The Covenant

For more articles of the same name, see Covenant (disambiguation).

The Covenant
File:Halo Wars Elites.jpg
Government overview
Government branches:	High Council, Ministerial bodies
Societal overview
Capital:	High Charity
Official language(s):	Sangheili language serves as lingua franca; various languages spoken by different races.
Official religion(s):	Covenant religion; Worship of the Forerunners and their technology interpreted through the Prophets, achieving the "Great Journey"
Official script(s):	Forerunner glyphs
Historical overview
Formation:	Founded at the end of the Sangheili-San'Shyuum war Establishment 852 BCE: First Age of Reconciliation
Fragmentation:	2552: Great Schism

"Creatures of the Covenant: the path is broad, and we shall walk it side by side!"

— The Prophet of Truth

The Covenant, also referred to as the Covenant Empire or Covenant Hegemony, was a religious hegemony of multiple alien species that controlled a large portion of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way Galaxy. Originally a mutual alliance between the San 'Shyuum and the Sangheili, the Covenant expanded to include at least six other races united in the worship of the Forerunners and the Halo Array. They waged a genocidal campaign against humanity until they were defeated in December of 2552. Despite being ostensibly the most powerful military force in the known Milky Way galaxy at the time, internal conflict combined with stubborn human resistance were formidable enough to shatter the bonds that held the empire together. While the Covenant's original leadership was lost either during the Flood infection of High Charity or during the Battle of Installation 00, a prominent remnant faction which maintains many of the ideals of the Covenant's religion as well as many of its former subject species, continues to exist after the conclusion of the war.

History

Main article: History of the Covenant

"The First Age: Ignorance and Fear.

The Second Age: Rivalry and Bloodshed.

The Third Age: Humility and Brotherhood.

The Fourth Age: Wonder and Understanding.

The Fifth Age: Obedience and Freedom.

The Sixth Age: Faith and Patience.

The Seventh Age: Journey and Salvation.''"

— Maccabeus and the Jiralhanae of the Rapid Conversion.

The Covenant created its own means of connoting time, comprised of "Ages." The Covenant's history is broken up into multiple occurrences of seven types of Age, each representing the predominant theme that occurred during those periods of time. These ages do not necessarily follow one another in order, nor are they equal in quantity. As an example, there were significantly more Ages of Conflict and Doubt than Reclamation. Each Age is further broken into what is called Cycles. A Cycle is the Covenant version of a day and it represents one artificial day on High Charity. A Cycle contains approximately 265 units, which if translated into human time is one hour of time on Earth.

Foundation

Main article: Sangheili-San 'Shyuum war

A mural representing the war of the Elites and Prophets.

In 938 BCE, the San'Shyuum Reformists, aboard the Forerunner Dreadnought and the planetoid that would come to be known as High Charity, entered a Sangheili-occupied system that led to first contact between the two alien species. The San'Shyuum, who came to Sanghelios in order to claim and study the rich abundance of Forerunner artifacts left behind, soon found themselves sharing different ideologies of how such relics should be treated, which quickly devolved into conflict between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili.

The Sangheili believed that Forerunner relics were sacred and should not be touched, while the San'Shyuum Reformists believed that they should be studied and use them to make practical objects of their own design. The highly-militarized Sangheili attacked the San 'Shyuum almost as soon as their differences became apparent, and a war between the two species raged for eighty six years.

At the start of the war, the Sangheili had a numerical advantage in terms of ships and soldiers. Their strength and military tactics were without peer. However the San'Shyuum's technology, gleaned from years of travel and study of their Forerunner Dreadnought, gave them the advantage in ship-to-ship combat. This proved to be the most common type of combat witnessed during the war.

Eventually both species came to fear a very real threat: annihilation. The Sangheili feared it through the San'Shyuum's use of their unstoppable Dreadnought; and the San'Shyuum came to admit that if the Sangheili were this dangerous, there might be other forms of sentient life far more threatening to their race. The long and brutal war caused the Sangheili to violate their religious beliefs, studying and incorporating Forerunner technology in order to avoid defeat — This incorporation of Forerunner technology eventually caused a stalemate in the war against the San'Shyuum, however their Dreadnought remained unstoppable. Faced with this bitter reality, the Sangheili surrendered.

With a proud tradition as warriors, the Sangheili held great respect for a worthy adversary, and after their surrender the San'Shyuum sought to seek a burgeoning Covenant of the two races. The alliance or "Covenant," between the two species was formed in 852 BCE with the signing of the Writ of Union, a treaty that ended the conflict and brought about peace between the two factions.

