Editing Great Schism

{{Era|HCW|Post}}

*[[2552#November|November 3, 2552]]<ref group="note">The massacre of the Sangheili on Earth on October 20, 2552 (witnessed in ''Halo 3: ODST'') is regarded as an isolated incident leading up to the Schism, whereas the conflict at large is considered to have begun with the Sangheili's banishment from the Honor Guard and the subsequent outbreak of all-out hostilities within ''High Charity'' and its fleets on November 2.</ref>–[[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]

**Continues as the [[Sangheili-Jiralhanae war]]<ref name="The Return">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''' "[[The Return]]" - '' "It was a terrible war. The Prophets provided the Brutes with powerful new weapons, hoping that they would in turn defend their Prophets against our wrath. But when the Prophets went into hiding, the lack of leadership allowed the Brutes to return to their savage nature and they soon began to fight against each other. This lack of solidarity made them much easier prey. Some of my fellow commanders continue that fight even now"''</ref>

|place=[[Milky Way|Milky Way galaxy]]

|result='''Sangheili victory

*'''[[Covenant]]'''

*'''[[Covenant separatists]]'''

[[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]† <br>

[[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]]† <br>

[[Prophet of Exquisite Devotion]]† <br>

[[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]]† <br>

[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Gargantum]] <br>

[[Jiralhanae Captain|Captain]] [[Melchus]] <br>

[[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]] <br>

[[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] <br>

[[Unidentified Shipmaster (Righteous Vigilance)|Unidentified Sangheili Shipmaster]]<ref name="The Return"/> <br>

[[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]† <br>

[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]]† <br>

[[Blademaster]] [[Vul 'Soran]]<br>

[[Fleetmaster]] [[Rojka 'Kasaan]]<br>

**Jiralhane-led [[High Charity defense fleet]]

*[[Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose]]  

*[[High Council]]

*[[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]]

*[[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]

*[[Tartarus]]

*Fleet Master Voro Nar 'Mantakree

*Xytan 'Jar Wattinree

}}

{{Quote|This is the third vector of chaos.|[[Zo Resken]], former Prophet of Clarity, to his [[Sangheili]] liberators<ref name="gl232">'''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''', ''page 232''</ref>}}

The '''Great Schism''',<ref name="GoO">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 240''</ref> also known as the '''Covenant Schism''',<ref name="GoO245">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 245''</ref> or the '''Great Betrayal''' among the [[Sangheili]],<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', ''The Return'', ''page 247''</ref> was a major civil war between the forces loyal to the [[Covenant]] against the [[Covenant separatists]], which split apart on [[2552#November|November 3, 2552]]. During the Schism, three major factions fought for victory: the Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]] allied with the [[UNSC]]; the remnants of the Covenant led by the [[San'Shyuum]] and the [[Jiralhanae]]; and the [[Flood]], which took over the Covenant holy city of ''[[High Charity]]'' in an effort to assimilate the other warring factions. The Schism marked both the end of the Covenant and the partition of its client species for a thousand years.<ref name="GoO245"/> For UNSC, it served as a major turning point that led to the [[Battle of Installation 00|end of the war]] after their [[Fall of Reach|disastrous defeat on Reach]].

===Background===

For centuries over the course of the [[history of the Covenant]], various high ranking [[Sangheili]] with great influence would eventually come close to discovering the truth about the [[Forerunner]]s, which would falsify the [[Covenant religion]]. Such influential Sangheili were perceived by the [[High Prophet]]s as a threat to their authority and power, and would be sent on suicidal missions as newly appointed [[Arbiter]]s to discretely remove their threatening presence.<ref>[[Halo 2: Anniversary]] - [[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminal 11]] -  "In some cases, that influence was already being used to question the decisions of your Hierarchs. In fact, that very questioning often gave rise to the charges of heresy that so neatly removed the challenger from the Hierarchs' concern."</ref>  

