Rora 'Marak

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Rora 'Marak, also known as The Outrider, was an infamous Sangheili who rose to prominence in the years following the Human-Covenant War. Originally a promising young warrior with a bright future in the Covenant military, Rora brought shame upon himself after helping a human captive escape his Keep led to the massacre of most of his family. Fleeing from his vengeful kin and reviled as a dishonourable kinslayer, he spent some time travelling the frontier and ended up as a feared mercenary who profited from the turmoil in Sangheili society following the .
After participating in a failed attack on a Swords of Sanghelios vessel in 2554, Rora was captured and given the chance to redeem himself by his foes, forming the Shadows of Retribution. The once-shamed warrior spent years working in secrecy alongside a small group of comrades to defend the Swords of Sanghelios' leadership, discreetly eliminating threats across multiple colony worlds and striking fear into the heart of all those who would oppose the new order. Following his heroic feats during the Imperial War, Rora would eventually be adopted into the House of 'Ranak, having regained some small measure of honour after years of penitence.
==Biography==
===Early Life===
Rora 'Marak was born on Sanghelios in 2531 into the wealthy House of Marak. At the age of six their clan's Kaidon was killed in combat against humanity, and replaced by the ruthless yet respected Deyad 'Marakee. Rora was among several promising young warriors taken under the Kaidon's wing for several years and was taught various combat techniques. Younger and lighter than many of his peers, Rora's skills with a blade were mediocre at best, though he more than made up for it with his expert marksmanship and unconventional methods of fighting. Both praised and scolded in equal measure, he had few friends within the keep and often busied himself with chores and menial tasks just to keep himself occupied while not training.
At the age of fifteen, Rora and the other Sangheili within their keep were baffled when Kaidon Deyad returned from the frontlines with a captive human female, transported to Sanghelios in secret despite the San'Shyuum's decree that their race was to be exterminated. The prideful Kaidon decided to keep the human as a trophy of sorts and locked her in a dungeon. Having been raised to see humans as vermin, Rora was curious and was tasked with delivering her food through a hatch on a daily basis. He was shocked to discover shortly after the human's arrival that she had killed two clan members after Deyad allowed her to spar with them in close combat, believing for a short while that all of her kind possessed incredible strength until the Kaidon informed him that his captive was in fact an infamous 'Demon'. 
Now truly despising the captive but forbidden from harming the girl, Rora focused on his training, hoping for a chance to spar against her and 'accidentally' kill what he saw as a blight on their keep's purity. After four years his opportunity arrived when their Kaidon ordered a match between them after returning home from a four-month campaign. Using wooden staves, the pair fought within the keep's throne room for close to an hour, matching one another blow-for-blow until they were absolutely exhausted. While Rora's training hadn't allowed him to kill the Demon, she had not landed a single blow on him either. Oddly, he found himself respecting the human and was even allowed to spar with her several other times as the others within the keep found their fights entertaining. 
Eventually, the Kaidon realised that some were almost becoming friendly to his pet, and had several killed as an example to others before badly injuring the girl. For the first time, Rora began to feel sympathy for her. Planning on joining the Covenant Military by the age of twenty-one, the young warrior began to wonder if freeing her would be the best course of action even if it meant his near-certain death and dishonour. One night, he finally made his choice and en-route to the prisoner's cell he ran into the human, who had managed to escape her cell in an unguarded moment. Caught by surprise, they fought in absolute silence until both Rora and the human realised that neither had killing intent. It was then that she finally spoke to him in passable Sangheili, revealing her name: Layla. Rora promised he would get her away from their lands in a stolen Revenant while she created a distraction by blowing apart a section of the keep's wall with plasma grenades, finally committing to the betrayal of his clan in the name of what he thought was right.
===Treachery===
Rora was easily able to knock out a guard and claim a Revenant from Marak Keep's vehicle depot, and shortly after a tremendous explosion was joined by Layla, who to his surprise was covered in Sangheili blood. With no time to ask questions they fled towards a nearby spaceport, where a resupplying CCS-Class Battlecruiser prepared to leave Sanghelios. Rora intended to sneak her on board before laying low and returning to his keep in secret. By the time they arrived at the port, search parties were already roaming the countryside in search of the fugitive human. It was easy enough for them to find a chain of containers being automatically loaded aboard the warship, though it was here that Layla informed him of what she had actually done while he secured a getaway vehicle.
