Covenant: Difference between revisions

'''The Covenant''', also referred to as the '''Covenant Empire''', was a religious hegemony of multiple alien species that controlled a large portion of the [[Orion Arm]] in the [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]]. Originally a mutual alliance between the [[San 'Shyuum]] and the [[Sangheili]], the Covenant expanded to include at least six other races united in the worship of the [[Forerunner]]s and the [[Halo Array]]. They waged a [[Human-Covenant War|genocidal campaign]] against [[human|humanity]] until they were defeated in December of 2552. Despite being ostensibly the most powerful military force in the Milky Way galaxy, the [[Great Schism|internal conflict]] combined with stubborn human resistance were formidable enough to shatter the bonds that held the Empire together. While the Covenant's leadership was lost either during the [[The Flood|Flood]] infection of ''[[High Charity]]'' or during the [[Battle of Installation 00]], Covenant remnants continues to exist even after the conclusion of the war.<ref name="H3 Assem">'''[[Halo 3]]''', ''[[Assembly (level)|Assembly]] description''</ref> In exactly what capacity it continues to operate remains unknown.

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 who feared it through the San'Shyuum's use of their unstoppable Dreadnought; and the San'Shyuum who 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="Enyc114"/>

With a proud tradition as warriors, the Sangheili held great respect for a worthy adversary, and after their surrender the San'Shyuum sought to seek a burgeoning Covenant of the two races. The alliance or "Covenant," between the two species was formed in 852 BCE with the signing of the [[Writ of Union]], a treaty that ended the conflict and brought about peace between the two factions.<ref name="Enyc1"/>

The conclusion of the conflict marked the First Age of Reconciliation, followed by the First Age of Conversion. This period was exemplified by the Covenant's expansion throughout the galaxy. In this age, the Lekgolo were encountered by the Covenant, and following a military conflict with the Sangheili and San'Shyuum, the species was indoctrinated into the hegemony. Throughout the ages that followed, new races were incorporated into the Covenant, including the Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme'e and Jiralhanae. In between the ages of Conversion the Ages of Doubt, members of the Covenant grappled with internecine conflict.<ref name="enyc31"/>

During the 23rd Age of Doubt, the Covenant encountered humanity for the first time on the planet [[Harvest]]. The newly-appointed Hierarchs of the Covenant, Truth, Mercy and Regret, were aware of humanity's status as the Forerunners' chosen inheritors, and knew that revealing this information to the Covenant would lead to the Covenant falling into chaos. Greater than the cultural significance of the invalidation of the Great Journey, the leading San'Shyuum knew the truth about the Forerunners would lead to the loss of their personal power. As a result, spurred on by a violent incident following the first human-Covenant contact, the Hierarchs declared humanity an affront to the gods and demanded that their entire species be exterminated. This decision would spark a war that ultimately would crumble the very foundation of the Covenant's religious and political alliances.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 143''</ref>  

The Covenant began a genocidal campaign against humanity, seeking out their worlds one by one and wiping them clean of all life. 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]]. However, the UNSC did manage to prevent the Covenant from locating the human homeworld, Earth, for over thirty years through the execution of the [[United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1|Cole Protocol]].

 

After the UNSC stronghold Reach fell to the Covenant, they made a discovery of tremendous significance: a single UNSC vessel, the ''Pillar of Autumn'', had made a blind jump away from the battle, inadvertently leading the pursuing Covenant fleet to the location of one of the seven Halo Rings. The Covenant's celebration following the discovery of this prized relic was short-lived however. After landing on the ring, Covenant soldiers accidentally released the dormant Flood, and a small group of UNSC forces - among them the enigmatic soldier known to Covenant forces as "The Demon" - managed to destroy the ring by detonating the ''Pillar of Autumn'''s fusion engines. Thel 'Vadamee, the Supreme Commander of the fleet present at Halo, was branded a heretic for his failure to save the ring, although he was subsequently appointed an Arbiter.

During the events on the second Halo, the two remaining Hierarchs used the Sangheili's failure to safeguard Regret as an opportunity to replace the Sangheili with Jiralhanae as their protectors and military leaders. However, this move greatly angered the Sangheili, who threatened to resign from the Covenant Council.  

Following the death of the Prophet of Regret, the Prophet of Truth gave the Jiralhanae command over the Covenant's fleets. Once there were enough Jiralhanae in positions of power, Truth secretly ordered them to commit genocide on the Sangheili. The Sangheili Councilors, who had been summoned to the Control Room of Installation 05 to witness the commencement of the Great Journey, were either assassinated or imprisoned by Tartarus and his Jiralhanae. The rest of the Sangheili revolted, enlisting the help of some of the Mgalekgolo and Unggoy. While Truth had orchestrated to remove the Shangeili from power with the more easily manipulated Brutes, the Prophet underestimated the speed with which the Sangheili would recover from this initial attack.

 

A massive battle ensued within High Charity and the surrounding space, beginning a civil war known as the Great Schism. While High Charity was consumed by internal conflict, another crisis struck that sealed the doom of the Covenant's holy city. The Flood-controlled UNSC frigate ''In Amber Clad'' made an unexpected slipspace jump inside the dome and crashed into a tower near the city's edge, spreading infection forms and Flood-laden dropships all over the city. The Prophet of Mercy was killed during the Flood attack, with Truth leaving him to die while he made his own escape. The city and its millions of inhabitants were completely overrun by the infestation, becoming a massive Flood hive. This loss came at the worst possible moment in the Covenant's campaign against humanity. Despite initial conflicts over the Forerunner world of Onyx, the Sangheili Separatists would ultimately unite with the remnants of the UNSC. This united force was directed at the main body of Loyalist forces in orbit, and on the surface of Earth.

With the Prophet of Truth killed, and most of the loyalists' known fleet destroyed by the Sangheili fleet above the Ark, the Covenant as an entity was all but destroyed. Following Truth's death at the hands of the Arbiter, the remaining San'Shyuum, their population reduced to near extinction,<ref>'''[[Bestiarum]]''' ''San'Shyuum section''</ref> went into hiding and have not been sighted by the Sangheili since.<ref name="return">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]]''' '''[[The Return]]''' ''page 506''</ref> The rest of the former member races scattered. The Sangheili, lacking centralized leadership, began to fight amongst their own ranks over the particulars of their faith.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 20''</ref> Most of the Jiralhanae continued to oppose the Sangheili until at least [[2559]],<ref name="return"/> although some Jiralhanae chose to serve under their former masters.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 136''</ref> Many Kig-Yar returned to their ancient ways as raiders and traders,<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 247''</ref> and most Huragok were thought to have fled, though no one knew where.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 256''</ref>

A Sangheili-led remnant faction known as the Storm<ref name=Exam>[http://www.examiner.com/article/halo-4-s-storm-covenant-faction-officially-revealed '''Examiner.com''' ''Halo 4’s ‘Storm’ Covenant faction officially revealed'']</ref> deployed forces to the [[shield world]] [[Requiem]] in [[2557|July 2557]]. Six months later, the Storm still maintained some presence on the installation. Defying the tenuous peace between humanity and the majority of the Sangheili, the Storm engaged the UNSC personnel who were stranded on Requiem.<ref>[http://venturebeat.com/2012/06/10/interview-frank-oconnor-on-why-343-industries-changed-halo/ '''VentureBeat''': ''Interview: Frank O’Connor on why 343 Industries changed Halo'']</ref> The Storm continues to follow the religion and ideology of the [[San 'Shyuum]].<ref name=Exam/>