Cet article contient des transcriptions présentées sans mise en page, adaptées à la recherche.

Halo Waypoint/Universe/Factions

Le WikiHalo rappelle à ses contributeurs que toute information ajoutée doit être officielle et vérifiable. Les contributions sans sources et les théories sur Halo Infinite seront rejetées.

Blue Team[modifier]

H5G-Blue Team (Way banner).jpg
«

One of the most legendary special forces teams ever deployed, Blue Team completed more missions during the Covenant War than any other single team in UNSC history.

»
H5G-Blue Team (Way square).jpg
H5G-Blue Team (Way thumbnail).jpg

Blue Team
Spartan Team

Species: Human
Affiliation: UNSC
Branch: Navy

Fireteam Leader: John-117
Current Members: Frederic-104, John-117, Kelly-087, Linda-058

Summary
Although its roster has been altered over the years, Blue Team has always included Spartan operatives that can be entrusted with the most herculean of tasks and still be practically guaranteed of success. As of 2558, the roster of Blue Team includes John-117, Fred-104, Kelly-087, and Linda-058.

Configuration
Although the title ‘Blue Team’ is not exclusive within the UNSC, the most widely known combat group bearing this name is a Spartan-II detachment under NAVSPECWAR operational control. Spartan-II teams of this nature were usually comprised of 3-5 members with distinctive but complementary skillsets that proved highly effective in heterogeneous tactical situations.

The current team consists of John-117 as Blue Leader/Blue-One, Kelly-087 as Blue-Two, Fred-104 as Blue-Three, and Linda-058 is Blue-Four. This team combines the experience and tactical acumen of the Master Chief, the strategic brilliance of Fred, the scouting and reconnaissance talents of Kelly, and the lethality of Linda’s long-range support.

Historical Configurations
Officially, eight is the highest count of Spartans in this roster and included Spartan-II members Frederic-104, Kelly-087, Linda-058, and Spartan-III members Tom-B292, Lucy-B091, Olivia-G291, Ash-G099, and Mark-G313. Blue Team’s earliest configuration was John-117, Kelly-087, and Samuel-034, only days into the SPARTAN-II program.

Track Record
Blue Team is widely considered the most successful strike team in the history of the UNSC. Records indicate that as of 2553, the team had logged more than 220 military operations since the activation of SPARTAN-II in 2525. The exact number is disputed, however, because of the irregular roster that Blue Team (and all Spartan teams) had endured over decades of activity. Nevertheless, most would not argue the preeminence and impact of Blue Team during the course of the Covenant War and its immediate aftermath.

Covenant[modifier]

H2A-Covenant (Way banner).jpg
«

The Covenant is an alliance of alien species originally founded by the San’Shyuum and the Sangheili.

»
HW-Covenant (Way square).jpg
H2A-Covenant (Way thumbnail).jpg

Covenant

Founding Document: Writ of Union
Capital: High Charity

Formation: 852 BCE
Dissolution: 2552 CE

Introduction
The Covenant is an alliance of alien species originally founded by the San’Shyuum (Prophets) and the Sangheili (Elites) in the hopes of securing more knowledge of their gods, the Forerunners. Over time, the Covenant have added several species which have acted as fully-integrated members within the empire. These include the Lekgolo (Hunters), the Yanme’e (Drones), the Kig-Yar (Jackals and Skirmishers), the Unggoy (Grunts), and the Jiralhanae (Brutes).

Central to the Covenant’s ultimate goal was the discovery of Halo, an array of incredible and ancient ringworlds which when activated was believed to be a means of divine sublimation. In reality, the Halo Array was eventually revealed to be a weapon of mass destruction. For long periods of time, the Covenant scoured the galaxy for Halo, finding many lost Forerunner installations and relics along the way. However, when they encountered humans they began finding cracks in their theological moorings. The discovery of humanity threatened the nature of the Covenant at such a foundational level that the San’Shyuum declared humanity a disease that must be cleansed, and embarked on an attempt to wipe out the species from the galaxy.

