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"The Hierarchs grow impatient! We can delay no longer!"

- The Arbiter

This Arbiter, was a Covenant commander during the Second Battle of Harvest in 2531.

Biography
Before his appointment in 2524 (by Human reckoning), the Arbiter was once a regular soldier and an effective one at that. "Evil and angry" however, he was imprisoned for crimes against the Covenant, his penchant for violence too great even for his superiors' tastes. However, he was appointed to his new position, tasked with eradicating humanity. He was tasked with this because the Hierarchs wanted a leader that didn't ask a lot of questions. Although the Second Battle of Harvest having concluded in the UNSC's favor, only "shadowy information" was retrieved on the Sangheili commander. The Arbiter was present in Harvest's northern polar region, his task close to completion. This involved overseeing excavations of a Forerunner relic. Dismissing concerns from his comrade Zealots, that the relic could be defiled by "the infection" (referring to the human presence, rather than the Flood), he ordered that the relic be opened. Gathering useful information, the Arbiter alerted the Prophet of Regret to the situation, that the Humans were closing in on their location. Regret thus ordered that the Arbiter return to the Covenant and destroy the relic, the Arbiter bowing to the Hierarch's orders despite his initial objections. The Arbiter seems to show the same reverence towards Forerunner artifacts as the rest of his Elites and is even taken back by the idea of destroying the relic, even though he told a Zealot earlier that he cared not if the infection defiled the relic. Later in the game, the Arbiter captured Professor Ellen Anders through unknown means, but Sergeant Forge and a trio of SPARTAN-II's attacked his position, with the Spartans taking out the Honor Guards and Forge attacking the Arbiter. Although Forge is initially overwhelmed by the Arbiter, he managed to grab his Energy Sword and impale it on the Arbiter's stomach, wounding but not killing the Arbiter.

Abilities

 * Defiant Rage - recieve additional health for damage inflicted.
 * Spiteful Rage - ability costs less resources.
 * Blinding Rage - increases the Arbiter's and the Covenant's attack power.
 * Additionally, the Arbiter can also summon Kamikaze Grunts.

Upgrades

 * Fiendish Return - allows the Arbiter to reflect attacks back at the enemy.
 * Vicious Blades - increases damage inflicted by the Arbiter.
 * Ghastly Vision - increases Fiendish Return reflection, but also equips the Arbiter with active camouflage.

Trivia

 * The Arbiter appears as a Hero Unit in Halo Wars, with a special ability called "Rage mode," which allows him to kill several nearby enemies with dual Energy Swords.
 * Out of all the Arbiters that have served the Covenant, only four have been mentioned; this Arbiter will be the second one to be seen on-screen.
 * As an apparent Easter Egg, hint text in the Halo Wars demo claims, "Few people know that the Arbiter's given name is Shirley," referring to the phrase spoken by the Arbiter, "Surely you jest!" in the first level. This Easter Egg refers to the Naked Gun series or from the movie Airplane!, where a running gag is: "Surely you're kidding!?" "I am not, and don't call me Shirley."
 * The Arbiter lashed out at a Zealot, telling him "I care not for your little life!." This is an example of his violent and arrogant behavior that led to his imprisonment and subsequently assuming the role of the Arbiter tasked to eradicate Humankind on Harvest.
 * The Arbiter's energy swords seem to have basket hand guards similar to that of Human fencing swords, over a thousand years in the past.