T'vaoan

The T'vaoans, referred to by humans as Skirmishers, are a subspecies of the Kig-Yar hailing from T'vao. They served the Covenant as a specialized group in the military.

Origins
The T'vaoans originated from the Kig-Yar homeworld of Eayn. They eventually colonized other locations within the Y'Deio system, primarily the asteroid T'vao, from which they earn their name. The higher gravity, more dramatic atmospheric shifts, and other harsher environmental conditions on T'vao lead to the Skirmishers evolving much differently than other Kig-Yar. When the Covenant made peace with the Kig-Yar after a battle in the system, T'vaoans were recruited into the Covenant's military.

The Covenant
Many T'vaoans served in the Human-Covenant War, often being led by Sangheili or Jiralhanae. In engagements prior to 2530, mixed units containing both common Kig-Yar and Skirmishers were more common; however, this changed toward the end of the war, with Covenant doctrine favoring units comprised solely of Skirmishers. Several Skirmisher squads saw action during the Battle of Hat Yai and Battle of Actium, among other engagements. During these engagements UNSC forces managed to capture the hologram technology used by the Skirmishers.

They saw extensive action during the Fall of Reach, and as a result of catastrophically high casualties, the Skirmisher ranks were utterly exhausted and the Skirmishers themselves nearly wiped out, though the subspecies on a whole did survive.

Post-war
Despite the amount of T'vaoans that died in the Human-Covenant War, many still remained. The T'vaoan Shipmistress Chol Von attempted to create a united Kig-Yar government to defend the Y'Deio system from threats, while others, such as Sav Fel, returned to the Kig-Yar's ancient ways of piracy. At least one T'vaoan joined Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group, serving as 'Gajat's second-in-command.

Anatomy and physiology
T'vaoans are a subset of the Kig-Yar species hailing from the isolated environment of T'vao. The morphological variation among the Kig-Yar represents divergent evolution in response to varied environments on prehistoric Eayn. They are much faster and stronger than the more lightly-built common Kig-Yar, known to humans as Jackals. They have darker skin and stockier, squared heads with small yellow eyes with slitted pupils, as opposed to the bulbous and pale eyes of the mainline Kig-Yar. They also have more beak-like mouths and bony facial coverings. Skirmishers have true feathers on their heads and arms, unlike the Jackals' quills. A Skirmisher's voice is more raspy and guttural - this is because they have an expanding voice chamber on their throat. Skirmishers serve as Covenant shock troops, while the more lightly built Jackals see deployment as dedicated ranger or sniper units. Unlike other Kig-Yar, Skirmishers do not display color changes in their plumage when their moods shift.

Their head shape appears to be more avian than their cousins; their skin tone is noticeably darker and not yellowish. They also run much faster than Jackals, reaching speeds of up to 72 kilometers (45 miles) per hour in open environments, and can jump incredible heights. Like Jackals, Skirmishers have sharp talons on their hands and feet. While both subspecies are quite agile, Skirmishers are capable of sprinting at great speeds and leaping long distances. Male Kig-Yar from T'vao had much heavier upper body plumage than other Kig-Yar. Females from T'vao had a ruff of feathers on their heads and necks instead of scales. Young T'vaoan chicks are covered in a brown fledgling down which gradually moults and gives way to scales and plumage as they age.

The blood of a T'vaoan is thick and purple.

Culture
T'vaoans have a culture largely similar to most Kig-Yar, although most T'vaoans believe themselves to be superior over the rest of the Kig-Yar. Among T'vaoans, it is often considered "bad form" to treat a T'vaoan like an average Kig-Yar. Like other types of Kig-Yar, T'vaoan society is described as matriarchal. T'vaoans are attracted to shiny, glittery and glamorous objects. Males often squabble amongst each other and display their quills for females.

Role in the Covenant
The Covenant use Skirmishers as close-range combatants, attacking in packs and using lightning-fast flanking tactics, as opposed to the mainline Kig-Yar, who are often used as defensive and long-range combatants and assassins. Anatomically, they possess a profile similar to regular Kig-Yar, though in combat they do not wield large rounded energy shields like the Jackals. High-ranking Skirmishers do wear point defense gauntlets or wrist shields, medium sized ovular shields strapped on to their wrists, to help them deflect bullet and light plasma fire.

Apart from combat roles, and like the common Kig-Yar, the T'vaoans can hold commanding roles such as the title of shipmaster in the Covenant military.

Ranks structure
A fresh T'vaoan starts as a Skirmisher Minor (marked with black feathers and grey armor) and is promoted to Major (marked with red feathers and greyish-red armor) once it has accumulated sufficient combat experience.

There are several specialist ranks for the Skirmishers. These specialists are equipped with their own variation of combat armor and given equipments to fulfill their specific, respective roles. The Murmillones, for example, in their orange armor, are equipped point defense gauntlets on each arm. The Commandos, on the other hand, don green armor and are equipped with a holographic projector.

Leading the Skirmishers in combat is the Champion.

Trivia
Skirmishers bear a notable physical resemblance to dromaeosaurs such as deinonychus and the smaller, better-known velociraptor. Like the Skirmishers, the dromaeosaurs were reptiles with prominent avian features including feathers and lightweight bones. Dromaeosaurs are considered to be one of the main taxonomic links between dinosaurs and birds, perhaps suggesting a similar evolutionary progression among the Kig-Yar.

List of appearances

 * Deliver Hope
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata