Editing Sangheili-Jiralhanae war

{{Status|Canon}}

{{Conjectural title}}

|prev=*[[Human-Covenant War]]

|conc=*[[Blooding Years]]

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|image = [[File:TR - Sangheili Jiralhanae War.png|350px]]

|date = [[2552#December|After December 11th, 2552]]{{Ref/Anthology|Id=Evolutions|Evo|Story=The Return|Quote=...Some Sangheili commanders continued to fight the many scattered remnants of the former Covenant wherever they could be found, but not all. After six long years of this scattered war, Sangheili power had begun to wane right along with their drive to fight.}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=soi|SoI}} {{C|continuation of the [[Great Schism]]}}

|conflict = [[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]

|result = '''Ongoing as of early [[2560]]'''{{Ref/Anthology|Id=EvolutionsDate|Evo|Story=The Return|Quote=For six years after the High Prophet of Truth, the father of all the Prophets' lies, died at the hands of the Arbiter, the Shipmaster had taken up the fight against everything that threatened his people.}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=blood-moon|Halo: Battle for the Blood-Moon}}

|side2= *'''Independent [[Jiralhanae]] factions'''

**[[Children of Oth Sonin]] {{c|In peace negotiations}}

**[[Voice of Maardoth]]

|commanders1= *[[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]

*[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Hekabe]]†

*[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Hekabe]]

{{Quote|It was a terrible war. The Prophets provided the Jiralhanae 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 Jiralhanae 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.|[[Unnamed Sangheili Shipmaster (The Return)|Sangheili Shipmaster]]{{Ref/Film|Id=motioncomic|EvoMC|Story=[[The Return#Motion Comic|The Return]]}}}}

The '''Sangheili-Jiralhanae war''' was a series of scattered [[battle|conflicts]] between the [[Sangheili]] and the various [[Jiralhanae]] factions after the events of the [[Human-Covenant War]] and acted as a continuation of the [[Great Schism]].{{Ref/Reuse|Evolutions}}{{Ref/Reuse|motioncomic}}

Following Atriox's rebellion and the formation of a military alliance known as the [[Banished]], as the [[Warmaster]] gained support across the Orion Arm, the Banished [[War Chief]] [[Escharum]] turned his attention to Doisac, hoping to reignite and accelerate the Jiralhanae's progress in all political and military arenas.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22-446&447|Enc22|Page=446-447}}

=== Raids against the Sangheili ===

[[File:Escalation raids.png|left|thumb|200px|Jiralhanae riding Choppers during a raid on a Sangheili colony.]]

Before its fall, the [[Covenant|Covenant Empire]] had settled the Jiralhanae on resource-rich worlds as their strength and aggressive demeanor would deter other members from getting greedy.However, since the Jiralhanae were technologically limited, they did not have the ability to mine and use the resources they already possessed without the Covenant. Their species was facing a looming famine and they resorted to stealing supplies and resources.{{Ref/Comic|Id=Esc1|HE|Issue=1}}

Following the wake of the Great Schism, the Sangheili prospered compared to most former Covenant species. [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]] and the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] had a decent amount of "fortunes" amassed.{{Ref/Comic|HE|Issue=1|Quote=I'm afraid the Brutes aren't sharing in on the Arbiter's postwar fortunes and they're none too happy.|Quotee=Terrence Hood}} Many Jiralhanae were not happy with the distribution of resources, and felt entitled to it. Because of this, the Jiralhanae marked them as the perfect target to raid.{{Ref/Reuse|Esc1}}

The Jiralhanae were divided into separate master packs and skeins, resulting in highly disorganized raids on Sangheili colonies.{{Ref/Reuse|Esc1}} The [[Vheiloth|Vheiloth Jiralhanae]] saw the raids as a necessity, while the [[Rh'tol|Rh'tol Jiralhanae]] glorified their piracy as power over the Sangheili for oppressing them.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Envoy1|Env|Chapter=3|Quote=The Rh’tol skein now gloried in the piracy against the former Covenant. It let  

them show their true strength to the very face of the Sangheili species that had so poorly treated them. The Vheiloth skein saw such looting and destruction as an unfortunate necessity.}} Several Sangheili settlements were attacked resulting in civilian deaths as well.{{Ref/Reuse|Esc1}} These events provoked further animosity between the two species. However, Escharum's formative strategy to plating a Banished presence on Doisac before the conclusion of the [[War of Annihilation]] proved advantageous for the military alliance, as the collapse of the Covenant and the volatile political landscape on Sanghelios allowed the Banished to be uniquely positioned to take advantage of the fallout, setting into motion their swift rise to power.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22-446&447}}

