Shinsu 'Refum

"This galaxy will continue to rot unless it faces the fires of renewal. Just as I was born again in the fires of war, so too will this corrupt galaxy rise from the ashes of its own destruction and be reborn into something far greater than the cesspit of war and corruption that it has become."

- Shinsu 'Refum

Shinsu 'Refum, also known as the Black Knight of Sanghelios, was a Sangheili warrior and a son of Sesa 'Refumee, one of the first "heretics" to openly oppose the Great Journey. Unlike most Sangheili, he knew and had a caring relationship with his father when he was young, though Sesa would later distance himself from Shinsu due to the urging of his clan members and the responsibilities of his military career. Shinsu was learning the arts of swordsmanship in a blademaster's keep on Sanghelios when his father turned against the Covenant and was killed by the Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee. Facing persecution from the Covenant's religious authorities, Shinsu was saved through the intervention of the blademaster he was studying under, who hid him from his would-be killers. Almost the entirety of the Refum clan was wiped out during Great Schism and Shinsu emerged into the post-war universe believing himself to be the only survivor from his clan. Harboring a deep hatred for the Arbiter who had slain his father, Shinsu was eventually drawn into the Fallen separatist movement and was instrumental in forming and leading the Sons of the Preserving Blade militia during the heavy resistance fighting on Sanghelios. After heavy losses all but annihilated the Sons, Shinsu left Sanghelios and eventually became a trusted officer within the Fallen movement. However, he now had an agenda of his own and manipulated his position within the Fallen to gather followers and resources for his own purposes.

Early Life
Shinsu 'Refum was born late in the 9th Age of Reclamation to Sesa 'Refumee and Senta 'Refum within the Refum clan's small keep on Sanghelios. Though relatively poorer and less prestigious than most other Sangheili noble families, the Refum clan lived comfortably enough and had been spared the loss of any clan members to the ongoing religious war against the human race. Most of the Refum clan worked within the Covenant's government, and only two members of the clan--Sesa and his brother Vonu--were active warriors within the Covenant military. Nevertheless, the Refums valued the careers of their two warriors over those of the rest of the clan, and when a series of promotions favored both Sesa and Vonu, the Refum keep was sold and the entire clan relocated to the Covenant's mobile capitol of High Charity to keep the warriors closer to their superiors.

Due to the disorder caused by the move, Shinsu was not raised by an uncle as dictated by conventional Sangheili customs. Instead, Sesa took it upon himself to raise and assist in his son's instruction as often as his military career would allow. As a child within the Refum clan's quarters on High Charity, Shinsu underwent conditioning to prepare him for the warrior training that was expected of all young Sangheili males. Even at his young age, Shinsu was fascinated by the lessons his father and uncle gave him regarding the history of the Sangheili and their role in the Covenant. He was particularly enamored with the warrior ideals that were central to Sangheili culture, and from then on devoted himself to living up to one of the greatest emblems of the millennia-old warrior tradition: the blademaster.

Although Shinsu was content to live on High Charity, Sesa observed his interest in the study of the blade and Sangheili warrior codes and deemed that these interests would be best suited if he took up his studies under an outside instructor back on Sanghelios. Using his connections within the Covenant military hierarchy, Sesa saw to it that Shinsu was admitted as a trainee within the keep of Shoma 'Yeshenee, a blademaster who was famed not only for his skills with a sword but also for his dedication to the Sangheili cultural ideals and practices. Although Shinsu was deeply saddened by the prospects of being separated from his family, he hid his true feelings and humbly accepted Sesa's decision, claiming that it was the best thing his father had ever done for him.

