Type-29 Scarab

"Its field of fire prevents any chance of retreat or extraction."

- Serina

The Type-29 Ultra-Heavy Site Excavator, colloquially known as the Super Scarab, is a Covenant quadrupedal mining platform.

Design details
The Type-29 Scarab is a heavy quadruped in the Scarab family of heavy excavators used by the Covenant. Prior to the empire's collapse, it was used to reveal deeply buried Forerunner facilities and artifacts. The Type-29 Scarab has limited combat utility, as the vehicle can not self-deploy and must be assembled on-site due to its delicate components and sheer size.

The scarcity of the Type-29 Scarab and the reverential language used in Covenant records indicate that the vehicle may have been an ancient design used only to reveal particularly momentous reliquaries. Nonetheless, the Type-29 Scarab is fitted with the most powerful focus cannon of all known members of the Scarab "family".

Operational history
During the Battle for Arcadia in 2531, a Type-29 Scarab was used by the Covenant to guard their Forerunner excavation site on Arcadia. Stationed at the entrance to the main complex, the Covenant attempted to use technology from the Forerunner relic to upgrade the Scarab on-site.

Despite being stationary, the Scarab caused significant difficulty to the UNSC ground forces attempting to breach the Covenant defenses; the humans were forced to approach the site head-on, enabling the Scarab to fire on them with its main focus cannon. Powered by a series of generators scattered about the area, the Scarab's head swept the area in a consistent scanning motion, firing on any UNSC forces caught in its line of fire and not hesitating to destroy lesser Forerunner ruins the humans used as cover, including a cluster of structures sheltering the UNSC's local firebase. However, the humans were able to take advantage of the Scarab's systematic scan pattern, destroying the power nodes which in turn slowed down the rate at which the Scarab was able to turn its head. After taking down the power nodes, the UNSC forces attacked and destroyed the Scarab.

After the Scarab's destruction, Sergeant John Forge and Professor Ellen Anders entered the ruins to catalogue them. During this time, Forge jokingly picked up a piece of the destroyed Scarab and attempted to pose for a picture with it. Anders rebuked him, however, and refused to indulge Forge's humor.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars