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Covenant: Difference between revisions
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The Sangheili believed that Forerunner relics were sacred and should not be touched, while the San'Shyuum Reformists believed that they should be studied and use them to make practical objects of their own design.<ref name="harv146">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 146''</ref> The highly-militarized Sangheili attacked the San'Shyuum almost as soon as their differences became apparent,<ref name="contact">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 147''</ref> and a war between the two species raged for eighty six years.<ref name="Ency1"/> | The Sangheili believed that Forerunner relics were sacred and should not be touched, while the San'Shyuum Reformists believed that they should be studied and use them to make practical objects of their own design.<ref name="harv146">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 146''</ref> The highly-militarized Sangheili attacked the San'Shyuum almost as soon as their differences became apparent,<ref name="contact">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 147''</ref> and a war between the two species raged for eighty six years.<ref name="Ency1"/> | ||
At the | At the start of the war, the Sangheili had a numerical advantage in terms of ships and soldiers. Their strength and military tactics were without peer. However the San'Shyuum's technology, gleaned from years of travel and study of their Forerunner Dreadnought, gave them the advantage in ship-to-ship combat. This proved to be the most common type of combat witnessed during the war.<ref name="contact"/> | ||
Eventually both species came to fear a very real threat: annihilation. The Sangheili feared it through the San'Shyuum's use of their unstoppable Dreadnought; and the San'Shyuum came to admit that if the Sangheili were this dangerous, there might be other forms of sentient life far more threatening to their race.<ref name="contact"/> The long and brutal war caused the Sangheili to violate their religious beliefs, studying and incorporating Forerunner technology in order to avoid defeat.<ref name="contact"/> This incorporation of Forerunner technology eventually caused a stalemate in the war against the San'Shyuum,<ref name="contact"/> however their Dreadnought remained unstoppable. Faced with this bitter reality, the Sangheili surrendered.<ref name="Ency114"/> | Eventually both species came to fear a very real threat: annihilation. The Sangheili feared it through the San'Shyuum's use of their unstoppable Dreadnought; and the San'Shyuum came to admit that if the Sangheili were this dangerous, there might be other forms of sentient life far more threatening to their race.<ref name="contact"/> The long and brutal war caused the Sangheili to violate their religious beliefs, studying and incorporating Forerunner technology in order to avoid defeat.<ref name="contact"/> This incorporation of Forerunner technology eventually caused a stalemate in the war against the San'Shyuum,<ref name="contact"/> however their Dreadnought remained unstoppable. Faced with this bitter reality, the Sangheili surrendered.<ref name="Ency114"/> | ||
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[[File:Origins ii Human-CovenantWar.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An invading Covenant fleet prepares its assault of a human colony.]] | [[File:Origins ii Human-CovenantWar.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An invading Covenant fleet prepares its assault of a human colony.]] | ||
The Covenant began a genocidal campaign against humanity, seeking out their worlds one by one and wiping them clean of all life | The Covenant began a genocidal campaign against humanity, seeking out their worlds one by one and wiping them clean of all life. If the colony was especially important, they would scorch the planet's entire surface and mark it with a glyph of their religion, in a process known as [[glassing]]. The [[United Nations Space Command]] was able to do little to halt the Covenant's advance, with a single Covenant ship often being a match for an entire UNSC [[battle group]].<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]", ''page 470''</ref> However, the UNSC did manage to prevent the Covenant from locating the human homeworld, Earth, and other important [[Inner Colonies]] for over twenty years through the execution of the [[Cole Protocol]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 33''</ref> | ||
After decades of struggle, some Sangheili within the Covenant began to question why humanity was not offered a chance to join the Covenant as other defeated races had.<ref name="convo">'''Halo 2''', ''[[Conversations from the Universe]]''</ref> Despite their losses, humanity proved a determined and brave enemy. They were especially troubled by their soldiers called [[Spartan]]s, who were more than a match for them in battles and often killed thousands of Covenant by themselves.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 349''</ref> While these idle heresies did not halt the Covenant's military progress, doubt began to surface as to the wisdom of the Prophets' ultimate goals; a doubt that was carefully observed by the spies of the Hierarchs.<ref name="convo"/> Notably, a major break-off faction known as the [[Banished]] was created by [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] [[Atriox]] as a result of his disgruntlement with the Prophets' rule. In open rebellion against the Covenant, the Banished forced the Covenant to fight a two-front war.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4axn4oo_KE '''YouTube''': ''Halo Wars 2 E3 Trailer BTS'']</ref> | After decades of struggle, some Sangheili within the Covenant began to question why humanity was not offered a chance to join the Covenant as other defeated races had.<ref name="convo">'''Halo 2''', ''[[Conversations from the Universe]]''</ref> Despite their losses, humanity proved a determined and brave enemy. They were especially troubled by their soldiers called [[Spartan]]s, who were more than a match for them in battles and often killed thousands of Covenant by themselves.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 349''</ref> While these idle heresies did not halt the Covenant's military progress, doubt began to surface as to the wisdom of the Prophets' ultimate goals; a doubt that was carefully observed by the spies of the Hierarchs.<ref name="convo"/> Notably, a major break-off faction known as the [[Banished]] was created by [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] [[Atriox]] as a result of his disgruntlement with the Prophets' rule. In open rebellion against the Covenant, the Banished forced the Covenant to fight a two-front war.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4axn4oo_KE '''YouTube''': ''Halo Wars 2 E3 Trailer BTS'']</ref> | ||