'Skivich

'Skivich comes from the planet Malurok, and is one of the only surviving Sangheili from his clan after the near-mythic Kor 'Skivich massacred the population with a small group of followers. 'Skivich has managed to amass his own military-based criminal empire called the Flame since then, and has many subordinates such as the Heralds of Fire, and Oru 'Vanuxee. He also participates in several underworld activities.
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
'Skivich came from the City-State of 'Skivich on the planet Malurok. 'Skivich has refused to disclose anything about his early life, and has forsaken his first name as a Sangheili term of honor because of the massacre committed by the legendary Sangheili revolutionist, Kor 'Skivich in 2552. 'Skivich survived, although he had a lung badly damaged, and fled to the planet Venezia after the ceasefire of the Human-Covenant War. He donned a special suit of Sangheili combat armor fitted with a built-in oxygen mask to help 'Skivich breathe.
=== Building an Empire ===
'Skivich quickly gained a following on Venezia, and turned them into a street gang, robbing Venezia's locals, but always evading the Venezian Militia. Their big debut was when two Sangheili hijacked a Venezian Pelican, and flew through the city to throw off two Militia patrols, before winning a dogfight with a Hawk. With the use of the pelican, the gang stole more vehicles, before stealing a Spirit that was passing by the planet, filled with slaves. 'Skivich came up with an idea, and moved the troops and supplies out of New Tyne, before settling down in a desert fifteen miles away. 'Skivich and his Sangheili then forced the slaves to work, and after a month of building and obtaining more slaves, a small but heavily fortified keep was established.
Deciding to call it the Burning Keep, 'Skivich named his gang, which was now substantially larger, the Flame. The Flame now had Kig-Yar, Unggoy, and Jiralhanae members too, so 'Skivich gave his original Sangheili followers the titles, Heralds of Fire. 'Skivich continued to command his forces as they stole from New Tyne and fought the Venezian Militia but soon the tables turned unexpectedly from an outside force.
On a boring, uneventful day, 'Skivich was contacted by a Herald, claiming that a pair of Sangheili and an Unggoy had killed several Kig-Yar and Jiralhanae, and had stolen a Spirit. In one of the only times in his life, 'Skivich was angry and embarrassed, so the Sangheili ordered a squadron of Phantoms and his personal Lich to chase the vehicle. Capturing it with ease, the perpetrators were brought to the Burning Keep where 'Skivich confronted them. The crew was miniscule, only having a single Unggoy, and a pair of Sangheili. Proclaiming himself as the dictator of the Flame, and stating that he had given the Sangheili a foothold in the world of crime. He prepared to have the Heralds of Fire execute them, when a Sangheili spoke up, and announced he was Oru 'Vanuxee, and that he was a Fleetmaster. Interested, 'Skivich asked Oru if he'd want a position as a mercenary in the Flame. Because he was Sangheili, he'd have a high position. Oru agreed, on the terms of leading his own small gang with the other Sangheili, Boro 'Vasaanee and the Unggoy, Dipdip.
'Skivich went with the terms, and the trio was freed. They were returned to the Spirit, which had been heavily modified with a compacted slipspace drive. 'Skivich did not go easy however, and immediately ordered them on their first mission. That was to attack a Jiralhanae convoy in New Tyne to steal supplies. Oru reported to 'Skivich that the mission was complete, and the crime lord stated that they were very good at the job. A month later, 'Skivich sent them on another mission to boost the Flame's muscle. This mission was to capture a CRS-Class Light Cruiser, a Capital ship that would give the Flame an advantage over others. While the gang undertook the mission, 'Skivich started to expand the Flame's grasp in power, having his minions take part in activities undertook by other groups, and killing his enemies by hiring hitmen and assassins to do his dirty work.
The gang eventually returned with the Capital Ship, and 'Skivich thanked them, christening the ship, Rogue Destruction. He then elevated to Oru 'Vanuxee to a Herald of Fire, and gave him the chance to be the Rogue 's Shipmaster like the old days. Oru however declined, and shed his Fleetmaster armor as a sign that he was no longer part of the Covenant, but opted to keep his "-ee" suffix for some reason, while Boro 'Vasaan gladly abandoned his. So 'Skivich gave the command to his right hand man, Zovun.
=== The Flame's Prosperity ===
'Skivich now had many enemies to the Flame, many being crime syndicates, but two others being the Venezian Militia, which was trying to find a way to break down the Burning Keep's walls, and a Kig-Yar mercenary strike force known as the Screechers for their intolerable avian squawks. 'Skivich's empire now had many species, such as the Sangheili, Jiralhanae, Unggoy, Kig-Yar, and even a few Lekgolo and humans. While planting infiltrating humans in the Militia to cause dissent and keep them occupied, 'Skivich had large gangs of his followers organize together to keep other crime groups from taking his territory.
