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{{Main|War of Beginnings}} | {{Main|War of Beginnings}} | ||
[[File:HM-Ulgethon.png|thumb|250px|The Forerunner Dreadnought looms over [[Ulgethon]].]] | [[File:HM-Ulgethon.png|thumb|250px|The Forerunner Dreadnought looms over [[Ulgethon]].]] | ||
In [[938 BCE]], the San'Shyuum landed on the [[Sangheili]] [[Sangheili colonies|colony]] of [[Ulgethon]], finding members of the then-unknown species among a repository of Forerunner relics. Their first encounter was tense but amenable, but the Sangheili—who also worshipped the Forerunners, but thought it blasphemy to manipulate their technology—soon discovered the San'Shyuum's intent to excavate the holy relics.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P191|Enc22|Page=191}} Led by [[Arbiter]] [[Vema 'Togad]],{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P244|Enc22|Page=244}} the Sangheili slaughtered and beheaded a group of San'Shyuum diplomats, sending their corpses back to the Dreadnought.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}}<ref>'''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminal 6]]''</ref> Horrified by this violence, the San'Shyuum immediately took the ''Anodyne Spirit'' into the skies above Ulgethon, where they were met by a blockade of Sangheili warships. Sepite being outnumbered, the keyship's resilience was unmatched, ultimately resulting in the defeat of the Sangheili fleet. Then, the San'Shyuum [[Desecration of Ulgethon|laid waste]] to Ulgethon, razing the planet and eradicating its population. This initial conflict led to the decades-long war known as the [[War of Beginnings]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}} | |||
During the war, the Sangheili had an early advantage, with each warrior comparable in skill to ten San'Shyuum in battle. However, the San'Shyuum's technological superiority, and possession of the Forerunner Dreadnought, meant that they had the advantage in space.<ref name="ch145">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 145-148''</ref> The San'Shyuum installed a number of weapons on the keyship, powered by the ship's immense power generation capability.<ref name="hbc weapons">'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 12''</ref> The San'Shyuum used the weaponized keyship to great effect in devastating hit-and-run strikes against the Sangheili fleets.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 30''</ref> | During the war, the Sangheili had an early advantage, with each warrior comparable in skill to ten San'Shyuum in battle. However, the San'Shyuum's technological superiority, and possession of the Forerunner Dreadnought, meant that they had the advantage in space.<ref name="ch145">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 145-148''</ref> The San'Shyuum installed a number of weapons on the keyship, powered by the ship's immense power generation capability.<ref name="hbc weapons">'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 12''</ref> The San'Shyuum used the weaponized keyship to great effect in devastating hit-and-run strikes against the Sangheili fleets.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 30''</ref> Additionally, the San'Shyuum were able to weaponize the Dreadnought's own contingent of [[Aggressor Sentinel]]s to serve them in combat. By the time the war ended, these Sentinels had been wiped out almost entirely, only a select few having been preserved aboard the keyship.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 189''</ref> | ||
With the nearly unbeatable keyship in their possession, an eventual San'Shyuum victory seemed inevitable. Still, the Sangheili continued to fight and a strike force managed to infiltrate the keyship toward the end of the conflict. During the raid, they disabled many of the vessel's vital subsystems and slaughtered thousands of San'Shyuum. A counterattack was quickly organized and the Sangheili boarders were killed. However, their actions proved that the San'Shyuum and their keyship were not invincible.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Sacrifice|HSoR|Detail= Adjunct - [[Sacrifice]]}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}} | |||