With this history of influential Sangheili well documented among the High Prophets, the threat the Sangheili posed was made even more apparent in [[2552]], when [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction]] spread information about the Great Journey being false.<ref>[[Halo 2]] - [[The Arbiter]] - "Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a-"</ref> Intending to prevent the Covenant from falling apart and losing power, the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] made plans to eject the entire Sangheili species from the hegemony, viewing them as untrustworthy and doubting their reliability and loyalty. [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadamee|Thel 'Vadamee's]] failure to prevent [[Demon]] [[John-117]] from [[Battle of Installation 04|destroying]] a holy [[Installation 04|"Sacred Ring"]], was another example of a powerful and influential Sangheili committing questionable actions, which further perpetuated distrust. Truth would eventually replace the Sangheili with the [[Jiralhanae]], as he saw the latter as more willing and unquestioning pawns. He had appointed [[Tartarus]], a loyal Jiralhanae, to the position of [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] who would help him execute his plan. Feeding off the societal rivalry between the Sangheili and Jiralhanae, Truth knew that Tartarus and the Jiralhanae would be more than happy to replace the Sangheili as the Covenant's military leaders. Truth kept these schemes strictly to himself and waited until the time was right to implement them. After Truth learned the location of the [[Earth|human homeworld]], he secretly amassed [[Truth's fleet|a fleet]] of over five hundred warships, commanded entirely by Jiralhanae, at the command-and-control station ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 297''</ref> In [[2552#September|September 2552]], this station and the fleet [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|were destroyed]] by a group of [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] who learned of its purpose shortly before the invasion could commence.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 407''</ref> This put a temporary halt to Truth's plans.<ref name="oct20">'''[[Halo Waypoint]]''', ''"Ten Twenty" history article''</ref>

On October 20, the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] made a move the High Prophet of Truth did not expect: having discovered a significant [[Forerunner]] [[Portal at Voi|artifact]] on Earth on his own, but unaware of the fact it was humanity's homeworld, he took [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|a fleet]] of fifteen ships to Earth.<ref name="oct20"/> Immediately after Truth learned of this, he sent the remnants of the fleet he had amassed to Earth; he gave his Jiralhanae troops orders to forcibly overtake the Sangheili in command of the remaining forces on and above Earth. To Regret's surprise, Earth was the human homeworld, resulting in a [[Battle of Mombasa|massive battle]] forcing him to flee. When Regret retreated from Earth, his Sangheili-led ships in orbit and ground forces continued to engage the [[United Nations Space Command]], but now without a leader. Only moments after, the Jiralhanae forces within the fleet and on the ground killed all remaining Sangheili on Earth,<ref name="odst">'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', campaign level ''[[Coastal Highway]]''</ref> as Truth had ordered. They took over the Sangheili's duties to occupy the human city of [[New Mombasa]] until more Jiralhanae reinforcements sent by Truth arrived. As ''[[High Charity]]'' and the rest of the [[Covenant fleet]] were now on their way to the newly discovered [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 05]], Truth's scheme remained secret from the rest of the Covenant. Regret, who would arrive at Delta Halo weeks before ''High Charity'' and the rest of the Covenant, would serve yet another purpose for Truth: the final stage in Truth's plan.<ref name="oct20"/> With the arrival of the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} commanded by Commander [[Miranda Keyes]] on [[Installation 05]], the UNSC decided to [[Battle of Installation 05|assassinate the Prophet of Regret]] after they got the intel they needed, with John-117 set to carry out this task.

[[File:H2A Beamish cameo.jpg|thumb|250px|Kig-Yar and Unggoy protest on ''High Charity''.]]

After the High Prophet of Regret was killed by [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] on [[2552#November|November 2, 2552]], the two remaining [[Hierarchs]] reorganized Covenant society. Claiming that the Sangheili could no longer protect the Prophets due to Regret's death, the High Prophet of Truth publicly replaced the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae as the Prophets' [[Honor Guard|protectors]]. Much to their dismay, all [[Sangheili Honor Guardsman|Sangheili Honor Guardsmen]] were ordered to give away their armor and weapons to the new [[Jiralhanae Honor Guardsman|Jiralhanae Honor Guardsmen]]. The Sangheili viewed this as a violation of the principle that the Covenant had been founded upon and threatened to resign from the Covenant.<ref name="icon">'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[Sacred Icon]]''</ref> Several Unggoy and Kig-Yar would join in protest against this change as well.<ref>[[Halo 2]], campaign level [[Gravemind (level)]]</ref>