Post-War
After the thirty-year Human-Covenant War, the Covenant underwent a massive schism, with many of its previous species returning back to their own worlds. Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam led a portion of the Sangheili in an effort to both rebuild a strong and united Sangheilios, as well as gain important allies. To further these efforts, these Sangheili have made a fragile ad hoc alliance with the humans and have gathered under the still-formative banner “Swords of Sangheilios.” However, the Arbiter’s sentiment was not felt across the entirety of his kind. Many Sangheili continued to regard the Forerunners as gods, and remained steadfast in their intention to follow in their footsteps to achieve apparent immortality. Others still felt an alliance with humanity was a fool’s gambit. They believed the Sangheili should stake a claim as the true inheritors of the Forerunner empire, elevating their race to a place of galactic supremacy without the San’Shyuum to stand in their way. Even further, many Sangheili regard ‘Vadam as a “false Arbiter”, and claim since he did not sacrifice himself in battle, he represents the ultimate heresy against both the Great Journey and Sangheilios itself. They attest that ‘Vadam is a coward that must be extinguished for the Sangheili to truly ascend. Without species-wide agreement, the aftermath of the Great Schism eventually led to civil war and the formation of a newly resurrected Covenant body.

This new Covenant remains a mystery even unto itself, as it has seen splinter groups led by fledgling and ambitious Sangheili warlords make desperate attempts to salvage a stake of the Covenant power and influence. But it has also seen attempts at reunification, most notably under the Sangheili warlord named Jul ‘Mdama, who was successful in entering the Forerunner shield world of Requiem. It was ‘Mdama’s forces that were given sanction by the Didact himself to carry out the destruction of humanity in an effort to help the Forerunners rise again. ‘Mdama’s inferred sovereignty quickly gained traction, earning him the title of the “Didact’s Hand.” With the ability to command – even if unstably so – the Didact’s own Promethean constructs, ‘Mdama has rekindled some of the devotion and beliefs of unification many thought lost with the Great Schism. Also not to be forgotten are the hushed murmurs of Jiralhanae clans gathering strength in hidden corners of the Orion Arm with unconfirmed intents to stake their own claim on the Covenant Empire. No matter what forms it might continue to take, the Covenant look to remain a viable threat for the foreseeable future.

Dominion
Although the Covenant’s primary homeworld, the Holy City of High Charity, was enormous, fully mobile, and even capable of slipspace travel, the alliance utilized many sites as anchors of military, political, and utilitarian dominion. At the base, this included the worlds and colonies of each species it had subsumed, but it would also grow to include new worlds and even Forerunner installations. The Covenant, as an empire, dominated much of the galaxy, though they would generally leave a world untouched unless it offered particular treasures, whether practical or religious.

Apart from High Charity, the primary Covenant worlds were military bases created by the Sangheili, some of which include Saepon’kal (Joyous Exultation) and Malurok (Decided Heart). It is believed that Saepon’kal was destroyed during the Great Schism, while the status of Malurok is unknown. High Charity, after its fall to the Flood during the Great Schism, was crushed against the surface of the Ark during the final battle of the Human-Covenant War.

Government
The Covenant was founded as a theocracy with the San’Shyuum at the head. The Sangheili maintained a subservient yet equal-standing role (as both shared in the founding of the alliance), exclusively governing the affairs of the military. The San’Shyuum dominated the political arena with a three-person triumvirate of High Prophets. Thought the High Council (which held several hundred individuals) included both San’Shyuum and Sangheili, giving each founding species some standing in the Covenant’s goals, the High Prophets ultimately dictated these ends.

