Sentient Races

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The Jiralhanae (Latin, Servus ferox), also known as Brutes, are the newest members of the Covenant. They are a large, bipedal, ape-like species from Doisac. The Jiralhanae were the the second Covenant species encountered by the Humans, after the Kig-Yar raid on the freighter 'This Way Up'. They were first encountered by the Harvest colonial militia. The Brutes have a profound hatred of the Sangheili, unmatched by any other feud within the Covenant, fired by the Jiralhanae's natural aggressive nature and the Sangheili's attitudes of superiority.

The Jiralhanae have been part of the Covenant since before the destruction of the UNSC agricultural colony on Harvest, and were always feared by the Sangheili for their monomaniacal behavior. The Jiralhanaes' plans to seize power over the Sangheili began with their alliance with the High Prophet of Truth during the Battle of Harvest and continued to gain headway until the eventual splitting of the Covenant. They eventually took the role of the Prophets' Honor Guards from the Sangheili after the Sangheili failed to prevent the assassination of the High Prophet of Regret by the Master Chief, finally culminating with the Jiralhanae replacing the Sangheili as the leaders of the Covenant Military.

They are rated a Native Tier 4/Adopted Tier 2 species by the Forerunner Technological Achievement Tier scale.

Anatomy and Physiology:

Brutes are physically imposing enemies to face in combat. Standing at approximately 8 feet tall, they not only tower over their human opponents, but the majority of their Covenant allies, with only Hunters standing taller. They have thick, gray skin that is extremely resilient to damage.

They are covered in thick, shaggy fur that offers further protection. It covers most of the body except for the head and the shoulder blades. However, Brutes also have what looks like scales on their arms, though this is because of their very thick skin. Brutes exhibit two coloration's: brown and gray. It is most common that the older a Brute is, the less brown his skin will contain.

Brutes have mixed red-and-blue blood which at first glance looks completely red. Brutes resemble a cross between an ape and a rhino, being taller and more muscular in the torso and limbs than a human.

Heavily muscled and possessing an animalistic brutality and strength, Brutes can rely on close combat to defeat their enemies, even more so than their Elite counterparts. However, their great strength may in fact be simply relative, due to the species' evolution on a world with twice the gravity of Delta Halo, Earth, and other planets and structures with one G. Featuring characteristics simian, ursine, and alien, their appearance fits their human given name.

Brutes have digits on each hand including opposable thumbs. As such they can make use of a variety of weapons both of Covenant and human design. Their feet have only two digits. They also typically have a red tongue. When it comes to ranged conflict Brutes show a tendency to use large, rapid firing, often powerful weapons. This may be indicative of their mentality and an extension of their brutal nature. The many spikes and serrated edges that adorn their race's weapons, vehicles and armor further exhibit this. .

Brutes are not as mentally slow as they may appear, and are often fairly cunning tacticians. As such they can pilot vehicles & ships and command both land based & fleet encounters with strategic competence, albeit lacking in artistic flair. They also have a higher vocabulary than other members of the Covenant apart from Elites and Prophets.

Brutes are known to descend into a highly aggressive berserk killing-rage when all their pack mates have been killed. Their incredible physical strength coupled with a dogged self determination to kill their target makes a berserk Brute a force to be reckoned with, powerful enough even to kill Hunters. Also, when berserking, they will not hesitate to attack an enemy, even if the target is in a vehicle, such as a Ghost, they will attack the vehicle head on or attempt to force the enemy out.

Before Jiralhanae reach full maturity, they naturally release pheromones. Other Jiralhanae can smell these pheromones and tell how others are feeling by the scent. When they do reach maturity, they learn to control the releases of their pheromones andcan stop them all together if they wish.

Approximate Population:

Before the Doisac civil war, the approximate population was around 23 billion. Despite the largescale war on their homeworld, efforts of the Covenant Remnants have managed to keep the population growing.