Upon arriving at the Yeshen keep and beginning his instruction along with several other young warriors-to-be, Shinsu buried his homesickness by committing himself fully to his studies. Although his work in most of the fields Shoma instructed on was merely on par with that of the other students, Shinsu showed an early talent for swordplay and attracted the attention of his instructors and fellow students alike through his dedication to practicing and honing his skills on a daily basis. Though he was externally confident and collected, Shinsu secretly feared that his longings for his home and family on High Charity would become a weakness that would bring dishonor on both himself and his entire clan. His efforts to suppress his desires for his family resulted in his being seen as aloof and withdrawn by the other students, and he made few friends amongst his fellow classmates. One of these few was Zura 'Kotar, a student from a wealthy keep who admired Shinsu's stoicism and talent. At Zura's insistence, a reluctant Shinsu entered into a friendly rivalry with his fellow student, with both competing to outdo the other on a daily basis.

"He'll be strong, father. I can tell he'll make a fine warrior. If you raise him as well as you raised me, he may even surpass me."

- Shinsu to Sesa 'Refumee regarding his younger brother Tuka

Two years after his training began, Shinsu returned to High Charity to visit his family, who were celebrating the naming ceremony of his two-year old brother, Tuka. Upon seeing his younger brother for the first time, Shinsu predicted to Sesa that the newest member of their clan would become their strongest and most enduring member. A proud Sesa gave Shinsu a place of honor at Tuka's naming feast, and a day later Shinsu returned to Sanghelios. It was the last time he would ever see his mother and father.

The Death of Sesa 'Refumee
"It was as if my whole life, everything I had dreamed and worked for, was laid out for me to observe. And without my father's light gone, it was all barren and meaningless."

- Shinsu recounting the impact of his father's heresy and death.

In the waning days of the 9th Age of Reclamation, Sesa 'Refumee shocked the Sangheili by leading the troops under his command in armed rebellion against the Covenant's religious authorities. The rebel faction distributed holographic footage of Sesa delivering fiery speeches denouncing the Prophets as liars and blaspheming against the Great Journey. The heretical propaganda sparked several other small uprisings within Covenant space and threw the Covenant's leadership into a panic. The High Prophet of Truth quickly dispatched an Arbiter, the recently disgraced Thel 'Vadamee, to wipe out Sesa's burgeoning faction. The new Arbiter did so with lethal precision, killing Sesa during the fighting.

Although Sesa was the only member of the Refum clan to participate in the uprising, his role as the faction's ringleader put the entire family under suspicion. After several Refum politicians were found murdered, Vonu 'Refum resigned his posting in the military and returned to High Charity, where he helped the remaining clan members into hiding aboard the massive city-ship.

On Sanghelios, Shinsu was shocked and deeply saddened by the news of his father's heresy and death. Ostracized by many of his fellow students, he ceased training and fled the Yeshen keep. He began fasting in a nearby forest, refusing to eat or even speak to anyone until he could come to terms with what had happened. While he maintained his self-imposed exile, Shoma 'Yeshenee lied to Sangheili religious warriors dispatched by Sanghelios's governing council to eliminate the heretic's oldest son, claiming that Shinsu had killed himself in shame upon hearing of Sesa's actions. The warriors reported Shinsu's "death" to their superiors, and official records declared that he had died an honorable death.

The Great Schism
News of the Prophets' betrayal of the Sangheili in favor of the Jiralhanae usurpers reached Sanghelios quickly in the weeks following Sesa's rebellion. As Sangheili worlds were attacked by the Jiralhanae and their allies, the homeworld was a focal point for the supplanted Sangheili's defenses. As more warriors arrived from the fighting around Delta Halo, they reported even more shocking news: the revered Halo installations were not in fact portals to godhood, invalidating the Great Journey and millennia of Covenant religious traditions. While the Sangheili people struggled to come to terms with how quickly their universe had been shattered, Zura 'Kotar brought news of the developments to Shinsu, who had remained in his self-imposed woodland exile.

The half-starved Shinsu had never been a firm believer in the Covenant religion, and the revelations that brought despair to so many of his people overjoyed him. Believing that his father's actions had been vindicated, Shinsu triumphantly returned to the Yeshen keep with his friend to prepare for the coming battles against the Covenant. Shinsu declared that he would do whatever it took to punish the Prophets and those who did their bidding, namely the Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee.