Various groups of Sangheili and Jiralhanae would commit massacres against each other out of hatred,{{Ref/Comic|Id=beasts|TFS|Story=Hunting Party|Quote=Now we have but one aim... the slaughter of beasts.|Quotee=Resa 'Azavayl}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=pay|SoI|Quote=And I promise the Sangheili will pay for everything they have done.}} resulting in a scattered war.{{Ref/Reuse|Evolutions}}

=== Massacres against the Jiralhanae ===

{{Quote|Now we have but one aim... the slaughter of beasts.|[[Resa 'Azavayl]]{{Ref/Reuse|beasts}}}}

[[File:RCSS.png|thumb|right|200px|'Azavayl's Silent Shadow squad slaughtering Jiralhanae.]]

At the start of the war, some fanatical Sangheili embarked upon a genocidal campaign hunting down and killing all Jiralhanae they came across. One radical group of Sangheili were the [[Silent Shadow]] squad under the command of [[Resa 'Azavayl]], fueled by vengeance they sought to slaughter any Jiralhanae they encountered. They had wiped out Jiralhanae forces and their subordinates on an armory near [[Victors' Truth]], the [[Covenant corvette|corvette]] ''[[Adherent]]'', the northern highlands of [[Thalia]], and a substation orbiting [[Sansar]]. 'Azavayl's Silent Shadow squad even eradicated the former [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]]' crew aboard the [[Covenant cruiser]] ''[[Rapid Conversion]]''.{{Ref/Comic|Id=tfs|TFS|Story=Hunting Party}}

The Silent Shadow squad went to attack the {{Pattern|Ceudar|heavy corvette}} ''[[Elegy's Lament]]'', but they were unaware that it was lead by [[Atriox]] and the [[Banished]]. After killing several Jiralhanae forces, the Silent Shadow squad encountered Atriox who tried to talk to them into a peaceful resolution. Atriox offered to hire the Sangheili and claimed he had no affiliation to the Jiralhanae responsible for massacring the Sangheili during the Great Schism.{{Ref/Comic|TFS|Story=Hunting Party|Quote=I am not Tartarus or some fanatic. I am not Truth. I am not Regret. I am their remedy.|Quotee=Atriox}} As a result, the Silent Shadow Squad began to view Atriox as "other".{{Ref/Comic|TFS|Story=Hunting Party|Quote=Agreed. Atriox is of a kind with our enemies, but he is OTHER, and an ally worth considering.|Quotee=Silent Shadow squad Sangheili}} Despite this, 'Azavayl was not forgiving of Atriox and tried to kill him. Before he could attack Atriox, 'Azavayl's own Silent Shadow squad betrayed him and stabbed him with their [[energy swords]]. The remaining members of the Silent Shadow squad remarked that old hatreds were holding them back from a better future, and were then recruited into the Banished as mercenaries.{{Ref/Reuse|tfs}}

'Bhetek and his Jiralhanae forces attacked [[Rahnelo]] killing many Sangheili civilians in hopes to draw out attention from 'Vadum's {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} ''[[Shadow of Intent]]''. 'Vadum with the help of his crew and a Rahnelo [[Scion]] Sangheili female named [[Tul 'Juran]], pursued 'Bhetek when they were ambushed at [[Duraan]]. Another battle ensued between 'Vadum's Sangheili forces and 'Bhetek's Jiralhanae forces. 'Bhetek was captured but escaped and regrouped with 'a'Neem only to be betrayed by him. 'a'Neem ordered [[Yanme'e]] forces to open fire and mortally wound 'Bhetek. Bleeding and slowly dying, 'Bhetek listened as 'a'Neem revealed his plan to use a [[Prototype Halo installation|miniature prototype Halo]] ring to commit a genocide of the Sangheili [[Sanghelios|homeworld]] and its moons, effectively setting the species back for ages. These plans were foiled as 'Vadum and 'Juran invaded the miniature Halo ring and mortally wounded 'a'Neem who attempted to fire the installation and wipe out the Sangheili forces in the system in a last act of defiance. Devastated by his betrayal, 'Bhetek forgave 'Vadum and sacrificed himself by blowing up the miniature Halo as the Sangheili escaped. A scan of the debris field confirmed that nothing of the installation survived while the faction was presumably completely destroyed in the process.{{Ref/Reuse|soi}}

 

===Attempted peace negotiations===

[[File:HE Spartans Ealen IV.png|right|thumb|300px|The Sangheili's Swords of Sanghelios and the Jiralhanae's Lydus' Clan are escorted to safety when their peace delegation is attacked.]]

