Sangheili Ultra

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Ultra Elite is the highest Covenant Sangheili regular rank.

Role
The standard Ultra Elites command specific operations and are the Covenant's equivalent to field officers (possibly along with Major Domo elites). They are subordinate to Zealots, who command fleets and armies.

In Halo 2, Ultras are seen defending a Scarab walker in the level Metropolis and warring with the Covenant Loyalists for the Mausoleum of the Arbiter.

Special Operations Commander
Thus far, Rtas 'Vadumee is the only known officer holding this title. A Spec Ops Commander commands a troupe of Special Operations Elites, as the name implies.

It is highly probable that other Elite castes hold this position as well, depending on the size of the spec ops units they command. Spec Ops Elites are probably not commanded by anything lower ranked than another Spec Ops Elite, but larger units (larger than the one commanded by Rtas 'Vadumee) may be commanded by Zealots, thus appearance of the armor may vary greatly.

Combat
Like their Zealot superiors, the Ultras are extremely skilled warriors. They also possess extra-strong energy shields that can withstand several times as much damage as those possessed by regular Elites, and they can take more physical damage as well. They often fight with heavy or dual-wielded weapons. Many also carry Energy Swords as their secondary weapon; when enemies get too close, or deplete their shield, Ultras let out a war cry, drop their currently wielded weapon, and pull the sword out for close combat. The Ultras are able to continue in sustained heavy combat long after most Elite warriors' shields would have been depleted. They are particularly effective in close quarters combat, where their stronger energy shields and Energy Swords allow them take down large numbers of enemies. Ultras, along with Councilors, are the only Elites capable of surviving a Shotgun shot or a Plasma grenade stick.

Appearances
Several Ultra Elite corpses were seen in Halo: Combat Evolved - presumably killed in combat with the Flood - but they do not appear in battle until Halo 2. However, even in Halo 2, they are infrequent in number. Yet, one of the main protagonists of Halo 2, Rtas 'Vadumee, better known as the "Special Operations Commander" or as "Half-Jaw", is an Ultra Elite. Rtas commands a force of Special Operations Elites that greatly assist the Arbiter in almost all of his battles on the Threshold Gas Mine and on Installation 05, although he only physically fights in four levels - Oracle, Sacred Icon, Quarantine Zone, and The Great Journey.

Halo: Combat Evolved

 * Ultra Elite Corpses are seen throughout the campaign levels Truth and Reconciliation, Assault On The Control Room, Two Betrayals, Keyes, and The Maw.

Halo 2
Ultra Elites appear more frequently on the higher difficulty levels; Heroic and Legendary, as fitting with their increased difficulty and their greater combat assets that the lower Major Domo Elite or the Minor Domo Elite.

Halo 3
There are no alive Ultra Elites in Halo 3. There are only few dead bodies in the crashed flood ship on Floodgate.

Easy & Normal Difficulties

 * Cairo Station - In Hangar A-02 (where the player sees Athens explode) there is an Ultra Elite guarding the entrance.
 * Metropolis - An Ultra Elite commands the Scarab battle walker that attacks New Mombasa. He dual-wields Plasma Rifles until sustaining a certain amount of damage, then charges with an Energy Sword with a roar.
 * Gravemind - Numerous Ultra Elites fight Brutes in the Mausoleum of the Arbiter on High Charity. They used higher ground on the edges of the circle-shaped room to rain fire with Fuel Rod Cannons on the Brutes. However, they also wielded Energy Swords, pummeling enemies that were too close for their heavy shoulder-mounted cannons. Two more were at the exit of the Mausoleum, along with the "Honor Guard Councilor".

Heroic & Legendary Difficulties

 * Cairo Station - An Ultra Elite, armed with an Energy Sword was in the rear vanguard of the Covenant force that deployed in Hangar A-02. A second, also armed with an Energy Sword, kills the Master Gunnery Sergeant in Armory A-01. On the easier difficulties, the Master Gunnery Sergeant is killed by a Stealth Elite with a Plasma Rifle.
 * Outskirts -
 * An Ultra Elite leads the first Covenant counterattack against the UNSC-held position near the Pelican crash site at the start of Outskirts.
 * An Ultra Elite leads the attack on the Hotel Zanzibar in New Mombasa. He operates a Plasma Cannon until SPARTAN-117 approaches too close, and then he will charge with an Energy Sword.

Known Ultra Elites

 * Rtas 'Vadumee

Trivia

 * Rtas 'Vadumee is the only Ultra featured that does not have black/steel as his secondary armor color. This may hint that secondary colors play an important role in an Elite's armor, much like modern day function badges play on military uniforms. Black may hint at infantry or ground combat positions while white, as in Rtas' case, may hint at Special Operations. Or, it may simply imply that Rtas is a slightly higher/lower rank (as with the relation with Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel) or position (as with the relation with a Sergeant Major and a Command Sergeant Major) than a normal Ultra. It may just serve to differentiate him from other Ultras.


 * It is possible, and perhaps implied, that Ultra Elites are also given the title of Ship Master. While an Ultra would probably not be the Ship Master of a capital ship such as a gargantuan Assault Carrier, an Ultra may be given command of a lighter starship, such as a Stealth Ship, a Covenant Frigate, or a CCS-class battlecruiser. Further evidence of this might be when the character Rtas 'Vadumee in Halo 2, The Great Journey, remarks - "I'm going to take the cruiser back.", referring to a CCS-class Battlecruiser in the distance. If he intended to take and then hold the ship from the Covenant Separatists, then one could argue that he most likely already had the authority of rank to command such a ship. However, this is only speculation, as 'Vadumee may've intended to hand control of the ship over to a higher ranking elite once he'd secured it. Still, given the importance of Ultras in ground operations, the possibility of them being Ship Masters should not be taken lightly.


 * Since Major Domos are called Half-Commanders, it is possible that Ultras are simply called Commanders.


 * Given what is played out in both Halo games, an Ultra seems to perform the same duties and be just as important as a senior field officer. If this is true, the Ultras are the Covenant's version of UNSC Lieutenant Colonels/Colonels and Commanders/Captains.