The girl revealed that she had not only blown up a sizeable chunk of Marak Keep's outer walls, she had crept into the living quarters and massacred dozens of noncombatants and warriors before making her escape. Realising that his act of mercy had allowed the death of multiple family members, Rora attacked her in blind rage with his Energy Sword, intent on returning with Layla's head to prove his innocence. Underfed and filthy though she was, Layla's augmented abilities allowed her to momentarily overpower the young Sangheili, knocking him out and tossing his unconscious body aside before escaping onto the ship in the last container.
When Rora came to, the Battlecruiser was already departing, unaware of the nearby massacre and its human stowaway. When the search party from his keep arrived at the port, they confronted him, having correctly guessed that his familiarity with the human prisoner led to him assisting in her escape. Unable to properly plead his case before a pack of grieving, vengeful clan members, Rora resisted attempts to take him prisoner and fought for his life, cutting down former friends and allies in a berserk fury before fleeing the scene aboard his Revenant.
===On the Run===
Fiercely pursued by his former clanmates, Rora headed into the nearby mountains in an attempt to lose them, driven only by the desire to stay alive. He used his vehicle's plasma weaponry to cause a landslide as he moved along a dangerous mountainside path, only just getting ahead in time before escaping. Shortly after, he would take what supplies he could from his Revenant before pushing it off a cliff, hoping that the wreckage would be enough to distract those chasing him. Spending that night hiding in a rocky cave, he came to reflect on his actions and briefly considered turning himself in to be executed, retaining some vestige of honour in death. However, his absolute hatred for the Demon who had butchered his clan only made him want to survive, if only to track her down and kill her himself. He knew that he could now never join the Covenant Military for his chance, and opted to escape offworld and head for the outer reaches of the Covenant's empire in hopes of equipping himself to hunt humans. 
The next two weeks were spend heading in the direction of a larger city, far away from House Marak's lands. Rora lived on wild animals as he journeyed through ancient ruins and trekked across deserted valleys, constantly thinking of ways to track and kill his foes. By the time he arrived, news had already spread about the massacre and he soon realised that he was a wanted criminal. After sneaking into the spaceport, Rora soon found a ship bound for the far-off world of Karava and crept aboard, hiding within a storage compartment aboard the merchant vessel until they left Sanghelios and entered Slipspace. The disgraced Sangheili would eventually emerge, holding the crew at gunpoint with a stolen plasma rifle for hours and interrogating them on their cargo and destination. As it turned out, the ship was owned by Iruiru Armory, and had been contracted to deliver a large shipment of weaponry to a Covenant military garrison on . After Rora stated his intention of stealing both the ship and its cargo, several crew members attempted to rush him and were swiftly killed. Only the ship's pilot remained, and having no strong feelings either way, offered to help Rora in exchange for his life.
During the journey, Rora explained his predicament to the pilot, Urai 'Hafunee. Though he found it difficult to believe the young Sangheili's story of a powerful human prisoner being responsible for the massacre, Rora remained adamant that he was telling the truth. Upon their arrival in Karava's system, they were escorted in by a flight of Seraphs and ordered to land within a fortified Covenant outpost that stood by the notorious trade port of Kor Delban. Hiding the corpses of the unfortunate crew, Rora ordered Urai to play along and stated his intention to blow up their ship's engines and escape with crates of weaponry in the confusion. The guards let the pair into their base with the weapons without a proper search, giving Rora plenty of time to detonate a pair of plasma charges. As the local garrison scrambled to the scene, the pair broke off into the vehicle depot, loaded up the crates into a nearby Shadow, and sped off into the city.
Concerned with the conspicuousness of their craft, Rora had them abandon their vehicle and broke into a warehouse, where they hid for several days atop five crates of military-grade Covenant plasma weaponry in prime condition. Urai, now realising that he was very much an accomplice to Rora's crime spree, opted that they sell the weapons into the planet's flourishing black market. Having visited Karava before, he set them up with a group of unscrupulous Yonhet traders who found them better lodgings as they began a short-lived business as weapon dealers. Due to the high frequency of Sangheili on the frontlines, their customers were primarily Kig-Yar of all subspecies looking to better their equipment and the occasional Jiralhanae, whom Rora despised working with. This went on for a number of months as they bought and traded stolen goods, Urai handling the business while Rora acted as the muscle. Rora fully realised that he had gone from being a promising young warrior to a common criminal, though he reasoned that with enough money he could eventually venture out of his own accord to find the human he so desperately wished to kill.
