Covenant Loyalists

Covenant Loyalists
Government overview
Type:	Empire
Societal overview
Official language(s):	Covenant Language
Historical overview
Formation:	Covenant
Dissolution:	March 2553

The Covenant Loyalists is a faction of the former Covenant Empire^[1]

Hierarchy

The Loyalists are comprised of the Prophets (San 'Shyuum), Brutes (Jiralhanae), Jackals (Kig-Yar), Drones (Yanme'e), and some Hunters (Lekgolo), and Grunts (Unggoy) that support them within the Covenant's hierarchical society. However, it is likely that since the Unggoy supported the Loyalists chiefly because they thought that the seperatists would lose and preferred not to die, they would abandon the Loyalists upon their loss to the Seperatist/UNSC forces.

Background

This faction is made up of those who (as of the end of Halo 2) still remain in the Covenant and are set on activating the Halos and starting the Great Journey. Since the beginning of the Covenant Civil War, they have been fighting the Covenant Separatists, led by the Elites and their Grunt and Hunter supporters. Front's of this war include High Charity, Delta Halo, and area's of space where Covenant ship's operate.

This is not necessarily the first internal dispute in the Covenant's society; when the current Arbiter was assigned to his office, he was reminded by the High Prophet of Mercy that an Arbiter was necessary during the Grunt Rebellion, a conflict between the Covenant and it's lowest caste, the Grunts.

Origins of the Faction

The High Prophet of Regret led a botched mission to Earth and was forced into The First Battle of Earth upon discovering what turn's out to be the UNSC home world. He escape's to Delta Halo but is killed by the Master Chief, which is considered a significant failure in the Elites's mission to protect the leading caste of the Covenant. The Master Chief was assigned on a mission to capture and later kill Regret. The remaining Prophet's, led by the High Prophet of Truth, use this opportunity to replace the Elite's with Brute's as their protectors. However, this move effectively shame's and anger's the Elite's, who have been in such a position since the founding of the Covenant, and they threaten to resign from the High Council.

Truth then gave command of the Covenant Fleets (the Elites' job) to the Brute's. Once there are enough Brute's in place, he secretly order's the Brute's to instigate a brutal genocide of the Elites, so they might replace them in society, disguised as a Brute insurrection against the Covenant to the Elite's, the Hunter's, and most Grunt's, and as an Elite revolt to the other factions (excluding the Brutes and the Prophets). The Elite's respond, with the help of the Hunter's and the Grunt's, and war break's out in High Charity.

Later, the Elite Councilors are assassinated by the Brute's at the behest of the Prophet's. When the Elite's learn the truth about the Halos, it change's the war significantly and adds the Humans to the struggle. Instead of a Great Journey, the Gravemind's revelation regarding the super weapon contradict's the Covenant's belief system and is motivating at least the Arbiter in his eventual opposition to the Covenant as they try to activate Delta Halo later in the game.

Future?

With the death of the High Prophet of Truth and the Ark destroyed it is not known what the future holds for the Loyalists if any (it can be assumed that all of the Loyalists died at the end of Halo 3) although it’s unlikely seeing how few ships were present at the Ark and to think that the Covenant Loyalists are composed of multiple species made up of billions of individuals all from different home planets, each with a large population. Most likely the faction was in disarray after the Prophet of Truth's death, and was defeated and dissolved by the Elites.

Forces

Commanders

Prophets

High Prophet of Truth (deceased)
High Prophet of Mercy (deceased)

Jiralhanae Chieftains

Chieftain Tartarus (deceased)

The Loyalist Army attacks on a bridge during the Second Battle of New Mombassa.
Chieftain Lepidus
Chieftain Gargantum

Races

Units

Covenant Loyalist Army
- Numerous Legions assigned to the Fleets.
Covenant Loyalist Navy
- Fleet of Furious Redemption

Sources

^ Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Uprising

[1] Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Uprising

[1]