'Skivich also started offering his best Heralds as mercenaries willing to do pay. 'Skivich would then split the credits with the Herald, and often reward them. Due to all the money 'Skivich was gaining by stealing from Merchant shipments and receiving pay from his mercenaries, the Sangheili then set up an arms dealership to sell weapons that he bought or obtained for a decent price. Although not popular at first, buyers soon came to see 'Skivich as a reliable arms dealer, and his business started booming. He also aligned himself with a human gangster named Percy Vocerif, increasing his profits through trades with human clients. Expanding the Burning Keep's land exponentially, 'Skivich had brung the Flame into it's Golden age.
==== Alliance ====
Slipping into 2555, 'Skivich was looking for a potential new ally, deciding that Vocerif's gang would not be enough to defend the Flame's whole interests. The Screechers had fallen due to treachery from within, and Oru 'Vanuxee's gang had many new members, and worked as 'Skivich's personal mercenaries. Having taken advantage of the former mercenary Kig-Yar dissent, Oru had claimed a DAS-Class Storm Cutter for the Flame, giving them another large ship. 'Skivich was content with more defense, rechristening it Burning Deception, but still sought an ally. That chance came a few months later when a group of the Flame's followers stumbled upon a CRS-Class Light Cruiser manned by militarized Sangheili and Unggoy. Easily being captured by the battle-hard veterans, 'Skivich was notified and sent the Rogue Destruction and the Burning Deception to destroy the ship. 'Skivich expected an easy battle, but soon two more ships came to reinforce the first, and eventually 'Skivich surrendered. 
The Rogue Destruction was boarded, and 'Skivich's Heralds prepared to put a fight, but 'Skivich ordered them to lay down their arms. 'Skivich was then greeted a Sangheili donning Zealot armor, and the crime lord asked who they were. The Zealot replied with the notion that they were Storm Covenant, the successor to the old empire. 'Skivich laughed at this, but the Zealot's response was to jab a gun muzzle to 'Skivich's face. The Zealot stated that these ships were only a small part of a fleet, and that they had an Assault Carrier. 'Skivich was bemused, but quickly regained his stature, claiming that he had many underworld contacts, and that maybe he could broker a deal with the Storm Covenant's leader. The Zealot grumbled, and summoned an Unggoy to contact the leader, never taking his eye off of the deceitful Sangheili. Eventually, a hologram of a large Sangheili Supreme Commander appeared, and asked 'Skivich what he could do for the Storm Covenant. 'Skivich said that he had many arms, and willing mercenaries, not to mention spies. The Sangheili introduced himself as Jul 'Mdama, and said that they could rendezvous on the planet Hesduros. 'Skivich agreed.
Arriving on the frontier world, 'Skivich, the Heralds of Fire, and Zovun were escorted to a small keep where a large contingent of Zealots awaited. 'Skivich met with , who although large, was dwarfed by 'Skivich. They exchanged their greetings, and talked, eventually coming to an agreement. 'Skivich would supply the Storm Covenant with arms and mercenaries, and the Storm Covenant would protect them in times of need. Having a new ally, 'Skivich left, this time having an ally who he could relate to. The alliance would go on well until Jul 'Mdama readied his forces to help the awakened Forerunner, the Didact, fight humanity. 'Skivich sent arms, but the Storm Covenant did not seem to need troops, with their new allies the Prometheans. Soon though, the Didact perished, and the Storm Covenant started to take heavy losses, so the Flame sent it's mercenaries, killing a Spartan behind enemy lines once. 'Skivich started to realize that the Storm Covenant might lead to the Flame's end, but the crime lord kept on fulfilling his promise.
==== Created Conflict ====
After the assassination of Jul 'Mdama, 'Skivich decided that it was time to move on. Ordering Oru 'Vanuxee and his crew to steal supplies from the Covenant that the Flame had gifted them, he planned to maybe even steal another Capital Ship. Oru returned with the supplies and something more-the Sangheili Grono 'Yendam. Grono followed Oru’s gang to the entrance where they met 'Skivich, who introduced himself as the dictator of the Flame. The crime lord had Oru’s gang leave so he could talk to Grono in private. 'Skivich gave Grono an offer to work for him as a mercenary, and 'Skivich would supply him with the necessary equipment. Grono asked about other contractors, and 'Skivich said Grono could do other missions too, as long as they didn’t interfere with his plans. Grono took up 'Skivich’s offer and abandoned his Zealot armor to forget his past in the dead Storm Covenant, and donned a set of Warrior armor. During this time, 'Skivich had also started communicating with a secretive Sangheili named Elva T'Soram, who promised to greatly increase the Flame's power if she and her brother were gifted high positions in the organization.
