Yanme'e
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Yanme'e | |
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| Biological overview | |
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Latin name: |
Turpis rex |
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Classification: |
Arthropod |
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Diet: |
Carnivorous |
| Physical information | |
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Avg. height: |
177.8 centimetres (5.83 ft)–205.8 centimetres (6.75 ft)[1][2] |
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Avg. weight: |
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Distinctions: |
Xeno-arthropodal morphology, beetle-like wings and exoskeleton. Flight-capable. Vestigial third pair of limbs on abdomen |
| Sociocultural information | |
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Homeworld: |
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Native Tier 4/Adopted Tier 2[3] | |
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Notable individuals: |
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Also known as: |
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- "The flying Yanme'e, simply called the Drones by some, tend to a hivelike society, eusocial and separated by castes, each with its own tasks, subject to the will of a matriarchal queen."
- — From the Prophet of Clarity's Notes on the History of the Covenant[5]
The Yanme'e (Latin, Turpis rex, translated to "dishonorable king"[6]), referred to by some individuals as Drones[5] or Buggers,[4] are a race of sentient, carnivorous, flight-capable insectoids.[7] The Yanme'e were one of the species that composed the religious hegemony known as the Covenant, having become the body's second client species in 1112 CE.[3] In combat, the Yanme'e served as mechanics and soldiers, often using their ability to fly to carry out ambushes on enemies of the Covenant.[1]
History[edit]
The Yanme'e evolved from winged tree-dwelling arthropods on Palamok which had developed complex motor skills due to a flexible appendage made up of chitin that functioned as an opposable thumb. Eventually, the species developed higher levels of technology that ultimately led to the evolution of the Yanme'e species, due to societal coordination and cooperation.[7] The Forerunners noted that the Yanme'e were one of the few sapient, arthropodal species in the Milky Way galaxy that were competent enough to attain tool-making and technological skills.[3]
The Covenant[edit]
Eventually, the Yanme'e became an interstellar-faring, Tier-4 species. The Yanme'e first encountered the Covenant in the year 1112, while the Covenant was searching for Forerunner artifacts.[8] Initially, first contact was violent as the Yanme'e attempted to resist the alien invaders. Both sides took heavy casualties, but surprisingly,[3] it was the Covenant who fared worse in these battles due to the sheer amount of Yanme'e combatants.[1] However, the Covenant was unwilling to glass Palamok, as the San'Shyuum believed that Palamok's hives could be guarding Forerunner relics on the planet's surface. The San'Shyuum eventually found an effective way to communicate with the Yanme'e, and subsequently incorporated them into the Covenant by way of a treaty in an effort to prevent a prolonged war. Exploration of Palamok following the war provided no evidence of former Forerunner artifacts on the planet.[7] The San'Shyuum were quick to make use of their talent for repairing machinery, and employed them as mechanics on Covenant vessels.[9] An assembly of Yanme'e Hive Queens was formed, and they conscripted members of the drone caste into the Covenant military.[5]
The Yanme'e were one of the first species to make contact with humanity, on the human colony of Harvest in February 2525. They were first identified by the United Nations Space Command in the siege of Gladsheim, a small town on Harvest.[10] During the later fight on the Tiara, several Yanme'e killed the Huragok Lighter Than Some out of jealousy, causing the enraged Unggoy Deacon Dadab to slaughter them in revenge.[11]
After the Hierarchs declared war on humanity, Yanme'e were used as military combatants against UNSC forces. They were deployed during many major conflicts, including the Fall of Reach. During the Battle of Meridian, five or six Yanme'e were deployed by an Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette to finish off the survivors of a boat it had fired upon. Dorian Nguyen was able to kill one by slamming it with a guitar, crumpling its wings and sending the Yanme'e into the sea. Dorian managed to escape, but the Yanme'e slaughtered the hundreds of other people on the boat, including Dorian's friends and bandmates.[12]
During the Battle for Earth, they boarded orbital defense platforms along with other Covenant infantry.[13] When the Covenant made landfall in New Mombasa, the Yanme'e immediately established a large hive in the Superintendent's data center.[14]
During the Great Schism, the Yanme'e joined the San'Shyuum and the Jiralhanae.[15] Many were present as combatants during the Battle of Installation 00.[16]
Post-war[edit]
After the Human-Covenant War, many Yanme'e happily returned to their home system.[7] In 2554,[17] Many Yanme'e served in Tem'Bhetek's faction which attempted to use the Prototype Halo installation to destroy Sanghelios and the Sangheili. Many were killed by Rtas 'Vadum and Tul 'Juran after mortally wounding Tem'Bhetek with the remaining ones trying desperately to get to Boru'a'Neem to stop him from firing the miniature Halo again. They were killed when Tem destroyed the installation.[18] A large number of Yanme'e were present during the Battle of Draetheus V, serving in Merg Vol's Covenant.[19] Many more served in Jul 'Mdama's Covenant during the Battle of Installation 03.[20] For the most part, though, the Yanme'e mostly kept to themselves. The UNSC attempted a "don't poke the nest" policy toward the Yanme'e, attempting to avoid direct provocation while the UNSC focused on more immediate threats within the Covenant remnants. This policy was largely successful, though there were exceptions.[21]
When Cortana made her offer at the beginning of the Created conflict to the species of the galaxy, she did not include the Yanme'e in her list of species that she offered to fall under her protection. Upon hearing her message, Spartan Edward Buck noted her exclusion of the Yanme'e and didn't blame Cortana for excluding them as the Yanme'e creeped him out.[22][23]
Description[edit]
Anatomy and physiology[edit]
- "They're built kinda like beetles, and they flit around on twinned pairs of transparent wings that flap faster than you can see."