Contact and Conversion

The conclusion of the conflict marked the First Age of Reconciliation, followed by the First Age of Conversion. This period was exemplified by the Covenant's expansion throughout the galaxy. In this age, the Lekgolo were encountered by the Covenant, and following a military conflict with the Sangheili and San'Shyuum, the species was indoctrinated into the hegemony. Throughout the ages that followed, new races were incorporated into the Covenant, including the Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme'e and Jiralhanae. In between the Ages of Conversion and Ages of Doubt, members of the Covenant grappled with internecine conflict.

War with humanity

Main article: Human-Covenant War

"Your destruction is the will of the Gods... and we are their instrument."

— The Covenant's first transmission to humanity, after the glassing of Harvest.

File:Doomed.jpg

A battle between Sangheili and Spartans.

During the 23rd Age of Doubt, the Covenant encountered humanity for the first time on the planet Harvest. While many within the Covenant's leadership felt that this new race would make a welcome addition to the hegemony, the newly-appointed Hierarchs of the Covenant - Truth, Mercy and Regret - had other plans. The Hierarchs were aware of humanity's status as the Forerunners' chosen inheritors, and knew that revealing this information to the Covenant would lead to the Covenant falling into chaos. Greater than the cultural significance of the invalidation of the Great Journey, the leading San'Shyuum knew the truth about the Forerunners would lead to the loss of their personal power. As a result, spurred on by a violent incident following the first human-Covenant contact, the Hierarchs declared humanity an affront to the gods and demanded that their entire species was to be exterminated. This decision would spark a war that ultimately would crumble the very foundation of the Covenant's religious and political alliances.

An invading Covenant fleet prepares its assault of a human colony.

The Covenant began a genocidal campaign against humanity, seeking out their worlds one by one and wiping them clean of all life. If the colony was especially important, they would scorch the planet's entire surface and mark it with a glyph of their religion, in a process known as glassing. The United Nations Space Command was able to do little to halt the Covenant's advance, with a single Covenant ship often being a match for an entire UNSC battle group. However, the UNSC did manage to prevent the Covenant from locating the human homeworld, Earth, and other important Inner Colonies for over thirty years through the execution of the Cole Protocol.

After decades of struggle, some Sangheili within the Covenant began to question why humanity was not offered a chance to join the Covenant as other defeated races had. Despite their losses, humanity proved a determined and brave enemy. They were especially troubled by their soldiers called Spartans, who were more than a match for them in battles and often killed thousands of Covenant by themselves. While these idle heresies did not halt the Covenant's military progress, doubt began to surface as to the wisdom of the Prophets' ultimate goals; a doubt that was carefully observed by the spies of the Hierarchs.

After the UNSC stronghold Reach fell to the Covenant, they made a discovery of tremendous significance: a single UNSC vessel, the Pillar of Autumn, had made a supposedly blind jump away from the battle, inadvertently leading the pursuing Covenant fleet to the location of one of the seven Halo rings. The Covenant's celebration following the discovery of this prized relic was short-lived, however, as after landing on the ring Covenant soldiers accidentally released the dormant Flood. A small group of UNSC forces - among them the fearsome, enigmatic soldier known to Covenant forces as "the Demon" - managed to destroy the ring by detonating the Pillar of Autumn's fusion engines. Thel 'Vadamee, the Supreme Commander of the fleet present at Halo, was branded a heretic for his failure to save the ring, although he was subsequently appointed an Arbiter.

The UNSC Pillar of Autumn flees as Reach is orbitally bombarded.

Shortly after the destruction of the first Halo ring, the High Prophet of Regret accidentally stumbled upon the human homeworld, Earth, while looking for evidence of Forerunner artifacts. Ill-equipped for a full-scale invasion, Regret managed to launch a brief assault on the African city of New Mombasa before his assault carrier escaped by making an in-atmosphere slipspace jump. Whether blind or intentional, this jump led the Prophet of Regret and the pursuing UNSC frigate In Amber Clad to a second Halo ring. A brief military conflict between UNSC and Covenant forces ensued, during which time Regret met his end at the hands of the Demon. The ring itself was nearly activated, but was stopped by UNSC forces.