Around the time news arrived of the Covenant's invasion of the human world known as Reach, Rora made the mistake of letting his full name slip to a Sangheili customer as Urai sold him a beam rifle. Though the customer left, later that night Rora and Urai's abode came under a hail of plasma fire as a group of nearly thirty Sangheili bounty hunters descended on them. Realising that his former family had likely put the word out across the Covenant colonies calling for his death, Rora ended up putting their stock to good use as he incinerated most of an adjacent building with a Type-33 fuel rod gun before fleeing out of an escape tunnel their Yonhet friends had provided for them. Thrown into open battle for the first time in a while, Rora soon turned the tables on their hunters and attacked them in an alarming display of ferocity that allowed Urai to prepare their escape vehicle. 
News of the sudden discovery of a Sangheili mass murderer had spread through Kor Delban like wildfire, prompting criminal gangs and the local military forces alike to scramble and give chase to Rora and Urai. The pair didn't get far before a strafing run from a Banshee drove them off the road and into a rocky mountain valley, where they found themselves cornered. While Urai was fully prepared to die fighting, Rora refused to die with his dream unfulfilled and when their pursuers arrived, he was ready and waiting for them with a number of explosives. Luckily for them, a three-way battle between the Sangheili bounty hunters, local gangs and Covenant forces ensued when each assumed the other was fighting to protect Rora. Nearly three hundred died in the bloody battle that followed, explosions and plasma fire adding to the confusion as every warrior fought for himself.
By dawn the following day, Rora 'Marak still lived, wounded and tired though he was. His only ally, Urai, had been cut to pieces by a group of sword-wielding Sangheili and had been avenged by Rora shortly after. Standing alone on the deserted battlfield, the bloodied young warrior laughed at his own survival and after crudely carving the insignia of House Marak onto his combat harness, took the armour and helmet of the warrior who had killed Urai. It was then that he declared 'Rora 'Marak' dead, taking on a new identity as he dragged the corpse back towards the city. As Covenant reinforcements arrived, he handed over the body to them after pointing out the unmistakable design of House Marak's logo and combat harness, was given a portion of the bounty money with the promise of receiving a full sum once Rora's relatives identified the corpse. He managed to slip away beforehand, heading back into Karava's crime-ridden streets as legends spread of a mighty warrior in green armour who had survived the previous night's butchery.
While Rora never learned the name of the Sangheili whose armour he had stolen, it appeared that he was a newcomer to Karava as his distinctive green-tinged was evidently a unique sight on the colony world. He would eventually discover the lodgings of this fallen bounty hunter nearby and took up residence there while he recuperated, and would swap out the badly-damaged harness scavenged from the battlefield for a brand new set of that Rora's dead attacker had kept hidden. Correctly surmising that he had slain an undercover member of the Covenant's Special Forces, he took the harness for his own and set out to make a name for himself using his newfound fame. Within the next month, other Sangheili approached him asking for work, and Rora realised that he had managed to garner popularity and respect amongst the mercenaries that lived on the frontier world. He took them all under his wing and then used his bounty money to purchase a heavily-worn ADP-class escort ship and finally depart Karava. Due to his complete refusal to divulge his actual name, Rora became known as 'The Outrider' during this period due to his distinctive armour and actions throughout the frontier.
While the Covenant were fairly efficient in eliminating piracy from within its colonies, Rora knew he could use the current state of war with humanity as a chance to prey on smaller vessels in order to resupply and stay below the radar as they made their way out of contested space and slowly headed towards the frontlines, where Rora intended to wait for news of human Demons so his battle-hardened crew could strike. While he had little experience in captaining a naval vessel, several of his crew proved up the job as they shadowed Covenant fleets for nearly five months. Eventually, they heard of news that shocked Rora beyond belief: a truce had been made, and the Human-Covenant War had finally been brought to the end. 