Military
The Covenant military was originally conceived as a means to establish dominance in the galaxy by way of force, but primarily at the goal of acquiring Forerunner technology and pressing forward toward the hope of divinity. The Covenant military was vast and its power and presence were easily the largest and most dominant single element of the alliance. This fact, combined with the Sangheili’s virtually complete control of the military, eventually led to friction and distrust by the San’Shyuum. Seeking to overthrow them, the triumvirate of San‘Shyuum hierarchs turned against the Sangheili, secretly armed and empowering the Jiralhanae (Brutes) to take control. This worked for but a short time, before forcing many of the Sangheili to ally with humans and bring an end to the Covenant as it was altogether. In the aftermath of the war, many Sangheili disagreed with the view that an alliance with the humans was beneficial. This fracture led to numerous civil wars on Sanghelios, but it also led to the formation of a new Covenant. This new Covenant is almost entirely military in nature and lacks the unified cohesion of its long-standing predecessor, though the might of well-equipped Sangheili can never be underestimated.

Language and Architecture
The official language of the Covenant is an advanced dialect of Sangheili. It is spoken by all species within the Covenant and for many has replaced their native language after the events of the war. The architecture of the Covenant, though some loose connections with the Sangheili, was predominantly San’Shyuum in nature and design. Even the military vehicles were based almost entirely on San’Shyuum structural aesthetics early on, informing much of the Sangheili’s designs in the years to follow.

Technology
Although several of the Covenant species had achieved some measure of technological advancement on their own, the alliance’s recovery and analysis of Forerunner machines had been the key to realizing the vast majority of technology they used. Much of their advancements were yielded from the Forerunner Dreadnought that the San’Shyuum had recovered from their own world, though countless Forerunner sites and relics provided substantial progress in the centuries before the Covenant’s collapse. These improvements included translight travel and communication, the manipulation of extremely high volumes of plasma energy through recycling detritus from sublight travel, the control and usage of hard light, short-range teleportation of matter, and the deft influence over gravity and repulsor-based technologies, among other things.

Covenant Honor Guard[modifier]

H2A-Covenant Honor Guard (Way banner).jpg
«

The Honor Guard was a distinctive group of Sangheili warriors devoted to the protection of the Covenant Hierarchs.

»
H2A-Covenant Honor Guard (Way square).jpg
H2-Covenant Honor Guard (Way thumbnail).jpg

Covenant Honor Guard
Bodyguards of the Hierarchs

Species: Sangheili (Later Jiralhanae)
Affiliation: Covenant

Branch: Covenant Government
Primary HQ: High Charity, Sanctum Of The Hierarchs

Summary
The Honor Guard was composed of only the most esteemed Sangheili soldiers, specially chosen by the Hierarchs to provide protection to the High Prophets and other prominent officials in the Covenant High Council. These handpicked warriors swore their loyalty only to the High Prophets and gladly gave their lives to protect a Hierarch. While it was their solemn duty to escort the High Prophets on field missions, they could primarily be found in the holy city of High Charity. Their elaborate armor indicated that the position of an Honor Guardsman was a great privilege.

Lights of Sanghelios
These Honor Guards wore armor similar to that of the standard Honor Guard, albeit with a distinctive bright-white base color. This subgroup represented the highest ranking, most elite combat units, and were often charged with the protection of a Prophet. Typically called “Helios,” these prodigious soldiers also oversaw standard Honor Guardsmen in many encounters. The name “Lights of Sanghelios” is a reference to the globular cluster of stars near the Sangheili home system.

Changing of the Guard
Near the end of the Human-Covenant War, the Prophet of Truth would controversially alter the long held institution of the Honor Guard after the Prophet of Regret’s assassination. Believing the Elites to be a threat, Truth forged a secret alliance with the Brutes. Upon completing his first mission as Arbiter, Thel ‘Vadamee returned to High Charity just in time to witness the formal changing of the guard. He was forced to watch in shock as the Sangheili Honor Guard presented the ceremonial pikes and armor adornments to the new Jiralhanae Honor Guard. This decision, along with the massacre of the Sangheili Councilors, cemented the rift between the Elites and the rest of Covenant. As a result, the Elites, alongside humanity, brought an end to Truth and the fledgling Brute-led Honor Guard.

Fireteam Osiris[modifier]

H5G-Fireteam Osiris (Way banner).jpg
«

Led by Spartan Locke, Fireteam Osiris was formed to execute challenging operations deemed persistently intractable by UNSC High Command.

