Void Lords

The Void Lords are a military order of independent ship captains, avowed to the protection of mother Sanghelios herself. The Void Lord maintain a large fleet of patrol vessels, patrolling Sanghelios to defend it from foreign threats.

Formation
Formed in the time of the original Republic, the Void Lords were formed in response to attacks by seceding colonies. The rate of expansion of the Sangheili empire resulted in many colonies, most of which were poorly monitored. Warlords arose in these worlds, attempting to fight against the home world. Sanghelios itself was left critically undefended because the fleets were far away from home, expanding the empire. In response to this, many Kaidons on Sanghelios swore to form a fleet, free of Council oversight, to defend their homes. Forsaking their lands and titles, they became the first Void Lords, and took to defending Sanghelios with a variety of scavenged or improvised warships.

Taking up positions in orbit around Sanghelios, they awaited the next rebel attack, and decisively repulsed it, annihilating the rebels. This hodgepodge fleet of roughly aligned captains repeatedly turned back rebel attacks, maintaining a sphere of safety around Sanghelios and it's satellites.

Sworn in to service by the council as a Military Order, they were outfitted with true warships, and set forth to protect Sanghelios. During the years of their war with the San'Shyuum, they only had one engagement, when the Dreadnought hit fleet reserves over Sanghelios, and the Void Lords suffered casualties attempting to steer it away.

Role
The Void Lords maintain a vigil over Sanghelios, commanding warships to deter pirates, smugglers and brigands from around the orbit of Sanghelios. In recent years, they have expanded to other major colonies in order to bring peace and stability further afield.