The High Prophet of Truth further demoted the Sangheili by giving command of their fleets to the Jiralhanae, including the [[Fleet of Profound Solitude]], [[Fleet of Tranquil Composure]] and [[Fleet of Inner Knowledge]].<ref name="HWTimeline"/> Many Sangheili [[Shipmaster]]s and [[Fleetmaster]]s would be replaced with new Jiralhanae commanders. Truth allocated more loyal forces to his disposal by pardoning and releasing all Jiralhanae prisoners, while publicly framing it as a celebration for the species newly elevated status in Covenant society.<ref name="HWTimeline">'''[[Halo Wars]]''', ''[[Halo Wars Timeline Events|Timeline]]''</ref>  

The Sangheili found these changes to be deeply humiliating, as founding members of the Covenant they were used to having a higher social status than the Jiralhanae.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-wars-2-new-character-images-and-details-revea/1100-6442098/?ftag=GSS-05-10aaa0b '''Gamestop''': ''Halo Wars 2: New Character Images and Details Revealed''] - "This arrangement was deeply unpleasant for the Shipmaster, especially since Elites were used to lording over the Brutes during the time of the Covenant..."</ref>

{{Quote|The Great Schism is upon us. The unbreakable Covenant [[Writ of Union]] has been split asunder. This is the end of the Ninth, and final, [[Ages of Reclamation|Age]].|Xytan 'Jar Wattinree<ref name="GoO"/>}}

 

The High Prophet of Truth predicted that the High Council would elect a new Hierarch to replace Regret, and so he made his move to eliminate the [[Sangheili Councilor|Sangheili High Councilors]] to prevent another moderate Prophet from being elected.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/factions/high-council '''Halo Waypoint''': ''High Council'']</ref> Once enough Jiralhanae were in place, Truth instigated a pogrom by secretly ordering the assassination of many Sangheili Councilors.<ref name="uprising">'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Uprising]]''</ref> Many Sangheili High Councilors and former Honor Guards were ordered to meet in the [[Control Room (Installation 05)|Control Room]] of Installation 05 to begin preparing for the [[Covenant religion#Great Journey|Great Journey]]. However, [[Jiralhanae Captain]] [[Melchus]] arrived at the Control Room with a large, heavily armed contingent of Jiralhanae and proceeded to massacre the Councilors and former guardsmen.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''pages 219-222'' (Google Play edition)</ref> This would spark the start of the Great Schism.  

This massacre of the Sangheili Councilors was perceived as an insurrection against the Covenant to the Sangheili, as well as many [[Mgalekgolo]] and [[Unggoy]]. Loyalist factions were led to believe it was a Sangheili revolt. After the assassination of the Councilors, war and violence broke out on ''High Charity'', with the two sides polarizing quickly. Video messages of the various massacres were sent to all Sangheili forces,<ref>[[Halo: Evolutions]] [[The Return]] (Motion Comic) - "We were scouting for humans when the message came in. I could not comprehend what I was seeing. Our betrayal by the Prophets. The Slaughter of our leaders."</ref> resulting in the entire species learning that they had been forced out of the Covenant.<ref name="Elites">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/jiralhanae Canon Fodder] - "The resulting conflict would be called the Great Schism, and it would divide the Covenant into two, ultimately forcing the Sangheili out."</ref>

[[File:H2A-Brutes vs Elites.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Former Sangheili Honor Guards fight with the Jiralhanae on ''High Charity''.]]

At the front lines of the original conflict aboard ''High Charity'', the species of the Covenant took distinct sides. Those who followed the San'Shyuum included all but a few Jiralhanae,<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 55''</ref> most [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Yanme'e]], some Unggoy, and a minority of the Mgalekgolo. The forces allied with the Sangheili consisted of many Mgalekgolo, Unggoy and [[Huragok]].<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[Wages of Sin]]", ''page 509''</ref>

