Covenant

For more articles of the same name, see Covenant (disambiguation).

"Creatures of the Covenant: the path is broad, and we shall walk it side by side!"

- The Prophet of Truth

The Covenant, also referred to as the Covenant Empire or Covenant Hegemony, was a religious hegemony of multiple alien species that controlled a large portion of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way Galaxy. Originally a mutual alliance between the San 'Shyuum and the Sangheili, the Covenant expanded to include at least six other races united in the worship of the Forerunners and the Halo Array. They waged a genocidal campaign against humanity until they were defeated in December of 2552. Despite being ostensibly the most powerful military force in the known Milky Way galaxy at the time, internal conflict combined with stubborn human resistance were formidable enough to shatter the bonds that held the empire together. While the Covenant's original leadership was lost either during the Flood infection of High Charity or during the Battle of Installation 00, a prominent remnant faction which maintains many of the ideals of the Covenant's religion as well as many of its former subject species, continues to exist after the conclusion of the war.

History
"The First Age: Ignorance and Fear.''
 * The Second Age: Rivalry and Bloodshed.
 * The Third Age: Humility and Brotherhood.
 * The Fourth Age: Wonder and Understanding.
 * The Fifth Age: Obedience and Freedom.
 * The Sixth Age: Faith and Patience.
 * The Seventh Age: Journey and Salvation."

- Maccabeus and the Jiralhanae of the Rapid Conversion.

The Covenant created its own means of connoting time, comprised of "Ages." The Covenant's history is broken up into multiple occurrences of seven types of Age, each representing the predominant theme that occurred during those periods of time. These ages do not necessarily follow one another in order, nor are they equal in quantity. As an example, there were significantly more Ages of Conflict and Doubt than Reclamation. Each Age is further broken into what is called Cycles. A Cycle is the Covenant version of a day and it represents one artificial day on High Charity. A Cycle contains approximately 265 units, which if translated into human time is one hour of time on Earth.

Foundation
In 938 BCE, the San'Shyuum Reformists entered a Sangheili-occupied system that lead to first contact between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili. The San'Shyuum, who came to Sanghelios in order to claim and study the rich abundance of Forerunner artifacts left behind, soon found themselves sharing different ideologies of how such relics should be treated, which quickly devolved into conflict between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili.

The Sangheili believed that Forerunner relics were sacred and should not be touched, while the San'Shyuum Reformists believed that they should be studied and use them to make practical objects of their own design. The highly-militarized Sangheili attacked the San 'Shyuum almost as soon as their differences became apparent, and a war between the two species raged for eighty six years.

At the start of the war, the Sangheili had a numerical advantage in terms of ships and soldiers. Their strength and military tactics were without peer. However the San'Shyuum's technology, gleaned from years of travel and study of their Forerunner Dreadnought, gave them the advantage in ship-to-ship combat. This proved to be the most common type of combat witnessed during the war.

Eventually both species came to fear a very real threat: annihilation. The Sangheili who feared it through the San'Shyuum's use of their unstoppable Dreadnought; and the San'Shyuum who came to admit that if the Sangheili were this dangerous, there might be other forms of sentient life far more threatening to their race. The long and brutal war caused the Sangheili to violate their religious beliefs, studying and incorporating Forerunner technology in order to avoid defeat — This incorporation of Forerunner technology eventually caused a stalemate in the war against the San'Shyuum, however their Dreadnought remained unstoppable. Faced with this bitter reality, the Sangheili surrendered.

With a proud tradition as warriors, the Sangheili held great respect for a worthy adversary, and after their surrender the San'Shyuum sought to seek a burgeoning Covenant of the two races. The alliance or "Covenant," between the two species was formed in 852 BCE with the signing of the Writ of Union, a treaty that ended the conflict and brought about peace between the two factions.

Contact and Conversion
The conclusion of the conflict marked the First Age of Reconciliation, followed by the First Age of Conversion. This period was exemplified by the Covenant's expansion throughout the galaxy. In this age, the Lekgolo were encountered by the Covenant, and following a military conflict with the Sangheili and San'Shyuum, the species was indoctrinated into the hegemony. Throughout the ages that followed, new races were incorporated into the Covenant, including the Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme'e and Jiralhanae. In between the ages of Conversion the Ages of Doubt, members of the Covenant grappled with internecine conflict.

