Major Political Bodies

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United Nations Space Command

The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) is the military, exploratory, and scientific agency of the Unified Earth Government (UEG). The UNSC was formed in the 22nd century, a time when remnants of old cultural ideologies clashed for supremacy in the Sol System. The UNSC served mainly as overseer of United Nations military operations in space. After initiating massive militarization propaganda throughout its off-world colonies, through the UNSC, the U.N. defeated Communist and Fascist forces in a conflict generally known as the "Interplanetary War", which consisted of several side-battles that took place on Mars, the Jovian Moons and the South American rainforests. Although the Interplanetary War brought a great deal of suffering to both the colonial population and the residents of Earth, it also united humanity's military forces into a common armed force by the end of the 22nd century.

Prior to the Covenant attack on Harvest in 2525, humanity was in chaos. Battles on multiple fronts and planets evolved from a group known as the Insurrectionists who wanted independence from the Unified Earth Government. The UNSC, more specifically, the UNSCDF, constantly battled against the Insurrectionists. In an attempt to help end the long running war against the Insurrectionists and rebels, the UEG commissioned the SPARTAN-II Program, which created elite super-soldiers to combat the separatists and the insurrections they spawned. When the Human-Covenant War began and the alien invaders began decimating the Outer Colonies, these Spartans became humanity's best hope against the technological superiority of the aliens. When the war began, the UNSC became humanity's greatest protector.

This fact allowed the UNSC to override civilian rule and establish itself as humanity's primary government. Although the Unified Earth Government was more open to step down, the Colonial Administration, the arm of the UEG ruling over the colonies, resisted the UNSC's rise to power, and was thus stripped of its power.

By 2552 A.D., Earth was the last remaining major human bastion; and fell under attack by the Covenant forces. The Human-Covenant War finally came to an end after a UNSC and Covenant Separatists force eliminated the Covenant leadership and destroyed the Flood threat.

By the time the war began, humanity, and thus the UNSC, had reached Tier 3 of the Forerunner civilization achievement rank system. Humanity's rank continued to rise due to the capture of Covenant technology and equipment, which was studied and adapted for human needs. The very best and cutting edge of UNSC equipment was supplied to the SPARTAN-II project, and later less expensive but still cutting edge tech to the Spartan III's One such example of imitative human technology is the energy shielding adapted for use on the MJOLNIR armor.

During the Battle of Earth, the UNSC fought the Covenant Loyalists on Earth to prevent humanity's extinction, and eventually won their right to survive thanks to an alliance with the Covenant Separatists.

After the war and reconstruction efforts came to a close, the UNSC began colonizing once again and rebuilding the human population. It wasn't long before the remnants of the Insurrectionists re-emerged, and the UNSC was thrust once again into military research.

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Covenant Separatists

The Covenant Separatists are a breakaway faction of the Covenant, led by the Sangheili. It was officially formed after they learned the truth about the Halo Installations near the end of the Battle of Installation 05 in November 2552. The Separatists no longer look to the Prophets for leadership, and thus have no defined leadership save for the surviving Councilors, although Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and a few other head Sangheili, such as Rtas 'Vadum and Xytan 'Jar Wattinree hold positions of power within their ranks.

he Covenant Separatists are made up of the Elite, Grunt and Hunter castes (Grunts and Hunters are sometimes seen in Halo 2 as allies, but never in Halo 3 to prevent confusion) within the Covenant's hierarchical society. The members of the faction were somewhat "united" at the beginning of the Great Schism, although the faction was "officially" formed when they learned the truth of the Halos and since both times, have been fighting the Covenant Loyalists, led by the Prophets and their Brutes, Drones, Jackals and some Grunt and Hunter supporters.

This disgruntled faction is led by the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, Ship Master Rtas 'Vadum and Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree. It is possible the remaining Councilors command the faction from Sanghelios as aides to the Arbiter, offering their council to him as they once did with the Prophets. Fronts of this war include the Covenant holy city of High Charity, Installation 05, Earth, the Ark, and areas of space where Covenant ships operate.

The shaky-to-steady alliance between the Separatists and their former foes, the Humans, was forged entirely out of necessity. The UNSC forces were on the defensive, and they had two common enemies that wished for their extinction: the Covenant and the Flood. The alliance of circumstance was forged in the control room of Delta Halo, when Johnson and the Arbiter were coerced to unite in order to prevent Tartarus activating Installation 05. However, the Arbiter persuaded the rest of the Sangheili to join the Humans. While the two factions experience some friction, they learn to work with one another for their mutual survival.

The devastated UNSC Fleet in Earth's space were glad to accept the help of the superior Separatist warships. The Elites' understanding of enemy equipment and Covenant's combat tactics proved invaluable in the Battle of Installation 00. Recurrently the heroes of the battle, Thel 'Vadam and Master Chief, fought alongside one another many times in the desperate and long conflict.

The Arbiter's presence at memorial services for the Master Chief indicated that in the wake of victory, Separatist and Human forces remained friendly to one another, as they both had made tremendous sacrifices in order to stop Truth and the Loyalist forces. It wasn't long before a permanent Alliance was forged, one that would prove to be essential in the driving back the Covenant Loyalists and forcing them into a ceasefire. As some Grunts and Hunters sided with the Sangheili, their main focus after the ceasefire was instated was colonizing new planets for both of the species.

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Covenant Loyalists

The High Prophet of Regret led a botched mission to Earth and was forced into the Battle of Earth upon discovering what turned out to be the human homeworld. The Regret escaped to Delta Halo but he is later assassinated by the Master Chief, which is considered an extreme failure in the Elite's mission to protect the leading caste of the Covenant. The remaining Prophets, led by the High Prophet of Truth, used this opportunity to replace the Elites with Brutes as their protectors. However, this move effectively shames and angers the Elites, who have been in such a position since the founding of the Covenant and they threaten to resign from the High Council.

Truth gave command of the Covenant Fleets to the Brutes, a position previously held by the Elites. Once there were enough and an ample amount of Brutes in place, Truth secretly ordered the Brutes to commit a mass genocide of the Elites. With this act disguised and incognito as a Brute insurrection, the Brutes replaced the Elites within the society of the Covenant. The Elites, of course, revolted, enlisting the help of the Hunters and Grunts, birthing the Covenant Civil War in High Charity.

Early into the Covenant Civil War, the Elite Councilors were assassinated by the Brutes at the will of the Prophets, mainly the Prophet of Truth. When the Elites learn the truth about the Halos, it changes the war significantly and adds the Humans to the struggle. Instead of a Great Journey, the Gravemind's revelation regarding the super weapon contradicts 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.

Though the Prophet of Truth was killed, and most of the Loyalist's known fleet was destroyed by the Sangheili fleet above the Ark, the Covenant Loyalists still existed, and were between back by an Alliance between an the UNSC and the Covenant Separatists. Realizing that they were finally outmatched, the Covenant accepted a ceasefire and cut their losses, biding their time until they could find more forerunner technology and rebuild their forces.