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halobirthdays · 7 months

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Happy birthday to Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum!

Today is his -464th birthday!

Rtas was born on Sanghelios and raised in a keep by the sea. He spent much of his childhood exploring the shoreline and hunting the creatures within. He graduated with honors from a top war college, setting the course for his advancement.

By 2552, he held the rank of Special Operations Commander, specializing in discreet, unconventional warfare--often answering directly to a Hierarch. He served under then-Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadam(ee), who tasked him with investigating the agricultural support ship Infinite Succor, which sent the fleet a distress beacon. Once on board, 'Vadum(ee) discovered that the ship had been overtaken by the Flood, making him one of the first to encounter the outbreak from Installation 04. Recognizing the threat of the Flood spreading, he and his team fought their way to the bridge to initiate self-destruction protocols. Before he could escape, he was forced to fight his Flood-infected comrade, Bero 'Kusovai, who had been his best swordsman. During the engagement, the Flood form cut off 'Vadum's left mandibles with an energy sword, leaving him permanently maimed.

After the destruction of Installation 04, he and Thel 'Vadam were given a mission to find and kill Sesa 'Refumee, a Covenant defector who was labeled a heretic for his (correct) denial of the Great Journey. By this point, his once-superior Thel 'Vadam had been publicly shamed, stripped of his title, and was appointed as the Arbiter. Though Rtas lost respect for Thel, he still recognized him as a skilled warrior and valuable asset.

Rtas and Thel fought their way through the gas mine, killing the heretic leader and taking 343 Guilty Spark with them. When the Prophet of Regret arrived at Earth unprepared and fled to Installation 05, Rtas sent a large group of reinforcements to protect the Hierarch, before being unknowingly thwarted by the Prophet of Truth. When Truth used these events to justify the Changing of the Guard, he protested but accepted the decision.

However, following these events, he and Thel forged a mutual trust in their unified disagreement with the decision, and their experiences fighting together. When Thel was betrayed by Tartarus, Rtas was the first person he told, kicking off the Great Schism and forming the first Covenant separatist group.

While Thel fought his way to Installation 05's control room to prevent the firing of the Halo, 'Vadum engaged Jiralhanae forces in orbit, capturing the Kerel-pattern assault carrier Shadow of Intent, which would become the flagship of the newly-formed Fleet of Retribution. Rtas was instrumental in forming an alliance with the humans, quickly recognizing the importance of Flood containment above their previous hostilities. He ordered his fleet to glass Voi, a restrained measure meant to balance his serious interest in containment with the delicate alliance with the UNSC.

At the close of the war, Rtas and the fleet would follow Thel and the UNSC to the Ark, providing joint support to pave the way for Master Chief and Thel to stop Truth. When the ceasefire between the humans and Sangheili was formalized, he escorted Thel back to Sanghelios, but would not stay for long.

Though he grew weary of fighting, Rtas continued to serve as commander of the Shadow of Intent. After answering a distress signal from the colony Rahnelo, he learned that some San'Shyuum--who had largely gone into hiding after the end of the war--were still alive through Prelate Tem'Bhetek. He went on a mission with Tul 'Juran to stop 'Bhetek's misguided revenge efforts against the Sangheili, believing that the Swords of Sanghelios were responsible for the death of his family. Rtas convinced him of the truth, and 'Bhetek died trying to aid him. After this encounter, Rtas set aside his resentment of the San'Shyuum, recognizing that some deserved death, but some, like 'Bhetek, had also been deceived. Though he was offered leave by Thel, who was now a brother to him, Rtas declined, having learned that thousands of San'Shyuum yet survived, and was determined to locate those responsible for the lies of the Covenant. By present canon, he continues this campaign.

