Covenant Remnant (StoneGhost)

"We call it the Covenant Remnant, but it's still the Covenant."

- Anonymous

The Covenant Remnant was a faction that comprised the few remaining territories of the. Known simply as the Covenant by its inhabitants, yet referred to as the Remnant by its neighbours, the 'Covenant' was centered on the fortress world of Glorious Salvation and was the direct continuation of the former Covenant. While the term once referred to the various warring splinter factions of the Covenant following its disastrous defeat during, it later became used to refer to the reformed Covenant faction as a whole, after the Prophet of Obedience initiated the reunification of the splinter factions in 2557. Under Obedience's leadership the Covenant regained much of its former strength and waged war with the nations of the fledgeling Unified Coalition of Governments, until it was finally defeated at the Battle of Glorious Salvation in July 2565.

The distinction between the 'Covenant Empire' and the 'Covenant Remnant' was a conventional approach to distinguish the sharp decline of the Covenant following the Battle of The Ark in 2552/2553. The Remnant was essentially the same state as the Covenant, albeit in a greatly diminished form, especially during the years of infighting between 2553 and 2557. Following its defeat in 2565 and the destruction of its leadership, the Remnant was subject to severe sanctions by the rest of the galaxy, was allowed to retain the few remaining territories that it possessed. In return for its continued existence, the Remnant recognized the Unified Coalition of Governments as the dominant and legitimate force throughout the galaxy. Although there was no surrender on the Remnant's part, the treaty marked the final end of the Covenant Empire; the Remnant was merely what remained after its devastating defeat in the war. After Obedience's death, the Prophet of Judgement became leader of the Remnant at the UCG's behest.

Under Judgement's leadership, the Remnant slowly but steadily reorganized itself into a more politically and economically stable society. Despite the loss of the vast and virtually unlimited resources that the Covenant once enjoyed at the height of its power, the Remnant took great care to preserve itself as a powerful military force. When The Swarm invaded the galaxy in 2633, the Remnant was as vulnerable as the rest of the galaxy's races; under Judgement's command, the Remnant allied itself with the newly formed UCG and ultimately defeated The Swarm in 2678. The Covenant Remnant was no exception throughout the galaxy in that it emerged on severely weakened and on the brink of total destruction; despite this, the shared victory in the war helped to improve UCG—Remnant relations throughout the following decades.