War with humanity
During the 23rd Age of Doubt, the Covenant encountered humanity for the first time on the planet Harvest. While many within the Covenant's leadership felt that this new race would make a welcome addition to the hegemony, the newly-appointed Hierarchs of the Covenant - Truth, Mercy and Regret - had other plans. The Hierarchs were aware of humanity's status as the Forerunners' chosen inheritors, and knew that revealing this information to the Covenant would lead to the Covenant falling into chaos. Greater than the cultural significance of the invalidation of the Great Journey, the leading San'Shyuum knew the truth about the Forerunners would lead to the loss of their personal power. As a result, spurred on by a violent incident following the first human-Covenant contact, the Hierarchs declared humanity an affront to the gods and demanded that their entire species was to be exterminated. This decision would spark a war that ultimately would crumble the very foundation of the Covenant's religious and political alliances.

The Covenant began a genocidal campaign against humanity, seeking out their worlds one by one and wiping them clean of all life. The United Nations Space Command was able to do little to halt the Covenant's advance, with a single Covenant ship often being a match for an entire UNSC battle group. However, the UNSC did manage to prevent the Covenant from locating the human homeworld, Earth, and other important Inner Colonies for over thirty years through the execution of the Cole Protocol.

After decades of struggle, a select few Sangheili within the Covenant began to question why humanity was not offered a chance to join the Covenant as other defeated races had. Despite their losses, humanity proved a determined and brave enemy. While these idle heresies did not halt the Covenant's military progress, doubt began to surface as to the wisdom of the Prophet's ultimate goals. A doubt that was carefully observed by the spies of the Hierarchs.

After the UNSC stronghold Reach fell to the Covenant, they made a discovery of tremendous significance: a single UNSC vessel, the Pillar of Autumn, had made a supposedly blind jump away from the battle, inadvertently leading the pursuing Covenant fleet to the location of one of the seven Halo Rings. The Covenant's celebration following the discovery of this prized relic was short-lived, however. After landing on the ring, Covenant soldiers accidentally released the dormant Flood, and a small group of UNSC forces - among them the fearsome, enigmatic soldier known to Covenant forces as "The Demon" - managed to destroy the ring by detonating the Pillar of Autumn's fusion engines. Thel 'Vadamee, the Supreme Commander of the fleet present at Halo, was branded a heretic for his failure to save the ring, although he was subsequently appointed an Arbiter.

Shortly after the destruction of the first Halo ring, the High Prophet of Regret accidentally stumbled upon the human homeworld, Earth, while looking for evidence of Forerunner artifacts. Ill-equipped for a full-scale invasion, Regret managed to launch a brief assault on the African city of New Mombasa before his assault carrier, Solemn Penance, escaped by making an in-atmosphere slipspace jump. Whether blind or intentional, this jump led the Prophet of Regret and the pursuing UNSC frigate In Amber Clad to a second Halo ring. A brief military conflict between UNSC and Covenant forces ensued, during which time Regret met his end at the hands of the Demon. The ring itself was nearly activated, but was stopped by UNSC forces.

During the events on the second Halo, the two remaining Hierarchs used the Sangheili's failure to safeguard Regret as an opportunity to replace the Sangheili with Jiralhanae as their protectors and military leaders. The two Prophets had doubts about the Sangheilis' loyalty to the Covenant cause, and used the opportunity to ensure that there would be no future dissidence in the Covenant. However, this move greatly angered the Sangheili, who threatened to resign from the Covenant Council.

Great Schism
Following the death of the Prophet of Regret, the Prophet of Truth gave the Jiralhanae command over the Covenant's fleets. Once there were enough Jiralhanae in positions of power, Truth secretly ordered them to commit genocide on the Sangheili. The Sangheili Councilors, who had been summoned to the Control Room of Installation 05 to witness the commencement of the Great Journey, were either assassinated or imprisoned by Tartarus and his Jiralhanae. The rest of the Elites revolted, enlisting the help of some of the Mgalekgolo and Unggoy. While Truth had orchestrated to remove the Sangheili from power with the more easily manipulated Brutes, the Prophet underestimated the speed with which his former protectors would recover from this initial attack.

