harvesters are used as excavation and assault platforms.

The faction's armada is composed of vessels formerly used by the Covenant hegemony. The core of 'Mdama's fleet comprises two s, including 'Mdama's flagship, Song of Retribution and the Breath of Annihilation, numerous s, multiple, several s, and several s. The CRS fills much the same role within the new Covenant's fleet as the CCS played during the war, though it is much smaller and less powerful than the latter. In addition to these staple ship types, a number of other vessels have augmented the faction's fleet on different occasions.

Unlike those of the original Covenant, much of the hardware utilized by the group bears green-glowing lights, as opposed to white, blue, or purple lighting. This difference may be for a number of reasons, as the lighting on Covenant ships and equipment is known to vary based on factors such as the manufacturer, the era of production, and a commander's personal preference.

The reformed Covenant fields a special operations unit known as the Silent Blade, whose members are known to serve as assassins. It is unknown whether this group existed during the hegemony's reign.

Unlike the original Covenant, 'Mdama's group is not averse to using captured UNSC weapons. During the Requiem Campaign they hoarded several caches of stolen UNSC matériel, though it is unclear whether they used any of this equipment in combat. Most notably, they attempted to destroy Infinity using stolen HAVOK tactical nuclear weapons. The faction also began to use Promethean weaponry during the battle, like the Z-110 Boltshot, the Z-130 Suppressor, and the Z-180 Scattershot.

Religion and beliefs
"These Covenant seem more fanatical than the ones we've fought before."

- John-117

'Mdama's modern Covenant no longer believe in the Great Journey, as the Prophets have been revealed as liars. However, 'Mdama's faction continues the practice of worshiping the Forerunners and their technology. Some members, including Jul 'Mdama himself, privately understand that the Forerunners are not gods, and are only interested in acquiring Forerunner technology for themselves. Nevertheless, the majority of this faction consists of extremists and true believers. During his first encounter with the the new Covenant, John-117 observed that they were more fanatical than any Covenant he had fought during the war. The faction is considered to be extremely conservative, as 'Mdama forbids his followers from speaking any human language.

'Mdama's followers hold particular reverence for the Didact, who shares their hatred for humanity. This led the Covenant faction to quickly align themselves with the Didact upon his release from his Cryptum. Even after the Didact's apparent demise following his failed attack on Earth, the Covenant continued to display allegiance to the Didact, as evidenced by their continued cooperation with the Didact's Promethean constructs on Requiem. 'Mdama himself took on the title "The Didact's Hand".

In contrast to their worship of the Didact, members of the 'Mdama's Covenant appeared to have held an antagonistic opinion on the Librarian at the time of the Didact's rampage against humanity, with one Sangheili derisively referring to SPARTAN-117 as the "Librarian's pet", demonstrating that at least some of them were aware of the Librarian's favoring of humans and the Master Chief in particular. Six months later, however, when attempting to activate the Librarian's "shrine" on Requiem, the Covenant treated her with a similar reverence as they did the Didact, seemingly oblivious to her actual intentions.

After Requiem's destruction and Jul's alliance with Dr. Halsey, some members of the Covenant began to question 'Mdama's decisions, and prepared a rebellion against him, though it was ultimately suppressed. During the following months, Jul's authority started dwindling considerably.

Trivia

 * In Halo 4, the four member species of 'Mdama's Covenant are the same as those featured in Halo: Combat Evolved: Elites, Grunts, Jackals, and Hunters.
 * The Yanme'e could have been featured as a member species of the faction in Halo 4, but the idea was cut during development, including the new Yanme'e Sniper rank.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo 4
 * Terminals
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo 2 Anniversary
 * Halo: Spartan Strike
 * Halo 5: Guardians