Armiger

"Looks like some kind of Forerunner defensive machine, but I've never encountered anything like it before in my work."

- Henry Lamb, referring to armigers

An armiger is a robotic Forerunner construct that is proficient in combat. Armigers are charged with the elimination of hostiles and the defense of Forerunner structures on Installation 00.

Description
"There were these machines, these biped Forerunner creations. They were armed with weapons and moving around like... well, like humans. Or perhaps Forerunners."

- Henry Lamb

Armigers are nearly entirely composed of a metallic alloy-like substance and stand at approximately three meters tall. The bipedal armigers are robotic-like constructs that bear a similar posture and frame as a human; even the orientation of their plated musculature resembles that of a human. Despite this resemblance, armigers distinctly displayed the design aesthetics of the Forerunners. The design of the armigers displays unconventional angles, angular apertures, and floating items of dress. Though their bodies were thin and lithe, the armigers were heavily armored across their entire body. The face of an armiger is composed of symmetrical plates—made of the same alloy as their body—and noticeable "eyes" that glow the same color as other lights found in breaches in and around their armor. Henry Lamb suspected that a rigid hard light composition hold the components of an armiger together. Armigers were quick and agile, and have the capability to easily avoid incoming weapons fire. Pistons and servomotors within an armiger aids with the motion of the constructs. Armigers let out a variety of calls and sounds, such as roars, hisses, and ear-splitting death cries. A certain deafening noise used by armigers indicated the presence of hostiles nearby to other armigers in the area. The vocalization of an armiger sounds almost human.

Armigers are armed with an assortment of weapons. Some use energy staves that have a geometrical blade of hard light at the end. These staves are capable of block projectile fire from weapons. Armigers also armed themselves with powerful, marksman-like energy rifles that fired hard light-like ammunition. An armiger is able to "call" any weapon into its hand by having various pieces of its arm form into the weapon itself.

Roles
"I think he's saying that these Forerunner machines are defensive drones that supported Forerunner warriors. Now they guard this place."

- Doctor Luther Mann, translating for Drifts Randomly upon sighting armigers on Installation 00

Armigers are tasked with the elimination of hostile targets and the defense of Forerunner structures. Prior to the activation of the Halo Array, armigers apparently served as defense drones that supported Forerunner warriors. Afterwards, the constructs were tasked with defending Installation 00 from threats. Armigers have the ability to utilize Installation 00's local teleportation grid to quickly travel across the installation. Armigers can be controlled by a monitor.

Armigers are intelligent enough to use the environment and their surroundings to their advantage, such as knocking a giant tree down a mountain or setting a giant rockslide in motion to trample opponents. In battle, an armiger is willing to use the weapons of its enemies in combat.

History
"It's hard to say what purpose they were previously designed for, but it's clear that the monitor was controlling them as well, along with the Sentinels we encountered, and even the incredibly hostile weather conditions."

- Doctor Luther Mann, referring to the armigers under 000 Tragic Solitude's control

After Installation 00 was heavily damaged in 2552, monitor 000 Tragic Solitude took control of the armigers, along with other constructs. During a mission to Installation 00 to prevent the activation of the Halo Array, four armigers were sent to a fraction of the expedition party's location and attacked Henry Lamb, Spartan Elias Holt, and Usze 'Taham. As the three fired upon the charging armigers, two of the constructs teleported to safety, while the other two were destroyed by the Spartan and Sangheili. Shortly after, the two armigers that had fled the earlier conflict attempted to kill their opponents by knocking a giant tree down a nearby mountain, and later initiated a massive rockslide. When both attempts failed, the two armigers confronted their targets, though they were eventually destroyed. A dozen other armigers immediately teleported in and attacked the group, but the skills of the Spartan and Sangheili allowed them to eliminate most of the constructs. The surviving armigers ran away and promptly teleported elsewhere.

After the entire party of Sangheili and humans managed to prevent the activation of the Halo installations in the Citadel of the Ark, two dozen armigers arrived and, after a brief stand-off, both groups charged at each other. As the team fought through the initial wave of armigers, several more continued to teleport into the area. The increasing waves of armigers soon outnumbered the group; while half of the team escaped down an elevator shaft, the other half fled the engagement by entering a translocation portal created by an armiger. Later, dozens of armigers attacked Usze 'Taham and Kola 'Baoth outside of the chamber containing Installation's interior systems. Ultimately, the two Sangheili proved to be victorious and defeated all constructs, though they both suffered prominent injuries.

Trivia
An armiger is an individual entitled to use a coat of arms, in heraldry.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Hunters in the Dark