Swords of Sanghelios

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"There was honor in our Covenant once, and there shall be again!"

- Thel 'Vadam

The Swords of Sanghelios are a break-away faction of the Covenant composed predominantly of Sangheili. The movement was originally founded as a rebellion against the San 'Shyuum-led Covenant after the Sangheili learned of the true nature Halo Installations near the end of the Battle of Installation 05 in November 2552. Following the end of the Human-Covenant war, the Swords of Sanghelios rapidly grew in scope and influence, eventually taking control of Sanghelios and the majority of the Sangheili inner colonies. The Swords of Sanghelios are also one of a very select few breakaway Covenant factions to maintain diplomatic relations with humanity following the end of the war.

By March 2553 Thel 'Vadam had become the de facto leader of the Swords of Sanghelios and was still in power as of 2559. While the Swords of Sanghelios maintained a solid following, they met resistance from numerous conservative factions which held true to the Covenant religion or to the religion of ancient Sangheili.

Origins of the Faction
The Swords of Sanghelios originated as alliance of Kaidons dedicated to the overthrow of a tyrannical Arbiter that was in control of the continent Qivro in the time before the Sangheili became a spacefaring race. They as well assisted in making the rest of the Sangheili fall in line under the Writ of Union.

Restoration
The modern Swords of Sanghelios originated when the High Prophet of Regret led a horribly-planned mission to Earth, against the wishes of Truth, and was subsequently forced into the Battle of Earth, as he did not know that the planet was the Human homeworld. He escaped to Delta Halo, where he was killed by John-117. Regret's death was used as a justification by the remaining San 'Shyuum to replace the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae as their protectors. However, this move resulted in great turmoil within the Covenant, with the Sangheili threatening to resign from the High Council.

The High Prophet of Truth then gave command of the Covenant Fleets, the post previously held by the Sangheili, to the Jiralhanae. Once there were enough Jiralhanae in place, Truth secretly ordered the Jiralhanae to commit a vicious genocide of the Sangheili (disguised as a retaliation to a Sangheili revolt against the other Covenant factions) so they may replace them in society. The Sangheili responded, with the help of factions of Mgalekgolo, Unggoy, and a small amount of Kig-Yar and war broke out in High Charity with Jiralhanae and Sangheili fleets fighting each other in space around it. Later, most of the Sangheili Councilors were assassinated by the Jiralhanae at the behest of the San 'Shyuum.

While the movement initially lacked leadership of any kind, Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree took command of the rebellion several hours after it began. Concurrently, the few surviving Sangheili Councilors were rescued from Jiralhanae captivity by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam on Installation 05. The Swords of Sanghelios allied with the Unified Earth Government, or, more specifically, the United Nations Space Command in their mission to overthrow the San'Shyuum

Sangheili-Human Alliance
The shaky-to-steady alliance between the Separatists and their former foes, the Humans, was forged entirely out of necessity. The UNSC forces were on the defensive, and they had two common enemies that wished for their extinction: the Covenant and the Flood. The alliance of circumstance was forged in the control room of Delta Halo, when Johnson and the Arbiter were coerced to unite in order to prevent Tartarus activating Installation 05. However, the Arbiter persuaded the rest of the Sangheili to join with Humanity. While the two factions experience some friction, they learned to work with one another for their mutual survival.

The devastated UNSC Fleet in Earth's space were glad to accept the help of the superior Separatist warships. The Sangheili' understanding of enemy equipment and Covenant combat tactics proved invaluable in the Battle of Installation 00. Recurrently the heroes of the battle, Thel 'Vadam and John-117, fought alongside one another many times in the desperate and long conflict.

With Truth dead, High Charity destroyed, and the Ark essentially lost to the reborn Installation 04B firing, it is unknown what exactly the remaining Loyalist forces did. The Arbiter's presence at memorial services for John-117 indicated that in the wake of victory, Separatist and Human forces remained friendly to one another, as they both had made tremendous sacrifices in order to stop Truth and the Loyalist forces.