»
H5G-Fireteam Osiris (Way square).jpg
H5G-Fireteam Osiris (Way thumbnail).jpg

Fireteam Osiris
Spartan Team

Species: Human
Affiliation: UNSC
Branch: Spartans

Fireteam Leader: Jameson Locke
Current Members: Edward Buck, Jameson Locke, Holly Tanaka, Olympia Vale

Summary
With the activation of the Spartan branch, some of the most prominent and effective personnel across the UNSC have been assigned to specialized combat and intelligence gathering teams: Fireteam Osiris is one of these units. Osiris’ balanced skillset and impressive track record makes them a go-to team for extremely sensitive and complex missions.

Configuration
Osiris is a discrete Spartan-IV fireteam comprised of highly proficient operators recruited from various UNSC branches. The team is led by Jameson Locke, formerly an ONI acquisitions specialist, Olympia Vale was an intelligence officer and xenoanthropologist in the Navy, Holly Tanaka is a highly skilled combat engineer with years of experience in the Army, and Edward Buck is a battle-hardened ODST. Together they have skills ranging from Sangheili linguistics to nuclear demolitions, which gives them significant flexibility in carrying out their assigned missions.

Functional Operability
As with other Spartan combat units, the purpose and design of Fireteam Osiris was to forge a composite of augmented personnel which would complement each other’s skillsets and abilities, mitigating any individual deficiencies. Osiris was created as a particularly diverse amalgamation of different disciplines to aggressively explore cross-branch synthesis – a goal that is rarely achieved, to be sure.

Track Record
Fireteam Osiris carries out complicated missions for the UNSC and UEG, and their activities are classified at the highest levels.

Hastati Squad[modifier]

FUD-Hastati Squad (Way banner).jpg
«

Hastati Squad was a team of cadets at the Corbulo Academy of Military Science at the time of the Covenant attack on Circinius IV.

»
Way-Hastati Squad emblem (render).png
FUD-Hastati Squad (Way thumbnail).jpg

Hastati Squad
Cadet Training Squad

Species: Human
Affiliation: UNSC
Primary HQ: Corbulo Academy, Circinius IV

Purpose: Training of officer cadets
Squad Leader: Officer Cadet April Orenski

Summary
Hastati Squad was a team of cadets at the Corbulo Academy of Military Science. As the school was named for a historic Roman general, it was typical for cadet squads to also possess Roman-inspired categorizations. The name “hastati” in particular referred to a class of infantry used by the Roman Republic. On April 26, 2526, the Covenant launched a surprise attack on the Unified Earth Government’s (UEG) colony Circinius IV, home of Corbulo Academy. Three members of Hastati Squad were among the last survivors of the assault. The Spartan-II super-soldier Master Chief John-117 located the cadets via the distress signal deployed by Cadet Thomas Lasky. The Chief then escorted the surviving cadets to a D79 Pelican dropship for evacuation from the planet.

Members
Hastati Squad members at the time of Circinius IV’s glassing included the following: Squad leader Officer Cadet April Orenski, Officer Cadet Thomas Lasky, Officer Cadet Chyler Silva (KIA by Needler rounds), Officer Cadet Walter Vickers (KIA by Covenant Elite), Officer Cadet Sean Kaye (KIA during the initial attacks), Officer Cadet Junjie Chen (KIA by Covenant Elite), Officer Cadet Michael Sullivan, Officer Cadet Dimah Tchakova (KIA after space elevator destruction by Covenant Corvette), Officer Cadet Phillip Shere (KIA during the initial attacks).

High Council[modifier]

H2A-San'Shyuum (Way banner).jpg
«

The High Council was an assembled body of Covenant leadership directly under the hierarch triumvirate and responsible for the legislative and executive actions of the government.

