The Grey Rebellion

"I wish to see the red hills of Sanghelios once more, our people thriving in peace with one another, the younglings learning to become fierce warriors under the protective light of Urs, Fied and Joori, without the lies of the treacherous San 'Shyuum clouding our vision and their false prophecies of a Great Journey. That is my final wish." — Kyrin 'Forus to Imperial Admiral Laras 'Jar Dunkaree moments before his public execution

The Grey Rebellion was an insurrectionist movement which occurred approximately five hundred years before the beginning of the Human-Covenant War and was headed by former Fleet Master Kyrin 'Forus.

The Rebellion was significant enough in the Covenant Empire to usher in the 29th Age of Conflict due to the entirety of the 2nd Fleet of Undying Justice, under the command of Kyrin 'Forus, breaking off from the Covenant as a whole and becoming an independent entity. This schism was signified by the removal of rank colours and ornaments, where the name Grey Rebellion originated from.

Discovery of The Knowing
The events that ultimately led to the creation of the Grey Rebellion began with the discovery of the Forerunner A.I. which identified itself as The Knowing.

The CCS-Class Battlecruiser Victorious Prophecy of the 2nd Fleet of Undying Justice, under the command of Ship Master Zakl 'Nenilee discovered the planet designated as Zolea-3 which, after the planet was scanned by the on board Luminary system was found to be housing multiple Forerunner artifacts buried underneath the planets' surface. He subsequently notified Fleet Master Kyrin 'Forusee and the Hierarchs of High Charity. Due to the Fleet Masters relative closeness to the Zolea Star System, Kyrin 'Forusee and his fleet were in orbit of Zolea-3 in short notice; while the fleet of the High Prophets were many cycles away from the system.

Receiving the go ahead from the High Prophetess of Reconciliation, Kyrin led a Zealot Strike Force into the earth of Zolea-3 to discover and document the multiple Forerunner artifacts buried within. The first Forerunner Artifact they attempted to uncover was the largest, and undoubtedly most dangerous. After narrowly evading several wall-mounted, motion-activated lasers, and even losing a Zealot in the process, Kyrin and his remaining Zealots made it to the central chamber which housed the Forerunner A.I. known as The Knowing.

When Kyrin first conversed with The Knowing, it became apparent it had extensive knowledge, not only of the Sangheili and the Covenant, but of many things in the galaxy and was happy to share much of the information it had garnered over the thousands of years it had been isolated. What Kyrin learned of the Great Journey shook him to the very core, and his beliefs were shattered.

Leaving the Zolea System
After the discovery of the lie that was The Great Journey, and spreading this knowledge to his fleet, Kyrin ordered a full retreat of the Zolea System, but not before blocking off the chamber of The Knowing, effectively blocking all entrance to its' vast knowledge for over five hundred years.

After convincing the soldiers of the 2nd Fleet of Undying Justice of the terrible heresy they had been committing by following the Prophets on the path to The Great Journey, they quickly made haste out of the system, and cut off all communications from High Charity and the Hierarchs.

Contemplating New Knowledge
After Kyrin and the 2nd Fleet of Undying Justice fled the Zolea System and touched down at a safe distance, Kyrin, along with the rest of his Sangheili contemplated the knowledge The Knowing had given them. After a cycle of determining their next course of action, all Sangheili agreed to break off from the Covenant, and so they stripped themselves of their ornaments and wiped away the colour that signified their rank in the Covenant.

Reveal to the Covenant
Three cycles after The Grey Rebellion was created, the fleet of the High Prophetess of Reconciliation entered the Zoela System and found it devoid of Covenant forces. Already suspicious due to no contact with Fleet Master Kyrin 'Forusee and his fleet, her suspicions were confirmed when an individual Battlecruiser entered the system and announced the Grey Rebellion as an independent entity. Thus officially began The Grey Rebellion.

Sangheili
The Sangheili, while not making up the majority of The Grey Rebellions' forces are without a doubt the only reason it lasted for any significant amount of time. Their fierce determination, tenacity in battle and strategical prowess has only been magnified by their knowledge of the false lies the San 'Shyuum spread, along with the fact that they are essentially a cornered animal, they are far more ferocious and dangerous than their Covenant counter-parts.

