Castor

"Castor"

Castor is a Jiralhanae chieftain of a pack who formerly served the Covenant military as an army commander. After the Human-Covenant War, Castor became one of the Dokabs of the Keepers of the One Freedom, a radical Covenant remnant opposed to the Unified Earth Government. He believed in the Great Journey but also renounced the San'Shyuum as false "prophets".

Military service
Castor once served in the military of the Covenant during the Human-Covenant War. In his military career, Castor was an army chieftain. As a chieftain, he captured many useful things from the United Nations Space Command, including schematics of the Spartan-IIs' MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor. During the war, Castor encountered Spartan-IIs and, later in the war, Spartan-IIIs. At one point during the war he served with Orsun and Atriox as Stalkers in the Bloodstars tasked with killing Demons. After capturing and interrogating a squad of ODSTs for three days, the group learned of the rumor that the SPARTAN-II program had abducted children as its subjects. In 2526, he and Orsun served under the command of First Blade Tel 'Szatulai when he encountered Blue Team during Operation: SILENT STORM. By the time the two arrived, Tel and all of his Sangheili warriors were dead and the two Jiralhanae quickly fled in Banshees before Blue Team's HAVOK tactical nuclear weapons detonated, surviving to make their report to the Fleet of Inexorable Obedience.

After the war, Castor became a Dokab for the Keepers of the One Freedom, a radical Covenant remnant based in New Tyne on Venezia. As the cult grew throughout the Outer Colonies, more members joined the Keepers.

Dealings on Gao
"You also have the support of the Keepers of the One Freedom. Your foes will cower before our fellowship."

- Castor to Minister Arlo Casille

On July 2, 2553, after learning of the presence of a Forerunner ancilla on Gao, Minister of Protection Arlo Casille called his allies within the Keepers of the One Freedom and the Venezian Militia to discuss the situation. Meeting aboard Casille's flagship Esmeralda, the minister was visited by Castor and Reza Linberk of the Venezian Militia. Casille informed them that UNSC forces on the planet were seeking to claim the AI for themselves. Not wanting the UNSC to take the "Oracle", Castor felt that it was necessary to launch an attack on the UNSC forces. With Casille's and Linberk's support, Casille brought five hundred of his troops from his ship—One Light—to the surface of Gao to begin his assault. The Keepers of the One Freedom's forces landed in the Montero region on Gao and made their way to the region's cave systems, where the ancilla was believed to be located. At the caves, Castor met with human insurrectionist Petora Zoyas, an ally of Casille. Zoyas had the Committee to Preserve Gao Independence distract the UNSC forces, giving the Keepers an opportunity to move covertly to Wendosa, the village the UNSC was taking up residence in. Castor sent his second-in-command Orsun into the caves to lead the first pack, and had Zoyas accompany them. Meanwhile, Castor realized that the Venezian Militia and Casille both intended to steal the ancilla for themselves. However, Castor was not worried by his allies ulterior motives, as he had several of his human forces sneak aboard the minister's Wyverns—aircraft that Casille would use to retrieve the ancilla. While his forces made their way into the caves, Castor spotted Spartans of Blue Team loading a package into a Pelican dropship. The package was actually a bagged human murder victim, but Castor believed that the humans were attempting to escape with the ancilla. He ordered his forces to attack the village and recover the ancilla.

As the attack began, Linberk was killed by a sniper. The Keepers attack the village, but the four Spartans of Blue Team were able to help the human battalion hold off their attackers. The Spartans disrupted the Keeper formations and prevented the Jiralhanae from charging at Wendosa. The four Spartans were soon joined by the rest of Blue Team, who had actually managed to recover ancilla Intrepid Eye, as well as Lifeworker Huragok Roams Alone. As Castor and Orsun overlooked the battle, Intrepid Eye and Roams Alone attempted to escape the humans. As Spartan Frederic-104 gave chase, he was spotted by Castor. Taking a Type-50 particle beam rifle, Castor prepared to fire on the Spartan when he noticed the Huragok. Certain that the UNSC had captured the ancilla, Castor attempted to kill Fred with the beam rifle, but the Spartan avoided the shots and the Jiralhanae were pushed back by rocket fire. Later, when Fred attempted to leave the battlefield aboard a UH-144 Falcon with the ancilla, the aircraft was shot down. Blue Team made it to the Falcon's crash site just before Castor and several other Jiralhanae arrived. While his forces provided him cover, Castor searched the wreckage for the ancilla. While pulling out Fred's armor-locked body out of the debris, Castor was attacked by Special Inspector Veta Lopis. Lopis shot the chieftain in the hand and knee, causing him to drop the Spartan. As Fred's body rolled down the hill, a small rockslide began that knocked Lopis away from the Jiralhanae. As the Spartans defeated most of his forces and the battalion's Alpha Company arrived to reinforce them, the heavily injured Castor escaped without the ancilla. The Keepers attack on the UNSC forces was soon ended and the survivors attempted to escape aboard One Light. After the UNSC forces had withdrawn from the area, Orsun searched for and found the mortally wounded Castor. Orsun then helped his chieftain walk slowly towards the rendezvous point for dozens of kilometers. As they traveled, Castor and Orsun soon encountered Roams Alone. The Huragok approached the Jiralhanae and healed Castor's wounds. Although Orsun wished to bring the Huragok with them, Castor decided to allow Roams Alone to remain on Gao. As the two Jiralhanae continued to the rendezvous point, Castor desired to enact vengeance on Minister Casille.

Alliance with the Banished
The Keepers of the One Freedom joined the Banished as a legion in April 2558, six months before Cortana's Created declared martial law across the Orion Arm. The Keepers were held in low regard in the Banished. Things were made worse for them when Castor's war brother Atriox left for the Ark and Escharum was left in control of Banished within the galaxy. As of October next year, Legionmaster Castor was working on uncovering a Forerunner portal on Reach when he once again came into contact with Blue Team. Eventually, he would find the portal in the same structure Blue Team found the Menachite Forerunner crystal and, seeing his opportunity to travel to the Ark, would abandon the Banished and travel to the other side, satisfied that even if he should die to the Banished still stationed on the Ark, doing so on the foundry of the Halos would be one of the highest honors.

Personality and traits
"Never underestimate what humans will dare. That has been the death of more than one shipmaster."

- Castor

Castor is a competent military commander, having serving as an army chieftain during the Human-Covenant War and the commander of many "battle packs". He believed that any good commander was able to anticipate their opponents and were able to adjust their plan when necessary. Castor is a deeply religious Jiralhanae, still believing in the religion of the Covenant, but also renounced the San'Shyuum as false "prophets". Although he did not trust many of them, Castor is able to work with Kig-Yar and humans. Castor is opposed to the Unified Earth Government and its United Nations Space Command, believing them to be leading a "heretical tyranny". He believes that UEG and UNSC presence at Forerunner sites is an insult to the Keepers of the One Freedom, fearing that they "defile" the artifacts. He is unique among the Jiralhanae as being willing to accept humans among his ranks if they pledge to be believers of the Great Journey, as he truly believes the faithful should have a chance to ascend. He also treats the Unggoy under his command with relatively high respect, knowing they'll frantically do his bidding out of gratitude and loyalty. He deeply respects his former war brothers as seen by his decision to prepare Orsun's son, Krelis for a higher station.

Unlike most Jiralhanae is his preference for ranged weaponry.

Trivia
"Castor" means "beaver" in Latin.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Last Light
 * Halo: Retribution
 * Halo: Silent Storm
 * Halo: Shadows of Reach
 * Halo: Divine Wind