»
H2A-Sangheili Councilor.jpg
H2A-High Council (Way thumbnail).jpg

High Council
The High Council of the Covenant

Species: San’Shyuum, Sangheili
Affiliation: Covenant

Branch: Covenant Government
Primary HQ: High Charity, High Council Chamber

Summary
While the Covenant was led by the High Prophet triumvirate, the High Council formed a larger body of both San'Shyuum and Sangheili that determined legislation and executed the day-to-day affairs of government.

This group of over two hundred Prophets and Elites managed the governance of the Covenant, and was responsible for selecting the replacements of any Hierarch, if deemed necessary. For this reason, the High Prophet of Truth quickly replaced the Honor Guard with Brutes after the death of the High Prophet of Regret, ordering the execution of the Elites on the High Council before they could elect a potentially more moderate Prophet who could countermand his grand design. This initiated the Great Schism, a devastating civil war which eventually saw the end not only of the High Council but of the Covenant itself.

ODST[modifier]

H2A-ODST (Way banner).jpg
«

Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are known for their ferocious combat application and their method of deployment, behind enemy lines from an orbiting vessel.

»
HODST-ODST (Way square).jpg
H2A-ODST (Way thumbnail).jpg

ODST
Orbital Drop Shock Troopers

Species: Human
Founded: 2163 CE

Primary HQ: Kenosha, Tanais - Mars
Purpose: Specialized segment of the UNSC Marine Corps.

Summary
The Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, commonly known as ‘ODST,’ is a volunteer force within the UNSC Marine Corps, operationally managed by the Naval Special Weapons (NAVSPECWEP) division. ODST personnel are aggressively screened, and their brutal training program generally weeds out all but a handful of candidates. Early iterations of the ODST were created by the United Nations in 2129. By the Interplanetary War in 2163, the role of orbitally deployed Marine shock troopers had become a proper element of the newly founded UNSC Marine Corps. Since then, they have been a critical component of humanity’s military power, particularly during the Insurrection and the Human-Covenant War, arguably second only to the Spartan super-soldier projects.

Orbital Deployment
ODST are named and known for their notable method of deployment, a process called “transorbital support interdiction.” Much like paratroopers of centuries past, ODST are inserted directly from orbit into combat behind enemy lines. From here, the ODST are capable of cutting off supplies and communication, while also actively flanking the enemy if necessary. Their drop pods - usually the standard SOEIV (Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle) - are launched from an orbiting naval vessel at the target, entering the atmosphere and braking just short of impact. This extraordinarily dangerous method of deployment is one of the main inhibitors of personnel choosing to serve in the ODST, though it is also seen as an important distinguishing psychological characteristic among their ranks.

ODST units are generally divided into fireteams of six to eight personnel, and conduct direct action, unconventional warfare, intelligence-gathering, long-range recon, and counter-terrorism missions.

ONI[modifier]

HODST-ONI (Way banner).jpg
«

The Office of Naval Intelligence controls a vast amount of human (and non-human) activity through subterfuge and deception.

»
New logo ONI (render).png
HODST-ONI (Way thumbnail).jpg

ONI
Office of Naval Intelligence

Species: Human
Founded: 2178 CE

Primary HQ: Sydney, Commonwealth of Australia - Earth
Purpose: Military intelligence firm presiding over the UNSC

Summary
The UNSC’s Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) has come to be known for their preeminent role in the acquisition and leveraging of military intelligence through subterfuge, deception, and manipulation in defense of mankind. To accomplish this end, ONI utilizes special projects, such as the SPARTAN programs, Project: MJOLNIR, and even their work investigating Forerunner sites such as Trevelyan (Onyx). The agency maintains dozens of major research and analysis facilities across human-occupied space.

Organization
Like other intelligence agencies, ONI has a number of distinctive branches and divisions. There are three primary branches. Section One acquires intelligence through military espionage. Section Two handles external communication and public morale. Lastly, Section Three drives special projects, such as SPARTAN-II and MJOLNIR, and additionally oversees the various groups responsible for generating new innovations by leveraging advanced alien technology. In addition, there are lesser-known and “theoretical” sections whose complete role and influence remains unclear.

