Stolt

"Rtas 'Vadum"

Stolt is an Unggoy that serves the Swords of Sanghelios as a Ranger and commander of the Sangheili Ranger contingent aboard the Shadow of Intent. Formerly a Covenant soldier, Stolt first gained his command post while serving closely with Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum.

Biography
During the Human-Covenant War, Stolt served with the Covenant military. He participated in numerous battles throughout the war and survived encounters with human soldiers that saw the deaths of many of his fellow Unggoy. At some point, Stolt had a chance encounter with a Spartan supersoldier. The Unggoy was able to grievously wound the human, forcing the Spartan to retreat. Stolt was one of the few Unggoy within the Covenant to become a Ranger, and most Sangheili initially doubted Stolt's skills, regarding him as mere cannon fodder. However, Stolt proved able to best any Sangheili that sparred with him. By the time of the Great Schism, Stolt served aboard the Shadow of Intent, recently captured by Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum. Upon learning of his various accomplishments, Stolt gained the respect of 'Vadum. Following the end of the Covenant War, Stolt had been given command of the Rangers contingent aboard Shadow of Intent, a decision that even 'Vadum's orthodox second-in-command Blademaster Vul 'Soran agreed with. Stolt was the only Unggoy—and non-Sangheili—stationed aboard the carrier.

In 2553, Shadow of Intent traveled to the Sangheili frontier colony of Rahnelo to assist the planet's residents after they were attacked by Spear of Light. After learning that the assault was led by San'Shyuum Prelate Tem'Bhetek, 'Vadum and the crew of Shadow of Intent became determined to stop him. 'Vadum sought advice from Stolt, who believed that they needed all the help they could get to defeat the Prelate, and he agreed that it was wise to accept Tul 'Juran's request to enlist with the crew—despite the traditional gender restrictions employed by the Sangheili and 'Soran's reluctance—to allow her to enact revenge against Tem. After Tem attacked Duraan, Shadow of Intent embarked to the planet to aid its residents, where the carrier engaged Spear of Light over the planet. After a brief skirmish over the planet, Tem and fifty Jiralhanae abandoned their cruiser in escape pods and boarded the assault carrier. As the Prelate and his warriors attempted to take control of Shadow of Intent, they encountered 'Juran and a lance of Rangers led by Stolt. Tem and a handful of Jiralhanae attempted to escape the firefight to kill 'Vadum and take control of Shadow of Intent at its bridge, but they were pursued by Stolt, 'Juran, and four Rangers pursued the Prelate. They caught up with him just as he was met by 'Vadum and 'Soran at the carrier's primary gravity lift. 'Juran and 'Vadum dueled Tem and quickly outmatched the Prelate, while Stolt, 'Soran, and the Sangheili Rangers engaged the Jiralhanae, with Stolt leaping onto the back of one and strangling it. Tem attempted to flee, but he was knocked unconscious by 'Soran and Stolt. After 'Vadum interrogated Tem and the surviving Jiralhanae aboard the ship killed, he learned that the Prelate was working with the Minister of Preparation and the two planned to use a superweapon to eradicate the populations of Sanghelios and the core worlds, and eventually dismantle Sangheili society. 'Vadum decided to lead a small team of volunteers to the installation to destroy it, while sending the rest of the crew to Duraan; Stolt, 'Juran, and 'Soran were among those that agreed to carry out the mission.

Bringing Tem along with them as a hostage, the small team arrived at the installation in orbit over a rogue planet and embarked to their destination aboard two Phantoms. As the dropships traveled towards the installation, the superweapon released an energy pulse that wounded many aboard the Phantoms, including 'Soran. At this moment, Tem escaped by shooting Stolt with his own plasma pistol and tricking 'Vadum into breaking his bounds when the Sangheili attacked. Using his armor's thrusters, the Prelate left the Phantom for the installation and was followed closely by 'Juran and 'Vadum. Stolt attempted to follow, but he was ordered by 'Vadum to tend to the wounded and give the order to Shadow of Intent to destroy the installation if they failed to return. The two Sangheili were ultimately successful in destroying the installation, resulting in the deaths of the Prelate and the Minister. Afterwards, Shadow of Intent embarked on missions to defeat Covenant holdouts throughout the empire's former space.

Personality and traits
Unusually tall for an Unggoy, Stolt serves as the leader of the Sangheili Ranger contingent aboard Shadow of Intent, having earned the respect and loyalty of his subordinates. Although he is the only Unggoy stationed aboard Shadow of Intent as of 2553, Stolt never appeared to be lonely for his own kind and is typically relaxed. Alongside Blademaster Vul 'Soran, Stolt was one of Rtas 'Vadum's two lieutenants, though 'Soran was 'Vadum's second-in-command. 'Vadum often deferred to Stolt for advice. Stolt was also determined; after he was shot by San'Shyuum Prelate Tem'Bhetek, Stolt was still determined to fight, but was ultimately told by 'Vadum to aid to his own injuries and his wounded subordinates.

Stolt is a skilled Unggoy, having survived numerous battles and even besting a Spartan supersoldier in combat. He was capable of besting any Sangheili he sparred with, generally enduring their melee strikes until they grew tired, before beating the opponent into submission with his powerful hands and feet. Stolt initially faced scrutiny from Sangheili personnel aboard Shadow of Intent, who believed that Unggoy had little skill. However, after proving himself in combat, Stolt gained the respect of his peers and subordinates, and even the conservative Blademaster 'Soran agreed with 'Vadum's decision to charge Stolt with command of the carrier's Rangers. Stolt empathized with Tul 'Juran—who faced similar scrutiny due to her gender—and agreed with 'Vadum to allow her to join Shadow of Intent ' s crew.

Production notes
Halo: Shadow of Intent author Joseph Staten imagined Stolt as more muscular than a standard Unggoy, with a reserved personality. He described Stolt as "The kind of Unggoy that any smart Sangheili wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley at night". His name, Stolt, is a play on the word "stolid."

List of appearances

 * Halo: Shadow of Intent