Vestige

Vestiges are an organisational order used by the Covenant.

Characteristics
When the Writ of Union was signed, and the Covenant formed, the Sangheili battle fleets were still exceedingly numerous, with the necessary fire power to usurp the nascent Hierarchs and Council. In an effort to retire these warships, they were marked as Vestiges: weapons of war that were outdated and no longer needed. Some were reused as missionary vessels, extensively refitted for exploration, others were used against the Sangheili as occupation vessels and tithe ships. Others still were mothballed, kept barely active and ready to be reactivated during conflicts. Over the centuries, many were taken to shipbreaking yards to be broken down and recycled. Some vestiges have survived, hidden from the Covenant by Sangheili who refused to bend to their will, and knew that one day they would be needed to throw off the shackles the Covenant imposed on them. Hidden in secret, many of these Vestiges would remain hidden for millennia, until they were needed again. Occasional, these would be found, but were often dismissed as a forgotten ship graveyard, rather than a stockpile.