Shinsu 'Refum's guard squad

"These warriors serve at my word, and mine alone. Pray I never have cause to loose them on you."

- Shinsu 'Refum

This titleless of  warriors served as the personal bodyguard of warlord Shinsu 'Refum during his service as special operations commander for. Handpicked and trained by Shinsu himself, the team consisted of some of the most loyal and skilled members of the Cleansing Blade shadow movement. Though the team observed several customs and rituals of traditional Sangheili fighting units their training and tactics blended time-honored Sangheili fighting styles and the alien tactics Shinsu learned from observing and other human special operations forces. The team served as both Shinsu's bodyguard and personal strike force, seeing their first major action during the. The team and their master won infamy by ambushing and killing a team of and using their armor beacons to lure a second team of Spartans into a deadly trap. During the waning days of Jul 'Mdama's movement the team accompanied Shinsu on many missions to convert Covenant shipmasters to the Cleansing Blade movement, eliminating commanders who opposed Shinsu's plans. The team remained active following the Covenant's collapse, now serving openly under the Cleansing Blade's banner.

Equipment and Training
"These human warriors have proved more than capable of killing Sangheili. We would do well to learn from them."

- Shinsu 'Refum

Unlike most members of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, which favored provincial armor styles rooted in ancient Sangheili history, Shinsu 'Refum's warriors wore advanced armor developed for the old Covenant's. Equipped with advanced shields and active camouflage units, these suits featured internal sensors and targeting systems for enhanced situational awareness and battlefield control. Shinsu's guard team fielded a wide assortment of weaponry but primarily wielded energy swords and.

Members of the guard squad were personally selected by Shinsu 'Refum, who oversaw their conditioning and training aboard his flagship Cleansing Fire and secluded Cleansing Blade outposts. The warriors trained in a variety of traditional Sangheili fighting styles but also incorporated elements of the small-unit maneuver warfare tactics favored by human special operations teams. The result was a deadly combination of subtle force that enabled the team to outmaneuver and destroy much larger enemy forces. The team's training served as a prototype for the training program Shinsu eventually implemented for all warriors in the Cleansing Blade.