Democ

Democ (First name)
Biographical information
Died:	November 2559
Cause of death:	Killed by Olympia Vale
Personal details
Species:	Sangheili
Gender:	Male
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Covenant (formerly) Defenders of the Sanctum

Democ was a Sangheili warrior who was a member of the Defenders of the Sanctum on Netherop. He was marooned on the planet following the events of the First Battle of Netherop, and allied with the other Sangheili castaways under Nizat 'Kvarosee and Tam 'Lakosee. He would eventually be killed during the Second Battle of Netherop by Olympia Vale while defending the Sanctum of the Ancients.

Biography

First Battle of Netherop and aftermath

In June of 2526, Democ was present during the First Battle of Netherop, though it is unknown whether he was a part of the Covenant Fleet of Swift Justice or the rogue Flotilla of Unsung Piety commanded by 'Kvarosee. Whatever his affiliation, Democ was marooned on the planet after the battle and would join the band of Sangheili castaways as they attempted to survive. He was therefore involved in the conflict between the Sangheili and the human castaways led by Amalea Petrov that would last for decades.

At some point, the Sangheili discovered and gained access to an ancient Precursor facility they dubbed the Sanctum of the Ancients that was situated underneath a tel. Inside, they discovered a wealth of powerful artifacts, including the Sanctum's Hide that provided airtight armor and active camouflage and a hydroponics chamber that could grow food to sustain them indefinitely. Most important of these artifacts was the Divine Hand, a Precursor superweapon capable of destroying ships in orbit and would produce superheated waves in the ground immediately surrounding the tel when fired. It could be controlled by 'Kvarosee from within the Inner Sanctum. The Sangheili settled in this facility and began calling themselves the Defenders of the Sanctum.

Over the years, the Defenders grew less disciplined and fit in the ever more accommodating facility. They also continued to do battle with the human castaways outside, as the humans built on their numbers by reproducing and attempted to lure the Sangheili outside of the Sanctum. About a year after entering the Sanctum, the Defenders used the Divine Hand to destroy the UNSC Alpina, a corvette that was attempting to rescue the humans on the planet. Approximately ten years after this, as the humans were attempting to dig into the Sanctum, another human rescue mission was attempted on Netherop and was again destroyed by the Divine Hand. This time, however, three human castaways attempted to gain entry to the facility and jumped directly into the weapon. This caused their bodies to begin floating inside the walls of the Sanctum for two years, always following the Defenders. Their constant presence and surveillance took a considerable mental toll on the Sangheili, causing four of them to flee into the desert to their deaths and leaving the rest in a shaken state. This deteriorated 'Kvarosee's control over the Defenders, with Meduz 'Ra'ashai particularly growing resentful of their increasingly fanatical leader. Only 'Kvarosee's control over the Divine Hand stopped 'Ra'ashai from staging a mutiny.

Second Battle of Netherop

In November of 2559, the UNSC, the Swords of Sanghelios, and the Banished all became aware of the Divine Hand's existence and converged on Netherop to try to recover the weapon in order to gain an advantage over Cortana's Guardian Custodes. The Sangheili arrived first, and their insertion force of three Phantoms was permitted to land by the Defenders due to the assumption that they were Covenant forces. Believing themselves to be rescued, a group of four unidentified Defenders took the group's last Dust Runner to try to make contact with this force. Given that 'Kvarosee, 'Lakosee, and Klemas 'Teodoree were inclined to remain in the Sanctum, Democ was likely a part of this group from a process of elimination. However, as they approached the landing zone, a human force of forty Pelican dropships and a D102 Owl stealth craft began approaching the planet's surface. 'Kvarosee decided to fire on them with the Divine Hand, and the group was barely able to get back to the safety of the Sanctum in time, leaving the Dust Runner in the process. The firing destroyed the Pelicans, but the Owl survived and deployed Spartan Olympia Vale and the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers of Tango Team onto the top of the tel. The Defenders began making their way towards the landing zone and planning an ambush, with 'Ra'ashai suggesting that they focus on capturing Keely Iyuska and Rosa Fuertes, who were the only unarmored humans and were assumed to be the most important. They were able to open a sinkhole underneath the pair but were engaged by Vale, Corporal Golly Barnes, and Lance Corporal Legowski. All seven Defenders escaped this firefight and retreated into the Sanctum, capturing Fuertes and dropping Legowski into a sinkhole.

Due to their poor fitness, the Defenders were not able to retreat quickly and needed to pause often to rest. During one of these stoppages, a Swords of Sanghelios force that had arrived at the tel was able to catch up with them. Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Oath Warden Crei 'Ayomuu attempted to de-escalate the situation and convince the castaways to surrender. This attempt failed, and the Defenders continued retreating deeper into the Sanctum with the Swords in pursuit. 'Kvarosee eventually confronted 'Vadam again, and after a brief exchange between the two a firefight broke out between the two groups in which 'Ayomuu employed a poison gas canister. This firefight led to 'Teodoree's death and 'Ra'ashai's defection to the Swords, while the surviving Defenders fell back towards the Inner Sanctum.

Upon approaching the Inner Sanctum, the Defenders discovered Tango Team's First Squad was closing in on that location. The Sangheili shadowed the group for a time before ambushing them, killing several ODSTs. However, Vale began picking off Defenders one at a time, locating them with the help of Abovian's grenade launcher and breaking their necks. She killed three Defenders in this fashion, and 'Ra'ashai confirmed that Democ was one of these casualties.

Personality and traits

By the events of the Second Battle of Netherop, years in the Sanctum of the Ancients had left Democ overweight and out of shape by Sangheili standards Like the rest of the Sanctum's defenders, he was coated in the translucent armor of the Sanctum's Hide.

List of appearances

• Halo: Outcasts (First appearance)