During the events on the second Halo, the two remaining Hierarchs used the Sangheili's failure to safeguard Regret as an opportunity to replace the Sangheili with Jiralhanae as their protectors and military leaders. The two Prophets had doubts about the Sangheilis' loyalty to the Covenant cause, and used the opportunity to ensure that there would be no future dissidence in the Covenant. However, this move greatly angered the Sangheili, who threatened to resign from the High Council.

Secession and civil war

Covenant Sangheili and Jiralhanae battle each other upon the onset of the Great Schism.

Main article: Great Schism

Following the death of the Prophet of Regret, the Prophet of Truth gave the Jiralhanae command over the Covenant's fleets. Once there were enough Jiralhanae in positions of power, Truth secretly ordered them to commit genocide on the Sangheili. The Sangheili Councilors, who had been summoned to the Control Room of Installation 05 to witness the commencement of the Great Journey, were either assassinated or imprisoned by Tartarus and his Jiralhanae. The rest of the Elites revolted, enlisting the help of some of the Mgalekgolo and Unggoy. While Truth had orchestrated to remove the Sangheili from power with the more easily manipulated Brutes, the Prophet underestimated the speed with which his former protectors would recover from this initial attack.

A massive battle ensued within High Charity and the surrounding space, beginning a civil war known as the Great Schism. While High Charity was consumed by internal conflict, another crisis struck that sealed the doom of the Covenant's holy city. The Flood-controlled UNSC frigate In Amber Clad made an unexpected slipspace jump inside the dome and crashed into one of the towers, initiating a full-scale infestation of the city. The Prophet of Mercy was killed during the Flood attack, with Truth leaving him to die while he made his own escape. The city and its millions of inhabitants were completely overrun by the infestation, becoming a massive Flood hive. This loss came at the worst possible moment in the Covenant's campaign against humanity, crippling their already exhausted and now divided forces.

An alliance was made with the seceding Elites and humanity.

However, these losses, among another factors, helped to form a tentative alliance with the Elites and humanity. The Arbiter Thel 'Vadam had discovered the truth about the Halo rings, and with the help of several of In Amber Clad's human crew members managed to prevent the second ring from firing and defeat the Brute forces defending it. Thus despite initial conflicts over the Forerunner world of Onyx, the Sangheili separatists joined with the UNSC in order to mutually defeat the Jiralhanae, Truth, and the Flood. This alliance was initially uneasy, but the two species gradually learned to cooperate as their reliance in battle increased.

Truth escaped in the Forerunner Dreadnought, then used to provide power to High Charity. However, SPARTAN-117, the infamous Demon, managed to fight his way aboard the Dreadnought right before it took off. While the Covenant fleet orbiting the holy city began to do battle with each other, the Dreadnought managed to enter Slipspace and retreated to Earth.

Final push

Main articles: Battle of Voi, Battle of Installation 00

The Arbiter executes the Prophet of Truth, bringing an end to the Covenant.

Despite the loss of High Charity, the Prophet of Truth and his loyal Jiralhanae-led forces continued their pursuit of the Great Journey. They concentrated all of their available forces on Earth, near the former site of New Mombasa, Kenya, in order to claim the Forerunner artifact that the Prophet of Regret was originally looking for: the Portal at Voi to the Ark. Truth arrived in his Dreadnought and landed in the middle of the portal that his ships had uncovered, preparing for the moment of ascension to the next step. While the UNSC managed to inflict casualties upon Truth's fleet and the Covenant forces on the ground, it was not long until the UNSC forces on Earth were almost completely exhausted. Despite the UNSC's attempts to stop him, Truth successfully activated the portal and the Dreadnought retreated through, accompanied by the remaining loyalist fleet. Momentarily delayed by a small-scale Flood infestation on Earth, the UNSC and their defected Sangheili allies followed Truth's fleet through the portal to the Ark, intent on stopping Truth from activating the Halo Array.

Upon arrival at the Ark, Truth barricaded himself inside the Citadel, the control center for the Halo rings, and prepared to initiate the Great Journey. However, the UNSC and Sangheili forces eventually broke through the defenses around the Citadel despite heavy resistance from the Covenant loyalist forces. Ignoring the arrival of the Flood-infected High Charity which immediately began a widespread infestation of the Ark's surface, the UNSC-Sangheili alliance launched an immediate last-ditch assault on the Citadel. Although Truth's forces mobilized all of their available assets to prevent their enemies from reaching the Citadel, they were defeated after a swift battle. SPARTAN-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam formed a temporary alliance with the Flood and forced their way to Truth. In his final moments, the Prophet of Truth managed to initiate the Halo rings' activation sequence, although his victory was short-lived as John-117 and the Arbiter soon made their way to his location. The Spartan canceled the activation before the rings could fire and the Arbiter killed Truth in vengeance, finally stopping the Covenant once and for all.

