Swords of Sanghelios

"There was honor in our Covenant once, and there shall be again!"

- Thel 'Vadam

The Swords of Sanghelios is a splinter group of the former Covenant re-formed during the Great Schism, when the bulk of the Sangheili-led forces seceded from the Prophet-led hegemony. The group originated as an ancient Sangheili order that was restored by the latest Arbiter and the faction's leader, Thel 'Vadam.

In November 2552, the Prophet of Truth had the Sangheili removed from their former position and replaced by the Jiralhanae as the Covenant's main military caste, resulting in an open war breaking out between the Jiralhanae-led forces loyal to the Prophets and the Sangheili. After the Sangheili learned the truth about the Halos near the end of the Battle of Installation 05, they allied with humanity on their mission to stop the Prophet-led Covenant.

As they no longer looked to the Prophets for leadership, the Swords of Sanghelios initially lacked defined leadership, although Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum led their forces in the deciding battles of the war, with 'Vadam becoming the group's most prominent leader following the war's end. With the Covenant dissolved, the Sangheili returned to Sanghelios and splintered into various factions, with the Arbiter and his policy of cooperating with humanity retaining a solid following. However, many Sangheili disagreed with his ideals, planning to overthrow the Arbiter and rise against humanity.

In the wake of the Covenant War, 'Vadam's group is often viewed as representing the Sangheili on the whole in their diplomatic relations with humanity. Unlike Jul 'Mdama's ideologically opposite reformed Covenant, the Swords of Sanghelios looks to pre-Covenant Sangheili culture and traditions as they seek to rebuild their civilization. Despite this, 'Vadam's alliance has been in some cases referred to as "the Covenant" by the UNSC. Individual members of the faction identify themselves with the title "Sword of Sanghelios".

Background
The first Swords of Sanghelios were a sworn brotherhood of Kaidons dedicated to the overthrow of a tyrannical Arbiter judge-king who ruled the continent of Qivro centuries before the Sangheili became a spacefaring species. Their story of brotherhood, loyalty, honor, and sacrifice continues to resonate among the Sangheili. The last incarnation of the organization prior to its current existence appeared in the tumultuous aftermath of the Covenant’s formation to bring the last holdouts to the Writ of Union to heel.

The current Swords of Sanghelios is led by the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam. The group is mainly made up of Sangheili, along with some Unggoy, Kig-Yar and Mgalekgolo loyal to them. At the onset of the Great Schism, the Sangheili under 'Vadam began fighting the forces loyal to the San'Shyuum, their military now led by the Jiralhanae.

The Arbiter's faction has a peculiar relationship with religion, rejecting the Prophets' religion and holding questions about the Sangheili's traditional faith. In general, most of the Arbiter's followers no longer revere the Forerunners as gods. This has provoked the anger of many of their enemies, mainly the Servants of the Abiding Truth. However, the Arbiter has never explicitly denied the Forerunners as gods, and has assured other Sangheili that they have not lost the gods. Despite this, the Arbiter sought to build peace among the fragmented remains of the Covenant and remained as an ally to humanity. Indeed, the faction is the only known Covenant group to maintain diplomatic relations with the Unified Earth Government or, more specifically, the UNSC. By 2558, the UNSC's ambassador to them was Rear Admiral Horatio Temkin.

Origins
The High Prophet of Regret led a badly planned mission to Earth, against the wishes of the High Prophet of Truth, and inadvertently began the Battle of Earth, as he did not know that the planet was the human homeworld. He escaped to Installation 05, where he was assassinated by John-117. Regret's death was used as a justification by the remaining Prophets to replace the Sangheili with Jiralhanae as their protectors. However, this move resulted in great turmoil within the Covenant, with the Sangheili threatening to resign from the High Council.

Truth then gave command of the Covenant fleets to the Jiralhanae, a post previously held by the Sangheili. Once there were enough of them in place, Truth secretly ordered them to commit a vicious genocide of the Sangheili (disguised as a retaliation to a Sangheili revolt against the other Covenant factions) so they may replace them in society. The Sangheili responded, with the help of Mgalekgolo and Unggoy loyal to them, and war broke out in High Charity with Jiralhanae and Sangheili fleets fighting each other in space around it. Later, most of the Sangheili Councilors were assassinated by the Jiralhanae at the behest of the Prophets.

An initial Sangheili-led Covenant splinter group was formed by the Sangheili Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree on the Sangheili fortress world Joyous Exultation shortly after the Prophets' betrayal on November 3, 2552. Unlike 'Vadam's group, Wattinree's faction did not yet consider humanity their allies, dispatching a task force to Onyx to prevent Forerunner technology from falling into human hands. However, this fledgling alliance came to an abrupt end with the detonation of a NOVA bomb above Joyous Exultation and the deaths of the majority of the Sangheili leaders gathered there, including Wattinree.

