Kai 'Kalar

Kai 'Kalar (formerly 'Kalaree) is a Sangheili male Special Operations Officer affiliated with the Swords of Sanghelios. Prior to the Great Schism of 2552, he served the Covenant from 2520 to 2552. He fought during the Human-Covenant War, where he spent the majority of that conflict as a Major in command of a lance consisting of several subordinate Sangheili, Unggoy, and Kig-Yar.
== Biography ==
=== Early Life and Military Career ===
Kai 'Kalar was born on Sanghelios, in the state of Mannim circa 2500, to the 'Kalar family which resides in a keep bearing its own name, swearing fealty to the ruling House Mannim. As a youth, Kai largely kept to himself within the walls of his keep, not usually interacting with his other cousins and siblings, much to the confusion of his guardians. Outside of tutoring and training, he would often adventure in the countryside with two others he managed to befriend: Mik 'Mutuk, who came from a family of tenant farmers, and Lev 'Mannim, one of the sons of the House Mannim.
As Kai grew from a boy into a young man, he officially began his military training in a centralized war academy on Sanghelios. Over several solar cycles at the academy, Kai quickly proved his excellence in martial arts and marksmanship, rising to the top tier of his graduating class circa 2518, outmatched by few, his childling friend Lev being one of them. His other friend, Mik, was on the bottom of the ranking, but the two nevertheless reinforced their close bond during their time at the academy.
Kai's graduation from the academy circa 2518 afforded him entry into the Covenant Military. Like all other fresh recruits, he was equipped with the armor of a Minor, a rank that he would hold for several cycles. By the stroke of fortune, Kai found himself serving alongside Mik for most of his time as a Minor, as well as for much of the foreseeable future. Both Sangheili were assigned to anti-piracy duties within the Fleet of Unbroken Conviction, a service in which both performed competently.
=== The Human-Covenant War Begins ===
Shortly after the discovery of Humanity and the Covenant's declaration of war, Kai found himself participating in several offensive operations against the Humans as part of the Fleet of Unbroken Conviction. His first campaign, at the Human Outer Colony of Beacon, found Kai distinguishing himself in combat on several occasions when he skillfully assaulted and destroyed multiple Human defensive positions. His adeptness elevated him to the rank of Major, one which he would hold for much of the remainder of the conflict against Humanity.
Kai's promotion to Major meant that he found himself in command of a lance of Covenant troops. The most notable individuals in his first lance (who remained under his command - with brief interruptions - for virtually the entirety of the duration of the war) were Mik 'Mutukee, his childing friend, Basab, an Unggoy, and Tes, a Kig-Yar. Their first campaign together was on another Outer Colony, a planet named Haven. In this engagement, the four formed a close bond with one another, almost becoming a strange sort of family, led by Kai.
Kai and his lance, as a part of the Fleet of Unbroken Conviction, campaigned on multiple Human planets, such as New Transoxiana, Tylos, Gamma Eridon Prime, Yamatai, and New Canada. Over the course of these engagements, Kai became more and more intrigued of Humanity, by its ferocity in combat, its unwillingness to accept defeat, and the widely varied behavior he has witnessed, ranging from fierce resistance to utter panic to melancholic resignation of its seeming destruction. While on Tylos, he discovered a strange Human book which, primarily due to his curiosity towards his enemy, he decided to keep and study for himself. With the aid of an Engineer, he translated it and realized that he had in fact found a holy text of a Human religion (he later discovered it to be a Christian Bible). From this book he formed a rudimentary understanding of the Human dialect known as English, and by the Mu Crusade, Kai could construct basic sentences in English and could understand its written form.
=== The Mu Crusade ===
By 2535, Kai and the rest of his lance were seasoned veterans of the Human-Covenant War, having fought for ten years. In this year, the Fleet of Unbroken Conviction was instructed to attack and secure Mu, an important Human Outer Colony. The Hierarchs sought to bring it into the Covenant Empire, and so dubbed the operation against Mu as a Crusade, a rare event in Covenant history. The commander to lead the assault forces would be dubbed a Crusader, and they selected Lev 'Mannimar, who over time, had ascended high in the Covenant military hierarchy. This, combined with Lev's natural charisma and oratory skills, led the Hierarchs to see him as a potential future threat, and in conclusion felt that naming the Sangheili a Crusader (which would compel him to permanently settle on Mu once the Crusade had been won) would be a safe way to remove a threat without the drastic action of naming him an Arbiter.
As such events unfolded, Kai and Mik found themselves reunited with their childling friend, Lev, to whom they also found commanded by. Over the course of the Mu Crusade, Kai's lance suffered numerous casualties and the warrior personally experienced several hardships, both mental and physical, which would soften his view of Humanity considerably to one of worthy adversaries, who should be afforded the right to entry into the Covenant, not prompt and utter destruction. He realized, however, that his personal views ran contrary to the will of the Hierarchs, and so he kept them to himself for much of the war. Upon the Crusade's conclusion, Kai and Mik departed from Lev, who remained on Mu.