In [[2558]], the Jiralhanae raids against the Sangheili had been escalating. The [[Swords of Sanghelios]] who represent the Sangheili tried to set up a meeting with the [[Children of Oth Sonin]], one of the more prominent Jiralhanae [[master-pack]]s with hopes of a peace agreement. Since the Jiralhanae were distrustful of the Sangheili, they agreed on Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's proposition to have humans mediate their discussion. The UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios concluded that pacifying the Jiralhanae forces were in the best interest of everyone, thus the UNSC delegates aimed to make that clear to the Jiralhanae.{{Ref/Reuse|Esc1}}

In order to try and establish an agreement, the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] requested several high-ranking [[human]]s of the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] to sit in their discussions and mediate negotiations on the neutral planet of [[Ealen IV]].{{Ref/Reuse|Esc1}} On part of the humans, [[Fleet Admiral|Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] and [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Thomas Lasky]] were chosen as negotiators, the Sangheili were represented by Kaidon Thel 'Vadam and the Jiralhanae by the [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Elder Chieftain]] [[Lydus]]. They agreed also that each faction should have a strong military force, Spartans, [[Commander (Covenant)|Commander]]s and [[Jiralhanae Captain]]s alike.

The negotiations were soon attacked by [[Banshees]] from [[Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group]], killing multiple Sangheili Commandos.{{Ref/Reuse|Esc1}} The Jiralhanae Lydus assumed Thel 'Vadam was behind the attack, but Thel denied this accusation and started fighting the Remnant forces as well.{{Ref/Reuse|Esc1}} Despite surviving the attack, no peace agreement between the Sangheili and Jiralhanae was reached.

At the same time, [[Spartan-II]] [[Gray Team]] was released from their [[cryo chamber]]s aboard [[Rojka 'Kasaan]]'s ship by [[Melody Azikiwe]]. Though Rojka initially sought revenge for [[Operation: SUNSPEAR|the destruction]] of [[Glyke|his homeworld]] by the Spartans, he eventually forged an alliance with them against the greater threat. Though the [[Surakan Militia Volunteers]] managed to destroy Hekabe's flagship, the {{Pattern|Varric|heavy cruiser}} ''[[Foebane]]'', he was able to reach the [[Sharquoi hive]] and unleash many of the creatures, controlling them through the ''vertex''. With the Sharquoi army at his command, Hekabe was left virtually unstoppable and planned to rule the galaxy for himself, refusing to enlist the aid of any of the other factions such as the [[Banished]]. Thars was eventually defeated and later killed by Rojka and Gray Team, but refused to have his ships destroy their [[slipspace]] drives until it was too late, allowing Hekabe to hijack the ships as a means of getting the Sharquoi off the planet.

With Hekabe's threat growing, the human Governor of [[Suraka]] [[Ellis Gass]] was able to come up with a plan to use a makeshift EMP weapon to disrupt Hekabe's control over the Sharquoi through the ''vertex''. Gray Team, Ellis, Rojka, Melody and a squad of militia [[Battle of the Sharquoi Hive|assaulted the hive]], resulting in the deaths of the militia squad. However, the survivors succeeded in using the cannon on Hekabe and Ellis took the ''vertex'' for herself. Through her new command over the Sharquoi, Ellis used the creatures to kill Hekabe in revenge for his murder of her son and had the Sharquoi on Thars' ships crash them, ending the attack on the Sangheili city of [[Rak]]. Ellis recalled all of the Sharquoi into the hive and had them slaughter all of the remaining Jiralhanae they could find on the way. Once the Sharquoi were back in the hive and Gray Team, Melody and Rojka had escaped on a Pelican she summoned, Ellis detonated a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]], destroying the hive and the Sharquoi.

By [[2559]], some Sangheili commanders had continued hostility, gaining the upper hand in their genocidal campaign against the Jiralhanae as the latter had splintered and begun to fight among each other.{{Ref/Reuse|motioncomic}} While the lack of Jiralhanae solidarity gave the upper hand to their Sangheili opponents, the Sangheili had already been [[Blooding Years|fighting amongst each other for several years]] as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schism 2.png|A Sangheili and a Jiralhanae facing each other in combat in ''[[The Return]]''.

HTRmc Dead Brutes.png|Slaughtered Jiralhanae on a battlefield in ''The Return''.

Escalation schism.png|A Sangheili fights against a Jiralhanae raiding his settlement in ''[[Halo: Escalation]]''.

HE Battle of Ealen IV.jpg|The destruction of ''Infinity's'' shuttle during the [[Attack on Ealen IV]] in ''Halo: Escalation''.

==List of appearances==