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The Kig-yar (Latin: Perosus latrunculus) are a saurian species which serve the Covenant Loyalists and occasionally the Sanghelios Concordat, as mercenaries and privateers. Humans have termed these vicious creatures Jackals, as they are known for their swiftness, viciousness, and dexterity, despite their physical frailty. In combat, Kig-yar serve as either snipers or scouts within the Covenant due to their excellent senses of sight, smell, and hearing.

Anatomy and Physiology:

Despite their saurian origins, Kig-yar are avian in appearance, with feather-like quills on their heads and arms on males and calloused plates on females for protection from males during mating, and three-toed bird-like feet with deadly talons. They have three fingers on each hand with razor-sharp claws. Kig-yar have bird-like beaks and razor sharp teeth that can easily rip flesh apart. They are mainly carnivorous and are known to the consume flesh of other sentient beings.

Though they are not a low-gravity species, they do have many qualities that are shared with species from low-g worlds. The female of the species lack the spiny plumage (said plumage's color serving as indication of the Jackal's mood) of the male; replacing it with calloused plates at the forearms and the rear of the head. This thick skin helps protect the female during courtship. When mating, the male can choose to fertilize the egg, in which a male is produced, whereas if the eggs are not fertilized a female is produced. Aside from the obvious differences in reproductive organs, the male and female of the species are more or less identical in appearance with no physical disparity or mass distribution between the sexes.

Kig-yar skin is scaly and typically light brown or sickly yellow in color. Their blood is bright purple in color, similar to that of the Sangheili, possibly showing a similar chemical makeup. The lack of calcium in their skeletons makes them a poor source of food for potential Flood forms, though this does not stop the flood from converting them to combat forms.

Population:

After the Human-Covenant War, the population of the Kig-Yar is estimated to be approximately 35 billion

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The Unggoy (Latin, Monachus frigus) are a species of small, squat and bipedal arthropods in the unified races of the Covenant. They are the lowest rank in the hierarchy, and are frequently mistreated by higher-ranking races such as the Sangheili and Jiralhanae, so much so that killing Unggoy is not even considered a crime in the Covenant homeworlds. Unggoy are primarily used as laborers or, in combat situations, cannon fodder. They are one of the later races to be introduced into the Covenant. They were the third Covenant species to be encountered by humans. They are referred to as Grunts by humans, mainly because they are considered weak compared to their superiors and also because they perform the majority of the labor required by the Covenant.

Anatomy and Physiology:

Unggoy are average of about 5 1/2 feet tall and are relatively weak compared to other Covenant species. Although they can easily walk upright on two legs, they may often use their arms to move in a quadrupedal fashion. While carrying armaments, they are forced to walk upright so that they may support their weapons with their hands, but while trying to flee, or while patrolling without a weapon drawn, they use their oversized arms as forelegs to add speed or stability to their gait. Their eyesight and hearing is average, and seem to have a very well developed sense of smell, sometimes sniffing the air to detect traces of foes or hidden enemies. This is facilitated through the olfactory membranes installed in their masks.

Unggoy also have thick, bio-luminescent, light-blue blood, possibly a result of methane-based proteins in the blood to facilitate methane-based respiration. Like Earth's Horseshoe Crabs, it is possible that their blood is blue due to high copper content.

An Unggoy's forearms are incredibly over-sized, as are their calves, while their upper arms and thighs are seemingly small. This has allowed them to be quite excellent climbers. Spiny protrusions on their elbows help them scale rocky surfaces and may also be used to add force to their melee attacks. They also have an amazingly fast finger reflex speed, as they can fire a plasma pistol of the same rate a Sangheili can with a plasma rifle.

The Unggoy have flat, three-toed feet, with another toe on the back of their feet. While they are small, stocky, and not agile, they are quite sturdy; most may be weak, as they seem to be unable to carry a weapon heavier than a plasma pistol, although certain Unggoy of higher ranks appear to be surprisingly strong, able to carry an undeployed plasma cannon or fire a fuel rod gun with one hand without toppling from the recoil. However, physical strength may not actually go along with rank; the types of weapons available to them may be a part of a "trust" issue with the other Covenant. As rank-and-file Unggoy are clumsy and tactically inept, more powerful weapons are likely only issued to those who are more disciplined and experienced.