While he still operated outside the boundaries of the Covenant itself, Rora had intended to use the chaos of war to his advantage in tracking and killing Demons. humanity's sudden surge in power post-war only put more pressure on his crew, forcing them to abandon their path into human space for a short period. Having heard of Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and the Swords of Sanghelios' newfound alliance with their former foes, Rora chose to oppose this new regime and by mid-2553 had come into contact with one of many warbands proclaiming themselves the true Covenant, led by a Sangheili named .
===Sangheili Civil War===
After agreeing to fight alongside this new Covenant as a mercenary, Rora was brought before Jul 'Mdama himself. The Supreme Commander informed him that while he would pay and supply his forces, he wished for the Outrider's attacks to be made to look like regular pirate assaults against Swords of Sanghelios-supporting colonies as well as any human ports he wished to attack. That way, Mdama's Covenant could offer protection to any Sangheilii settlements from future attacks and thus gain favour in the eyes of their people in addition to sorely-needed recruits. Rora accepted and his crew were provided with a single SDV-class heavy corvette and additional recruits to run it. Within weeks they had gone from a dozens-strong crew of mercenaries to numbering well over two hundred, spreading fear of the Outrider into Sangheili space.
However, some of Rora's crew were wary of their new benefactors and opposed the idea of attacking Sangheili worlds entirely, leading to a major schism among his older members. In the end, he initiated a purge that left a number of those who had followed him from Karava dead or missing before proceeding on his rampage. In Rora's eyes, every action taken under the orders of Jul 'Mdama would take him one step closer to wiping out humanity. His greatest achievement would come in December of 2553, where he led a large attack force against a team of Demons - now more commonly known by their actual designation as 'Spartans' - on who were assaulting some of his suppliers. While the battle was evenly-matched at first, a large explosion badly wounded his foes, allowing Rora to personally lead the assault. Though formidable opponents, Rora was able to kill three of the Spartans by keeping at a distance and gunning them down with plasma fire before capturing the last survivor. After being informed that another Spartan had escaped, he interrogated his captive unsuccessfully for some time before having him decapitated, taking the supersoldier's helmet as a trophy to present to Jul 'Mdama. 
With his notoriety now cemented as a 'Demonslayer', Rora had finally brought the attention of both the Swords of Sanghelios and the UNSC against him. While legends of a piratical mercenary known as the Outrider had lingered within Sangheili space for well over a year, it did not take long for others to work out his alliance to Mdama's Covenant and place a heavy bounty on his head. Rora chose to retain a low profile for several months after that, staying well away from enemy space as his forces moved through contested space. By March of 2554 he had acquired several CRS-class light cruisers to escort his corvette, and launched raids only on outlying colonies without much military presence. Due to a need for more manpower, he would also attempt to recruit new warriors after collecting tribute from these worlds. Due to a lack of success, Rora began taking advice from Dorenn 'Tenon, an older warrior who suggested that he use the same religious principles as Mdama's troops to gain supporters. While Rora had never held a great deal of faith in the Forerunner worship practiced by the Covenant, he saw the benefit of using it to his advantage and had Tenon act as his primary recruiter, the Sangheili's fiery oration attracting many new recruits with promises of both glory in combat and religious salvation. Much to his annoyance, they had also begun to see The Outrider as a sort of religious leader.
In June of 2554, Rora was contacted personally by Jul 'Mdama, who had heard of his exploits and promised him a formidable CCS-Class Battlecruiser in exchange for destroying one owned by the Swords of Sanghelios that had escaped his forces after taking heavy damage in battle. Seeing this as an excellent opportunity, he and his forces took the job and set out for the coordinates provided. The ship they were seeking had taken refuge in an asteroid field, forcing Rora's ships to move in close to get a clear shot. As they prepared to fire, several antimatter charges were detonated throughout the field and crippled three of his vessels instantly. Moments later, an ORS-class Heavy Cruiser entered the system and Rora realised his force had been led into a trap.