[[Chol Von]], a [[T'vaoan]] [[Shipmaster|shipmistress]], renamed her [[missionary ship]] ''[[Paragon|Joyous Discovery]]'' as ''Paragon'' at some point of the Great Schism.<ref name="md141">'''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''', ''page 141''</ref> During the Schism, she captured a [[Phantom]], killing two [[Sangheili]] in the process.<ref>'''Halo: Mortal Dictata''', ''page 73''</ref> After discovering that the [[Zo Resken|Prophet of Clarity]] was attempting to aid the Sangheili, the [[Prophet of Exquisite Devotion]] attempted to have him executed for treason. However, a group of Sangheili led by [[G'torik 'Klemmee]] arrived and rescued the Prophet of Clarity—resulting in the death of Exquisite Devotion in the process.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 242''</ref> The group would later escape ''High Charity'' aboard a stolen supply ship, ''[[Journey's Sustenance]]''.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 250''</ref>

The civil war was at first a conflict over orthodoxy and leadership, however the true split occurred when Thel 'Vadam's contingent of Sangheili, the [[Fleet of Retribution]], discovered the truth about the Halos and the Great Journey. Their disillusionment changed their goal from reforming the purity of the Covenant to actively fighting against it the following day. Around this time, Truth left the [[High Prophet of Mercy]] to die at the hands of the [[Flood]], solidifying his place as the autocrat of the Covenant.<ref name="gravemind">'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]]''</ref>

The shaky alliance between the Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]] and their former foes, the [[human]]s, was forged out of necessity and revenge against the Covenant to some extent.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]'' "I will have my revenge on a Prophet, not a plague!"</ref> Both sides had two common enemies that wished for their extinction: the Covenant and the Flood. This alliance of circumstance was forged in the [[Control Room (Installation 05)|control room of Installation 05]], when [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Major Avery Johnson]] and [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee united to prevent the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]], [[Tartarus]], from activating Delta Halo and firing the Halo Array.<ref name="journey">'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Great Journey]]''</ref> The Arbiter persuaded many Sangheili to ally with the humans, forming the [[Fleet of Retribution]].

On November 17, the devastated [[UNSC Home Fleet]] attempted a last-ditch assault on the High Prophet of Truth's [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], which had integrated with [[Portal at Voi|the Forerunner artifact]] that Regret had discovered nearly a month prior. This attack failed and a [[Indulgence of Conviction|Flood-controlled battlecruiser]] crashed in [[Voi]] only moments after Truth's fleet entered the [[Slipspace portal|portal]] generated by the artifact.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[The Storm]]''</ref> However, the Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]], led by [[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]], arrived in pursuit of the cruiser; as the fleet glassed the city and its environs, the Sangheili and UNSC agreed to follow Truth beyond the portal.<ref name="floodgate">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref>

The joint Sangheili-UNSC fleet arrived at the Halo Array's control center, [[Installation 00]], on December 11. During the [[Battle of Installation 00|ensuing battle]], the Fleet of Retribution completely destroyed their Jiralhanae counterpart, despite the latter's three-to-one numerical superiority.<ref name="ark">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]''</ref> Sangheili forces later helped SPARTAN-117 disable the shield generators protecting the installation's [[Installation 00 Citadel|Citadel]], in which the Prophet of Truth was hiding. Master Chief John-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam entered the Citadel and fought through what remained of Truth's personal guard. After reaching the control panel they discovered that the Hierarch had been infected by the Flood; as the Prophet slipped in and out of lucidity, 'Vadam stabbed him in the back.<ref name="cove">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref> The Flood-controlled ''High Charity'' was destroyed shortly thereafter,<ref name="cortana">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Cortana (level)|Cortana]]''</ref> effectively dissolving the Covenant.

Shipmaster 'Vadum evacuated the remaining Sangheili and human forces after the holy city's destruction. Seemingly, only his flagship, ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', remained. Any remaining Covenant forces were killed when Halo [[Installation 08]] was activated and the Ark was severely damaged by the debris; the activation also ended the immediate threat of the Flood. The Master Chief, the Arbiter, and the AI [[Cortana]] had escaped on the frigate {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}, which was split in half when their escape portal closed too early.<ref name="h3 halo">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref>

===After the Human-Covenant War===

[[File:Escalation raids.png|thumb|250px|left|Brutes Choppers raid Sangheili settlements.]]