A massive battle ensued within High Charity and the surrounding space, beginning a civil war known as the Great Schism. While High Charity was consumed by internal conflict, another crisis struck that sealed the doom of the Covenant's holy city. The Flood-controlled UNSC frigate In Amber Clad made an unexpected slipspace jump inside the dome and crashed into a tower near the city's edge, spreading infection forms and Flood-laden dropships all over the city. The Prophet of Mercy was killed during the Flood attack, with Truth leaving him to die while he made his own escape. The city and its millions of inhabitants were completely overrun by the infestation, becoming a massive Flood hive. This loss came at the worst possible moment in the Covenant's campaign against humanity. Despite initial conflicts over the Forerunner world of Onyx, the Sangheili separatists would ultimately unite with the remnants of the UNSC. This united force was directed at the main body of Loyalist forces in orbit, and on the surface of Earth.

Truth successfully escaped in the Forerunner dreadnought that was stationed in the center of High Charity, which provided the power to the entire city. However, SPARTAN-117, the infamous Demon, managed to fight his way aboard the dreadnought right before it took off. While the Covenant fleet orbiting the holy city began to do battle with each other, the dreadnought managed to enter Slipspace and retreated to Earth.

Final Push
Covenant Loyalist forces still posed a threat on Earth and more and more of their ships began to arrive near New Mombasa, Kenya. They were looking for the Forerunner artifact that the Prophet of Regret was originally looking for: the Earth Portal to the Ark. Truth arrived in his dreadnought as the ships finally managed to uncover the portal and landed in the middle, preparing for the moment of ascension to the next step.

The UNSC Navy around Earth was all but destroyed. While they managed to inflict casualties upon the Covenant Loyalist fleet, they were unable to stop a majority of the ships from attacking Earth, landing in places like Cleveland, Ohio, and New Mombasa. However, UNSC forces still had a fair amount of forces on the ground, lead by the able Commander Miranda Keyes, who had managed to escape the In Amber Clad before it was captured by the Flood. SPARTAN-117 joined them and the UNSC forces lead a small assault to Voi, Kenya, near the Portal. Ground forces managed to disable a large AA-gun in the area, while Lord Hood managed to gather a small group of surviving UNSC frigates to assault the Forerunner dreadnought. Fortunately for Truth, the assault failed and the dreadnought and all his ships managed to escape in the activated Portal. At this point, a Flood-controlled Covenant ship arrived and crashed into Earth, near Voi. While UNSC forces attempted to deal with this unknown threat, Covenant Seperatists who were chasing the ship arrived and began assisting human forces on the ground.

Although the Flood was successfully contained, it wasn't without loss for the UNSC, as a large amount of Marines fell to the new enemy and the Covenant Seperatists glassed the area around Mt. Kilimanjaro to further contain the infection. However, the combined forces managed to recover a recording from the UNSC AI Cortana, which stated that beyond the Portal, there was a solution to the Flood. This inevitably lead the Covenant Separatists and some UNSC forces to go through the portal themselves and fight the Loyalist fleet there.

The space battle was spearheaded by the Covenant Separatist fleet lead by Shipmaster 'Rtas Vadum. While his fleet and the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn began attacking the Loyalist fleet, ground forces launched to the Ark and landed nearby Loyalist ground emplacements. A pitched skirmish quickly began as a UNSC ODST force, lead by SPARTAN-117, attacked Covenant outposts before pushing toward several Forerunner buildings occupied by Loyalist forces. Meanwhile, Forerunner Sentinels stationed at the Ark began attacking Loyalist forces to protect the Installation, while leaving the human forces well alone. Loyalist forces where pushed back further when some UNSC armor managed to arrive. The small convoy of Warthogs, Mongooses, and Scorpion tanks managed to punch their way through Loyalist forces. At the climax of the battle, a Loyalist Scarab and several Loyalist vehicles attempted to destroy the UNSC convoy, but was defeated after a hard-fought battle. SPARTAN-117 and UNSC forces pushed their way into a nearby building, arriving at their destination: the Cartographer. Loyalist air forces however still posed a threat and began landing some troops to launch a last-ditch assault on UNSC ground forces. Lead by a Brute Chieftain, they were soon soundly defeated by SPARTAN-117, while the Forerunner AI 343 Guilty Spark discovered that the Prophet of Truth was hiding near the Citadel, an important command structure of the Ark.