Unggoy
Making up the majority of The Grey Rebellions' forces, the Unggoy of the 2nd Fleet of Undying Justice have become furious at their old masters that the Great Journey was simply a lie fabricated to keep their allegiance out of fear. The many sacrifices the Unggoy of Balaho had committed under the command of the Covenant was immeasurable, and they sought revenge, making the Unggoy of The Grey Rebellion far more blood thirsty, and far less likely to run from battle.

Kig-Yar
The Kig-Yar, one of the two races of The Grey Rebellion that didn't follow the Covenant religion as heavily as the Sangheili and Unggoy, were still outraged at the San 'Shyuum for their lies, as they had mostly promised them riches and leisure, but instead would have been delivered death and total annihilation at the hands of the Hierarchs. The Kig-Yar had every right to go against the Covenant, but simply for different reasons.

Mgalekgolo


The worm colonies of Lekgolo that make up the Mgalekgolo still hold bad blood for the Covenant after their near extinction at their home world of Te and the event known as the Taming of the Lekgolo, so when they discovered that the Hierarchs of the Covenant had lied to them about the Great Journey, it simply fueled the fire for their rebellion against them. Though relatively few in number in The Grey Rebellion, the Mgalekgolo are a valuable asset for defense against boarding parties, should the need ever arise.

The Massacre of Pegasi Delta
Nearing the end of the 29th Age of Conflict, The Massacre of Pegasi Delta was the biggest defeat The Grey Rebellion suffered before The Apex itself.

Covenant Ambush
When the initial attack on the refueling station on the surface of Pegasi Delta was struck, 'Forus noticed something was amiss, the defenses for an important facility like this were suspiciously low, and before he could react, the 3rd Fleet of Rectifying Judgement,headed by Imperial Admiral Laras 'Jar Dunkaree emerged from slipspace in a pincer movement around the Grey fleet.

The result was predictable. The fleet of The Grey Rebellion was decimated by the Imperial Admiral and the weaponry of his supercarrier. In less than half a unit over half of the 2nd Fleet of Undying Justice was destroyed and The Grey Rebellion was nearly destroyed then and there. Dunkarees' decimation of The Grey Rebellion destroyed the moral of the remaining Grey forces which ultimately led to the total annihilation of The Grey Rebellion at the Apex above Sanghelios.

Fleet Master Kyrin 'Forus


Ship Master of the Blinding Fury, Fleet Master of the 2nd Fleet of Undying Justice and eventual Leader of The Grey Rebellion, Kyrin 'Forus is nearly strategically unparalleled in the Covenant Military and the one who sowed the seeds for the events of The Great Schism five hundred years later. A pivotal figure in Covenant history, Kyrin 'Forus is someone that should never be forgotten by those who once walked the halls of High Charity.

'Forus finally met his end at the hands of Imperial Admiral Laras 'Jar Dunkaree after he was captured at The Grey Rebellion Apex. In the halls of High Charity they sang the word "Heretic" as his head was presented to the Noble Hierarchs.

Imperial Admiral Laras 'Jar Dunkaree


"I will rip out his hearts and feed them to the Kig-Yar..." — Imperial Admiral Laras 'Jar Dunkaree to the High Prophetess of Reconciliation on Kyrin 'Forus.

Menacing, deadly, ferocious and nigh unkillable, obvious from Laras' prestigious rank of Imperial Admiral, which is one of great honour and high prowess. He was the one that led the aggressive and ruthless assault on The Grey Rebellion and he is the one responsible for the Massacre at Pegasi Delta of the majority of Grey forces.

Without his leadership of the Covenant Military The Grey Rebellion would of been a far larger thorn in the side of Hierarchs.

Ship Master Zakl 'Nenil
Second-in-command of The Grey Rebellion, Zakl 'Nenil is responsible for the discovery of Zoela-3 and ultimately the creation of The Grey Rebellion. A fierce warrior with an extremely strong sense of honour and loyalty, even in the culture of the Sangheili.

Zakl was killed along with the majority of the rebellion at Pegasi Delta when Imperial Admiral Laras 'Jar Dunkaree emerged with one of the biggest singular fleets in the Covenant Military in system.