While serving the Covenant, Rtas was devout but not a zealot, willing to challenge orders from the San'Shyuum, including threatening to kill the Minister on the Infinite Succor for his singular interest in his own safety over Flood containment protocols, and his vocal disagreement with the Changing of the Guard. Though he is war-weary and embarrassed by his disfigurement, which makes it difficult for him to enunciate, he still prioritizes his responsibility to his species and loyalty to Thel over his own wishes. He is more tolerant than typical for his species and values pragmatism over tradition, willing to let female Sangheili and Unggoy in his ranks before either was deemed acceptable. In other words, he's special and amazing and you love him. And that's still lore so jot that down.

In canon (~2560), he is turning 73!

If it wasn't apparent, Rtas is this blog's favorite character and EVERYONE IS GOING TO CLAP RIGHT NOW.

#YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS #I LOVE HIM #CELEBRATE MY BOY ITS HIS BIRTHDAY!!!!!!#feminist king #species unifying king #LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO #rtas vadum #rtas 'vadum #sangheili #halo #his h2a appearance gets so much attention so i decided to go more classic with these gifs #some rtas deep cuts #and yes i changed his eye color to green

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halos-top-alien-model · 4 months

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Sangheili Bracket Finals

Special propaganda below:

Thel's mind was still on the textual transmission sent to him when a sudden visitor broke his train of thought. It was one of his staff, letting him know that Admiral Lord Hood was making a sudden call request. Already suspecting what brought that on, he gave his approval. Only a few moments later, he was connected to Lord Hood via small holographic messaging - and couldn't even get a greeting out.

"I sincerely apologize for the overreach in boundaries that intern caused. I swear, the unauthorized decision to send that does not reflect at all what the UNSC stands for, and we greatly respect our alliance with the Sangheili."

Thel raised a hand. "I can perfectly see that, Lord Hood. For what other reason would your people be holding an... 'popularity tournament', if not out of respect?"

The grim line Lord Hood's mouth formed suggested there were other reasons, but Thel chose not to pry. Although, admittedly, it did make him curious on just how somehow could intend disrespect over a popularity contest. Perhaps because the nature of only one winner could be seen as an insult to all the losers? Even if most Sangheili did not particularly care about humans' opinions on themselves - either as a species or as individuals - it was probably safe to keep this secret, just to be safe.

"Civilians can take matters down... interesting routes, on social media," Lord Hood continued. "It was already a trend to run these contests over everything imaginable. When someone got the idea to do this with all the known Sangheili individuals, it was decided to hold off on addressing it. No need to bring further attention to it.

"But no one could've imagined someone trying to actively bring it to your attention."

He was clearly mortified. A bit embarrassed, too. And while Thel would love to throw him a bone and allow him to quickly put it out of mind, there was a thought he just couldn't leave unspoken. It was all that had been on his mind in between receiving the "tip" on the contest and Lord Hood's call.

"I see it as a compliment, that so much of your population can see me - and others of my people - so positively, in spite of how young our alliance is. There is one piece of feedback, though, that you could perhaps forward to... 'social media', on my behalf."

Thel could almost swear the shading of Lord Hood's holographic face got brighter, lighter in color. "I can try and pull some strings. Depending on the message."

Leaning closer on his desk, resting his elbows on the surface and interlocking his hands, Thel began, "I can understand why so many humans would vote for me in the case of a popularity poll. I am the one with the closest relationship to your kind, with the most cases of notable - peaceful - interactions, outside of my Covenant career. I am possibly the only Sangheili much of your kind even recognizes on an individual-level.

"But I must make a case for my opponent, Rtas 'Vadum. His leadership and diplomatic abilities surpass my own. He has a way of connecting with those hostile to him in ways I have yet to replicate - the Prelate that initially sought personal vengeance being one such example. It is the reason I trust him so much with the task of searching for the lost San'Shyuum - he is perhaps the only one capable. Capable in finding them and capable in forging peace. And while I am sure his crew are loyal to the Swords of Sanghelios, if they ever had to choose between myself and their shipmaster, I am also sure what their choice would be. And he has earned that loyalty.