The Prophet of Truth had managed to barricade himself in the Citadel and activate it's shield system, preventing any kind of assault from reaching the facility. However, the installations maintaining the shield were not protected themselves and so were vulnerable to attack. UNSC and Covenant Separatist forces launched an attack on these three installations. The Covenant Loyalist forces attempted to stop the combined forces, but were ultimately defeated. However, before all the shields were disabled, they managed to capture Sergeant Avery Johnson to activate the Ark's systems and the Halo Rings themselves. However, before they could do this, the shield was brought down and the Covenant Separatists attempted to launch a space to ground bombardment on the Citadel, but both sides were interrupted by the arrival of High Charity, now a Flood hive. Flood dispersal pods smashed through 'Rtas Vadum's carrier and spread Flood all over the Ark, beginning a wide-spread infestation of the surface. Although 343 Guilty Spark wanted to prioritize the sterilization of the Installation, Commander Keyes resolutely ordered a large-scale ground assault on the Citadel. Although Covenant Loyalist forces fought valiantly to protect the Citadel, including dropping down two Scarabs in a final defensive maneuver, they were ultimately defeated by UNSC air and ground forces. Loyalist forces inside began barricading the inside of the Citadel, but SPARTAN-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadum allied with the Flood to force their way to Truth. The Prophet of Truth was weakened and without a guard, though contented since he managed to activate the Rings. The Arbiter killed him in vengeance and the Spartan deactivated the rings, finally stopping the Covenant once and for all.

Post-dissolution
With the Prophet of Truth killed, and most of the loyalists' known fleet destroyed by the Sangheili fleet above the Ark, the Covenant as an entity was all but destroyed. Following Truth's death at the hands of the Arbiter, the remaining San'Shyuum, their population reduced to near extinction, went into hiding and have not been sighted by the Sangheili since. The rest of the former member races scattered. The Sangheili, lacking centralized leadership, began to fight amongst their own ranks over the particulars of their faith, some forming their own splinter factions. Most of the Jiralhanae continued to oppose the Sangheili until at least 2559, although some Jiralhanae chose to serve under their former masters. Many Kig-Yar returned to their ancient ways as raiders and traders, and most Huragok were thought to have fled, though no one knew where.

Resurgence
In the wake of the dissolution of the Covenant, many former members of the hegemony continued to adhere to the core tenets of their former religion, namely the worship of the Forerunners as gods. A prominent figure in this faction is Sangheili Jul 'Mdama, who seeks 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 planet called Hesduros, planned to go to the shield world Requiem and wake the "living god" known as the Didact to assist them in killing all humanity. The newly-formed remnant faction discovered Requiem shortly afterward and managed to gain access to the world in July 2557. Defying the tenuous peace between humanity and the majority of the Sangheili, these Covenant engaged the UNSC personnel who were stranded on Requiem. Six months later, the Covenant still maintained some presence on the installation.

Government
For the majority of its existence, the two ruling classes of the Covenant were the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili, though the San'Shyuum held greater sway over the Covenant due to their status as "the voice of the gods". On the outbreak of the Great Schism, the Sangheili were cast out and the Jiralhanae replaced the Sangheili as the secondary ruling class. The Covenant had ten echelons of government, the highest echelon being the High Council, which was responsible for making all important decisions. Prior to the Great Schism, it was made up of 200 members of Sangheili and San'Shyuum, and was ruled by the three San'Shyuum Hierarchs. These Hierarchs were the highest political and religious authority in the Covenant. For each new Age, three new Hierarchs were appointed; in order for them to usher in a new age and assume power, they must receive a blessing from the Oracle of High Charity. This Oracle was a Forerunner artificial intelligence found within the Dreadnought which sat at the center of the capital. Until the events that led to the war against humanity, the Oracle had not spoken for over a millennia, so the ascension of the Hierarchs was steeped with political bribes, blackmail and manipulation of the San'Shyuum Philologist.