Cut off from the rest of his forces, Rora saw no other option than to launch a last-ditch attack towards the enemy ship in hopes of boarding and seizing the enemy flagship. With debris from the asteroid field giving his ships cover, his warriors managed to weave a path through pulse laser and Seraph fighter fire and broke through into the Cruiser's hangar. Arriving in a single Lich with dozens of his kin, Rora fought his way past waves of enemy crewmen, well aware that most of his soldiers had either died or fled by this point. Fuelled by the same bloody fury that had bought his survival on Karava, he was injured multiple times in a mad dash towards the bridge, forging ahead as his loyal companions were slowly whittled down behind him. As Rora neared his goal, they were suddenly cut off in a single corridor as doors sealed all around them. While his warriors began to cut their way through the locks, a nearby airlock opened as the ship's crew attempted to flush them out into space. Clinging to a pillar, Rora was able to hold on for some time as the air was sucked from the sealed environment, even attempting to slice into a side passage before finally falling unconscious.
===Shadows of Retribution===
Rora awoke two days later in the enemy ship's medical suite, shackled to a bed but fully healed of his many wounds. After his attempts to escape failed, the captured warrior was met with the enemy leader, Shipmaster Felo 'Ranak. Even Rora had heard of Ranak despite living mostly on the frontier, largely due to his vocal support of the Swords of Sanghelios and the viciousness with which he had been attacking the fleets of Jul 'Mdama and several other warlords. Much to his surprise, the Shipmaster had not come to execute Rora and instead wished to talk to him about his past. Felo had quickly discovered the true identity of the 'Outrider' and knew of his crimes, but gave his captive a chance to explain his side of the story. Seeing no other option, Rora complied and detailed everything from the events on Sanghelios with the captured Spartan to his criminal days towards the end of the war and his recent affiliation with Jul 'Mdama. After listening to his story, Felo gave Rora a choice; to regain his honour through execution, or to fight for him and the Swords of Sanghelios.
Taken aback by this generosity considering his prior crimes, Rora began to feel as though he deserved some kind of punishment, and as such swore an oath to never take up the traditional Energy Sword again on the battlefield in exchange for serving Felo 'Ranak. The Shipmaster deemed this fair and had him released. Rora spent the next few days by Felo's side as he spoke of the Arbiter's many accomplishments, attempting to sway him to the Swords of Sanghelios' way of thinking. Though he found himself agreeing with certain points, Rora confessed that he still despised the humans after Layla had butchered most of his Keep. As a veteran of the Human-Covenant War, Felo understood how such hatred could come about, and asked if an entire race deserved to be wiped out due to the actions of one member. At long last, he conceded, realising that he had to let go of it as he had his former identity. Seemingly satisfied, Felo had them taken to the far-off world of to meet his new comrades.
Heading to the frontier world aboard a Lich, Rora was taken to a remote facility buried deep in one of the planet's mountain ranges. Felo explained that it had once been a Covenant armoury years before, and that he had converted it into the headquarters of a new group - the Shadows of Retribution. While the Swords of Sanghelios possessed many warriors and were gaining ground across their homeworld and many other colonies, the Arbiter himself had ordered the creation of secretive strike force designed to operate deep behind enemy lines, emulating the guerilla tactics used by the humans during the war. Numbering at around fifty, this hand-picked group of fighters had been recently assembled by Felo 'Ranak, who announced Rora as their leader shortly after arrival. While he was surprised that Felo would place him in such a position so soon, he realised that the Shipmaster made the decision based on his leadership skills as the Outrider. Before addressing his troops, Felo advised Rora to simply go by his former title in public to avoid attention from any who still remembered the massacre of Marak Keep. Donning a set of armour and mask similar to his older combat harness, Rora took on his familiar role and was provided with enough targets and contacts to operate for months without Felo's guidance.
Though some within the Shadows of Retribution questioned why their commander would go by a pseudonym, Rora quickly ensured that all dissent was stamped out before organising the rag-tag Commando unit into fighting groups and assigning them targets. They were then gifted newly-made armour and weaponry to assist them in their battles to come. For the first time in many months, he felt a true sense of belonging and set out into Sangheili space to discreetly eliminate all who opposed the Arbiter's reign. They would prove brutally effective, wiping out entire outlaw groups and sabotaging enemy installations under a cloak of complete secrecy.