Post-dissolution

Thel 'Vadam and Lord Hood shake hands, marking the end of the war and an alliance of humans with Sangheili.

With the Prophet of Truth killed, and most of the loyalists' known fleet destroyed by the Sangheili fleet above the Ark, the Covenant as an entity was all but destroyed. Following Truth's death at the hands of the Arbiter, the remaining San'Shyuum, their population reduced to near extinction, went into hiding and have not been sighted by the Sangheili since. The rest of the former member races scattered. The Sangheili, lacking centralized leadership, began to fight amongst their own ranks over the particulars of their faith, some forming their own splinter factions. Most of the Jiralhanae continued to oppose the Sangheili until at least 2559, although some Jiralhanae chose to serve under their former masters. Many Kig-Yar returned to their ancient ways as raiders and traders, and most Huragok were thought to have fled, though no one knew where. Many members of the former Covenant also sought asylum on Earth, most notably in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Resurgence

Main article: Covenant remnant

In the wake of the dissolution of the Covenant, many former members of the hegemony continued to adhere to the core tenets of their former religion, namely the worship of the Forerunners as gods. A prominent figure in this faction is Sangheili Jul 'Mdama, who seeks revenge on the humans who supported the Arbiter during the Sangheili civil war - an event during which his wife Raia was killed. Defying the tenuous peace between humanity and the majority of the Sangheili, these Covenant began a new conflict with the UNSC. In 2553, 'Mdama, along with several other Sangheili from a planet called Hesduros, planned to go to the shield world Requiem and wake the "living god" known as the Didact to assist them in killing all humanity. The newly-formed remnant faction discovered Requiem shortly afterward and managed to gain access to the world in July 2557. Six months later, the Covenant still maintained a presence on the installation.

Government

File:Trial of Thel.png

Thel 'Vadam on trial at the High Council Chamber.

For the majority of its existence, the two ruling classes of the Covenant were the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili, though the former held greater sway over the Covenant due to their status as "the voice of the gods". On the outbreak of the Great Schism, the Sangheili were cast out and the Jiralhanae replaced the Sangheili as the secondary ruling class. The Covenant had ten echelons of government, the highest echelon being the High Council, which was responsible for making all important decisions. Prior to the Great Schism, it was made up of 200 members of Sangheili and San'Shyuum, and was ruled by the three San'Shyuum Hierarchs. These Hierarchs were the highest political and religious authority in the Covenant. For each new Age, three new Hierarchs were appointed; in order for them to usher in a new age and assume power, they must receive a blessing from the Oracle of High Charity. This Oracle was a Forerunner artificial intelligence found within the Dreadnought which sat at the center of the capital. Until the events that led to the war against humanity, the Oracle had not spoken for over a millennia, so the ascension of the Hierarchs was steeped with political bribes, blackmail and manipulation of the San'Shyuum Philologist.

The High Council consisted of San'Shyuum Councilors and Sangheili Councilors, who are extremely important to the Covenant society. The High Council served as the central theocratic and decision-making body of the Covenant. In addition to the High Council, there are three other Councils: the Council of Concordance, the Council of Deed and Doctrine and the Council of Masters. Below that numerous Ministries exist within the Covenant government, each of which dictates a single, but important role within the Governmental body of the Covenant.

In truth, however, the San'Shyuum and Sangheili had an uneasy coexistence, and political infighting was very common behind the scenes. This became an all-out war during the Great Schism. Template:Covenant Government

Religion and culture

Main article: Covenant religion

The Great Journey's objective was to find and activate the Halo rings, and so ascend to godhood.

Covenant society had a distinct caste-based societal system which has a strong theocratic underpinning. In the Covenant caste system, one's position in the hierarchy was dictated largely by their species. With the San 'Shyuum and Sangheili leading the Covenant's religiopolitical and military affairs, respectively, most of the other species served either as warriors or manual labor.

