Sharquoi

"Q: What's a Sharquoi?"

- Press

"A: Very freaking dangerous."

- Frank O'Connor

The Sharquoi is in the Conversations from the Universe booklet found in Halo 2: Limited Collector's Edition.

Background
Although it is listed as deleted content here, as of 2008 the Sharquoi has never been confirmed as deleted content by Bungie; it may actually be part of a story still in planning or production.

This has been speculated to be another Covenant race. In a deleted scene, a mural can be seen showcasing the Covenant races, including a very large creature believed by some to be a Sharquoi. However, this creature could also be a Drinol, which may or may not have been cut at that stage of development.

It is also mentioned in Conversations between two Sangheili discussing why the humans don't join the Covenant, implying it to be some sort of weapon or otherwise; "I suspect we are forcing them (the humans) into a tighter arena than they care to fight in - soon we may be able to use the Sharquoi." Unlike most of the elements listed as deleted content here, the existence of something called the Sharquoi is known to be part of the canon Halo universe, thanks to its mention in Conversations.

Theories

 * The Sharquoi and the Drinol are the same thing—Sharquoi is the Covenant name for the Drinol.
 * It should be noted that this is somewhat unlikely, as "Drinol" is not a human word.


 * The Sharquoi is not a species, but a sort of weapon that the Covenant use.
 * The Sharquoi is the Covenant name for the Scarab.
 * The Sharquoi is the Covenant name for the antimatter bombs that destroyed the Athens and Malta.
 * The Sharquoi are simply the Prophets.


 * The Sharquoi could be another name for brutes as they were not used in combat until late in Halo 2 and Halo:First Strike. However, this is unlikely due to the use of the term "Jiralhanae", the Covenant word for "Brute," at the end of the conversation in which the Sharquoi is mentioned.