By [[876 BCE]], the Sangheili had begun to employ their own Forerunner weapons against the San'Shyuum, deciding that the only way to ensure the survival of their species would be to reconsider their beliefs that such actions were sacrilege.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}}<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 151''</ref> Upon discovering this, most San'Shyuum softened toward the possibility of a cease-fire, but [[Pervading Stone]]—their leader—only grew more incensed.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}} During a [[Skirmish of the Planet of Blue and Red|skirmish]] at the [[Planet of Blue and Red]] in [[860 BCE]], the Dreadnought was used to eliminate Sangheili ground forces from orbit.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''pages 9-13'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Shortly after this battle, Pervading Stone finally took the Dreadnought to Sanghelios in the [[Urs system]], seaking to eradicate the Sangheili once and for all. In the ensuing battle, the Dreadnought was used to ravage the Sangheili homeworld and its two [[Natural satellite|moon]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}} However, the Sangheili would unleash their powerful Forerunner weapons on Dreadnought, managing to bring it down on [[Suban]] and trap it in place with [[gravity anchor]]s. With the San'Shyuum held captive within their keyship for a time, the Sangheili debated whether to simply destroy the vessel and those within, or to breach it and take the Dreadnought for themselves.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}} | |||
By [[855 BCE]], while the Dreadnought was still immobilized on Suban, the San'Shyuum known as [[Breaking Shadow]] led a coup against Pervading Stone. Following his death, the San'Shyuum aboard the Dreadnought were united, and Breaking Shadow prepared to at last broach the possibility of peace to the Sangheili. In [[852 BCE]], order to ensure the survival of both species, an unarmed San'Shyuum delegation was sent to the Sangheili, and a tenuous truce was forged by Breaking Shadow and First Kaidon [[Pelahsar the Strident]]. This alliance would soon lead to the formation of the [[Covenant]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}} | |||
===Centerpiece of High Charity=== | ===Centerpiece of High Charity=== | ||
[[File:H2A Terminals - High Charity construction.jpg|thumb|250px|left|High Charity under construction.]] | [[File:H2A Terminals - High Charity construction.jpg|thumb|250px|left|High Charity under construction.]] | ||
The two | The two species then penned the [[Writ of Union]], which formally established the Covenant, and decommissioned the Forerunner warship, removing all known weapons, and placing it within the partially completed High Charity. It was then used to power the city, with its engines at partial power.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P191}}{{Ref/Reuse|ch145}}<ref name="h2high">'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]''</ref> The massive piece of rock taken from Janjur Qom was later refitted into the rocky dome of [[High Charity]], along with the Dreadnought atop it. The Dreadnought then became the purview of the [[Asceticism|ascetic priests]], who studied the vessel's systems and tended to the Oracle, in fact a fragment of the [[Rampancy|rampant]] Forerunner [[ancilla]] 05-032 Mendicant Bias.<ref name="ch269">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 269-271''</ref> | ||
After the [[Taming of the Lekgolo]], the Prophets used the newly incorporated [[Lekgolo]] to explore Forerunner relics, and after ages of experimenting on lesser relics, finally worked up the courage to explore the Dreadnought's pathways. At first, these explorations were slow and deliberate, as the priests feared damaging the Dreadnought or offending the Oracle. But with no response from the Oracle, the priests began to continue the explorations until the practice became common place, often with the aid of [[Huragok]].{{Ref/Reuse|ch269}} One of these [[Huragok]] was [[Drifts Randomly]], who internalized data from the keyship which later allowed it to activate the [[Portal at Voi]] on [[Earth]] in lieu of the keyship itself. Afterwards, at least twenty [[Mgalekgolo]] remained on guard around the Dreadnought.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 267''</ref> | After the [[Taming of the Lekgolo]], the Prophets used the newly incorporated [[Lekgolo]] to explore Forerunner relics, and after ages of experimenting on lesser relics, finally worked up the courage to explore the Dreadnought's pathways. At first, these explorations were slow and deliberate, as the priests feared damaging the Dreadnought or offending the Oracle. But with no response from the Oracle, the priests began to continue the explorations until the practice became common place, often with the aid of [[Huragok]].{{Ref/Reuse|ch269}} One of these [[Huragok]] was [[Drifts Randomly]], who internalized data from the keyship which later allowed it to activate the [[Portal at Voi]] on [[Earth]] in lieu of the keyship itself. Afterwards, at least twenty [[Mgalekgolo]] remained on guard around the Dreadnought.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 267''</ref> | ||