Arbiter (Ripa 'Moramee)

A proud and brutal member of the Elite people, Ripa 'Moramee was the commander of the Covenant forces that attacked Harvest, and later engaged UNSC Forces on the Forerunner Shield World. Ripa was originally a Warlord-Thrall who was tasked with bringing down the "Sixteenth Unggoy Disobedience", which he achieved with great zeal and violence. Later the Covenant unleashed their brutal warrior upon the heretical Kig-Yar pirate prince to corral the alien Jackals under their firm control, but upon his victory, Ripa began to dream of greater powe. He lead a coup against his own people, but on the Sangheili base world, Decided Heart, he was defeated and taken before the rest of the Covenant for trial. They sentenced Ripa to "a cycle in the weeping shadows of sorrow... after which we will slowly extinguish your pathetic existence". He was incarcerated at the Weeping Shadows of Sorrow Penitentiary for only a brief period of time before, during the mandatory excerise period, he assaulted multiple other prisoners and guards, leading yet another revolt from within the prison. Impressed with Ripa, the Prophet of Regret visited him and spared his life, instead promoting him to the rank of Arbiter, the 17th in a line of nameless warriors to extend the will of the Prophets. His task was a simple one: secure the treasures of the Forerunner Shield World and eradicate the UNSC forces in the area, including Harvest.

While his anointment as Arbiter displeased many amongst the Covenant and his methods and strategies came under scrutiny and criticism, there could be no denying that he got results. His favored tactic was to unleash a horrific barrage of suicide bomber Grunt units on his foes, which easily demoralized the human forces while weakening their defenses for his true warriors. UNSC data and studies showed that within the Covenant leadership, the Arbiter and Brute Chieftain were at constant odds, which may have been a factor that lead to the smaller number of Brute forces deployed on Harvest and the Shield World. He also had a deep respect for the Prophets, most notably Regret, and has a pious devotion to their religion and the Great Journey- a fact which only makes him a much more deadly foe on the field of battle.

Ripa's end would come on the Forerunner Shield World, when his UNSC rival, Sergeant John Forge engaged him in close combat. While Ripa dealt heavy damage to Forge, the human warrior managed to use 'Moramee's arrogance as an opening to sink his blade into the Elite's neck, piercing through a gap in the archiach armor worn by the Arbiter. This harmed Ripa long enough for Forge to steal and impale the Sergeant with his own Energy Sword, before two of his SPARTAN allies tossed his corpse off the cliffside they were standing on. Ripa's death was the first step to weakening the Covenant in the territory, and left a gap in the Covenant leadership. His death also forced the Prophets to equipt their next Arbiter with far more powerful armor, due to the loss of Ripa's.

The Battle with Skorge (by JoseEscobedo115)
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