Leadership
The primary head of ONI is the Commander-in-Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence (CINCONI). For a number of years, this position was held by the imposing Admiral Margaret Parangosky. Not long after the war however, Parangosky’s protégé, Admiral Serin Osman succeeded her in this role. Osman, a former SPARTAN-II herself, currently possesses near-complete operational control over ONI and through it much of the UNSC. Although ONI employs a number of security councils and numerous checks and balances within the organization proper, the CINCONI maintains the greatest singular power within ONI and, in many respects, the entirety of human governance.

Sedran Colonial Guard[modifier]

HNF-Sedran Colonial Guard (Way banner).jpg
«

The Sedra Colonial Guard is the paramilitary force for the outer colony world of Sedra.

»
Way-Sedra Marine Corps (new logo).png
HNF-Sedran Colonial Guard (Way thumbnail).jpg

Sedran Colonial Guard
Paramilitary Force

Species: Human
Jurisdiction: Sedra (planet)

Headquarters: Sedra (city)
Purpose: Security of Sedran population

Summary
The Colonial Guard is the primary military force on the human colony world of Sedra. Left virtually unscathed in the wake of the Human-Covenant War, Sedra has been able to leverage its economic stability to outfit its domestic military with relatively modern hardware. While certainly not up to the levels of ONI or the UNSC, the technology of the Colonial Guard remains more than adequate to instill a sense of confidence in their soldiers. Most members of the Sedran Colonial Guard consider themselves to be tenacious and determined fighters, dedicated to quelling uprisings both foreign and domestic in order to keep an ever elusive sense of order among its scattered population centers.

Spartans[modifier]

H4-Spartans (Way banner).jpg
«

Spartans are armor-clad super-soldiers who operate at a significantly higher proficiency than other soldiers.

»
Way-Spartan Operations logo.png
H4-Spartans (Way thumbnail).jpg

Spartans
Biologically Enhanced Super-Soldiers

Affiliation: UNSC
Species: Human
Latin species name: Homo sapiens

Homeworld: Earth
Height range: 6ft 9in-7ft 1in (206-216cm)
Weight range: 239-281lbs (108.4-127.4kg)

Overview
Spartans are biologically enhanced, cybernetically augmented, heavily armored super-soldiers created during the 26th century. They are the most elite infantry force used by the UNSC. Unlike other branches, which maintain escalating rank systems, all Spartans are considered equal, their standing and specialization determined by personal skill alone. All detachments operate under a Spartan commander while individual fireteams operate under a team leader. The Spartan branch, while technically autonomous, works in close collaboration with the Navy and other branches when needed, most often in administrative capacities. The name “Spartans” was selected by Dr. Catherine Halsey, founder of the SPARTAN-II project, and is based on the mythos of the ancient Greek warriors bearing the same name. While the Spartans were originally created to deal with mounting colonial unrest and the threat of large-scale civil war, they eventually became the saviors of humanity during the brutal, three-decade long Human-Covenant War.

Orion
The ORION project began on April 13, 2321. ONI had hoped to exponentially increase the combat effectiveness of Colonial Military Authority (CMA) elite troops tasked with maintaining the security of future colonies. This initial effort failed, largely due to poor early results and a lack of proper monetary support. The five test subjects were reintegrated back into active service, though they would all die within a year for reasons ONI has never disclosed. A hundred years later, ONI and the CMA resurrected the project on January 29, 2491. First results, though costly, were deemed adequate.

On January 12, 2496, ORION super-soldiers completed their first operation with only one casualty. They successfully continued their service on dozens of other classified missions that year. During Operation: VERITAS, ORION assets managed to secure the NOC list of undercover Secessionist Union operatives who were working in various high-level offices within the CMA. The UNSC immediately moved to shut down the CMA, and in doing so it reallocated the ORION project funding. The 165 surviving participants in the program would return to active service in other discrete positions within the UNSC, many enjoying long careers in the military due to the biological alterations they had undergone.