With Truth dead, ''High Charity'' destroyed, and the Ark heavily damaged after Installation 08's firing, some of the remaining Jiralhanae forces tried to rebuild their tattered strength to continue their war of conquest.<ref>'''Halo 3''', multiplayer level ''[[Assembly (level)|Assembly]]''</ref> Even though the Jiralhanae eventually collapsed into various civil wars, they still posed enough of a threat that Sangheili commanders kept up the offensive against them for at least another six years, even as they continued to lose irreplaceable warships and the war continued with no end in sight.<ref name="The Return"/>

*A [[Covenant]] artifact retrieval team led by [[Sesa 'Refumee]] is investigating a [[Threshold gas mine|Forerunner gas mine]] in Threshold's atmosphere when he encounters 343 Guilty Spark. Inspired by Spark's words, 'Refumee and his team [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|go into open rebellion]] against the [[Hierarchs|High Prophets]] of the Covenant.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''', ''[[Terminal/Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary|Terminal 11]]''</ref>

*[[Thel 'Vadam]]ee, the [[Supreme Commander]] of the Fleet of Particular Justice, is tried before the [[High Council]] and sentenced to death. However, the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] overrides the Council and makes the Supreme Commander an [[Arbiter]] of the Covenant. Truth then sends him to kill Sesa 'Refumee and destroy his rebellion, which they dub "[[heretic|heresy]]".<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Arbiter]]''</ref>

*Moments after Regret's withdrawal, Jiralhanae within the Covenant forces quickly kill all Sangheili and seize control of the Covenant forces on Earth under secret orders of the Prophet of Truth.<ref name="oct20"/>

*The Prophet of Truth's Jiralhanae-led reinforcement fleet arrives at Earth and starts the excavation of the [[Portal at Voi|Ark Portal]]. They kill all remaining Sangheili in the city.<ref name="odst"/>

*The [[John-117|Master Chief]] tracks down and kills the Prophet of Regret on Installation 05.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Regret (level)|Regret]]''</ref>

*''[[High Charity]]'' and its [[High Charity defense fleet|defense fleet]] arrive at Installation 05. Witnessing the assassination of the Prophet of Regret, the Prophet of Truth [[Changing of the Guard|replaces]] the [[Covenant Honor Guard]] [[Sangheili]] with [[Jiralhanae]]. Insulted, the [[Sangheili Councilor]]s threaten to resign from the High Council.<ref name="icon"/>

*The Arbiter and Tartarus are sent to retrieve Installation 05's [[activation index]]. The Arbiter successfully takes the index, but Tartarus tries to kill him and takes the index from him, having been secretly ordered to do so by the Prophet of Truth.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Quarantine Zone (level)|Quarantine Zone]]''</ref>

*Most of the Sangheili Councilors are taken to the surface of Installation 05 where they are murdered by the [[Jiralhanae]].<ref name="uprising"/>

*The Prophet of Truth transfers command of the [[Covenant military]] to the Jiralhanae, while Tartarus declares war on the Sangheili, and the [[Fall of High Charity|Fall of ''High Charity'']] begins. Fighting between Sangheili and Jiralhanae forces breaks out all over ''High Charity''. As word spreads, fighting takes place throughout the fleet, as Sangheili and Jiralhanae controlled ships attack one another.<ref name="gravemind"/>

*The [[Flood]] invade ''High Charity'' during the battle, entering the city's dome via precision [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] jump aboard {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} and its embarked [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]]. The [[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]] is attacked by a [[Pod infector]] and abandoned by the Prophet of Truth, who now reigns as the Covenant's sole leader.<ref name="gravemind"/>

*Tartarus attempts to activate [[Installation 05]] by forcing [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]] to insert the Index into the Control Room's [[The Core|Core]].<ref name="journey"/>

*Thel 'Vadamee, with the aid of [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] and Rtas 'Vadumee, kills Tartarus.<ref name="journey"/>

*Commander Keyes aborts the activation of Installation 05, placing the entire [[Halo Array]] on standby status. [[343 Guilty Spark]] reveals the existence of [[Installation 00|the Ark]].<ref name="journey"/>

