Although the term "Blood Covenant" is applied to this Covenant Remnant faction, it is more accurate to say that it is a fragment of the Old Covenant Jiralhanae-dominated military. After the collapse of the Old Covenant, many groups suddenly found themselves in positions of power, whether wanted or not. In this case, Hephaestus, Chieftain of one of the Beta Tribes, found his fleet in control iof a large and built-up colony, Unmoving Virtue, and a significant number of Unggoy and Kig-yar slaves, vast shipyards, and legions of Jiralhanae warriors. Using Unmoving Virtue as his base of operations as he conquered neighbouring star systems, the Blood Covenant would rise to be one of the greatest threats against the UNSC and Sangheili Armed Forces until the defeat at the Battle of Unmoving Virtue.