The High Council consisted of San'Shyuum Councilors and Sangheili Councilors, who are extremely important to the Covenant society. The High Council served as the central theocratic and decision-making body of the Covenant. In addition to the High Council, there are three other Councils: the Council of Concordance, the Council of Deed and Doctrine and the Council of Masters. Below that numerous Ministries exist within the Covenant government, each of which dictates a single, but important role within the Governmental body of the Covenant.

In truth, however, the San'Shyuum and Sangheili had an uneasy coexistence, and political infighting was very common behind the scenes. This became an all-out war during the Great Schism.

Religion and culture
Covenant society had a distinct caste-based societal system which has a strong theocratic underpinning. In the Covenant caste system, one's position in the hierarchy was dictated largely by their species. With the San 'Shyuum and Sangheili leading the Covenant's religiopolitical and military affairs, respectively, most of the other species served either as warriors or manual labor.

The Covenant's culture and religion was based solely on the worship and reverence of the Forerunners. Long ago, the San'Shyuum managed to decipher some of the data stored on terminals aboard the Forerunner Dreadnaught, thanks to the Forerunners' robust translation systems. However, even then they were unable to fully comprehend the subtle meanings of many Forerunner glyphs. The San'Shyuum incorrectly interpreted the activation of the Halo Array as a means of transcending mortality, a process they came to call the "Great Journey". They did not understand that the Array had been designed to eradicate the Flood, specifically by triggering a galactic holocaust and killing all sentient life within the galaxy. They arrived at the conclusion that the Forerunners had ascended to godhood and left other species of the galaxy to their fates. Because of this, the Covenant devoted itself to searching for and recovering of Forerunner artifacts. At several points in the Covenant's history, this desire to reclaim Forerunner technology has resulted in the hegemony declaring war against non-compliant species, the most recent instance being their war against humanity. In Covenant society, personal vendettas are not tolerated, although many conflicts in the Covenant's past have been sparked by vendettas.

The Covenant used commerce as a form of economy. As the Covenant's cohesion was grounded in its belief of working to obtain and sharing Forerunner technology, every member of the Covenant was given a form of employment or a service to fulfill in exchange for goods and necessities. In the Covenant's culture, service for salvation was the moral motivation for the entire population. Despite this, there was discrimination within the Covenant: The lesser species were treated as second-class citizens with little political or representative voice or power.

The Covenant were always eager to add new species to the faith, so long as they pledged allegiance to the San'Shyuum as their supreme leaders and the Great Journey as their religion. Client races were in all essence enslaved by the Covenant, forced to live a completely different way of life, and if unlucky enough, had their entire culture and history erased. The client races were held together by a common belief; the slave races were driven by the religion which they had been forced to accept. Most races were only kept for their varying skills to be exploited, rather than to be a part of a flourishing empire. However, some races such as the Sangheili and Jiralhanae benefited significantly from the new technology that the Covenant brought, and weren't simply enslaved like the Unggoy.

Military
Like other civilizations, the Covenant maintained a permanent armed forces branch, which it used to enforce order, conduct atmospheric and space combat operations, and generally carry out the Covenant's will throughout space. The Covenant military was originally led by the Sangheili, who were replaced by the Jiralhanae during the Great Schism. The military was heavily naval-oriented, with the fleets of the Covenant Navy, ranging from small battle groups to entire armadas, practically serving as the basic unit of organization. Various task-based groups served under these fleets, including the occupational ground forces and the Special Warfare Group, which contained the Special Operations Division. Most of the military fell under the authority of the Ministry of Resolution.

Most of the Covenant arsenal consists of plasma-based directed energy weapons, but the Covenant are known to also utilize pulse lasers, particle beam weapons, antimatter explosives and even chemical crystal-based weapons. Interestingly, Covenant weapon designs seem to defy known laws of mechanics; there is typically no form of radiative, physical or electrical contact between the firing mechanism and "trigger" of a weapon. For these and other reasons, the workings of Covenant weaponry is generally beyond the comprehension of UNSC scientists.