SPARTAN-II
Civil unrest in the colonies continued unabated against the backdrop of several major rebel movements, collectively referred to as the Insurrection. Desperate for a solution, ONI brought on board the brilliant and renowned Dr. Catherine Halsey. Spartan IIs typically operate in teams of 3-5 and enjoy incredible autonomy and precision on the battlefield. Although their existence remained classified until just years before the end of the Human-Covenant War in 2552, many standard military personnel had already encountered Spartans in the field. It is unknown exactly how many existing SPARTAN-II personnel remain active as of 2558. Many who were believed dead or initially claimed as MIA have appeared back on the grid, several even assist in training SPARTAN-IV personnel or engaging in highly classified operations both individually and in team elements.

SPARTAN-III
On December 27, 2531, the SPARTAN-III program began on the classified world of Onyx under the direction of Colonel James Ackerson, a high-ranking officer in ONI and a personal enemy of Dr. Halsey’s. Ackerson covertly recruited Kurt Ambrose, an experienced SPARTAN-II, and the original S-II drill instructor, Chief Mendez, to lead the training. For twenty years, the SPARTAN-III program yielded hundreds of Spartans in secret. The program came to an end on October 31, 2552, when the planet of Onyx awakened due to the priming of Installation 04, which attracted the Covenant and a large-scale conflict which followed. Little concrete evidence exists for the actual number of Spartan-IIIs still active. Following the war, all known surviving SPARTAN-III personnel were offered integration into the SPARTAN-IV program.

SPARTAN-IV
By September 20, 2552, unknown to both Halsey and Ackerson, yet another class of super-soldiers was being developed under the watchful eye of Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the secretive leader of ONI. Unlike its predecessors, this new project would return to ORION protocols of recruiting exceptional and fully capable adult soldiers and genetically enhancing their body through a number of bespoke augmentations. By January 7, 2553, the SPARTAN-IV project would have a first class of 145 candidates. They began training at War Games facilities in a number of undisclosed sites, one being the highly classified UNSC starship called Infinity. Infinity would maintain a strong contingent of Spartan-IVs, with others utilized more covertly by ONI.

Controversy
Though they ultimately became the saviors of humanity in the Human-Covenant War, the Spartans were originally created to fight the rebels of the Insurrection—other humans. To achieve this end, Dr. Halsey violated a number of laws and ethical boundaries of the science community with the SPARTAN-II augmentation process. The program began with the abduction of 75 six-year-old children. ONI hid the truth about the kidnappings from the children’s parents through the use of flash clones. These replacements would typically eventually die within a year due to preexisting genetic conditions —a result of the flash cloning process.

On September 23, 2517, the SPARTAN-II candidates were brought to the planet Reach. Despite their shockingly young age, training began almost immediately after their abductions. When not training, the candidates would spend most of their waking moments at an on-site school, gaining an advanced education as well as extensive tactical training. On March 9, 2525, all 75 SPARTAN-II candidates, now approximately 14-years of age, entered the physical augmentation phase of the project. They underwent a series of extremely challenging procedures including occipital capillary reversal, carbide ceramic ossification, catalytic thyroid implants, muscular enhancement injections, and superconducting fibrification of neural dendrites. Only 33 of the candidates survived without significant injury.

Swords of Sanghelios[modifier]

H5G-Swords of Sanghelios (Way banner).jpg
«

The Swords of Sanghelios is the modern incarnation of an ancient alliance, resurrected by the Arbiter to crush the last vestiges of the Covenant and its leader, Jul ‘Mdama.

»
Way-Swords of Sanghelios logo (render).png
H5G-Swords of Sanghelios (Way thumbnail).jpg

Swords of Sanghelios
Reborn Alliance

Affiliation: Sangheili

Leader: Thel ‘Vadam

Summary
The first Swords of Sanghelios were a sworn brotherhood of Kaidons dedicated to the overthrow of a tyrannical Arbiter judge-king who ruled the continent of Qivro centuries before the Sangheili became a spacefaring species. Their story of brotherhood, loyalty, honor, and sacrifice continues to resonate among the Sangheili. Though the newly reforged Swords works to destroy the Covenant and throw down their leadership, it is not without a tinge of irony that the last incarnation of the organization appeared in the tumultuous aftermath of the Covenant’s formation to bring the last holdouts to the Writ of Union to heel.

