High Charity (Structure)

High Charity
File:High Charity wallpaper.jpg
Production information
Class:	Mobile Planetoid Station
Specifications
Slipspace drive:	Yes
Service information
Destroyed:	March 3rd, 2553
Participated battles:	Battle of Installation 05 First Battle of High Charity Battle of Installation 00
Affiliation:	Covenant Loyalists, and later the Flood

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High Charity is the Covenant's mobile planetoid station and homeworld, known as the Holy City of the Covenant

Background

Physical Description

It is a large mushroom-shaped structure estimated to be 348 kilometers in diameter. At the apex of this "mushroom" is an artificial star that simulates night and day within the city. This star doubles as an opening for the launch of the Forerunner Dreadnought, the ship at the center of the city. The stalk peters out to a point, with various branches leading off from it. The city is mobile, can jump through slipspace, and is almost completely powered by the engines of the decommissioned Dreadnought .

Capital City

In the interior of High Charity, lies a massive capital city. And in it's center sits the Forerunner Dreadnought, entombed within the city after the formation of the Covenant as a symbol of peace between Sangheili and San 'Shyuum. The Dreadnought's engines are the primary power source for much of city, though back-up generators were rigged by the Gravemind once the vessel departed.

The city itself contains many sacred locations to the Covenant, such as the Council Chamber, the Sanctum of the Hierarchs, and the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. As a construct, High Charity is very similar to the Unyielding Hierophant, a repair & refit station, containing many courtyards and other spaces which attempt to seem natural. The interior of High Charity is, of course, laced with the Covenant's unique architecture, of a lighter tone than their naval vessels. All of the structures within the city float above a methane rich field in which the Unggoy dwell. The towers at the center are large volcanic spires and are used by the San 'Shyuum as offices and private residences.

Protection

Main article: High Charity Defense Fleet

High Charity is important enough to the Covenant to wield its own personal fleets, consisting of dozens of battleships, carriers, and cruisers. Some of the largest fleets in the entire Covenant defend the city, such as the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity, and the Fleet of Particular Justice. Being the Covenant's major religious center, High Charity is enormously sacred to the Covenant. It is full of San 'Shyuum and Sangheili Councilors, and generally the leadership of the entire alien hegemony. Identity-wise, it can be likened to the Human view on the UNSC Hopeful, albeit hundredfold.

Layout

Along the outer wall on the inside of High Charity are several towers, each containing several rooms and hallways. Two of these towers are referred to by Cortana as the Mid Tower and the Far Tower. Most of these towers are connecting to the two surrounding towers by Hanging Gardens and Valleys of Tears, but the towers containing the Council Chamber and the Mausoleum of the Arbiter are both notably only connected to the sections between them.

History

Early History

High Charity was constructed during and finished after the Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War. Because the city is mobile, it is extremely difficult for the lesser creatures of the hegemony to make journeys to the capital, yet it manages to establish a network of Slipspace probes to protect its position. Anything larger than a centimeter in diameter that drifted too close was obliterated, including ships that failed to transmit proper clearance codes within a millisecond of hailing.

Prior to the Human-Covenant War, High Charity was nearly badly damaged as the Forerunner Dreadnought powered up, galvanized by the discovery of "Reclaimers" by the Covenant, attempting to reach Harvest to transport the occupants to the Ark. It was deactivated by Mgalekgolo worms as they severed Mendicant Bias's connections to the ships controls .

After the Destruction of Installation 04

File:High charity and Alpha Halo.jpg

High Charity with the remains of Installation 04 in the foreground.

Upon the discovery of Installation 04 by the Covenant, High Charity was supposed to perform a Slipspace jump to the ring along with its fleet, where the High Prophets would activate the ring to send the Covenant on the Great Journey.

They sent the Fleet of Particular Justice, led by the current Arbiter to secure the ring in preparation for High Charity's arrival, but they did not know about the Flood, and did not expect interference from the UNSC. When High Charity and its fleet arrived at Threshold, they found that both the Halo and the Fleet of Particular Justice had been utterly destroyed.

After the First Battle of Earth, the High Prophet of Regret sent the coordinates of Installation 05 to High Charity. The planetoid and its fleet arrived just in time to watch John-117 and a group of Marines assassinate the Prophet of Regret. It then held position over Installation 05 until hostilities erupted between the Brutes and Elites, as a new Covenant Civil War broke out.

Main article: First Battle of High Charity

During the chaos of the war, the Master Chief infiltrated High Charity, teleported directly inside by the Gravemind using Delta Halo's teleportation grid. At the same time, the Flood made their own entrance, using the In Amber Clad to ferry legions of Combat Forms to the station, and Pelican dropships to spread Carrier Forms. Within the city a vicious melee ensued among Brute forces, Elite forces, and the Flood, all bent on destroying one another. The unfortunate Master Chief was caught in the middle of this, but managed to escape.

As Cortana looks on, the Forerunner ship separates itself from the cities power grid, and departs for Earth.

Eventually, the Forerunner ship at High Charity's core took off, with both the Prophet of Truth and the Chief inside, leaving Cortana behind. It appears that the Covenant forces on both sides completely abandoned High Charity afterwards, and it was completely infested by the Flood, as the Gravemind took complete control of the Sanctum of the Hierarchs, using the Council Chamber itself as his "throne room."

As High Charity and Delta Halo were rapidly falling to the Flood, a massive battle between Elite and Brute held ships continued in the space around the city. The Elites eventually succeeded in driving away the Brutes (or they possibly retreated on orders from Truth to assist in the conquest of Earth). The Elites formed a large fleet and quarantined High Charity, attempting to prevent the Flood from infesting any other systems.

After the Flood Invasion

After the Second Battle of Earth, a message from Cortana warned that the Gravemind was speeding the infested High Charity toward Earth, and the portal to Installation 00. During the Battle of Installation 00, High Charity appeared through the portal and narrowly missed the Elite carrier, Shadow of Intent. It disgorged Flood dispersal pods (several of which damaged the carrier) and crashed on the Installation, completely unrecognizable from what it originally was apart from the exterior shape. The Mausoleum of the Arbiter was the only visible recognizable feature to be seen.

Main article: Second Battle of High Charity

After stopping Truth from activating the rings, the Master Chief single-handedly waded through the Flood-infested High Charity and retrieved Cortana. At her recommendation, he overloaded the engine core, as he maneuvered back through High Charity, he met up with the Arbiter, and left for the "New" Installation 04 in a crashed Pelican. High Charity was completely destroyed in the resulting explosions, with only the outer structure remaining when the second Installation 04 was fired.