===The False Outrider===
Nine months after forming the Shadows, Rora received news from 'Ranak that a particularly brutal Sangheili raider had emerged on the frontier, having pillaged several merchant vessels. While this would usually necessitate a simple anti-piracy operation from the Swords of Sanghelios, the leader of this group had left messages identifying himself as the 'Outrider'. Believing this to be a pirate who sought to capitalise on the title's legend but not wanting Rora's pseudonym broadcast across Sangheili space, the Shadows were to quietly hunt down and eliminate this imposter before he caused too much damage. 
Rora and his subordinates spent several weeks following the false Outrider's trail, finding burnt-out vessels and raided settlements along the way. The sheer level of violence inflicted by the impostor seemed unreasonable in Rora's eyes, making him believe that these attacks may have taken place to deliberately slander him. However, those from his former Legion believed him dead, and as far as he was aware only a few within the Swords of Sangheilios even knew of his existence. Eventually, the Shadows would discover a small military outpost on the frozen north of a frontier world currently being occupied by a group of pirates. After reporting this to Shipmaster 'Ranak, Rora would lead a small team planetside to infiltrate the outpost.
Landing their Phantom in an ice field several miles away, Rora and five others used the cover of a snowstorm to advance. While the base possessed a number of automated turrets, their sensors could not detect the cloaked commandos as they moved through the perimeter undetected. Splitting up, the team observed numerous outlaws occupying the installation, having turned the former military base as both a storehouse and a tavern. Knowing that their specialised commando harnesses would not serve to disguise them inside, Rora had his warriors plant plasma charges around the base's external plasma generators. Following their detonation, the pirates streamed outside and were caught in a crossfire between several commandos. Rora and two others used the confusion to enter the base, gunning down everyone in their way as they fought towards the lower levels. 
By the time Rora's men stormed the command room, the outlaw commanders had fled towards a nearby hangar bay. While his subordinates searched for intel, Rora gave chase alone and arrived at the hangar just in time to see several heavily-armoured Sangheili departing aboard a Phantom gunboat. Among their number was a warrior in green armour - the false Outrider. Unwilling to risk attacking the heavily-armed vehicle, Rora pulled back to assist his team as they cleared out the remaining enemies. In the closing stages of the battle, they were able to take a Kig-Yar pirate prisoner, offering to free him in exchange for information on their leader. Unsurprisingly, the captive told them all he knew; that the 'Outrider' had arrived very recently, offering them riches if they joined him in his rampage. While they did not know his identity, the Kig-Yar identified the ship he arrived in as belonging to a notorious terrorist group - the True Vanguard.
With the Swords of Sanghelios' leadership occupied with the civil war on Sanghelios and maintaining their own territories, tracking down and destroying the True Vanguard was left mostly up to Rora and his men. With their plans uncovered, the supremacist group increased their attacks on neutral colony worlds in an attempt to spread terror and seize resources, though they would soon leave a visible trail for the Shadows of Retribution to follow. Though he found the Vanguard's views to be outlandish at best, Rora's primary concern was the elimination of the false Outrider and dedicated all his resources to tracking him down. Months were spent meticulously dismantling the True Vanguard's network of informants and safehouses, leading to several pitched battles that the Shadows of Retribution often won.
Working closely with both Felo 'Ranak and General Fol 'Taram, whose forces provided most of the manpower in their war against the True Vanguard, Rora and his comrades were able to prevent several terrorist attacks. However, the Vanguard were not easy to vanquish, leading Rora to believe that they operated from a mobile base that kept them one step ahead of the Swords of Sanghelios. He was soon proven right when several light warships arrived over Khael'mothka and began launching raids on the surface, intending to destroy the Shadows' remote fortress while Rora and his best warriors were gone. Racing back to the planet at the head of an attack force alongside Felo 'Ranak, Rora would lead a daring mission to save the besieged fortress that broke the Vanguard's lines. Taken by surprise, the Vanguard broke off its main attack to defend itself against the Shadows of Retribution, who gave no quarter and fought furiously to defend their home.
Though his main target was Ukari 'Montor, a high-ranking leader in the Vanguard, Rora was surprised to run into the warrior masquerading as him in the midst of battle. A fierce duel ensued between the two Outriders, though the original proved the better fighter as he brutalised and captured the impostor, unmasking him before his retreating allies. Rora brought his captive - revealed to be a young zealot named Lorok 'Suren - before Felo 'Ranak, who broadcast the truth about the False Outrider before executing him. Though he had hoped to throw off the moniker and every dark association that came with it, Rora finally understood that it now stood as a symbol of vengeance against those who stood against the Swords of Sanghelios. With this victory, Rora had helped shatter the True Vanguard's army in a single battle, reducing the once-powerful organisation to a group of scattered terrorist cells that would play no further role on the galactic stage.
