Usze 'Taham

Usze ‘Taham is a Sangheili assigned to the Fleet of Retribution 's Special Warfare Group. During the Great Schism, he joined the Swords of Sanghelios and took part in the Battle of Earth and the Battle of Installation 00.

Like most other Sangheili in service to the Covenant military, 'Taham removed the "-ee" suffix from his name following the disbandment of the Covenant.

Biography
Although Usze 'Taham was born into a respected merchant family in the Sumai keep in the state of Bothaes, he was fathered by Toha 'Sumai, one of the prominent swordfighters of this age. Toha mated with Usze's mother, a privilege granted by being a Swordsman, and Usze was raised by his mother and her husband. Usze believed that Toha was instead an uncle, and was trained by Toha in swordsmanship. Usze graduated with honors from the top war college in the Iruiru region of Yermo, Sanghelios, a distinction he shares with Rtas 'Vadum. Usze in particular trained in the Sumai school of swordsmanship. Shortly after receiving his first post within the Covenant Navy, he was offered a place on the San 'Shyuum Honor Guard, but he declined citing "lack of practical experience". In truth, he had no desire to be part of a largely ceremonial unit, and at the end of his third combat tour, Usze 'Taham again refused the post, even though his superiors warned him such behavior could be misinterpreted as apostasy. Ultimately, no charges were ever filed against him.

Since that time, Usze has evaded countless punitive actions, as well as at least two assassination attempts, and served with distinction for two additional tours before the Great Schism. Following the onset of the Great Schism, he was approached by the Ascetics to become one of their emissaries to the Arbiter's Sangheili navy. He eventually became a liaison to the United Nations Space Command, and remained active following the end of the war.

Equipment
Usze wears an Assault Harness, with a dark crimson color similar to standard Special Operations Sangheili in Halo Reach, but, rather than being dark purple, it is more similar in shade to the armor of Covenant vehicles or ships. Having trained extensively in swordsmanship, Usze prefers to fight with his sword whenever possible. After the war, he began using a sword with an ancient, pre-Covenant design.

Trivia

 * Usze 'Taham is the fourth playable character in Halo 3 co-operative Campaign. However, neither Usze nor N'tho 'Sraom, the third playable character in co-op, are seen in cutscenes.
 * Claret, the color of Usze's armor, is not available to players. The color looks remarkably similar to that of the paint scheme on a Spectre. He is also the only known Sangheili to have claret colored armour.
 * When he activates his flashlight, the light is simply projected with no point of origin, as no visible flashlight is on his shoulder. This also applies to the third Halo 3 player character, N’tho ‘Sraom.
 * Both Usze 'Taham and N'tho 'Sraom appear to holster weapons backwards on their legs. This is most apparent with the Needler, with the side that has the protruding needles opposite the direction of other Sangheili models.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Hunters in the Dark