The Covenant's culture and religion was based solely on the worship and reverence of the Forerunners. Long ago, the San'Shyuum managed to decipher some of the data stored on terminals aboard the Forerunner Dreadnought, thanks to the Forerunners' robust translation systems. However, even then they were unable to fully comprehend the subtle meanings of many Forerunner glyphs. The San'Shyuum incorrectly interpreted the activation of the Halo Array as a means of transcending mortality, a process they came to call the "Great Journey". They did not understand that the Array had been designed to eradicate the Flood, specifically by triggering a galactic holocaust and killing all sentient life within the galaxy. They arrived at the conclusion that the Forerunners had ascended to godhood and left other species of the galaxy to their fates. Because of this, the Covenant devoted itself to searching for and recovering of Forerunner artifacts. At several points in the Covenant's history, this desire to reclaim Forerunner technology has resulted in the hegemony declaring war against non-compliant species, the most recent instance being their war against humanity. In Covenant society, personal vendettas are not tolerated, although many conflicts in the Covenant's past have been sparked by vendettas.

Kig-Yar and Unggoy listening to the sermons of a Prophet.

The Covenant used commerce as a form of economy. As the Covenant's cohesion was grounded in its belief of working to obtain and sharing Forerunner technology, every member of the Covenant was given a form of employment or a service to fulfill in exchange for goods and necessities. In the Covenant's culture, service for salvation was the moral motivation for the entire population. Despite this, there was discrimination within the Covenant: The lesser species were treated as second-class citizens with little political or representative voice or power.

The Covenant were always eager to add new species to the faith, so long as they pledged allegiance to the San'Shyuum as their supreme leaders and the Great Journey as their religion. Client races were in all essence enslaved by the Covenant, forced to live a completely different way of life, and if unlucky enough, had their entire culture and history erased. The client races were held together by a common belief; the slave races were driven by the religion which they had been forced to accept. Most races were only kept for their varying skills to be exploited, rather than to be a part of a flourishing empire. However, some races such as the Sangheili and Jiralhanae benefited significantly from the new technology that the Covenant brought, and weren't simply enslaved like the Unggoy.

Military

Main article: Covenant military

File:Covenant Fleet Heretic.jpg

The Fleet of Sacred Consecration, made up of CAS-class assault carriers and CCS-class battlecruisers.

Like other civilizations, the Covenant maintained a permanent armed forces branch, which it used to enforce order, conduct atmospheric and space combat operations, and generally carry out the Covenant's will throughout space. The Covenant military was originally led by the Sangheili, who were replaced by the Jiralhanae during the Great Schism. The military was heavily naval-oriented, with the fleets of the Covenant Navy, ranging from small battle groups to entire armadas, practically serving as the basic unit of organization. Various task-based groups served under these fleets, including the occupational ground forces and the Special Warfare Group, which contained the Special Operations Division. Most of the military fell under the authority of the Ministry of Resolution.

Most of the Covenant arsenal consists of plasma-based directed energy weapons, but the Covenant are known to also utilize pulse lasers, particle beam weapons, antimatter explosives and even chemical crystal-based weapons. Interestingly, Covenant weapon designs seem to defy known laws of mechanics; there is typically no form of radiative, physical or electrical contact between the firing mechanism and "trigger" of a weapon. For these and other reasons, the workings of Covenant weaponry is generally beyond the comprehension of UNSC scientists.

Plasma weapons typically use a rechargeable power cell to provide power to their internal components. Covenant plasma weapons are effective but crude, and most automatic-fire plasma weapons are prone to overheating. To compensate, most weapons have vents that open up and discharge excess heat and plasma when they overheat, although they render weapons inoperable as the excess heat is dissipated. Once the energy of the plasma weapon is depleted, it must be recharged or discarded. To date, the means by which plasma weapons can be recharged is still unknown to UNSC forces. Handheld plasma weapons include the plasma pistol, plasma rifle, fuel rod gun, and particle beam rifle.

The Covenant favors plasma weapons, used for both their starships and infantry.

Though rarer, the Covenant occasionally uses projectile weapons, the most common of these being unconventional crystal-based weapons, such as the Needler or the Needle Rifle. These weapons appear to use some type of chemical that forms a hard, razor-sharp crystal on contact with the atmosphere. Certain medium to long-range weapons fire them at high speeds, allowing them to strike targets accurately at long distance. Other mid-range weapons fire them at very slow speeds, and through unknown means "steer" them towards enemy targets. Needles fired in either of these ways will penetrate the flesh or armor of a target, and several seconds after coming to rest will explode into thousands of tiny, sharp fragments that can maim or cripple a target. When a certain number of needles have penetrated the same target, they will detonate simultaneously, producing a much larger explosion that kills the target instantly.

