Warrior-Servant
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
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Caste / military organization |
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Defense of the ecumene |
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Size: |
Trillions of Warriors[1] |
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| Societal overview | |
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Tier 1 | |
| Historical overview | |
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Warrior-Servants or Warriors were the rate traditionally tasked with defense and warfare in the Forerunner ecumene.[2] In formal proceedings, the rate was also referred to as the Warrior-Servant Corps.[3] They stood second-lowest in the hierarchy of rates during the last millennia of Forerunner rule. The highest and most respected class of Warrior-Servants were known as the Prometheans. The rank of protector of the ecumene — commander of the Forerunner military — was historically held by a high-ranked Warrior-Servant, the most well-known being the Ur-Didact and his successor, the IsoDidact.[4]
Overview[edit]
While the Forerunners preferred to see themselves as peaceful by nature, Warrior-Servants were ruthless in executing warfare against enemies of the ecumene, as they believed that defying the Forerunners was to show contempt toward the Mantle itself.[5] Although their services were vital in maintaining galactic harmony, most Forerunners viewed their purpose and practices as contradictory to the principles of the Mantle. As a result, other rates looked down on the Warrior-Servants, who tended to keep to themselves.[6]
In battle, Warrior-Servants wore varying types of fighting suits - combat skins - the war sphinx being an example of a medium-sized suit.[5] Warrior armour was designed to optimise itself to counter enemy weaponry; this ability was capable of making their armour virtually invulnerable to repeated discharges from Forerunner infantry weapons.[7] The Warrior-Servants operated the Forerunners' most prominent battle fleets, comprising warships such as Fortress-class vessels, dreadnoughts, planet-breakers, and picket cruisers. Warriors employed extensive drone support in the form of dedicated monitors and sentinels,[8] in addition to the ancillas of their battle armor and ships.[9] In fleet engagements, individual Warriors could be assigned control of over a million automated weapon-ships.[10] Warrior forces were organized into large-scale legions which possessed a number of subordinate attack squadrons.[11]
As with the other rates, Warrior-Servant forms were shaped based on qualities deemed most useful in their role; to best suit fighting and warfare, Warriors were more powerfully built and more robust than the other rates.[12] While it was rarely necessary to engage in close-quarters combat in actual warfare, Warriors still possessed remarkable physical strength.[13] The augmented mental capacity of Warrior commanders allowed them to perceive reality in many separate reference frames with alternating flows of time while sharing sensory input with their compatriots.[14]
In the event of death, Warrior fighting suits were programmed to retain their wearer's last personality impressions for future study.[9] It was also a common policy among Warriors to extract the memory impressions of their vanquished foes before executing them.[15] However, in the case of opponents they deemed worthy, it was considered more honorable to execute them outright.[16]
Hand signals and symbolic gestures[edit]
Warrior-Servants had their own codified system of unique hand signals and gestures. Making use of their rate's six-fingered hands, this sign language relied on both hand and arm gestures to convey meanings and ideas without spoken words.
- "Command received"
- Raising one's hand and giving it a half-turn to indicate affirmation of an order. This gesture appeared to have been the standard form of displaying a quick confirmation.[17]
- "Salute / Goodbye"
- Lifting one's hand to touch the chin. This farewell gesture was used for expressing respect toward a superior or comrade.[18]
- "Sympathy"
- Pressing the sixth finger of the left hand against another Warrior-Servant's left sixth finger. This gesture was used to express shared sentiment and solidarity.[19]
- "Admission of guilt"
- Marking a Y over the forehead and bridge of the nose with a finger. This gesture signified a warrior's awareness of their own shame and guilt.[19][20]
- "Dismissal / Disbelief"
- Raising the left arm and twisting the hand. This gesture was seemingly used by commanders to convey disapproval or to signal a rejection of some claim.[21]
History[edit]
Ten million years before the final days of the Forerunner civilization, the Warriors were the highest rate.[22] They were the ones responsible for rebelling against the Precursors and hunting them down to near-extinction.[23] Their status would gradually move lower over several millions of years, in part due to an increase in the political power of their Builder competitors and because the other rates viewed their field of work with distaste. This decrease of status would result in the name of their rate being suffixed with "-Servant", although on some occasions they were still referred to as "Warriors".[24]
Even though they eventually ranked second-lowest, the Warrior-Servants, particularly their highest and most respected Promethean class, still wielded remarkable political power and were in a prestigious social standing, serving in various roles in the Ecumene Council by the time of the