Plasma weapons typically use a rechargeable power cell to provide power to their internal components. Covenant plasma weapons are effective but crude, and most automatic-fire plasma weapons are prone to overheating. To compensate, most weapons have vents that open up and discharge excess heat and plasma when they overheat, although they render weapons inoperable as the excess heat is dissipated. Once the energy of the plasma weapon is depleted, it must be recharged or discarded. To date, the means by which plasma weapons can be recharged is still unknown to UNSC forces.

The Covenant are also known to employ projectile weapons, the most common of these being unconventional crystal-based weapons, such as the Needler or the Needle Rifle. These weapons appear to use some type of chemical that forms a hard, razor-sharp crystal on contact with the atmosphere. These crystals can be used in one of two ways. Certain medium to long-range weapons fire them at high speeds, allowing them to strike targets accurately at long distance. Other mid-range weapons fire them at very slow speeds, and through unknown means "steer" them towards enemy targets. Needles fired in either of these ways will penetrate the flesh or armor of a target, and several seconds after coming to rest will explode into thousands of tiny, sharp fragments that can maim or cripple a target. When a certain number of needles have penetrated the same target, they will detonate simultaneously, producing a much larger explosion that kills the target instantly. With the introduction of the Jiralhanae as a major military caste within the Covenant, their weapons found limited to widespread use. Utilizing crude projectile-like metal spikes in place of plasma, explosive grenade-like launchers, and sharp blades, they are more primitive, yet brutal-fitting, considering the nature of their creators.

The Covenant were also known to employ melee weapons in addition to their already fearsome arsenal. The most well-known is the Energy Sword, used solely by the Sangheili. Creating a double blade of superheated plasma, it has both ceremonial and martial value to the Sangheili warriors, and its possession is closely monitored. Another is the Gravity Hammer, used by Jiralhanae, which seems to be the cultural equivalent to the sword, However, rather than using a blade of plasma, it can generate a gravitational field, doing devastating damage, even knocking vehicles over.

Covenant vehicles use advanced anti-gravity technology for propulsion, and are armed with directed-energy weaponry of varying potency. Though often faster than their UNSC counterparts, Covenant vehicles are more unstable over uneven terrain where the sudden changes affect handling. All Covenant vehicles (except for Jiralhanae vehicles) and structures are made from a purple or dark blue type of metal, said to be much more advanced than any alloy known to humans, and all Covenant vehicles are nicknamed after some kind of supernatural entity by the UNSC, except for Scarabs and Locusts. Recently, Jiralhanae vehicles and technology have been incorporated into the Covenant's arsenal. Though more primitive, they serve the Jiralhanae's need for power. Jiralhanae vehicles are not named after spiritual entities, and rather than being a series of Covenant vehicles are regarded as native Jiralhanae technology.

Species
The Covenant is made up of a variety of alien species from different parts of the galaxy. Organized into a caste system by the San'Shyuum, the different species of the Covenant are united by their blind faith in the promise of the Great Journey.

