Covenant Empire



The Covenant Empire, also referred to as the Covenant, was a theocratic hegemony made up of multiple alien species that maintain control over a large portion of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way galaxy. The Covenant was a political, military, and religious affiliation, originally a mutual alliance between the San 'Shyuum and Sangheili following a brutal conflict between the two warring races. Its expansion to include at least six other races united in the worship of the Forerunners and the Halo Array soon began after the original formation.

The Covenant waged a genocidal campaign against humanity, until they were formally defeated due to many factors - the most crucial of which was an internal conflict. Whilst the Covenant's leadership was either lost during the Flood infection of High Charity or during the Battle of Installation 00, the Covenant continues to exist even after the conclusion of the war.[3] A splinter faction of Sangheili loyalists remains known as the Covenant Remnant; this terrorist group is deemed hostile to Humanity, breaking the truce formed at the end of the initial war with the Covenant. They have been seen to field large numbers of warships, but their true power, and indeed the number of Covenant involved with their activities, is unknown.

It is also unknown in what capacity the other parts of the Covenant continue to exist, or even if any other fragments of this once-great empire remain.

Background
In 938 BC[1] the San 'Shyuum Reformists entered a Sangheili-occupied system, which led to first contact between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili. The San 'Shyuum, who came to Sangheilios in order to claim and study the rich abundance of Forerunner artifacts left behind,[4] soon found themselves sharing different ideologies of how such relics should be treated, which quickly developed into conflict between the San' Shyuum and the Sangheili.

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.[5] The highly militarized and brutal Sangheili attacked the San 'Shyuum almost as soon as their differences became apparent,[6] and a war between the two species raged for an eighty-six year period of time.[1]

At the start of the war, the Sangheili had a numerical advantage in terms of ships and soldiers, and their strength and military tactics overwhelmed their enemy by a considerable factor. The knowledge gleaned from years of travel and the capabilities of their Forerunner Dreadnought, however, gave the San 'Shyuum the advantage in ship-to-ship combat, the most common type of combat witnessed during the war.[6]

Eventually both species came to fear a very real threat: annihilation. The Sangheili who feared it through the San 'Shyuum's use of the Dreadnought and the San 'Shyuum who came to admit that if the Sangheili were this dangerous, there might be other sentient life far more threatening, making their chances of survival in the galaxy slim.[6] The long and brutal war caused the Sangheili to violate their very beliefs, study and incorporate Forerunner technology into their own in order to avoid defeat[6] — their incorporation of Forerunner technology eventually caused a stalemate in the war against the San 'Shyuum,[6] although their Dreadnought proved far too effective and forced the Sangheili to surrender.[4]

In their warrior culture, the Sangheili have great respect for a worthy adversary and after their surrender the San 'Shyuum sought to broker a Covenant between the two races, thus the term "Covenant"; the alliance between the two species was formed in 852 BC with the signing of the Writ of Union, the treaty that ended the conflict and brought about peace between the two races.

Species
Many of the alien species conquered by the Covenant are conscripted into, or gradually become part of the alliance.[16] However, during the first contact with the humans, the Oracle on board the Forerunner Dreadnought revealed to Truth and Regret that Humans are Reclaimers, as shown by its luminary. Since the entire Covenant was based on the belief that the Forerunners had transcended, Truth and Regret knew if any of the other races found out what the Oracle told them, the Covenant would cease to exist.

San 'Shyuum
The highest caste, the San 'Shyuum, or "Prophets," as Humans call them, lead the Covenant and exert complete control over all religious and political affairs. Though physically weak, Prophets wield power through absolute command of the Covenant and through scavenged Forerunner technology, leaving the task of conquest to the Elites and the other races. Their higher understanding of the Forerunners gives them great ego and religious influence over the Covenant. The High Prophets are addressed as "Hierarchs", "Noble Hierarchs", "Holy Ones", or "Exalted" by the other races of the Covenant.

Sangheili
The second highest caste; Sangheili, or Elites as Humans call them,[20] served as the military leaders of the Covenant before the Great Schism in 2552. While Prophets often had the final say, it was the Elites who organized military campaigns and naval engagements. They maintain the military structure of the Covenant and ensured the Prophets' orders are followed, as well as their own. Sangheili consider the other client races to be below them in all ways. The Sangheili are the only known race permitted to build and operate starships within the Covenant, though the crews are almost always composed of a mix of races.[21] Sangheili are separated into ranks based on skill and experience. To advance in rank, Sangheili must honorably earn such advancements on the battlefield.[22] They were a major component of the Covenant and were the only caste able to maintain the military hierarchy as well as having a voice within the High Council before the Great Schism. An "ee" at the end of an Elite name, such as "'Zamamee or 'Vadumee", signifies that that Elite is a part or was part of the Covenant military, although, after the Great Schism most, if not all, Elites removed the "ee" from their names to show that they had left the Covenant.

Jiralhanae
Jiralhanae, known to Humans as Brutes,[20] They are one of the newer species to the Covenant and are the only race that has obtained very close to equal status to that of one of the founding "clients" of the Covenant pact, the Sangheili. They have an incredible natural resilience to damage due to their tough hides, which easily make up for their lack of energy shields, and use a number of weapons and vehicles based upon their pre-Covenant technology. This technology, though primitive compared to other Covenant weapons, is nonetheless extremely lethal, with most Brute-developed weapons having blades attached to them. In addition to their standard form of combat, Brutes will sometimes go "berserk" and try to kill anyone or anything in their path. This shows the aggressive nature of the Brute, and the little tolerance they have when they are cornered. Brutes have their own ranks going up to War Chieftains who usually wield plasma cannons, fuel rod guns, or Chieftains who usually wield gravity hammers. The Jiralhanae always work in packs of 3-8 when possible. They took over the role as personal bodyguards of the Prophets and also now make up most of the Covenant military.