"I also must point out his accomplishments - which hold less awkwardness than my own, particularly in the context of relations with humanity. He is the reason the Flood did not infect my fleet at the first discovered Halo, emerging the sole survivor of a perilous situation. His actions at the second Halo, I truly believe, ensured the strength of the Separatists that went on to aid humanity. It was him that did a lot of the rallying, it was him that claimed the crucial Shadow of Intent, and it was him that held our forces together in my absence. Again, his ability with words were valuable in maintaining morale, during the final hours of the Covenant. And his tactical mind, in emerging victorious when the odds were 3-1 against him.

"In conclusion... I feel the victor in this little contest should be him. Not me."

As Thel had explained his reasoning, Lord Hood had crossed his arms, eyes intently focusing. Maybe not necessarily on the Arbiter. When he finally had the opening to speak again, it seemed that he had become the one who couldn't help but let a pressing thought out.

"Really? Him? You're arguing he is the better leader, military man, diplomat - than you? And humanity should recognize that?" His arms uncrossed and went to his sides. "Do you know that to some, laying even a finger on Earth is more egregious than glassing dozens of colonies - even glassing Reach?"

"That is why I said less awkward." He should have braced for this skepticism, especially from Lord Hood. After all, he and Rtas did have a verbal spat that one time. Perhaps Lord Hood could never forgive Thel, but he certainly could maintain peace around him. There were valid reasons - not related to duty - as to why those two's paths never crossed again. Surely, Rtas would feel a bit of the same - he was not apologetic for Africa's partial glassing back then, he certainly wouldn't hold any regrets now. Not with anything related to the Flood.

"Although..." He sighed. "I can see why having a Sangheili other than you receive positive recognition is diplomatically valuable. If the peace between our species is centered solely on you, then it risks falling apart as soon as you're gone."

"Yes... there is also that angle to this."

"I will forward your argument to my colleagues and leave the choice up to them. They're the ones who deal with civilian matters more, anyway."

A funny thing about jointly occupied territory, is that it sometimes meant alien access to humanity's Waypoint - the interstellar network where the current iterations of social media called home. Such access would mean becoming aware of discussions of aliens online - including a certain popularity contest. And such awareness might warrant, to some, the passing of knowledge via word of mouth or transmissions. Even if no one directly told the Arbiter about the contest, it would have reached his ears eventually.

Just like with the Arbiter, there were those curious as to what Rtas' reaction would be like, and it thus reached him, too.

"Of course the Arbiter would win their approval," he said. "He deserves it. His higher reputation amongst humanity aside, he deserves it. He is the Arbiter, the one who freed our people from the Covenant's lies, the one who resurrected the Swords of Sanghelios, the one who proposed the Concert of Worlds. There is nothing I could do that he could not do better.

"Why is this even a contest? Amongst humans, no less? It was his word that kept me from glassing their entire planet, just to stop a Flood outbreak. It was his word back then that caused many Sangheili to ally with humanity, rather than fight both the Covenant and humans. It is his word now that continues to keep many Sangheili from seeking another war. Because he has proven his wisdom, and he has proven his honor. Those who continue to doubt either are fools that hold our people back. And their leaders cannot even match him."

"Well, hold it right there," Stolt, one of his most prominent subordinates despite being an Unggoy, cut in. "Have you seen the rest of this? The Arbiter is trying to convince these humans to vote for you."

Admittedly, he barely even started. When he saw it was nothing but a meaningless popularity poll human civilians were running, he stopped giving it much thought. Partially, it was due to already being convinced of the outcome - that the Arbiter would reign supreme and he would hardly been given notice. The only reason he wasn't questioning the fact that he was even named in this poll in the first place was due to there not being very many notable Sangheili in the human public eye, as far as he could tell. But he and the Shadow of Intent had played an important role in the end of the war, after the alliance had been forged. It wasn't completely out of the question that he garnered a bit of human attention over that - and not just from ONI spies.

