Canon

Proselytization network

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This article is about the Covenant communications network. For other uses, see Bnet.
Promotional image for Halo: Reach featuring the multiplayer map Zealot. From the Halo: Reach press kit.
The proselytization network communications centre on the Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette, Ardent Prayer.[1]

"I've hacked into the Covenant battlenet. They're actually broadcasting tactical data on unencrypted channels. We should show them who they're dealing with."
— Cortana to John-117 on Installation 04.

The proselytization network,[2] informally termed the Covenant battle network,[3] or Covenant battle net,[4] or simply the battlenet,[5] is the term for Covenant communication systems maintained to allow instantaneous contact between units, vessels and planets. It is the equivalent to the human COM systems. Following the defeat of the Covenant, various Covenant remnants have been shown to use the battle net or modifications of it for their own purposes.

Overview[edit]

A Covenant comm node in Halo 2: Anniversary.
Covenant communications nodes were used to receive information from the proselytization network.

In contrast to its UNSC counterpart, proselytization network was used by the Covenant for domestic, religious and military functions - as opposed to the humans' purely military use cases. The system was designed as a top-down tool for use by the San'Shyuum and Sangheili leadership on High Charity to transmit orders down the chain, but not to receive updates from subordinate nodes. Various methods were used across the network to spread its messages, depending on the importance of the message in question. Central leadership on High Charity could use superluminal communications links to broadcast orders via FLEETCOM to tithe-worlds and fleets directly, with these imperatives modified by local satraps and commanders spread via the use of less sophisticated comm nodes.[2][6] All star systems inhabited by the Covenant are fitted with regional coordination platforms - space stations managed by the Ministry of Concert to serve a variety of functions involved with the managing of the Covenant's day-to-day affairs with their ancillary functions including serving as nodes in the proselytization network.[7] The battlenet is standard equipment aboard all Covenant vessels, which have both intra- and inter-ship battlenets.[8] In the field, Scarab excavator platforms may occasionally forgo their heavy weaponry systems to instead fit proselytization arrays.[9] The R'ea'kuk-pattern command shuttle is equipped with capital ship-scale proselytization arrays for field command functions.[10]

As a consequence of their generally lax computer security and its use in civil and military affairs, the proselytization network was often broadcast entirely on unencrypted channels - something able to be employed against the Covenant via the use of human artificial intelligence systems. These networks could be accessed by even the communications equipment inside a suit of Mark V MJOLNIR armor, with the AI Cortana able to access and gain information on Covenant force deployments several times throughout the campaign on installation 04.[4][11] The chaos introduced into the ranks of the Fleet of Particular Justice by the Flood outbreak was sufficient to overload the fleet's network, making it near-impossible to access information through it.[12]

Near the end of the Human-Covenant War, during the Battle for Earth, a defected Huragok was captured by a squad of ODSTs, and the Huragok agreed to share information in the Covenant battlenet after interrogated by Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson.[13] Two days later, the battlenet fell into disarray again, this time following the Prophet of Truth's departure through the Portal at Voi at the close of the Battle of Voi.[14]

Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction[edit]

Sesa 'Refumee heretic faction had its own battlenet, but the storm approaching the Threshold gas mine masked the arrival of the Arbiter's team and put the Heretics' battlenet into disarray.[15]

Jul 'Mdama's Covenant[edit]

During the Battle of Requiem in July 2557, Cortana monitored a new battlenet used by Jul 'Mdama's Covenant to learn more about the situation.[16] During the early stages of the battle, Cortana detected reports of Promethean resistance on the battlenet while John-117 fought through Requiem's core.[17]

During the Requiem Campaign in 2558, Jul 'Mdama's Covenant mainly used one of the shield world's Forerunner subnets to communicate rather than their battlenet.[18] Later, Dr. Catherine Halsey's comm signal was discovered to have bounced off into 'Mdama's battlenet after being traced to "Lockup."[19]

In October 2558, while Blue Team was on Argent Moon, Jul 'Mdama's battlenet suddenly lit up as a Covenant remnant fleet arrived at the station, causing the team to change their plan to scuttling Argent Moon. As the team made their way through the station, they picked up chatter on the battlenet about Jul 'Mdama's death in the Battle of Kamchatka.[20]

Banished[edit]

The Banished use a modified version of the Covenant battlenet to connect to different FOBs and important Banished facilities such as Outpost Tremonius. After the Master Chief took control of Outpost Tremonius, he inserted the Weapon into a terminal where she easily removed the location from the Banished system, securing it.[21] After the Master Chief secured each of the UNSC FOBs in the area, the Weapon removed them from the system as well, securing them. Each time an FOB was secured, the Weapon was able to secure data on Banished operations from the battlenet, including major bases and high-value Banished targets.[22]

Covenant battle network frequencies[edit]

These frequencies are most commonly used by the Covenant, but it seems that they occasionally utilize the UNSC D- and E- Bands.

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 77
  2. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 217
  3. ^ Halo: The Flood, page 38
  4. ^ a b Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level Halo
  5. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 55
  6. ^ Halo: Warfleet, page 69
  7. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 224
  8. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 63
  9. ^ Halo Waypoint, Scarab (Retrieved on Jun 30, 2021) [archive]
  10. ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Cutting Room Lore (Retrieved on Jul 26, 2022) [archive]
  11. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Truth and Reconciliation
  12. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level Two Betrayals
  13. ^ Halo 3: ODST, campaign level Coastal Highway
  14. ^ Halo Legendary Crate, Data Drop #2
  15. ^ Halo 2, campaign level The Arbiter
  16. ^ Halo 4
  17. ^ Halo 4, campaign level Forerunner
  18. ^ Spartan Ops, S104 Hairy Call
  19. ^ Spartan Ops, S109 The Hammer
  20. ^ Halo 5: Guardians, campaign level Blue Team
  21. ^ Halo Infinite, campaign level Outpost Tremonius
  22. ^ Halo Infinite
  23. ^ a b c d e f Halo: First Strike, page 297
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