With the introduction of the Jiralhanae as a major military caste within the Covenant, their weapons found limited to widespread use. Utilizing crude projectile-like metal spikes in place of plasma, explosive grenade-like launchers, and sharp blades, they are more primitive, yet brutal-fitting, considering the nature of their creators. Brute weapons include the Spiker carbine, the Mauler pistol, and Brute Shot grenade launcher.

The Covenant are also known to employ melee weapons in addition to their already fearsome arsenal. The most well-known is the Energy Sword, used solely by the Sangheili. Creating a double blade of superheated plasma, it has both ceremonial and martial value to the Sangheili warriors, and its possession is closely monitored. Another is the Gravity Hammer, used by Jiralhanae, which seems to be the cultural equivalent to the sword, However, rather than using a blade of plasma, it can generate a gravitational field, doing devastating damage, even knocking vehicles over.

Brutes assembled in a Covenant pack.

Covenant vehicles use advanced anti-gravity technology for propulsion, and are armed with directed-energy weaponry of varying potency. Though often faster than their UNSC counterparts, Covenant vehicles are more unstable over uneven terrain where the sudden changes affect handling. All Covenant vehicles (except for Jiralhanae vehicles) and structures are made from a purple or dark blue type of metal, said to be much more advanced than any alloy known to humans, and all Covenant vehicles are nicknamed after some kind of supernatural entity by the UNSC, except for Scarabs and Locusts. Recently, Jiralhanae vehicles and technology have been incorporated into the Covenant's arsenal. Though more primitive, they serve the Jiralhanae's need for power. Jiralhanae vehicles are not named after spiritual entities, and rather than being a series of Covenant vehicles are regarded as native Jiralhanae technology.

Despite the diversity of their weapons and forces, Covenant troops are heavily segregated. For instance, Grunts are deployed as cannon fodder files, Jackals are used as support and snipers, and Elites are commanders and fight in warriors lances. Weapons and technology are restricted by species and rank; only Elites receive personal energy shields and energy swords, only Jackals receive point defense gauntlets, and Grunts only receive basic weapons and armor, depending by rank. The reasons for these restrictions are often cultural; for instance, Elites view wielding shield gauntlets as dishonorable and that "lesser species" do not deserve their privileged weapons. This discrimination among the Covenant military is centuries old, but the dynamic is occasionally changed by violent rebellion. The Unggoy Rebellion caused Elites to mix their units with Grunts and give them better training. Likewise, the Great Schism put Jiralhanae in command of former Sangheili units, gave them personal shielded armor, and changed the typical Covenant unit from lances to packs.

Species

The Covenant is made up of a variety of alien species from different parts of the galaxy. Organized into a caste system by the San'Shyuum, the different species of the Covenant are united by their blind faith in the promise of the Great Journey.