===War on the Frontier===
Main Article: Imperium
In August of 2558, Rora and his subordinates were summoned by the now-Fleet Master Felo 'Ranak shortly after news of an attack on a friendly vessel on a joint patrol with a human ship reached the Swords of Sanghelios. While Rora believed that the Shadows would be dispatched to investigate, he soon discovered that the attack was a declaration of war by the Imperium of Clarity, a little-known but surprisingly powerful group that had carved out its own territory on the far reaches of the former Covenant Empire. Intent on destroying this threat, 'Ranak had gathered a sizeable fleet to lead a counterattack alongside a human expeditionary force and intended to keep Rora and the Shadows as his top infiltrators in the campaign to come.
Though he disliked working with humans, Rora was pleased to join such a large-scale operation and accompanied 'Ranak and General Fol 'Taram to meet with Admiral Lin Zhi of the UNSC Navy shortly before they departed for the frontier world of Montak. As they had little knowledge of the Imperium's true size and strength, both fleets deployed their forces conventionally at first as a pitched battle ensued in Montak's orbit. As the scope of the battle became clear, Rora and a contingent of Shadows were covertly dispatched to the planet's surface with orders to rescue captive human civilians and assassinate the Imperium's commanding officer, Kan 'Larom. Though they traversed the chaotic battlefield and approached the former mining facility being used by Imperial forces as their base with ease, Rora saw no means of entering the heavily-guarded complex until he caught sight of an enemy pilot emerging from the wreck of his crashed Seraph. He and his men soon took the pilot, Nilen 'Feru, captive and promised to spare his life if he got them into the base. Though terrified, 'Feru complied and was able to trick two gate guards into letting Rora and the Shadows inside.
Intending to keep his word, Rora had his prisoner put under guard while his troops infiltrated the mining complex, discreetly killing Imperial soldiers and human mercenaries alike. En-route, they discovered that many of the workers had been freed by a third party, who assisted in their escape to a nearby hangar bay while Rora's lance pursued Kan 'Larom. The infiltrators eventually found the Imperial Fleet Master within the mining facility's control room and caught him by surprise as he argued with several human mercenaries. Though 'Larom and his guards put up a brief but spirited fight, Rora's hardened warriors made quick work of them and the Outrider soon had his prey cornered. Before Rora could strike the final blow against the wounded Fleet Master, a contingent of mercenaries burst into the chamber and opened fire, allowing 'Larom to escape while Rora was forced into a fierce duel against Shinsu 'Refum. Fighting with his daggers against the seasoned duellist as his men perished around him, Rora barely escaped Shinsu's grasp and ran for his life, having failed his primary objective. While he left the facility with the remaining Shadows and their captive, Rora discovered that the Imperium had begun to withdraw from Montak shortly after he engaged 'Larom, likely due to their groundside commander's close brush with death.
After returning to the Questioner as the enemy fleet retreated outsystem, Rora discovered that Felo 'Ranak had been grievously injured in a duel against one of the Imperium's top leaders and was close to death. Terrified that the man he owed his life and position to would perish, he had his own men guard Felo's room and ensured that their Fleet Master received all the medical care he needed while Fol 'Taram helped to coordinate their fleet's reorganisation as it prepared to leave the Montak System. To Rora's delight, Felo survived his injuries and was able to walk by the time their fleet entered slipspace in pursuit of the Imperium's forces, though he was among the first to realise that Felo 'Ranak would never be the same as a warrior after this and pledged to watch over his leader. Before they arrived in the Yain System, Rora and Felo interrogated the captured pilot Nilen 'Feru, who agreed to betray his former state and work against the Imperium if the Swords of Sanghelios spared him and his family from further harm. These conditions were accepted, and Nilen was allowed to accompany Rora's commandos into their next battle. 
