Mission to Janjur Qom

Previous:	War of Beginnings
Concurrent:	The Rending
Next:	Taming of the Lekgolo
Mission to Janjur Qom
Date:	c. 850 BCE
Location:	Janjur Qom
Outcome:	Covenant victory Females and artifact recovered A Luminary is destroyed
Details Belligerents Covenant San 'Shyuum Stoics Commanders Prophet of Inner Conviction Captain Vervum L'kosur Commander Trok 'Tanghil Unknown Strength Vengeful Vitality Seven Sangheili Several San'Shyuum One Huragok Stoic warriors Folasteed Casualties Vervum L'kosur Loquen 'Nvong Ziln 'Klel Several Stoics and Folasteed

"Have you forgotten that these so-called Stoics have appropriated our homeworld, Janjur Qom—stolen it from the holy martyrs? It is an act of liberation, not abduction, to acquire the females from them! And the Purifying Vision of the Holy Path, the Luminary associated with it—these alone should justify the attempt!"

— The High Prophet of Excellent Redolence, referring to the mission's objectives

This mission to the San'Shyuum homeworld of Janjur Qom was an expedition arranged by the Covenant Ministry of Anticipatory Security and the High Prophet of Excellent Redolence in 850 BCE, during the First Age of Reconciliation.

Prelude

The end of the San'Shyuum Schism in 2100 BCE saw the Reformists depart from Janjur Qom in the Forerunner Dreadnought, while the Stoics were left behind on the planet. The one thousand San'Shyuum Reformists traveled through space until they encountered the Sangheili. After a long war, a treaty was signed between the two species and the Covenant was established. The Stoics continued to view the Reformists with contempt and disdain hundreds of years later. The Covenant would later use Eye spy probes to monitor the Stoics and Janjur Qom.

The limited number of Reformist San'Shyuum led to the establishment of the Roll of Celibates to help prevent birth defects on the Covenant holy capital city of High Charity. At some point, the High Prophet of Excellent Redolence and R'Noh Custo planned to kidnap females from Janjur Qom to help prevent inbreeding, however, Mken 'Scre'ah'ben informed the other two Hierarchs and Excellent Redolence was overruled. In 850 BCE, the Ministry of Anticipatory Security was formed and Custo was appointed as its Minister. Custo, working under the influence of Excellent Redolence, used an Eye probe to contact Stoic females in the village of Crellum and offered to take them to High Charity, this time without forceful abduction. The females, led by Lilumna, agreed, as they were tired of how the Stoic males barbarically treated them. For embarrassing him before the Hierarchs years earlier, Custo used the pregnancy of the wife of Mken—now the Prophet of Inner Conviction—to blackmail him into heading the mission to Janjur Qom. He was also tasked with retrieving a Luminary and the accompanying Purifying Vision of the Holy Path.

The Prophet of Inner Conviction was not willing to lead the dangerous expedition, so he attempted to schedule a meeting with the Hierarchs. However, only Excellent Redolence and Custo were present during the meeting. Inner Conviction requested to speak with all three Hierarchs to explain why another San'Shyuum would be more fitted for the mission, but Excellent Redolence insisted for Mken to lead the mission and threatened him with execution if he continued to resist. Eventually, Inner Conviction reluctantly accepted to lead the mission. The Prophet's excursion team was assembled, and its members included the San'Shyuum Captain Vervum L'kosur, communications officer S'Prog, and gunner Mleer, the Sangheili Trok 'Tanghil, Vil 'Kthamee, Ziln 'Klel, and Loquen 'Nvong, and the Huragok Floats Near Ceiling.

The mission

Expedition to the grotto

Janjur Qom, the location of the mission

Upon arriving over Janjur Qom, the Prophet of Inner Conviction had Vervum monitor transmissions on the planet to study the Stoics' technology and language. Shortly after, several members of the corvette's crew traveled in a dropship to the surface of Janjur Qom in the Reskolah region. The dropship landed outside the grotto of the Great Transition and Trok 'Tanghil was left to guard the dropship while Inner Conviction led Vervum, Loquen, Vil, and Floats Near Ceiling towards the grotto. After traversing through a dense jungle on the planet, the team came across the grotto and a seemingly dead end. Floats Near Ceiling approached the wall and inserted one of his finest cilia into it and eventually opened a hidden doorway. The Huragok activated a device inside the hidden room and a hologram played that showed the Halo Array—the Purifying Vision of the Holy Path. At that moment, Loquen spotted a patrol of Stoic warriors and folasteed mounts waiting outside the grotto for the excursion team.