Although all of the Yeshen students were eager to join in the fighting, Shoma counseled them to remain in the keep to finish their training. The blademaster foresaw that the Sangheili would need a strong generation of younger warriors to build a future for their people and did not want the precious youths going off to die in the civil war that now raged throughout Covenant space. Even headstrong students like Zura and Shinsu respected his wishes and did not go to fight. However, Shinsu was determined to aid in Sanghelios's defense however he could. Breaking traditional Sangheili norms for nobility's interaction with commoners, he led Zura and several other students into the villages within the Yeshen keep's domain. Within those villages, they recruited commoners to form an irregular militia, which eventually grew to several hundred member's strong. Despite Sangheili traditions against arming commoners, Shinsu and his friends trained their militia in the use of all manner of weapons, including the sacred energy sword. Although the Jiralhanae invasion they were anticipating never came, the militias formed by the students would have a massive impact on Shinsu's future.

"I, last of the Refum line, swear to restore my clan and bring justice upon the one who sent them to their doom. The Hierarchs' street killer, the Arbiter, will perish upon my blade!"

- Shinsu upon learning of his clan's destruction.

While Shinsu was busy organizing and training his militia recruits, Shinsu received word of two things that rocked him to his core. First, Shoma relayed a casualty report to him that chronicled the Sangheili civilians killed or missing during the fall of High Charity. According to the report, Shinsu's family had been caught up in the chaos of the schism and had not escaped the capitol as it was overrun by Jiralhanae warriors and Flood parasites. His unlce Vonu, mother Senta, brother Tuka, and the rest of his clan were all listed amongst the dead, leaving Shinsu as the last surviving member of the Refum line.

"My father tried to save us all and they butchered him like a common criminal. That murderer betrayed us all, and they fall into line behind him. The universe truly has gone mad."

- Shinsu expressing his anger at Thel 'Vadam to Zura 'Kotar.

As Shinsu grieved and struggled to come to terms with the loss of everyone he'd held dear, word reached Sanghelios that the Arbiter Thel Vadamee had survived the Schism and emerged as a leading figure in the Sangheili's battles against the Covenant Loyalists. Shinsu was furious that "the Hierarchs' street killer" had not been punished for the murder of Sesa, whom he considered to be the true harbinger of Sangheili independence. As adult Sangheili warriors throughout the galaxy followed the Arbiter's lead by stripping the -ee suffix from their names in rejection of their Covenant past, Shinsu buried himself in his own training in a quiet rage. Zura, his closest confidant, was aware of his vengeful feelings and urged him to be content with reflecting on them until the war had ended.

Assassination Attempt
"The Jiralhanae threat is passed, and yet our people still accept that vermin as our leader. There is nothing left to stay my hand. I will kill Thel 'Vadam or perish in the attempt!"

- Shinsu before his attempt on Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's life.

The Fallen Insurrection
"I will fight under any banner, so long as I can help defeat the traitors in the government and make sure the Vadam keep burns for what its bastard Arbiter did to my father!"

- Shinsu 'Refum

Disaster
"The humans brought down to this world by the Vadam and their followers have left only chaos and misery in their wake. This traitor government and its human allies will be stopped, and my hands will aid in every effort that is made to do so!"

- Shinsu following the Zandan Massacre

End of the Sons
"You killed them. You killed them all. We're all dead..."

- Shinsu following the Sons' annihilation by loyalist forces.

Traits
Though trained to be competent with all manner of firearms within the Covenant, Shinsu's true strength lay within the art of mastering the energy sword. While training under Hutu 'Saban, Shinsu was recognized as the blademaster's finest student, surpassing his fellow trainees in all manner of drills and exercises. His participation in the Fallen insurrection and his leadership role within the Sons of the Preserving Blade gave him the chance to hone his skills in combat, and his ferocity at close quarters led to him becoming feared as the "Black Knight of Sanghelios". During the entirety of the conflict, Shinsu never interrupted his study of the blade and by the time of his split with the Fallen and takeover of Famul, he was arguably one of the best blademasters within the Sangheili race.