Ministry of Fortitude

The Ministry of Fortitude was a ministerial branch of the government of the Covenant that dealt with the balanced distribution of Forerunner relics to the rest of the Covenant's member species. Although client species of the Covenant had agreed to allow the San'Shyuum to be responsible for the investigation and distribution of all discovered Forerunner artifacts, many species wished to use the artifacts for themselves for wealth, power, and prestige. To prevent conflict, the ministry decided the proper distribution of the artifacts.

The Minister of Fortitude was the individual responsible for managing the ministry's vast bureaucracy. The ministry's tower was located among the Tower Districts of High Charity. In one of the upper levels of the tower, junior staffers serving with the ministry worked in a large antechamber. This antechamber channeled to a large room that was lined with hallways that led to the individual offices of the staffers. In between each hallway, there were life-sized statues of each previous Minister of Fortitude that levitated above the floor. These statues were carved from the stony base of High Charity and stylized with holographic robes that listed each Minister's notable accomplishments. Several Lights of Sanghelios guardsmen protected the tower. The top floor of the tower was home to the Minister's office. Narrow and relatively cramped, the office was designed for security and as an architectural metaphor to represent the Minister's status: "At the top, there is only room for one".

The Prophet of Truth was formerly the Minister of Fortitude before ascending to the position of Hierarch. On January 18, 2525, when a Vice Minister serving the Ministry of Tranquility was informed of the Luminary detections made by the missionary ship Minor Transgression, he reported it to the Minister of Fortitude. The Luminary had detected numerous Forerunner relics on a world outside of Covenant space. Ultimately, the Minister discovered that these supposed artifacts were in fact the planet's human inhabitants—the species the Forerunners tasked with the reclamation of the Mantle. Realizing this discovery would lead to the dissolution of the Covenant empire, the Minister tasked Chieftain Maccabeus with the glassing of the planet, thus beginning the Human-Covenant War. In 2552, Clarity of Faith served under the ministry and its shipmaster, Thon 'Talamee, worked directly with the Minister.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo: Blood Line