Sangheili (pre-Great Schism) Main article: Sangheili The Sangheili served as the military leaders of the Covenant before the Great Schism. Along with the San'Shyuum, the Sangheili were one of the two founding races of the Covenant, and were the only race other than the San'Shyuum to have members on the High Council. The Sangheili are the only race within the Covenant permitted to build and command starships within the Covenant, though the crews are always composed of a mix of races. Sangheili are separated into ranks based on skill and experience. To advance in rank, Sangheili must honorably earn such advancements on the battlefield.	San 'Shyuum Main article: San 'Shyuum The highest caste in the Covenant Empire, the San 'Shyuum led the Covenant and exerted complete control over all religious and political affairs. Though physically weak, Prophets wielded power through absolute command of the Covenant and through scavenged Forerunner technology, leaving the task of conquest to the Sangheili and the other races. Along with the Sangheili, the San'Shyuum had members on the Covenant High Council.
Jiralhanae Main article: Jiralhanae The Jiralhanae were the most recent addition to the Covenant, and served as soldiers and bodyguards within the Covenant military until their promotion during the Great Schism. Although initially of low status within the hierarchy, the Jiralhanae gained greater prominence within the Covenant prior to the Great Schism, with the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, Tartarus, answering to the Hierarchs themselves. After the Sangheili were deposed, the Jiralhanae were given command of the Covenant military.	Lekgolo/Mgalekgolo Main articles: Lekgolo, Mgalekgolo The Lekgolo are a race of worm-like creatures that can combine to form large, intelligent assemblages called Mgalekgolo. Clad in nearly impenetrable armor and armed with their trademark Assault Cannon, they served as the Covenant's heaviest ground troops. Many of these creatures joined the Sangheili during the Great Schism.
Unggoy Main article: Unggoy Hailing from Balaho, the Unggoy, or Grunts as they are known by humans, were the most common and low-ranking caste of the Covenant. They breathe methane gas, and thus must wear a large tank on their back full of methane to survive on other planets. Relations between the Unggoy and the Kig-Yar are strained in the best of times. Many of these creatures joined the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae during the Great Schism.	Kig-Yar Main articles: Kig-Yar, Skirmisher The Kig-Yar, or Jackals or Skirmishers as they are known by humans, were the scouts and marksmen of the Covenant military due to their superior senses. They were among the lower Covenant castes and are about 6'2" tall.
Yanme'e Main article: Yanme'e The Yanme'e, or Drones as they are known by humans, are flying, insectoid species that served almost exclusively as engineers in the Covenant Empire. They were eventually replaced by the Huragok, and were used as aerial combatants against the UNSC, who are inexperienced at fighting airborne infantry. They became the second Covenant species with the ability to fly.	Huragok Main article: Huragok The Huragok, or Engineers as they are known by the humans, are an artificial species created by the Forerunners. They only conversed with the San 'Shyuum or individuals who learn their language. The Huragok performed the physical labor of excavating and gathering data on Forerunner artifacts. In military terms, they were generally a non-militant race. However, at times in the Human-Covenant War, they were placed on the battlefield either as repair workers or suicide bombers. Many of the Huragok joined the Sangheili during the Great Schism.

Creatures inhabiting Covenant worlds

• "Scrub Grubs" are small creatures the equivalent of the rats found on Earth. They were first mentioned in Halo: Contact Harvest, while inhabiting a Jackal ship.
• "Zap-Jellies" are sea creatures that live on the Grunt homeworld, Balaho. They are possibly the equivalent to large jellyfish on Earth.
• "Thorn Beasts" are a food source for the Covenant, though only observed being eaten by Brutes. The only reference to the Thorn Beasts is in Halo: Contact Harvest, when the Brutes are first mentioned, and in Halo Wars, in at least one of the timeline periods. They were also included in the original Halo game being developed for Mac.
• "Mud Wasps" are insects found on the Grunt home world of Balaho.
• "Shade Crabs" are crustaceans found on the Grunt home world of Balaho.
• "Helioskrills" are predators found on Sanghelios that imitate rocks to catch their prey.
• "Doarmirs" are furry animals found on Sanghelios, their pelts were used by early seafaring Sangheili as cloaks, the tradition is continued by modern Sangheili Shipmasters.
• "Sharquoi" are enormous beasts capable of smashing vehicles. They were said to be so dangerous that the Covenant would not consider deploying them until near the end of the war.

Technology

Covenant technology has been often referred to as more imitative rather than innovative, as they are based largely on mimicry and reverse-engineering of the leftover Forerunner artifacts they have discovered. Such examples are their exceedingly accurate slipspace navigation, near-instantaneous interstellar communication and man-portable application of energy manipulation.

The Resplendent Fervor separates its aft section while the bow enters slipstream space.

Although innovation is not one of the Covenant's strong suits, the Covenant has shown considerable advancement in bridging the technological gap with newly-encountered species. For example, in the first encounter of the Human-Covenant War, the Covenant learned of the humans' computer systems and of its language from salvaging human computer and network components from destroyed human ships. This knowledge benefited the Covenant greatly in understanding the humans' military operation, to the extent that the UNSC enacted the Cole Protocol to deter the Covenant from finding human colony worlds and Earth. In another scenario, during the preliminary of the Fall of Reach, the Covenant crippled Reach's telecommunication network to prevent the colony world from contacting reinforcements and placed numerous teleportation spires to deploy its forces without having to face directly with the planet's orbital defences.

Energy shielding and active camouflage were reverse-engineered from Forerunner technology.

For the Covenant species, interstellar travel was made easy due to the reverse-engineered technology. Like humans, Covenant vessels can enter Slipstream space and travel significantly faster than light. However, the Covenant equivalent of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine is far more efficient and reliable, relying on a series of "micro-jumps" to maneuver through the slipstream. Covenant vessels do not suffer the "temporal fluidity" of faster-than-light to such a degree as human vessels, arriving at the precise time and location that they intend. However, after a slipspace jump Covenant vessels generally experience a temporary power outage, leaving the vessel vulnerable to attack. As a result, Covenant battlegroups are much more efficient when acting as a coordinated group, and can strike more quickly and decisively.