After the joint UNSC-Swords of Sanghelios fleet arrived in the Yain System and began yet another protracted battle over the well-defended colony of Frendhal, Rora's troops were sent to capture one of the planet's orbital defence platforms. While these stations were bristling with firepower and could bring down much larger vessels given time, Rora used Nilen's knowledge of one platform to convince one platform's commanding officer to let them land, posing as a support force. Once aboard, Rora and his troops slaughtered everyone in their path and seized the station's fire control room, and quickly redirecting its cannons towards other orbital platforms before the Imperium could react. By the time their foe had lost several stations and intended to counter-attack, the commandos accessed their captured station's translocation terminal, which was linked to a fortress within Frendhal's capital of Dival.
==Skills and Abilities==
While he never entered military service when he came of age like most Sangheili, Rora received martial training from a young age and was noted for his superb marksmanship as a youth. This more than made up for his fairly mediocre talents as a swordsman, as Rora was uncomfortable using one and abandoned their use entirely after going on the run.
During his time as a wanted fugitive and arms dealer, he became proficient with most Covenant-made weaponry and had to quickly improve his melee skills out of necessity, taking up the vicious fighting style of a brawler. He would supplement this style with a pair of energy daggers built into his gauntlets, which he often used to surprise foes at close range. Though he refused to use energy swords for many years, Rora learned to fight with a , developing an unorthodox fighting style that many conventionally-trained opponents found difficult to counter. After his recruitment into the Shadows of Retribution, Rora learned the workings of several human weapons as his battles took him far from Sangheili space, becoming adept at handling them in battle.
In addition to his fighting talents, Rora seemed to have a way with words that few Sangheili possessed. He made allies easily, attracting followers thanks to his earnestness and charisma, and knew how to pick his words carefully to avoid unnecessary confict. This would assist him greatly as he began to lead troops into battle, emerging as a talented tactician who could inspire courage in his followers. As the Outrider, he would lead surgical strikes designed to inflict the maximum amount of damage on his foes and would make use of psychological warfare to weaken opposing forces before delivering the finishing blow.
==Personality==
Raised in the relative luxury of a high-ranking Sangheili family's keep, Rora was initially a rather spoilt and condescending child with little respect for those he considered his inferiors. While this would lessen slightly as he was trained as a warrior and learned the art of patience, he remained something of an arrogant snob until his first fight with Layla-B101, whose own surprising strength and martial ability forced him to become more introspective. It was Rora striking up a strange but brief friendship with the captive Spartan that truly taught the young Sangheili sympathy and encouraged him to defy the rules laid out by his elders for the first time in the name of doing what he felt was right. 
Rora's subsequent fall from grace and time spent on the run turned him into a rather cold, bitter person, cursing himself for his foolish actions and vowing revenge on the Spartan who had betrayed his trust. His abandonment of most aspects of the traditional Sangheili code of honour that would have called for his immediate suicide to spare his family shame lead to him valuing his own life above anything else, something markedly unusual for most Sangheili. In spite of his tendency towards pragmatism, he refused to make use of energy swords in battle after his escape from Sanghelios, believing that he was not worthy of wielding them as one who had betrayed his warrior's training. Rora would steadily grow more and more brutal as he survived numerous attempts on his life, eventually taking on the persona of a vicious pirate as he gathered followers and embarked on a bloody campaign across the galaxy as the Outrider. Encouraged by those around him and terrified of his true identity being discovered, he rationalised his atrocities as being to keep up a cover he could not afford to lose.
Upon his eventual capture by the and the redemption they offered, Rora was able to abandon his former viewpoints as he finally found someone worth serving. He proved to be a successful leader as he took command of the Shadows of Retribution and while wholly dedicated to his duty, was regarded as a fairly polite, affable warrior in spite of the horrors he had endured. However, Rora would occasionally take on the hard stance of his Outrider days when needed, proving that he could be just as merciless to his foes as those who crossed him.
==List of Appearances==
*Revenant (2552)
*Vagabond (2552)
*Imperium (2558)
*Oath's End (2558)
*Halo: Power Plays (2558)
*Halo: SIGMA (2558)
*Just Before The Battle (2558)
*Halo Fanon: Survival of the Fittest Season 8 (Non-Canon)
Category:Sigmaverse HCW
Category:Sigmaverse Characters
Category:Sigmaverse PW
Category:Sangheili