According to the Bestiarum in Halo 3's Limited Edition, the Unggoy were too indecisive to continue the rebellion and the true political motivation of the Mgalekgolo, if any, remains a mystery, although Mgalekgolo pairs could have followed the Sangheili they protect. Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum stated that Truth's Fleet was destroyed. Had any of the Covenant survived on the Ark or in the ruins of their Fleet, they were either taken by the Flood or killed when the unfinished Installation 04B fired and destroyed itself and heavily damaged the Ark. At the end cutscene of Halo 3, victorious Sangheili depart for their homeworld to ensure its safety.

Post-war
Over the next three years, the Sangheili continued to wage war against the remaining San 'Shyuum and the Jiralhanae. At first, the Sangheili were at a major disadvantage, as millennia of depending on the San 'Shyuum for technology meant that the Sangheili were unable to properly repair or replace the ships they lost in battle. The odds began to even out when the San 'Shyuum "vanished" and the Jiralhanae began to fall back into internecine conflicts.

Sphere of Influence
The Swords of Sanghelios control the majority of Sangheili colonies.
 * Urs system
 * Sanghelios

Religion
Unlike most other Covenant splinter group, the Swords of Sanghelios is a secular government which rejects the Covenant religion and questions the traditional faith. However, many Sangheili still continue to worship the Forerunners with some factions opposing the Swords of Sanghelios following the end of the Human-Covenant war.

Military
Unlike more conservative groups, the Swords of Sanghelios accepts females into they're military ranks. As well, they are stricter with maintenance protocols and the safety of vehicle crews, causing higher utilization rates and healthier crews.

Ranks of The Covenant Separatists

 * Arbiter
 * Sangheili Councilor
 * Imperial Admiral
 * Supreme Commander
 * Sangheili Zealot
 * Light of Sanghelios
 * Sangheili Honor Guard
 * Special Operations Commander of the Covenant
 * Special Operations Officer
 * Special Operations Sangheili
 * Stealth Sangheili
 * Sangheili Ranger
 * Sangheili Ultra
 * Sangheili Major
 * Sangheili Minor
 * Commando
 * Ascetic
 * Unggoy Ultra
 * Special Operations Unggoy
 * Unggoy Heavy
 * Unggoy Major
 * Unggoy Minor
 * Variety of Lekgolo/Mgaelekgolo Ranks
 * Variety of Jiralhanae Ranks (possibly as laborers)
 * Kig-Yar Sniper
 * Kig-Yar Major
 * Kig-Yar Minor

Military

 * Sangheili
 * Unggoy
 * Mgalekgolo/Lekgolo
 * Huragok
 * Kig-Yar

Units
Covenant Separatist Navy:
 * Fleet of Retribution
 * Shadow of Intent
 * Pious Inquisitor
 * Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose
 * Sublime Transcendence

Covenant Separatist Army:
 * Legions attached to Separatist Navy
 * Special Warfare Group
 * Covenant Special Operations

Unified Earth Government
They are considered by the UEG to be the formal representatives of the Sangheili race.

Notable members

 * Arbiter Thel 'Vadam
 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum
 * Unidentified shipmaster
 * Shipmaster D'ero S'bud
 * N'tho 'Sraom
 * Usze 'Taham
 * G'torik 'Klemmee
 * Crun 'Brinsmee
 * Uruo 'Losonaee
 * Y'gar 'Pewtrunoee
 * Zasses 'Jeqkogoee
 * Tul 'Imjanamee
 * Zo Resken
 * Sluggish Drifter
 * Drifts Randomly
 * Mahkee 'Chava
 * Zon 'Vadum

Trivia

 * Though the Covenant Separatists were called "Heretics" by the High Prophet of Truth, they should not be confused with the heretic faction led by the Sangheili Sesa 'Refumee which was destroyed by Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee, although they do have the same goal and beliefs. If remnants of the heretics were still around during the time of Halo 3, they and the Separatists would be on the same side, since the heretics also knew the truth about the Halo Array.