Skirmisher

Skirmisher is a role held exclusively by Kig-Yar warriors, most notably within the Covenant and Banished militaries. Within the Covenant military, the skirmisher role was held almost exclusively by the T'vaoan subspecies of Kig-Yar, but the mantle and practice of skirmisher has its roots in the ancient past of all Kig-Yar.

History
The role of skirmisher was created by the Kig-Yar long ago, seemingly even before the species even left Eayn to colonize other parts of their home system. After the Covenant discovered the Kig-Yar and grafted them into their empire, they kept the mantle of skirmisher as part of their military. During their time within the Covenant, most skirmishers would be T'vaoan, a unique subspecies of Kig-Yar that settled and evolved on the asteroid known as T'vao.

After the Banished began conscripting the Kig-Yar into their military, they discovered that the practice of skirmisher extended beyond the T'vaoan legacy and into the ancient history of all Kig-Yar. Many Ruuhtians within the Banished took it upon themselves to demonstrate this by donning the battle armor and bearing the technological and aesthetic markings of the traditional skirmisher. The strongest and most skilled Banished skirmishers have proved to be every bit as deadly as their T'vaoan counterparts within the Covenant. Still, the Banished continued to make use of T'vaoan skirmishers, with Escharum's forces deploying them to Reach during Operation: WOLFE in late 2559. Escharum would again make use of skirmishers during the Battle for Zeta Halo, but only female Ruuhtian skirmishers have been known to be observed.

Function and duties
Skirmishers are typically deployed as shock troops or in tightly confined choke points where they can use their superior mobility to outmaneuver their enemy. Within the Covenant, there were multiple ranks attainable within the skirmisher role, such as Minor, Major, Murmillo, Commando, and Champion. Each skirmisher would start out with the rank of Minor, but had the opportunity to advance to Major through combat experience. The Murmillones would be deployed with small point defense gauntlets on each arm to block projectiles. Commandos served in special operations roles, and Champions would lead their fellow skirmishers into battle. While serving in the Banished, the best skirmishers are granted a level of autonomy and discretion which far exceeds other Kig-Yar. Those serving with the Banished regularly make use of point defense gauntlets similar to those utilized by the Covenant's Murmillones.

List of appearances

 * Remember Reach
 * Deliver Hope
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Last Light
 * Halo Mythos
 * Halo: Rise of Atriox
 * Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual
 * Halo: Shadows of Reach
 * Halo Infinite
 * Halo: The Rubicon Protocol