Though it began as an alliance of convenience, the Swords have become the effective world government of Sanghelios, led by the Arbiter and a grand council of Kaidons. Should the Covenant be defeated, it is these great leaders who will forge a new path for the Sangheili.

UNSC[modifier]

H2A-UNSC (Way banner).jpg
«

The United Nations Space Command is a military offshoot utilized by the Unified Earth Government for the deployment of military and exploratory assets.

»
Way-UNSC logo (render).png
H2A-UNSC (Way thumbnail).jpg

UNSC
United Nations Space Command

Species: Human
Founded: 2163 CE

Primary HQ: Sydney, Commonwealth of Australia - Earth
Purpose: Military Defense Of Earth And Her Colonies

Summary
The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) was initially borne out of the United Nations during the Interplanetary Wars. In 2163, the UN commissioned a military force composed primarily of Navy and Marines assets with its first active engagement taking place in July 2164. The UN eventually subsumed into the Unified Earth Government (UEG), and the UNSC served to operate in direct conjunction with the UEG, though various times during the Insurrection and the Human-Covenant War have afforded the UNSC operational autonomy. The UNSC presently maintains five branches: Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Spartan, the fifth having been officially added after 2552, in the wake of the Human-Covenant War. The Office of Naval Intelligence, though initially designed as a participating division within the UNSC Navy, currently maintains not only autonomy, but strong administrative influence due to its close ties to the UNSC’s Security Council.

UEG[modifier]

H4-UEG (Way banner).jpg
«

The Unified Earth Government is humanity’s civilian government.

»
Way-Logo UEG.jpg
Way-UEG (Way thumbnail).jpg

UEG
Unified Earth Government

Species: Human
Founded: 2170 CE (Conceived), 2204 CE (Full Autonomy)
Primary HQ: Sydney, Commonwealth of Australia - Earth

Purpose: Centralized Governing Agency of Humanity
Head of State: President of the Unified Earth Government

Summary
The Unified Earth Government (UEG) was originally an offshoot of the United Nations, formed at the end of the Interplanetary War of the 22nd century. It gained autonomy in 2204 in an effort to maintain Earth’s power across numerous colonial habitats. The UEG is led by a civilian elected president and maintains legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

The Unified Earth Government is currently humanity’s central government, based on Earth. It operates with primacy in nearly all civilian affairs. However, during the course of the Covenant War, substantial authority was given to the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) as a result of emergency powers and breakdown of interstellar governance following the loss of the outer colonies. Though civilian leadership was restored following the end of the war, the UNSC retains considerable latitude with regard to interactions with the surviving colonies, and is thus considered an ineffectual front for the military by many living outside the Sol system.

Zealot[modifier]

H4-Zealot (Way banner).jpg
«

The Sangheili Zealots are the highest established Covenant military and religious authority.

»
H4-Zealot (Way square).png
FUD-Zealot (Way thumbnail).jpg

Zealot
Elite Sangheili Warrior

Species: Sangheili

Homeworld: Sanghelios

Summary
The merciless Zealots are without question the highest established Covenant military class. These powerful Sangheili warriors now largely represent both military and religious authority within the alliance, having taken many of the roles previously filled by the San’Shyuum. Historically, Zealots have been known for their ruthlessness, cruelty, and fervent dedication to the Great Journey, even within the context of the Covenant. These characteristics are rivaled only by their cunning ability to track and eliminate targets.

Functionality
Although these Sangheili warriors operate in a command capacity, they have not been spared from combat on the front lines—nor would they ever entertain such a notion. Zealots are still actively deployed to hunt down their opponents, using the absolute pinnacle of spec ops tools and weaponry in order to complete their objectives. Zealots represent those most devout in their following of the Forerunners, if not out of faithful reverence, then out of the belief that the Sangheili should be the true inheritors of the Forerunners’ technological legacy.