*The Flood takes control of ''High Charity'' and many of its warships. [[Jiralhanae]] and [[Sangheili]] fleets remaining around the city-station continue to destroy each other.<ref name="journey"/>

*The Prophet of Truth departs ''High Charity'' for Earth aboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], to join the [[Battle of Earth]]. The [[Jiralhanae]] forces there are already engaged in fighting with the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]. Unbeknown to the [[Prophet of Truth]], John-117 is on the ship, with the intention of "finishing the fight".<ref name="journey"/>

*[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] plans to lure the [[Jiralhanae]] leadership to the Sangheili base world [[Joyous Exultation]] and plans an ambush for them. He deploys the newly-promoted [[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]] to [[Onyx]] to recover the [[Forerunner]] technologies there and prevent the UNSC forces there from claiming it themselves. A [[NOVA bomb]] captured by the [[CSO-class supercarrier|supercarrier]] ''[[Sublime Transcendence]]'' devastates the planet moments after 'Mantakree's forces leave, the survivors joining 'Mantakree at Onyx.<ref name="GoO244">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 244-245''</ref>

*The Forerunner Dreadnought enters [[Earth]]'s atmosphere. [[John-117]] ejects from the ship upon reentry, landing in the jungles near [[Mount Kilimanjaro]].<ref name="bnet"/>

*[[Battle of Voi]]. The Prophet of Truth uses the Forerunner Dreadnought to activate the Portal, and his loyalist fleet follows it through the portal. The [[Flood]]-infested Voi, only to be contained by the [[Fleet of Retribution|Sangheili fleet]].<ref name="floodgate"/>

*Truth and his loyalists arrive at the Ark, pursued by the Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]]. [[Battle of Installation 00|A massive battle]] begins over the Ark. All of Truth's vessels are eventually destroyed over the Ark by the Sangheili fleet.<ref name="ark"/>

*Sangheili and human forces [[Battle of the Citadel|fight]] their way to the [[Citadel]]. The Prophet of Truth, the last Hierarch of the Covenant, is executed by Thel 'Vadam with help from the Flood. John-117 stops the Ark from firing the Halo rings.<ref name="cove"/>

*''High Charity'' is [[Raid on High Charity|destroyed]] by John-117 after he overloads the city's main reactors causing them to detonate.<ref name="cortana"/>

*[[Rtas 'Vadum]] evacuates all humans and Sangheili, via the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', back to Earth.<ref name="cortana"/>

*Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, John-117 and [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] [[Raid on Installation 08|battle]] to the [[control room]] of [[Installation 08]]. Guilty Spark runs [[Rampancy|rampant]], killing Johnson before being subsequently destroyed by John-117. Installation 08's sentinels turn on the Spartan, Thel 'Vadam, and the Sangheili. The unfinished Installation 04 is activated, devastating the Ark and destroying the entire local Flood infestation including the [[Gravemind]]. These final events ended the Human-Covenant War.<ref name="h3 halo"/>

*John-117, Cortana, and Thel 'Vadam escape the Ark. With their escape vessel, {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} cut in half upon slipspace transition, only Thel 'Vadam gets back to Earth.<ref name="h3 halo"/>

 

 

*In ''Halo 3: ODST'', it is implied that the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] was aware of internal conflict within the Covenant from early on. During the level ''[[Tayari Plaza (level)|Tayari Plaza]]'' which takes place on October 20, [[Edward Buck|Buck]] asks [[Veronica Dare|Dare]] about the Sangheili bodies lying around the city, as they appear to have been killed by the Jiralhanae; Dare responds that said information is classified.

File:H2A_-_Great_Schism.jpg|Sangheili and Jiralhanae ships war above ''High Charity''.

File:H2A Great Schism.png|Civil war rages among the Covenant around ''High Charity''.  

File:H3 Truths fleet vs Fleet of Retribution.jpg|The Prophet of Truth's armada prepares to engage the Arbiter's [[Fleet of Retribution]] during the [[Battle of Installation 00]].  

File:Volir Great Schism.png|Shipmaster [[let 'Volir]] sees the conflict devolve into senseless feuds.

*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''

**''[[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminals]]''

*''[[Halo Mythos]]'' {{Mo}}

==Note==

<references group="note"/>

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