Huragok: Difference between revisions

*[[Unidentified Huragok]]

'''Huragok''' (Latin ''Facticius indoles''<ref name="Bestiarum">'''[[Bestiarum]]'''</ref>, meaning "artificial genius"<ref>[http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=865756 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Bestiarum Latin names translated'']</ref>), known to [[human]]s as '''Engineers''',<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', page 237 - "Huragok: the Forerunner name for the Engineer race."</ref> are a race of biomechanical beings that were created by the [[Forerunner]]s to maintain their technology.<ref name="Bestiarum"/> These remarkably helpful and docile aliens are exceedingly patient, rarely communicate with other species, and are almost single-mindedly devoted to their work. They were the only known non-combatant race of the [[Covenant]] aside from the [[San 'Shyuum]], though some were rigged to explode like [[suicide attack|suicide bombers]] during the [[Great Schism]].<ref name="ODST"/> Following the [[Human-Covenant War]], most Huragok either mysteriously disappeared or began to aid humanity.<ref name="tw50"/>

The Huragok were created by the Forerunners prior to the first activation of the [[Halo Array]].<ref name="Bestiarum"/> They served as "servant-tools" to the [[Builder]]s, the highest [[rate]] in Forerunner society. They often served aboard semi-automated maintenance stations, including a number of facilities within the [[San 'Shyuum]] [[San 'Shyuum home system|home system]]. They were rarely accorded personhood in Forerunner society, and some found their anaerobic metabolism and gas bladders disgusting. For this reason, they were never allowed in public.<ref name=c144>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 144''</ref> The Huragok were formally classified as a rate like the [[ecumene]]'s Forerunner citizens; in modern human [[Translation software|translations]], this rate is referred to as "Engineers", echoing the creatures' human name. Unlike Forerunners, however, the Huragok were excluded from decision-making and were not represented in bodies such as the [[Ecumene Council]] or the [[Capital Court]].<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 298'' (''"Thus were all the rates represented, except for the Engineers, of course."'')</ref><ref group="note">In ''Halo: Cryptum'', [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar]] states that all rates, "except for the Engineers", were represented in the Capital Court. While the Huragok are previously referred to by their Covenant name in the novel, the supposed rate of "Engineers" does actually refer to the Huragok as opposed to a hitherto unmentioned class of Forerunners. This is clearly indicated by the context in the novel as well as [http://www.gregbear.com/blog/display.cfm?id=7626 a later clarification] by ''Forerunner Saga'' author [[Greg Bear]]. The ''Halo: Cryptum'' [[Halo: Cryptum/Glossary|pre-release glossary]] on Halo Waypoint refers to the [[plasma jockey]]s as "Engineers", seemingly suggesting they are part of the Engineer rate; however, the term "engineer" is not capitalized in the novel in reference to the plasma jockeys, who are instead implied to be part of the [[Miner]] rate. Thus, the reference in the glossary can be understood as a typographical error or a misinterpretation.</ref>

After being discovered by the San 'Shyuum, the Huragok were employed as the Covenant's science, maintenance and archaeological specialists. They were used to retrieve and dissect Forerunner artifacts, as well as to repair spacecraft and machinery.

Huragok were essentially the scientific and engineering backbone of the Covenant and its economy. They fulfilled one of the most important roles within the Covenant, as they bore the responsibility of maintaining the Covenant's machines, managing medical matters, and interacting with Forerunner technology. While it was generally held that only the San 'Shyuum were high enough in the Covenant hierarchy to handle and manage Forerunner research and technology, in reality it was the Huragok who must excavate, unlock, and transport Forerunner artifacts - a fact only known to higher ranked officials and leaders within the Covenant, due to its sensitive nature.<ref name="primer">[http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=697 '''Bungie.net''': ''The Covenant Primer'']</ref>  

The Huragok in the Covenant usually communicated only with San 'Shyuum, a fact that may have contributed to the balance of power between [[Sangheili]] and San 'Shyuum, and usually ignored anything that wasn't a San 'Shyuum, a Forerunner artifact, or a machine.<ref name="primer"/><ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''pages 200-201''</ref> A notable exception is the Huragok [[Lighter Than Some]], who communicated with the [[Unggoy]] [[Deacon]] [[Dadab]] via Huragok sign language.<ref name="harvest">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page ??''</ref>