Sangheili-human alliance
The Unggoy were too indecisive to continue the rebellion and the true political motivation of the Mgalekgolo, if any, remains a mystery, although Mgalekgolo pairs could have followed the Sangheili they protect. The shaky-to-steady alliance between the Sangheili and their former foes, the humans, was forged entirely out of necessity. The UNSC forces were on the defensive, and both factions had two common enemies that wished for their extinction: the Covenant and the Flood. The alliance of circumstance was forged in the control room of Delta Halo, when UNSC Sergeant Major A. J. Johnson and the Arbiter were coerced to unite in order to prevent Tartarus, Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, from activating Installation 05. After that, the Arbiter persuaded the rest of the Sangheili on the installation to join humanity. While the two factions experienced some friction, they learned to work with one another for their mutual survival. By the end of the Human-Covenant War, the Sangheili fought alongside humans in battle and saved each other from destruction.

The devastated UNSC Home Fleet defending Earth were glad to accept the help of the superior Sangheili warships. The Sangheili's numbers, understanding of Covenant equipment, and combat tactics proved invaluable in the Battle of Installation 00. Recurrently the heroes of the battle, Thel 'Vadam and John-117, fought alongside one another many times in the desperate conflict.

Post-war
With Truth dead, High Charity destroyed, and Installation 00 essentially lost to the reborn Installation 04 firing, what remained of the Covenant was all but destroyed, with its member species divided into multiple factions. In the wake of the conflict, the Arbiter and his allies—now rallying under the name Swords of Sanghelios—remained friendly to humanity and wished to build mutual peace, as they both had made tremendous sacrifices in order to stop Truth and the Covenant forces. On their homeworld, however, they were challenged by a resurgent faction of religious fanatics known as the Servants of the Abiding Truth, who viewed the Arbiter's allies as "blasphemers" and began an insurrection, secretly with the support of the UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence, all the while resuming the Great Schism against the Jiralhanae in a two-front war. The Abiding Truth managed to gather a large amount of followers in a relatively short timespan; while the faction had a strong religious underpinning, many Sangheili had more practical motives for allying against the Arbiter, among them resentment toward humanity. Meanwhile, 'Vadam planned to visit each state to make his case for permanent peace with the humans they had battled for so many years. These reforms did not meet with universal approval. By January 2553, there was great dissent among disparate Sangheili factions, especially from the more devout believers in the Forerunners' divinity.

Avu Med 'Telcam, leader of the Servants of Abiding Truth, decided that an immediate assault on the state of Vadam was necessary. Along with nine ships and forces from Nuan keep and Rtova keep, 'Telcam commanded the assault from the frigate Unflinching Resolve. Eventually, however, the Unflinching Resolve suffered a direct hit and crash landed, though most of the crew, including 'Telcam, survived. Despite being caught off-guard it appeared as though the Swords of Sanghelios would be victorious, however, news spread that he allowed humans to land on Sanghelios; this caused many keeps to ally with the Servants of Abiding Truth and the tide turned in their favor. The Arbiter was caught off guard and when his own reinforcements couldn't arrive on time, he reluctantly accepted Admiral Terrence Hood's offer for help in fending off the attackers. The tide turned when arrived over Sanghelios and destroyed the rebel destroyer Defender of Faith before finishing off the rebel ground forces with a MAC round. The, posed as a Kig-Yar pirate ship, destroyed a few of 'Vadam's ships in order to maintain the stalemate between the two factions, leaving the Arbiter with a Pyrrhic victory.

After the battle, Thel 'Vadam was in talks to visit the UNSC Infinity, a ship more powerful than any human ship during the Human-Covenant War. 'Telcam retreated to New Llanelli until he would be able to convince more keeps to join his cause. At some point, the Pious Inquisitor fell into the hands of the Abiding Truth. In turn, Kig-Yar pirate Sav Fel stole the Inquisitor, with the intentions to sell it on Venezia. With 'Vadam occupied with the ongoing civil war, Kilo-Five was tasked with retrieving the Inquisitor with the purpose of reverse-engineering its energy projector for use against Sangheili-controlled worlds, though the ship was ultimately destroyed.

In spite of the outbreak of civil war on Sanghelios, Thel 'Vadam was able to sway the majority of Sangheili colonies to join with the Swords of Sanghelios. Over the next six years, the Sangheili continued to wage war against the remaining San'Shyuum and the Jiralhanae. At first, the Sangheili were at a major disadvantage, as millennia of depending on the San'Shyuum for technology meant that the Sangheili were unable to properly repair or replace the ships they lost in battle. The odds began to even out when the San'Shyuum vanished and the Jiralhanae began to fall back into internecine conflicts. In addition to the conflict with the Jiralhanae, the Swords of Sanghelios also engaged Jul 'Mdama's Covenant in hostilities, which saw the flagship Shadow of Intent rendered combat ineffective.