Covenant starships use repulsor engines for propulsion in space, rather than traditional reaction drives. Covenant drive systems seem to be propelled by an unusual combination of gravity "waves" and some form of highly reactive plasma displacement, but the actual means and method of propulsion is currently beyond human understanding. Both starships and ground vehicles are equipped with various forms of anti-gravity technology, allowing ships to hover easily inside an atmosphere and allowing frictionless movement of vehicles across terrain.

In Covenant culture, there are religious taboos that prevent them from fully exploring what the Forerunners employed to create that technology. For example, the Covenant never developed advanced AI technology due to their religious doctrine; they believed that a powerful AI had once betrayed the Forerunners, and as such they had a ban on actually sapient machine intelligences. The few Covenant AIs that have been encountered include an an AI that was stationed aboard the Ascendant Justice and destroyed by Cortana, one based on the Truth and Reconciliation, as well as the Seeker, sent to infiltrate UNSC systems and alert the Covenant to the location of Earth. Cortana's copy also referenced several AIs being present in the Unyielding Hierophant system when the Spartans infiltrated the base.

Covenant architecture is known for its curved, organic and sophisticated looking style, likely for the aesthetic tastes of the higher-ranked castes. Constructed of distinctive purple or white metal, these colors are the main focus of Covenant design and distributed throughout their starships, vehicles, and weapons. The metal they use is unknown to the UNSC but is very strong and resilient.

Known Covenant worlds

51 Pegasi System Pegasi Delta K7-49 Salia System Joyous Exultation Malhiem (Satellite) Urs System (with stars Fied and Joori as secondary stars) Sanghelios (Sangheili Homeworld) Yermo (Continent) Iruiru Qikost (Satellite) Suban (Satellite) Tala System Balaho (Unggoy homeworld) Buwan (Satellite) Padpad (Satellite)

Oth Sonin System Doisac (Jiralhanae homeworld) Warial (Satellite) Solrapt (Satellite) Teash (Satellite) Svir System Te (Mgalekgolo homeworld) Rantu Uhtua 23 smaller satellites Napret System Palamok (Yanme'e homeworld) Naxook (Satellite) Oquiu (Satellite) Ka'amoti (Satellite) Kami (Satellite) Y'Deio System (HD 69830) Chu'ot Eayn (Satellite) (Kig-Yar homeworld) Decided Heart- Sangheili base planet Weeping Shadows of Sorrow- Covenant penitentiary world Heian - A world with a significant logistics base. Janjur Qom (San 'Shyuum homeworld)

Trivia

• Covenant is a major city in Bungie's Myth series; it is home to the Total Codex, a magical book that lists the fate of every being that will ever be born. Bungie later considered Covenant as a potential title for Halo: Combat Evolved. Paul Russel joked that it "... sound[ed] like a bad 80's hair band."
• The Biblical Ark of the Covenant represented the will of God, in connection with the quote: "Your destruction is the will of the Gods...and we are their instrument." This references the Covenant's belief they carry through the will of their gods, the Forerunners.
• The Covenant were named #26 on IGN's Top 100 Video Game Villains list.

Gallery

• 

  The identifying emblem of the Covenant faction lead by the Prophet of Regret, as seen in Halo Wars.

List of appearances

Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance) Halo: Combat Evolved Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Terminals Halo: The Flood Halo: First Strike i love bees (Mentioned only) Halo 2 Halo Graphic Novel The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa Halo: Ghosts of Onyx Halo: Uprising Halo 3 Halo: Contact Harvest Halo: The Cole Protocol Halo Wars: Genesis Halo Wars Halo: Helljumper Halo 3: ODST Halo Legends Origins The Duel Homecoming Prototype The Babysitter The Package

Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian Dirt Headhunters Blunt Instruments The Mona Lisa Palace Hotel Human Weakness The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole The Return Halo: Blood Line Halo: Reach Data pads (Mentioned only) Halo: Fall of Reach Boot Camp Covenant Invasion Halo: Glasslands (Mentioned only) Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Halo 4 (Prologue Only) Halo: Initiation

Sources

External

• A Covenant Primer: The Best of the Bestiary