Covenant: Difference between revisions

:::::::''The Seventh Age: Journey and Salvation.''|Maccabeus and the Jiralhanae of the ''Rapid Conversion''.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 196-197''</ref>}}

{{Main|War of Beginnings}}

At some point before the San'Shyuum encountered the Sangheili, the [[Huragok]] were found by the San'Shyuum in various [[M-series facility|M-series facilities]].<ref name="best">'''Halo 3''', ''[[Bestiarum]]''</ref> In [[938 BCE]],{{Ref/Reuse|Ency1}} the San'Shyuum [[Reformists]], aboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] and the planetoid that would come to be known as High Charity, entered a Sangheili-occupied system that led to first contact between the two alien species. The San'Shyuum, who came to Sanghelios in order to claim and study the rich abundance of Forerunner artifacts left behind,<ref name="Ency114">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''' ''page 114''</ref> soon found themselves sharing different ideologies of how such relics should be treated, which quickly devolved into conflict between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili.

[[File:HM-HighCharityBC.png|left|250px|thumb|The construction of ''High Charity''.]]

===Early history===

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In the year [[1112]], the Covenant discovered the [[Yanme'e]], an insectoid race with an interplanetary civilization. First contact was violent as both sides took heavy casualties. However, it was the Covenant who fared worse in these battles. Ultimately, the San'Shyuum discovered a way to communicate with the Yanme'e, and subsequently incorporated them into the Covenant by way of a treaty.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''pages 148-149''</ref>

In [[1342]], the Covenant arrived in the [[Y'Deio system]] and encountered the [[Kig-Yar]]. Both Kig-Yar [[piracy|pirate]]s and [[Eayn]]'s military joined forces in an attempt to fend off the Covenant military juggernaut. The war between the Covenant and Kig-Yar forces culminated in sieges of redoubts on the [[asteroid]]s surrounding their world,<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 155''</ref> however the asteroids proved to be beneficial to the Kig-Yar. It was difficult for the larger Covenant ships to maneuver through Y'Deio's abnormally dense asteroid belt, while Kig-Yar forces could use the asteroids for hiding.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 157''</ref> Eventually, peace was reached between the Kig-Yar and Covenant. The Kig-Yar joined the Covenant, essentially as mercenaries, and earned commissions from the [[Ministry of Tranquility]] to engage in the services of the Covenant.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 121''</ref>  

{{Main|Human-Covenant War}}

{{Quote|Your destruction is the will of the Gods... and we are their instrument.|The Covenant's first transmission to humanity, after the [[glassing]] of [[Harvest]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 96-98''</ref>}}

During the 23rd Age of Doubt, the Covenant [[First Battle of Harvest|encountered]] humanity for the first time on the planet [[Harvest]]. While many within the Covenant's leadership felt that this new race would make a welcome addition to the hegemony, the newly-appointed [[Hierarchs]] of the Covenant—[[Prophet of Truth|Truth]], [[Prophet of Mercy|Mercy]], and [[Prophet of Regret|Regret]]—had other plans. The Hierarchs 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.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 275''</ref> 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.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 385''</ref> 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 was to 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>  

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 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/Reuse|convo}} Notably, a major break-off faction known as the [[Banished]] was created by [[Jiralhanae Stalker]] [[Atriox]] as a result of his disgruntlement with the Prophets' rule, and proceeded to persistently raid Covenant supplies for years while the Human-Covenant War raged on.<ref>'''Halo Wars 2''', campaign level ''[[A New Enemy]]''</ref>

After the UNSC stronghold [[Reach]] fell to the Covenant in [[2552]], they made a discovery of tremendous significance: a single UNSC vessel, the [[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|''Pillar of Autumn'']], had made a supposedly blind jump away from the battle, inadvertently leading the [[Fleet of Particular Justice|pursuing Covenant fleet]] to the location of [[Installation 04|one]] of the seven Halo rings.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref> The Covenant's celebration following the discovery of this prized relic was short-lived, however, as a small group of UNSC forces—among them the fearsome, enigmatic soldier known to Covenant forces as "[[John-117|the Demon]]"—managed to destroy the ring by detonating the ''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}s [[fusion drive|fusion engines]].<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[The Maw]]''</ref> [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee, the [[Supreme Commander]] of the fleet present at Halo, was branded a heretic for his failure to save the ring,<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Heretic]]''</ref> although he was subsequently appointed an [[Arbiter]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Arbiter]]''</ref>

Shortly after the destruction of the first Halo ring, the High Prophet of Regret accidentally stumbled upon the human homeworld, [[Earth]]. Ill-equipped for a full-scale invasion, Regret managed to escaped by making an in-atmosphere slipspace jump. This jump led the Prophet of Regret and the pursuing UNSC frigate [[UNSC In Amber Clad|''In Amber Clad'']] to a [[Installation 05|second Halo ring]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Delta Halo]]''</ref> A [[Battle of Installation 05|brief military conflict]] between UNSC and Covenant forces ensued, during which time Regret met his end at the hands of the Demon. The ring itself was nearly activated, but was stopped by UNSC forces.<ref name="h2journey">'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Great Journey]]''</ref>