It also wasn't out of the question that the Arbiter would speak of him around humans and make them more aware of his existence... such as now. He skimmed through what had been sent until he reached that part, quickly absorbing it.

Then he shook his head. "He is far too humble. A good chunk of this is mere exaggeration. How he even got the impression I was this grand, I have no idea. I am only doing what he asks of me to the best of my abilities. He deserves no less than that, and that does not make me superior. He would excel at all the same tasks had he the time to do them - it is only I who succeeded, because someone had to in his place.

"Besides, he is forgetting some of his own accomplishments that have nothing to do with humans. When he first became Arbiter, he passed his first mission with flying colors. I honestly did not expect him to even survive, pulling off the stunt he did - selflessly cutting the safety cables of that mining facility to draw out his target, while allowing all my men to retreat to safety. He did that knowing I would not come back for an Arbiter - he did it unaware that anyone would."

"Ah, but that was a mission to kill 'Heretics', right?" Stolt said again. "I'm sure the bitterness of knowing they were right all along and didn't need to be killed is why he would never even think that a merit."

"The target is irrelevant. The sentiment of his actions is what matters." Leaning back into his shipmaster's chair, he continued with a softer voice, "And he is wrong. About his talent for speech. And Infinite Succor... The fact I was the only survivor should say enough regarding my leadership in that moment. And the fact I was able to go back into the field, to command troops again... should say enough regarding his ability to speak to those under him. He has earned more loyal soldiers than I - and not entirely because he meets more people than I."

Clearing his throat, his voice hardened again. "Take the colony of Om'a'Varo, for instance. Those who settled on Rak. I believe it is not just him being humble that he's selling himself short - he takes the cases where his words are not enough to be a failing on his part, and not the failing of the other's mind. There are some who will just not listen. But he has gotten many to do so."

"So what I'm hearing is... we need to send in our own message to the humans to counter his?"

Rtas huffed. "That will not be necessary. Even with his endorsement, the humans will still choose him. I am certain of that. In the time we could draft a pointless transmission, we could be using our time and systems for more important tasks. This conversation, too, holds little worth - the only value being a stronger reiteration of what is already known."

With that, Rtas was finished with the subject. Well, almost, maybe. It crossed his mind to maybe, instead of sending his passionate argument to the humans, sneak a bit of the sentiment in his next report. Not obvious enough to distract from the report's actual content, but subtle enough to let the Arbiter know fully well that Rtas had heard him - and strongly disagreed.

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nekoprankster218 · 6 months

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okay so apparently while doing research for writing a Halo thing, I realized I completely misremembered Thel and Rtas having a conversation at the end of the Infinite Succor comment? I could've sworn they had a moment where Thel reassured Rtas about how the mission ended

now I'm curious if anyone's attempted to write fic about that. probably would have the same vibes as Sunrise on Sanghelios

#halo #rtas vadum #thel vadam #rtas 'vadum #thel 'vadam #the arbiter #halo lore #the last voyage of the infinite succor #halo the graphic novel #halo: the graphic novel #halo graphic novel #my post #my posts

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shaxxuality · 7 months

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i'm technically late for rtas's birthday (its the 22nd here now at 2 am lmao)

BUT i still wanted to repost this short genfic of thel and rtas i wrote a year ago :>

rly disappointed i havent written anything for them since and im not sure if i ever will again in the future, but at least this fic can honor my old era on here as a nonstop thelrtas blogger years ago lmao

thank u for checking it out if u do!!