- — Edward Buck on the Yanme'e[24]
The Yanme'e share many similarities with Earth’s beetles and colonial insects. They are bipedal arthropods with hard exoskeletons made from a glossy chitinous substance, as well as two pairs of veined wings. These adaptations are a response to the high gravity of the Yanme'e homeworld, Palamok; their shells allow them to withstand hard falls, and the thick atmosphere of Palamok allows the winged Yanme'e to achieve just enough lift to perform fluttering leaps or naturally short bursts of flight.[25] In lower-gravity environments, Yanme'e are capable of using their wings for actual aerial maneuvering, but the weight of their exoskeletons prevent them from flying.[1] When the Covenant discovered this natural ability, scientists extended their flight capabilities by fixing gravity-dampening modules to their bodies. The module adjustment gave the Yanme'e the ability to take flight freely, and the species proved to be impressive fliers—particularly on worlds that had less gravity than Palamok.[7] Yanme'e are also impressively strong, despite their frail appearance. They can also be seen lifting their enemies off the ground to impressive heights.[24][26]
Unlike Earth insects, which have three body segments, Yanme'e have five: a head, a cephalothorax, a thorax, a pelvis, and an abdomen. The head supports a pair of feathery sensory antennae and luminous,[27] compound eyes that give the species adept vision.[28] The mouth consists of several sets of mandibles like those found on insects. Their hands sport opposable thumbs and three dextrous fingers. Yanme'e are "polydextrous", meaning that they are capable of using both their prehensile hands and feet to operate tools. The primary pair of legs are attached to a pelvis-like structure, while a smaller pair is attached to the abdomen. Although they generally use their primary set of limbs, Yanme'e can use this last set of limbs to operate weapons, grasp enemies, or latch on to ceilings and hang down vertically during sleep.[7][29] The Yanme'e have extremely sharp claws, located on all limbs,[11] that they can use to defend themselves if necessary, though they prefer to avoid close-quarters combat.[30] Yanme'e are a carnivorous species. Early in their history, the Yanme'e developed and bred types of feral livestock for food.[3]
There is essentially no apparent sexual dimorphism between male and female Yanme'e. Yanme'e exoskeletons are brightly colored, with different hues representing different functions or class.[7] Adolescent, or pupal, Yanme'e have translucent shells that glow luminescent yellow and orange. Almost nothing is known about the Yanme'e life cycle beyond the fact that the queen lays eggs. It is possible that the Yanme'e go through a complete metamorphosis including an egg, larva, pupae and adult stage, as many terrestrial insects and arthropods do.
To humans, Yanme'e have a slight natural musty odor.[31] Yanme'e blood is known to display a range of bioluminescent colors, which varies based on their diet.[32]
Intelligence[edit]
Yanme'e are a eusocial species, and therefore their intelligence is geared toward working in concert with large groups. They can accomplish tasks swiftly and efficiently when working together, and their knowledge of machinery is rivaled only by the Huragok. However, they lack individuality because of their hive lifestyle; their instincts and societal conditioning suppress creative thought and encourage total obedience to authority. They do not appear to experience higher emotions; it is known that they are able to feel jealousy, as seen when they killed the Huragok Lighter Than Some because he usurped their role as technician on board Rapid Conversion.[11] Yanme'e were allegedly incapable of feeling fear.[33] Despite their hive-minded nature, Yanme'e are still individually quite intelligent.[24]
Certain Yanme'e are unable to function in a hive society due to a form of personality disorder; these "Unmutuals" are capable of independent thought and tactical planning, although they tend to be extremely violent and aggressive. However, some of these Yanme'e appear to be very intelligent independently. One individual was able to tamper with the inner circuitry of a UNSC Interrogator and allowed the device to translate the Yanme'e language into English in a matter of seconds.[34]
Culture[edit]
The Yanme'e are an insectoid species with a hive-minded social structure. Their society consists of reproductive queens, reproductive male drones and non-reproductive workers and soldiers. It is unknown if the soldier and worker caste is specific to one gender or another, but it is confirmed that the Yanme'e worker