In addition to the ongoing conflict with other Covenant remnants, the Sangheili also continued to have a prosperous relationship with humanity. A formal treaty was signed between the Swords of Sanghelios and the Unified Earth Government, setting up the Joint Occupation Zones, which would be administered and defended by both the UEG and the Sangheili. In addition to joint military exercises against pirates in the Joint Occupation Zones, the UNSC and the Sangheili would work together on archival research on Sanghelios, as well as joint investigations on Covenant weaponry, such as the Type-33 Needler. A notable example of trust and technological exchange between humanity and Sangheili is the Helioskrill armor, a variant of MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, one of the most sophisticated pieces of human technology, which was designed by a Sangheili prodigy and manufactured by the Kolaar Manufactorum, a forge based on Sanghelios. Sangheili were even known to sometimes train with SPARTAN-IVs inside the War Games simulator aboard Anvil Station. On the other hand, not all humans were amicable towards coexistence with the Sangheili, as seen with the Sapien Sunrise. In one notable incident, nine members from the aforementioned terrorist organization infiltrated Richard Sekibo's delegation at a peace summit on the colony world of Biko. They intended to assassinate Sekibo and a Sangheili delegation while framing the Sangheili of the crime. The assassination attempt was foiled by Spartan John-117 though Sekibo was mortally wounded. Unfortunately, the truth was covered up and John-117 was used as a scapegoat to hide the UEG's laxity towards preventing the attack, much to the frustration of the Sangheili delegation.

Peace talks
In March 2558, the Swords of Sanghelios attempted peace talks with the Jiralhanae chieftain Lydus and his clan on Ealen IV. Thel 'Vadam, with several Sangheili escorts, led the negotiations. Admiral Terrence Hood volunteered to moderate the talks between the two factions. However, the meeting was interrupted by a surprise attack by Covenant mercenaries under the command of Shipmaster Vata 'Gajat. Captain Thomas Lasky, Commander Sarah Palmer, and the Spartan-IVs defended the delegation and evacuated them from the chamber. When their evacuation ship was destroyed, the security detail proceeded to escort the delegates to a nearby parts depot.

Inside the repair depot, 'Vadam notified Hood and the rest of an old fortified redoubt in which they could take refuge in. Captain Lasky ordered Palmer and the protection detail to escort the delegation to the redoubt. As the party escaped the depot, they were intercepted by a Covenant Lich. Palmer quickly acted and threw her helmet filled with grenades and destroyed the Lich. The delegation stayed back as Fireteam Jackknife and their bodyguards went ahead to ensure the redoubt was safe for them to use as shelter. However, as the delegates entered the redoubt, Spartan Scruggs of Fireteam Jackknife had killed the Sangheili and Jiralhanae escorts and ambushed the group, holding Hood hostage. 'Vadam queried Scruggs on what his demands were; Scruggs stated that they would discuss them once his associates arrived. With the Covenant bearing on the site in force, the ambassadors' security detail discovered a craft they could use to evacuate. Thanks to the sacrifices of Fireteam Bailey, the delegation, Lasky and the surviving Spartans made it aboard Infinity, which rallied the feuding Sangheili and Jiralhanae fleets and forced 'Gajat's forces into retreat. Due to Shipmaster 'Gajat's attack, the negotiations were left in a standstill and little progress was made in furthering the peace between the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae.

New threat
Around October 27th, 2558, an enemy emerged that threatened both Earth and Sanghelios. In light of this threat, the Arbiter agreed to meet with Spartan Jameson Locke to help him in his search for MCPO John-117. At the same time, Jul 'Mdama's faction engaged the Swords of Sanghelios on the Sangheili homeworld, with the Swords of Sanghelios eventually pushing the faction back to their final stronghold: Sunaion, where they encountered a Guardian, a powerful Forerunner construct.

Military structure
While the Sangheili are the dominant race within the faction, the Swords of Sanghelios also includes other former members of the Covenant hegemony, mainly Unggoy who found themselves under Sangheili command and Lekgolo who sympathized with the Sangheili. Kig-Yar have also been seen among its numbers, though whether these are actual soldiers or mercenaries serving feudal states is unknown. The Swords of Sanghelios uses the traditional ranking hierarchy of the former Covenant military instead of newer ranks like 'Mdama's Covenant, though it also revived traditional Sangheili ranks such as Ascetic warriors. Crimson and ivory armor indicates some form of affiliation to the Swords of Sanghelios, though there are armors painted in other colors, such as blue.