#halo #sangheili #thel 'vadam #rtas 'vadum #thelrtas tag

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prankdoeswriting · 4 months

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Rtas 'Vadum, Nizat 'Kvarosee, Stolt (Halo), Melody Azikiwe, Tul 'Juran, Amalea Petrov, Tam 'Lakosee, Meduz 'Ra'ashai, Vul 'Soran, Original Characters, Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter Additional Tags: One Shot, Not Beta Read, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Elites | Sangheili, Based on a Tumblr Post Series: Part 62 of Works by "Prank" (Pseud Series) Summary:

In an alternate timeline, Shadow of Intent is sent to investigate the destruction of UNSC corvettes at the planet N'ba / Netherop, while carrying on the rescue of castaways those ships failed to complete. Alongside the human envoy Melody Azikiwe, can Rtas 'Vadum peacefully resolve the continuing war on the planet's surface? And how will the self-proclaimed Worldmaster - Nizat 'Kvarosee - react during the inevitable confrontation between Swords and Defenders?

(Based on the round 1 match between Rtas & Nizat during the Sangheili Bracket, in which Rtas won with 100% of all the votes. That overwhelming victory has led to the interpretation of this scenario as a series of Nat 20s on Persuasion and Deception.)

#halo fanfic #halo fic #halo fanfiction #halo #rtas vadum #rtas 'vadum #rtas ‘vadum #shipmaster rtas vadum #my writing #my fanfic #my fic #my fanfics #my fics #ao3 #archive of our own #ao3 link #oneshot #one shot

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playable-elite · 7 months

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Can you forward “Happy Birthday” wishes to Rtas ‘Vadum, if possible? (and don’t ask how we know his birthday and why we celebrate)

I will tell him when we next speak.

It will be late, but he has never minded.

#answers #rtas 'vadum

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ftlolbyexe · 2 months

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#ways zucks lizard people lost half their mandibles #arba is an oc btw #sangheili #jega 'rdomnai #rtas 'vadum #halo #been debating posting this for a day but its tumblr so

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jimminaldacriminal · 2 years

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Look, I’m not a simp for Rtas…

But have you heard his voice?

#rtas 'vadum #halo 2 #sangheili #so hotttt #that voice

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bloodborne-on-pc · 7 months

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Just woke up from a dream where I playing a non-existent Halo spin-off. It was still a first-person game, though I remember that the melee combat was a bit more elaborate than mainline Halo, and you could carry around more weapons. You also had a buddy with you every level, who'd help you fight enemies. There was a mechanic where, if your buddy was close enough and you hit the button prompt at the right time, they could help pull you out of the way of attacks, reducing or negating the damage you took. You could also pull your buddy out of the way of danger.

The game itself took place either at the end of the Human-Covenant War, or a little after. There were two separate storylines, but even within each storyline there were a few different POV characters you would play as throughout the story. The only level I remember playing was the final level of one of the storylines. And the playable character for this level was none other than Rtas 'Vadum. Which, a game where you get to play as him really is the dream ain't it?

Anyway, the other notable thing about the level is I was forced to go through it without a permanent buddy - I think you'd gain temporary allies for really hard enemies, like mini-bosses, but for the most you were on your own.

At the end of the level, I dropped down into a big obvious arena, and hey, it's Thel 'Vadam! He's passed out though. And then the final boss shows up.

So, the final boss. He was a Sangheili, but the design of his armor and weapons completely clashed with any and all aesthetic sensibilities of Halo. It was extremely detailed and overcomplicated. I remember in the dream itself thinking: "This guy looks like he walked straight out of Kingdom Hearts." Also, he had a name, I remember he had a specific name that I knew in the dream, but I can't remember it anymore and I'm sad.

As I was saying. The final boss shows up, and I'm forced to fight him completely alone. Which was pretty hard, because this guy was fast and didn't pull any punches. But then, halfway through the battle, Thel 'Vadam woke up, in a very dramatic scene where Rtas almost kicks the bucket but is pulled to safety by Thel. And then the two of us finished the boss off, with the power of friendship. Amd energy swords.

Also I just remembered the boss would sometimes fly around on his big stupid sword like it was a surfboard. Which man, that is some Kingdom Hearts shit. It was really funny.

#weird dreams #you know what? ill put this in tags why not?#halo #rtas 'vadum

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