The Prophet of Inner Conviction had Floats Near Ceiling activate another device that presented the Luminary, and the Prophet took both devices himself. However, Vervum betrayed Inner Conviction and revealed himself as an agent of the Ministry of Anticipatory Security. Vervum and Loquen held Inner Conviction, Vil, and Floats Near Ceiling at gunpoint; Vervum had disabled the weaponry on the Prophet's chair earlier in the mission. Vervum ordered Inner Conviction to give him the Forerunner devices, but he refused to comply. Loquen attempted to kill Vil, but he avoided the shots and wounded Loquen instead. Vervum attempted to use his chair's weaponry on Vil, but the Huragok closed the door between the traitors and himself, Vil, and Inner Conviction. As the passage closed, Vil fired at the entrance of the grotto to attract the attention of the Stoics. The Stoics attacked Loquen and Vervum, and the latter was killed while Loquen was captured. As the Stoics departed the grotto, the Floats Near Ceiling reopened the door and the trio left. The three returned to the dropship and the Forerunner artifacts were safely stored inside the craft's storage compartments. Inner Conviction had 'Tanghil pilot the dropship to the village of Crellum to retrieve the females.

Retrieving the Needful Maidens

The expeditionary team landed on a beach near Crellum. As they made their way into the village, they met Lilumna, the de facto leader of the female San'Shyuum that wished to go to High Charity. The Prophet of Inner Conviction insisted to Lilumna that she would not be a slave on High Charity, and so she signaled to the rest of the females. To the amazement of the team, the other females arrived on top of a tamed ilpdor named Erb. As the group passed through a jungle to return to the dropship, they were attacked by Stoic forces from earlier. Inner Conviction ordered the females to hide behind Erb as the Covenant forces engaged the Stoics. The folasteed tore apart the captured Loquen in front of them. As the firefight continued, Ziln 'Klel was killed and Trok was injured. Suddenly, Erb charged at the Stoics and folasteed and killed them all, although he was mortally wounded in the process and died shortly after. Eventually, the survivors and the females returned to the dropship and departed for the orbiting Vengeful Vitality.

Once they were aboard the corvette, Trok prepared the ship to leave the system while Inner Conviction went to check on the females. As the corvette left the planet's orbit, it was struck by a Stoic missile. The Prophet of Inner Conviction realized that the damaged sections of the ship was located close to where the Luminary was being stored, as well as the females. He had Mleer and Vil escort the females to safety while he attempted to recover the Luminary. Inner Conviction put on a pressure suit as he made his way to the dropship. However, one of the females, Burenn, was trapped in the same compartment as the Prophet; the door had randomly closed before she could make it to safety due to damages in the corvette's systems. Reluctantly, Inner Conviction saved Burenn and brought her to safety, but the Luminary was sucked out of the ship and burned up in the planet's atmosphere. The damaged ship then returned to High Charity.

Aftermath

After Vengeful Vitality returned to High Charity, the Prophet of Inner Conviction, the corvette's crew, and Custo were put on trial before the Hierarchs of the Covenant for the loss of the Luminary. During the court session, Inner Conviction and Vil gave testimonies that noted Vervum's assassination attempt during the mission. Although Excellent Redolence wished to punish Inner Conviction for the loss of the Luminary, the High Prophet of Unity focused on Vervum's assassination attempt and the likelihood that he was an agent of the Ministry of Anticipatory Security. Qurlom, a former Hierarch and a friend of Inner Conviction, intervened, citing that the Book of Hierarchs allowed former High Prophets to voice their opinions. Qurlom insisted that the trial was a waste of time and that Inner Conviction had been blessed by the "gods"; the Forerunners had decreed that the Covenant was not yet worthy of the Great Journey, but instead allowed them to continue on the Path to the Great Journey that will one day lead to the Halo Array. The Hierarchs agreed with Qurlom's observations and decided to rule Inner Conviction not guilty. At Qurlom's suggestion, the Ministry of Anticipatory Security was disbanded for its involvement in Inner Conviction's assassination attempt and Custo was severely demoted.

However, shortly after, the Hierarchs assigned Inner Conviction with quelling Ussa 'Xellus' rebellion by taking a fleet to The Refuge to kill 'Xellus and his followers and capture the world. Inner Conviction's wife, Cresanda, was assigned with taking care of the female Stoics—now known as the Needful Maidens—from Janjur Qom and ensuring that they fit into their new life on High Charity.

List of appearances

• Halo: Broken Circle (First appearance)