Relay mite
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Relay mites[2] are small drones used by the Covenant for intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance. They are designed to seek out and attach to the hull of a hostile warship, reporting back to the Covenant the locations that ship travels to. They can be used for finding enemy planets, star systems, ports, and other critical infrastructure.[3] Relay mites are similar to another piece of Covenant technology, the malakost tracker. However, unlike a malakost tracker, relay probes are capable of self-operation and finding their own targets; by contrast a malakost tracker is manually applied to a target.[4]
A similar device known as a telemetry probe is also used by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC).
Overview[edit]
Relay mites are relatively small, around the size of a softball (~9.7 centimetres (3.8 in) diameter), making it easy for them to hide among an asteroid or debris field.[3] They consist of a central bulbous body with four spiderlike legs,[1][5] alongside a small optical camera and a tiny slipspace generator.[3] When a suitable target nears the probe, it is able to manouevre into position and attach to a given target via tiny electromagnets. Once attached, the probe is carried with the ship through space or slipspace to the ship's target destination(s). Using the aforementioned camera, the probe then spends several days watching the stars at the target location to obtain reference data which can be studied by the Covenant to triangulate the probe's position.[3]
Over the course of those days, the probe builds up an energy charge which, once complete, can be used to transmit its findings back home. This is accomplished by ejecting a tiny sliver of thallium nitride memory crystal close to the speed of light, surrounded by a slipspace field. If calculated well, the crystal is sent to a recieving station located in slipspace for the Covenant to pick up and analyse, learning every location the probe has visited since.[3]
Due to the small size of the probe, they are incredibly difficult to pick up on even a starship's sensors, especially when deposited in debris fields in the aftermath of a space battle. Once attached to a ship, they blend in perfectly with the vanadium steel exterior hull of a UNSC starship.[3]
Operational history[edit]
Human-Covenant War[edit]
During the Human-Covenant War, relay mites were used by the Covenant to help in finding the locations of human colonies. The most noteworthy example of this was after the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV on July 18, 2552. After the conclusion of the battle in space around the planet, a relay mite hiding in the debris field was able to attach to the exterior hull of a Halberd-class light destroyer, UNSC Iroquois. Iroquois then unknowingly brought the relay mite with it when it was recalled back to Reach, in the Epsilon Eridani system.[3] Iroquois (alongside the rest of Battle Group Leviathan) arrived in the Epsilon Eridani system on August 12, 2552,[6] which resulted in the prove learning the location of the UNSC's most heavily-fortified colony world. While Reach was already under attack by the Ministry of Fervent Intercession's Fleet of Valiant Prudence, this event was likely what alerted the Ministry of Resolution to Reach's location, resulting in a large fleet arriving in orbit shortly after the destruction of Long Night of Solace on August 14.[7][8]
Post-war[edit]
Various Covenant remnant groups have continued to use relay mites in the post-war era. These included one used by Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group in 2558 during the UNSC's attack of a space station in the Oth Lodon system. Relay mites were hidden in the system's asteroid field, which were able to alert Vata 'Gajat, Daniel Clayton, and the New Colonial Alliance manning the station to the presence of UNSC forces (particularly Fireteam Majestic on OF92 Booster Frames) in the region.[5]
In late 2559, the Swords of Sanghelios also used a relay mite in their campaign against Sali 'Nyon's Covenant and the Order of Restoration. Shipmistress Mahkee 'Chava was able to attach a relay mite to one of Sali 'Nyon's Ket-pattern battlecruisers, and used it to intercept a recording of Dovo Nesto discussing the Lithos. This ultimately put the Swords of Sanghelios on the path of assisting the UNSC in their campaign to secure the Lithos for themselves, and resulted in Shadow of Intent contributing to the Battle of Venezia and Battle of Boundary.[2]
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
- Halo: Fall of Reach
- Halo: Escalation
- Halo: Empty Throne (First named)
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant, issue 4
- ^ a b Halo: Empty Throne, chapter 10
- ^ a b c d e f g Halo: The Fall of Reach, chapter 23
- ^ Halo: Envoy, chapter 5
- ^ a b c Halo: Escalation, issue 5
- ^ Dr. Halsey's personal journal, page August 12, 2552
- ^ Halo: Fleet Battles, Scenario Six: Left Jab
- ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level Long Night of Solace
