Hello all, I haven’t posted here in a very long time, nor have I caught up on any of the story since the Broken Circle novel was released. I plan to catch up on much of the story before Halo 5 launches, as I have always loved the story and lore of this series. But with recent trailers and the intro cinematic being released, I keep getting the uneasy feeling that the Arbiters faction and Humanity are no longer allies. Could someone fill me in on what I’ve missed?
Not sure why you’d get that impression. h5 shows off the connection between the Swords and Sangehlios and UNSC forces rather aptly.
You even deploy for at least one mission from a SoS phantom.
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> Not sure why you’d get that impression. h5 shows off the connection between the Swords and Sangehlios and UNSC forces rather aptly.
> You even deploy for at least one mission from a SoS phantom.
Thanks, I got that impression because I’ve been trying to avoid all I can about Halo 5 before it launches.
Well I’m glad I managed to answer your question without giving much of spoilers then. 
The Arbiters faction is being supported by the UNSC to keep the Sangheili from going to civil war but it happened anyway because Jul (The Tool) 'Mdama has a thirst for power and everything that makes religious zealots great
No, they hate each other so much they work together.
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> The Arbiters faction is being supported by the UNSC to keep the Sangheili from going to civil war but it happened anyway because Jul (The Tool) 'Mdama has a thirst for power and everything that makes religious zealots great
Except that Jul 'Mdama is not a religious zealot. His issue with the Arbiter and the Swords is that they ally with humanity while Jul wants them crushed. His immediate followers have been tricked into thinking that he still follows the old Covenant religion and he uses that to control the masses but his thirst is for revenge and retribution against an enemy that has given him plenty of reason to hate them.
Jul knows about some of the strings that ONI has been pulling to keep the Sangheili fighting themselves while the UNSC tries to consolidate its power, such as the manipulations of the Servants of Abiding Truth. He also blames humanity for the death of his wife.
The real question is, are the Prometheans and Covenant still allies?
Well given what happens with the Didact (won’t spoil it for anybody who has not been keeping up with the comics), I’d say it is quite possible that the Halo 5 Prometheans have completely other directives and goals since the leadership has changed. Still not sure if the Warden Eternal is the current commander or if he too answers to a higher authority.
> 2533274850137215;5:
> The Arbiters faction is being supported by the UNSC to keep the Sangheili from going to civil war but it happened anyway because Jul (The Tool) 'Mdama has a thirst for power and everything that makes religious zealots great
Hmm, Jul “The Tool” 'Mdama.