850 BCE
Covenant ships observe the disassembly of the Refuge during the early years of the Covenant, c. 850 BCE.
SUMMARY
The Rending was a planned disassembly of Shield World 0673, also known as the Refuge, by a group rebelling against the formation of the Covenant in 850 BCE. Following the signing of the Writ of Union, the Sangheili commander Ussa ‘Xellus protested against the perceived surrender by the Sangheili to the San’Shyuum, taking a group of followers with him to an unexplored region of the galaxy. They managed to start their own colony on a Forerunner Shield World, but were quickly tracked down by Covenant forces who wanted to capture ‘Xellus and destroy the colony. In an effort to save themselves, ‘Xellus requested the facility’s monitor disassemble the artificial planet, giving the perception that the colony had destroyed itself. Though the Covenant commander tasked with eliminating the Ussans was not sure the colony was completely wiped out, he did not want to deal with hunting down the Ussans on all the pieces of the planet and reported the total destruction of the Ussan colony.
RELATED MEDIA
These events are depicted in the novel Halo: Broken Circle.