Huragok
Huragok, or Engineers, are actually an artificial species created by the Forerunners. They will only converse with the Prophets or individuals who learn their language.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[23] This indicates Engineers are very high in the caste system, however ONI believe them to be prisoners or slaves.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[24] The Huragok perform the physical labor of excavating, and gathering data on Forerunner artifacts. In military terms, they are generally a non-militant race. However, at times in the Human-Covenant war they have been placed on the battlefield either as repair workers or suicide bombers. They have also displayed neutrality and even some allegiance to humans such as Lighter Than Some helping the citizens of Harvest escape and another Engineer repairing Ascendant Justice's engines for John-117 and even a Needler for him to use in battle. Another example is one Huragok repairing and recovering the Human AI Superintendent and then assisting Captain Veronica Dare and Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson in working out what the High Prophet of Truth was looking for in Africa. It was also revealed that they are equipped with a personal energy shield only when they are under duress. Additionally, these Huragok are also able to project an energy shield around its allies, or enhance shielding already present, if they are within its proximity.

Mgalekgolo
Mgalekgolo, or Hunters as they are known by Humans,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-flood_19-2">[20] are thought to be giant monsters, but they are actually an assemblage of worm-like entities called "Lekgolo" that creates a communal, armor plated form. In this form, they are known as "Mgalekgolo". They always fight and travel in pairs known as "Bond Brothers" which technically means that not all of the colonies of worms were able to fit within one set of armor, and are the strongest of the Covenant fighting units. They wield powerful assault cannons and a massive shield resistant to any small arms fire which may also be used as a melee weapon due to its sharp sides and the Hunters' great strength. They are usually used as weapons platforms, and are only deployed on the battlefield when in need of a heavy force - they are used more like heavy duty equipment than soldiers. Their political and religious motivations are completely unknown.



Yanme'e
These flying insect-like creatures, also known as Drones or Buggers by Humans, served almost exclusively as engineers, but were then replaced by the Huragok. This created a hatred towards the new, peaceful engineers by the Yanme'e that sometimes resulted in violence. Afterwards, the Yanme'e were used as aerial combatants against the UNSC, who were inexperienced at fighting airborne infantry. In combat, their weapons of choice were the Needler, which creates a super-combine explosion if enough projectiles are fired into the same target, and the Plasma Pistol. Their ability to fight on the wing, and their usual deployment in large groups, made them an excellent strategic weapon against ground-based opponents.

Kig-Yar
Due to their superior senses, the Kig-Yar, or Jackals/Skirmishers as they are known by Humans,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-flood_19-3">[20] are the scouts and marksmen of the Covenant military, they are the second lowest Covenant caste and are about 5'6" tall. Due to their lack of physical durability, they carry a portable energy shield generator during combat. Jackals are employed mainly as sharpshooters with their excellent vision and dexterity, and are also deployed to defend strategic areas. When a Jackal is under fire, it will cover its head with its hands and trot away to another position from which to fire. The first Human contact with the Covenant was between Staff Sergeants Johnson and Byrne on a Human freighter as Jackal pirates tried to board the ship. They have very strong dislike of the Unggoy because they are always trying to assert their superiority over them in the caste system of the Covenant. Once they poisoned a recreational narcotic that the Unggoy use which nearly caused them to become infertile. This caused the Grunt Rebellion.

Unggoy
Hailing from Balaho, Unggoy, known as Grunts among Humans,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-flood_19-4">[20] are the most common and lowest-placed caste of the Covenant. The Unggoy were barely into their own Iron Age when the San'Shyuum discovered them. Classified as a "Tier 6" civilization by the Forerunner charts, the Unggoy were at a primitive point in their cultural development, the Unggoy had little choice but to accept entry into the Covenant hegemony, or otherwise risk extinction.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[25] After their incorporation into the Covenant their entire history was erased<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[26] and they essentially became a slave race. Despite their notable cowardice and ineptitude, they are quite dangerous in large numbers, which was why an Arbiter was needed to quell the Grunt Rebellion. They breathe methane and thus must wear a large tank on their back full of the methane to survive on other planets. Relations between the Unggoy and the Kig-Yar are strained in the best of times.

Creatures Inhabiting Covenant WorldsEdit

 * "Scrub grubs" are small creatures the equivalent of the rats found on Earth. They were first mentioned in Halo: Contact Harvest, while inhabiting a Jackal ship.
 * "Zap-Jellies" are sea creatures that live on the Grunt home world, Balaho. They are possibly the equivalent to large jellyfish on Earth.
 * "Thorn Beasts" are a food source for the Covenant, though only observed being eaten by Brutes. The only reference to the Thorn Beasts is in Halo: Contact Harvest, when the Brutes are first mentioned, and in Halo Wars, in at least one of the timeline periods. They were also included in the original Halo game being developed for Mac.
 * "Mud wasps" are insects found on the Grunt home world of Balaho.
 * "Shade Crabs" are crustaceans found on the Grunt home world of Balaho.
 * "Helioskrills" are predators found on Sangheilios that imitate rocks to catch their prey.
 * "Doarmirs" are furry animals found on Sangheilios, their pelts were used by early seafaring Sangheili as cloaks, the tradition is continued by modern Sangheili Shipmasters.
 * "Colo" is a major livestock species raised by Sangheili, traded by Kig-Yar, and consumed as meat, similar to cattle.