Military assets
The Swords of Sanghelios utilized much of the same equipment that the original Covenant used, but modified the designs due to the lack of restriction from the former Prophets. Most Unggoy used the Type-25 plasma pistol and Type-33 Needler, while Sangheili personnel were typically armed with the Type-25 plasma rifle, Type-55 storm rifle, Type-51 carbine, the Type-50 particle beam rifle sniper rifle, and the Type-1 energy sword. Several of their energy swords, most notably the Prophets' Bane, were shaped in new designs based on pre-Covenant fashions.

In the early days of the Great Schism, Type-32 Ghosts and Type-26 Wraiths made up the majority of the faction's ground vehicles, though the Type-46 Spectre was also employed. Like the original Covenant the Type-26 Banshee remained as the main aircraft of the faction. Type-52 Phantoms were used as the main troop transports, although these sported a green color instead of the usual purple and utilized active camouflage. As the Covenant fragmented and technology changed, the Swords began using more individualized craft. They began manufacturing Sword variants of the Ghost, Wraith, and Banshee, which had orange-painted plating and more durable armor than their Covenant versions. The faction also used orange Liches and Phantoms, though it is unclear if these also had improved armor.

The faction's navy was composed of multiple s, s, s and at least one corvette. They also made use of Sangheili corvettes, likewise colored orange.

Gallery
 File:Three Elites.jpg|Usze 'Taham, Thel 'Vadam, and N’tho ‘Sraom during the Battle of Earth in Halo 3. File:H3-SOSUNSC.png|The Swords of Sanghelios and UNSC Marines aboard the Shadow of Intent. File:Fleet of Retribution - Ark.jpg|The Fleet of Retribution over Installation 00. File:2973083-Medium.jpg|Two Sangheili Minors during the Battle of Installation 00. File:Schism_2.png|A Sangheili facing off a Jiralhanae in combat in The Return. File:Schism_3.png|A group of Sangheili charge towards Jiralhanae defenses. File:Schism_4.png|Sangheili warships and ground forces after a victorious battle. File:Escalation_schism.png|A Sangheili and Jiralhanae Captain Major locked together in combat in Halo: Escalation. File:Ealen IV.jpg|Swords of Sanghelios over Ealen IV File:Thel 2558.png|Thel 'Vadam and escort on Ealen IV in 2558. File:H2A-Arbiter&Co.jpg|Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee stands beside Sergeant Johnson and Commander Keyes in Halo 2: Anniversary, the two sides forging a mutual alliance to prevent the firing of the Halo Array by the Prophets. File:Locke&SangheiliMajor.png|A Sword of Sanghelios with Jameson Locke. File:H2A - Arbiter and Majors.jpg|Swords of Sanghelios aboard a Type-56 Lich. File:MCC - Locke and Arbiter.png|'Vadam, Locke and their respective forces prepare to engage Covenant forces. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Frank Kodiak fighting Blind Wolves on Installation 00 in 2555 in Halo: Hunters in the Dark. File:SOSE3.png|A Sangheili Storm working on formation logistics before an aerial assault on a Kraken in Halo 5: Guardians. File:SOSGrunt.png|An Unggoy Storm on Sangheilios. File:SOSElite.png|A Sangheili Storm standing on guard on Sangheilios. File:SOSE2.png|A Sangheili on Sangheilios. File:SOSEArbiter.png| Several Sangheili alongside Thel 'Vadam on Sangheilios. File:SOSEArbiter2.png|Thel 'Vadam and a Sangheili before an assault on a Kraken. File:SOSArbiter.png|Thel 'Vadam on Sangheilios. File:Joint Operation 2015-06-16 01-46.jpg|The Swords of Sanghelios and Fireteam Osiris during the Battle of Sunaion. File:H5G-SunaionSoS.png|A Storm in Sunaion during the Swords assault. File:Swords of Sanghelios defence.jpg|Two Sword of Sanghelios Storms defending the Elder Council Chamber and one Sword Wraith. Sword_of_sanghelios_fleet.png|The Swords of Sanghelios fleet above the landscape of Sanghelios. File:Sword of Sanghelios storms ready for battle.png|Swords of Sanghelios combat-ready. File:HO-Spartans&Elites1.png|Sangheili and Spartan-IVs participating in War Games together on Anvil Station in Halo Online. 

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * The Return
 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo 4
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata
 * Halo: Broken Circle
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Terminals
 * Halo: New Blood
 * Halo: Hunters in the Dark
 * Halo: Fleet Battles
 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Halo: Shadow of Intent
 * Halo Online