Unggoy have been described as breeding prodigiously in many instances, with large egg clutches and short childhood periods.This might explain why there are so many of them on the battlefield. This combined with the large number of young per clutch and rapid sensory motor integration development was one of the primary reasons why the species were given the role of disposable cannon fodder. Their unburdened neural pathway allows them to absorb knowledge more freely compared to their peers. As such, they are constantly monitoring the void for traces of human communication and have developed a clear understanding of two or even three human languages. This serves as a river of confidence in times of great stress for them. Overpopulation is a serious problem and in non-war times, strict laws are placed on Unggoy breeding.

Approximate Population:

With the split of the Unggoy population during the Great Schism, their population dropped to only 320 million, though during the ceasefire it was raised quickly to 47 billion, when both the Covenant and Sanghelios Concordat took necessary measures to slow their breeding throughout their Empires.

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Huragok (Latin Facticius indoles), known to Humans as Engineers, are an artificial race that was created by the Forerunners. They are the only known non-combatant race of the Covenant, though some are rigged to explode like suicide bombers.

Anatomy and Physiology:

The Engineers are actually not a natural, biological species at all, but rather an artificial life form created by the Forerunners. While they possess no true tissues or organs, their nano-mechanical surrogates so closely mimic their biological analogs that they seem almost indistinguishable to observers. Multiple gas-bladders serve as their method of locomotion, allowing them to float through the air even after their deaths. The bladders also serve as part of their respiratory system; if their gas bladders deflate, they will asphyxiate and die.

They have small heads with six dark eyes, and four tentacles that can split into very small, near-microscopic cilia. The Engineers use these cilia to construct, repair, or rebuild nearly anything they can grasp. They can take apart whole vehicles and rearrange their entire structure in a matter of seconds, with the resulting machines still operating at least as well as they did before. They learn at an unprecedented rate, and store that information for future reference if ever they need to repair the same thing twice. They are capable of surviving in at least oxygen and methane-rich environments, though they cannot survive in a vacuum.

Huragok are not normally a tactical threat and are hardly ever seen in combat situations. Most UNSC soldiers make a point of avoiding intentionally harming Huragok if possible. Unlike the majority of the Covenant races, they do not regard humans as enemies; during the John-117's assault upon Ascendant Justice, one even aided the SPARTAN-II by repairing the shield generator on his MJOLNIR armor and fixing the SPARTAN's current weapon, a broken Needler.

Huragok "reproduce" by gathering the needed (or available) materials from their surroundings to "build" another Huragok. This new offspring is then filled with a precise mixture of lighter-than-air gasses. The initial buoyancy of the newly born Huragok is what it is named after. Three known Huragok names have been revealed so far. Those who sink are named 'Far Too Heavy'. Those whose buoyancy is almost perfect are named 'Easy to Adjust'. Lastly, those whose gas mixture causes them to exhibit extreme buoyancy are named 'Lighter Than Some'. Up to three Huragok take part in this process, relaying all the information that they have learned to their "offspring". Given sufficient raw materials, a pair of Huragok can produce a unified replica of themselves in approximately 45 minutes; the addition of a third Huragok cuts the time down to thirty minutes. Understandably, it is advantageous to have as many Huragok contribute to this process as possible, raising the "intelligence" of the offspring.

When deployed during large-scale archaeological expeditions, Huragok make use of large Recharge Stations, where they rest, repair each other, and share data between forays.

Huragok blood is luminescent blue-purple in color.

Huragok are bioluminescent, and in dark conditions their heads and tentacles emit a bright bluish glow, which seems to pulsate when the Huragok is calm and dim when it is frightened. The cilia on their tentacles give off a pinkish-red light as well.

Though the inner workings of an Engineer's internal macroscopic biology remain a mystery, it is known that they are capable of using the gas sacks that keep them afloat for anaerobic respiration. This method is painful, dangerous, and apparently only used as a last resort. Huragok use thousands of microscopic organisms to digest the food they consume, producing many gases, including methane, as a by-product.

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