User:DirgeOfCerberus111/Inquiry on Demonic Heresy

Inquiry on Demonic Heresy
The Inquiry on Demonic Heresy was a secret Covenant military operation and research program. Covertly launched by the Prophet of Regret without the approval of the High Council or the other two hierarchs. It was headed by the then-Special Operations Commander of the Covenant, Sharos 'Imamee who conspired with Regret. Its purpose was the study and elimination of human Demons, also known as SPARTANs. The operation was a undertaking lasting more than eight years in which an elite division of Covenant Special Operations would work tirelessly to observe and analyze the Demons, developing counter-tactics and equipment in which to more effectively combat and slay their kind. One of their most ambitious sub-objectives would be the capture of a Demon, alive, for study and experimentation.

The Inquiry as it came to be called met with a great deal of success in some areas, they gathered a great deal of data on the SPARTANs as well as succeeding in slaying several of their number, including the live capture of one, Mason-020. However their successes came at a steep cost, hundreds if not thousands of soldiers and assets were lost over the course of Inquiry on Demonic Heresy's duration. In 2542 the operation suffered staggering setbacks as the Demons counterattacked, starting first with the destruction of their forward bases, research facilities, and listening posts. They destroyed their primary research vessel and then finally assaulting the Inquiry Initiative's own headquarters on Shadowed Solace and in the process Special Operations Commander Sharos 'Imamee was killed. The Demons would succeed in rescuing their captive comrade though he would later die by _______(?)

With the operation effectively gutted, Inquiry on Demonic Heresy was shut down and it's remaining assets and facilities redistributed.

Prelude
The Inquiry on Demonic Heresy was the brainchild of the then-current Covenant SpecOps Commander Sharos 'Imamee, a cunning and secretive high ranking Sangheili who held much political influence in the Covenant Military. When the Human-Covenant War erupted he was tasked with overseeing covert operations pertaining to the persecution of the human race. During the early years of the war, all kinds of rumors reached his ears. Of nigh-unkillable armored warriors who already were responsible for the deaths of thousands of their warriors. At first he dismissed these as mere rumors and tall-tales but it was not long until evidence could not be denied.

After the loss of the over the world of Chi Ceti IV, 'Imamee watched recovered footage recorded on the ship and by ground forces confirmed the existence of such warriors. His interest piqued, 'Imamee began keeping tracking their movements and compiling data.

Within a few short years 'Imamee realized what a grave threat these humans posed. First hand accounts from the battlefield and recordings from the human world of Arcadia and fourteen other battles showed their deadly battlefield prowess as well as their corrosive effect on troop morale. Stories were being spun as the legend of the "Demons" spread throughout the Covenant's ranks. In a short span of time, the Demons had achieved a legendary infamy, one that cannot be ignored, the battles on Arcadia, Jericho VII, and Metisette. Unsparing Proffer was a red flag.

He presented his case to the Hierarchs and proposed that they devote resources to specifically hunt down the Demons before they did more damage. In his private audience with them, he reported that the Demons appeared to be multiplying. He cited that at first, they had only appeared in handfuls at most, but at they attacked in the hundreds. The Hierarchs reaction, however, was to deny him. Mercy was spiteful of the idea of any human soldiers requiring such attention and Truth was lukewarm to devoting so many resources. Only Regret was silent on the matter.

Frustrated, 'Imamee decided to take matters into his own hands and moved ahead with the operation to eliminate the Demons and began organizing a special covert unit taskforce in preparation. Everything almost came to an end when the Prophet of Regret himself made a surprise visit. 'Imamee was sure that he would come with a full Legion behind them to apprehend him. Instead, Regret appeared magnanimously and revealed that he knows what he was up to. But rather than arresting him, Regret "confided" that he was dismayed with his brother Hierarchs inaction, and commended the warrior's with his initiative and offered his patronage and blessings to the Commander. 'Imamee knew better than that this was pure charity and suspect that Regret was trying to get back at Truth for his humiliation at Metisette. Nevertheless, the two conspired and the plan was dubbed the Inquiry on Demonic Heresy.

Conception
With Regret's patronage, resources and funding began being secretly redirected towards their un-sanctioned operation. With their vast combined political power, it was simple enough for them to keep their activities hidden from the High Council and the other Hierarchs and established their operation's headquarters on the fortress world of Shadowed Solace, a major hub for Covenant military activity. 'Imamee, as a SpecOps Commander, was used to operating covertly without outside scrutiny as so amassed a task force in which to operate with, composed of some his most brilliant and fierce soldiers some of whom had faced Demons before. An entire Field Group from the Raging Shadows division of SpecOps, enough for a demi-legion, of elite warriors was amassed, and each was blessed by the High Prophet who deemed them "Demonhunters".

Something something and plot happens.

Mission on Sequestered Entreaty
...Sequestered Entreaty, also known as K6-18 to the humans.