Soon after, the alliance known as the Created Conflict attacked, devastating multiple planets. 'Skivich said to the Flame that with the governments out of the picture, criminal empires had a bigger range of influence. 'Skivich also altered his armor's appearance, hiding his tubes and oxygen mask underneath his armor, as not to disgust his potential customers. In early 2559, 'Skivich learned that Percy Vocerif had anonymously hired Grono 'Yendam to assassinate a UNSC Vice Admiral, causing a man hunt for the Sangheili mercenary. After a small conflict, 'Skivich discussed his future plans with Vocerif, unaware that Grono and his Ancilla partner, 589 Curious Puzzle were eavesdropping on them. 'Skivich had since then broadened his influence, sending the Heralds and Oru's gang to do his dirty work, while maintaining his alliance with Percy Vocerif, and paying Grono 'Yendam to do high-risk missions for him.
In early 2559, 'Skivich learned that Percy had anonymously hired Grono to assassinate his estranged brother Ray, a high ranking UNSC naval officer. Offering to help Percy, and seemingly showing no remorse for the fact that the man had his brother killed, 'Skivich lost contact with Oru 'Vanuxee shortly after UNSC Spartans starting pursuing Grono. After several days, Oru returned to his post, and 'Skivich was suspicious, but he put the matter aside to meet up with Percy Vocerif. For reasons unknown to 'Skivich, after that, Grono 'Yendam cut off all contact to the Flame, puzzling the Merciless.
===== Alliance with the T'Soram Siblings =====
Several months later, the pact with Elva T'Soram came to fruition, when a controversial Swords of Sanghelios Fleet Master named Ronno T'Soramai defected from the alliance and met up with 'Skivich in unknown space. The clever but arrogant Swordsman was satisfied with the prospect of becoming one of 'Skivich's highest commanders, and the T'Soram siblings were both immediately bestowed the title of Herald of Fire. With the Flame's manpower drastically increased, as well as an entire fleet at its behest, 'Skivich took extra care to keep it from falling into the hands of the Created, or worse, one of his own commanders.
Zovun, due to his naval experience and close proximity as 'Skivich's second in command, was granted tactical command of Ronno's assault carrier, while the former Fleet Master owned the title of its ownership. Elva was put to work as one of the commanders of the Flame's espionage, and the T'Soram siblings came into 'Skivich's inner circle, albeit he was still cautious of them. Oru 'Vanuxee had not approved of the siblings' ways, but put up with them nonetheless.
== Personality ==
'Skivich is very devious, and uses unorthodox methods to get what he wants. He was able to form his own gang with ease, due to his sly ways. He would often send his men sparingly, using only enough to complete the objective, as not to draw attention to the Flame. He also utilizes whatever options are available to succeed. 'Skivich keeps calm at all times and almost never loses his cool. The only known time was when Oru 'Vanuxee, Boro 'Vasaasn, and Dipdip stole his property, enraging 'Skivich, who believed that his security could not be penetrated. He has shown that he will exploit someone's greatest potential, too. After learning that Oru 'Vanuxee was a Fleetmaster, the crime lord decided to use that to his own advantage, employing Oru.
'Skivich has traditional values too, presumably from his clan. He believes in the old gladiator ways, that only true warriors should gladiate, not slaves, and has gone to great lengths to prove it. 'Skivich makes alliances with those who he deem would benefit him, and as such sent in Oru to salvage when the crime lord deemed the Storm Covenant as no longer a suitable ally. 'Skivich has a soft spot for Sangheili, and usually spares them death unless absolute measurements are required. He has no problem with other species though, incorporating Kig-Yar, Unggoy, Lekgolo, and even humans and Jiralhanae into his ranks. 'Skivich grows the Flame in many ways, running the economy while his Heralds of Fire enforce his ways. 'Skivich has many trade partners, offering mercenary work, arms, and vehicles. The Merciless also is known to be very discreet.
== Equipment ==
'Skivich does not use many weapons, preferring to leave combat to his Heralds. 'Skivich does utilize an oxygen mask connected to tubes leading to an oxygen tank incorporated into his armor. 'Skivich uses this as life support. His armor resembled that of an Ultra once, except it was colored golden, and had three prongs instead of two. He is known to carry small weapons around with him for self-defense, concealing a plasma rifle during his gladiator fights, and wielding an energy sword for his appearance. 'Skivich has been known to use a flamethrower gifted to him by Percy Vocerif, mainly to execute arch enemies. He has been experimenting in incorporating it into his armor like his mask, and hopes to do so with the rest of the Flame. 'Skivich also commandeers the Rogue Destruction and Burning Deceit from time to time during crisis, but tends to leave that to his right hand, Zovun.
== Ranks ==
=== Flame ===
* Dictator 
== List of Appearances ==
* A Lax Conversation 
* Hunting Rogues Summary
* Halo: Assassination Games
== Trivia ==
* (DISCLAIMER) The image in the infobox belongs to , who drew the picture for the character and was kind enough to let the author use it.
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