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Sangheili (pre-Great Schism)
The Sangheili served as the military leaders of the Covenant before the Great Schism. Along with the San'Shyuum, the Sangheili were one of the two founding races of the Covenant, and were the only race other than the San'Shyuum to have members on the High Council. The Sangheili are the only race within the Covenant permitted to build and command starships within the Covenant, though the crews are always composed of a mix of races. Sangheili are separated into ranks based on skill and experience. To advance in rank, Sangheili must honorably earn such advancements on the battlefield.
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San 'Shyuum
The highest caste in the Covenant Empire, the San 'Shyuum led the Covenant and exerted complete control over all religious and political affairs. Though physically weak, Prophets wielded power through absolute command of the Covenant and through scavenged Forerunner technology, leaving the task of conquest to the Sangheili and the other races. Along with the Sangheili, the San'Shyuum had members on the Covenant High Council.
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Jiralhanae
The Jiralhanae were the most recent addition to the Covenant, and served as soldiers and bodyguards within the Covenant military until their promotion during the Great Schism. Although initially of low status within the hierarchy, the Jiralhanae gained greater prominence within the Covenant prior to the Great Schism, with the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, Tartarus, answering to the Hierarchs themselves. After the Sangheili were deposed, the Jiralhanae were given command of the Covenant military.
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Lekgolo/Mgalekgolo
The Lekgolo are a race of worm-like creatures that can combine to form large, intelligent assemblages called Mgalekgolo. Clad in nearly impenetrable armor and armed with their trademark Assault Cannon, they served as the Covenant's heaviest ground troops. Many of these creatures joined the Sangheili during the Great Schism.
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Unggoy
Hailing from Balaho, the Unggoy, or Grunts as they are known by humans, were the most common and low-ranking caste of the Covenant. They breathe methane gas, and thus must wear a large tank on their back full of methane to survive on other planets. Relations between the Unggoy and the Kig-Yar are strained in the best of times. Many of these creatures joined the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae during the Great Schism.
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Kig-Yar
The Kig-Yar, or Jackals or Skirmishers as they are known by humans, were the scouts and marksmen of the Covenant military due to their superior senses. They were among the lower Covenant castes and are about 6'2" tall.
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Yanme'e
The Yanme'e, or Drones as they are known by humans, are flying, insectoid species that served almost exclusively as engineers in the Covenant Empire. They were eventually replaced by the Huragok, and were used as aerial combatants against the UNSC, who are inexperienced at fighting airborne infantry. They became the second Covenant species with the ability to fly.
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Huragok
The Huragok, or Engineers as they are known by the humans, are an artificial species created by the Forerunners. They only conversed with the San 'Shyuum or individuals who learn their language. The Huragok performed the physical labor of excavating and gathering data on Forerunner artifacts. In military terms, they were generally a non-militant race. However, at times in the Human-Covenant War, they were placed on the battlefield either as repair workers or suicide bombers. Many of the Huragok joined the Sangheili during the Great Schism.
 * }

Creatures inhabiting Covenant worlds

 * "Scrub Grubs" are small creatures the equivalent of the rats found on Earth. They were first mentioned in Halo: Contact Harvest, while inhabiting a Jackal ship.
 * "Zap-Jellies" are sea creatures that live on the Grunt homeworld, Balaho. They are possibly the equivalent to large jellyfish on Earth.
 * "Thorn Beasts" are a food source for the Covenant, though only observed being eaten by Brutes. The only reference to the Thorn Beasts is in Halo: Contact Harvest, when the Brutes are first mentioned, and in Halo Wars, in at least one of the timeline periods. They were also included in the original Halo game being developed for Mac.
 * "Mud Wasps" are insects found on the Grunt home world of Balaho.
 * "Shade Crabs" are crustaceans found on the Grunt home world of Balaho.
 * "Helioskrills" are predators found on Sanghelios that imitate rocks to catch their prey.
 * "Doarmirs" are furry animals found on Sanghelios, their pelts were used by early seafaring Sangheili as cloaks, the tradition is continued by modern Sangheili Shipmasters.

Technology
Covenant technology is often referred to as more imitative rather than innovative, as it is based largely on mimicry and reverse-engineering of the leftover Forerunner artifacts they have discovered. While Covenant technology is far more advanced than human technology, the Covenant leadership seems to be ignorant of how precise or powerful their technology can be. This is likely because the Covenant themselves possess only limited understanding of the Forerunner devices they reverse-engineer.

While humans are capable of learning and often improving on new technology, Covenant advances are significantly slower. This is, perhaps, the Covenant's most serious disadvantage. Its technology is limited by this almost-complete reliance on reverse-engineered Forerunner technology, and they are generally reluctant to make modifications to existing technology even if a flaw is apparent in the design. In Covenant culture, there are religious taboos that prevent them from fully exploring what the Forerunners employed to create that technology.

Like humans, Covenant ships can enter slipstream space and travel faster than light. However, the Covenant equivalent of the Shaw-Fujikawa Engine is far more efficient and reliable. Covenant vessels do not suffer the "temporal fluidity" of the slipstream to such a degree as human vessels. However, after a slipspace jump, Covenant ships generally experience a temporary power outage, leaving the ship vulnerable to attack. As a result, Covenant battle groups are much more efficient when acting as a coordinated group, and can strike more quickly and decisively.

Covenant starships use repulsor engines for propulsion in space, rather than traditional reaction drives. Covenant drive systems seem to be propelled by an unusual combination of gravity "waves" and some form of highly reactive plasma displacement, but the actual means and method of propulsion is currently beyond human understanding. Both starships and ground vehicles are equipped with various forms of anti-gravity technology, allowing ships to hover easily inside an atmosphere and allowing frictionless movement of vehicles across terrain.

The Covenant never developed advanced AI technology due to their religious doctrine; they believed that a powerful AI had once betrayed the Forerunners, and as such they had a ban on actually sapient machine intelligences. The few Covenant AIs that have been encountered include an an AI that was stationed aboard the Ascendant Justice and destroyed by Cortana, one based on the Truth and Reconciliation, as well as The Seeker, sent to infiltrate UNSC systems and alert the Covenant to the location of Earth. Cortana's copy also referenced several AI's being present in the Unyielding Hierophant system when the Spartans infiltrated the base.

Covenant architecture is known for its curved, organic and sophisticated looking style, likely for the aesthetic tastes of the higher-ranked castes. Constructed of distinctive purple or white metal, these colors are the main focus of Covenant design and distributed throughout their starships, vehicles, and weapons. The metal they use is unknown to the UNSC but is very strong and resilient.

Known Covenant worlds

 * Janjur Qom (San 'Shyuum homeworld)

51 Pegasi System
 * Pegasi Delta

K7-49

Salia System
 * Joyous Exultation
 * Malhiem (Satellite)

Urs System (with stars Fied and Joori as secondary stars)
 * Sanghelios (Sangheili Homeworld)
 * Yermo (Continent)
 * Iruiru
 * Qikost (Satellite)
 * Suban (Satellite)

Tala System
 * Balaho (Unggoy homeworld)
 * Buwan (Satellite)
 * Padpad (Satellite)

Oth Sonin System
 * Doisac (Jiralhanae homeworld)
 * Warial (Satellite)
 * Solrapt (Satellite)
 * Teash (Satellite)

Svir System
 * Te (Mgalekgolo homeworld)
 * Rantu
 * Uhtua
 * 23 smaller satellites

Napret System
 * Palamok (Yanme'e homeworld)
 * Naxook (Satellite)
 * Oquiu (Satellite)
 * Ka'amoti (Satellite)
 * Kami (Satellite)

Y'Deio System (HD 69830)
 * Chu'ot
 * Eayn (Satellite) (Kig-Yar homeworld)

Decided Heart- Sangheili base planet

Weeping Shadows of Sorrow- Covenant penitentiary world

Heian - A world with a significant logistics base.

Trivia

 * Covenant is a major city in Bungie's Myth series; it is home to the Total Codex, a magical book that lists the fate of every being that will ever be born. Bungie later considered Covenant as a potential title for Halo: Combat Evolved. Paul Russel joked that it "... sound[ed] like a bad 80's hair band."
 * The Biblical Ark of the Covenant represented the will of God, in connection with the quote: "Your destruction is the will of the Gods...and we are their instrument." This references the Covenant's belief they carry through the will of their gods, the Forerunners.
 * The Covenant were named #26 on IGN's Top 100 Video Game Villains list.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: The Flood
 * Halo: First Strike
 * ''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo: The Cole Protocol
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss
 * Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian
 * Dirt
 * Headhunters
 * Blunt Instruments
 * The Mona Lisa
 * Palace Hotel
 * Human Weakness
 * The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole
 * The Return


 * Halo Graphic Novel
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo: Helljumper
 * Halo: Blood Line
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * The Duel
 * Homecoming
 * Odd One Out
 * Prototype
 * The Babysitter
 * The Package
 * Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

External

 * A Covenant Primer: The Best of the Bestiary