Important Events
Evo-014's Summary
COMMON NAME: Grunts
HOMEWORLD: Balaho
POPULATION: ~320 million on Balaho
The Unggoy, also known as Grunts, were a relatively recent addition to the Covenant, brought into the fold due to their diminutive size, intelligence, and technological prowess. As a result, they were often assigned to menial tasks, both in combat and non-combat roles. Despite their perceived limitations, the Unggoy proved to be of significant value to the Covenant's objectives.
However, they did possess certain drawbacks. The Unggoy had a remarkably fast population growth rate, which posed its own challenges. Additionally, unlike many other Covenant species, the Unggoy required oxygen to survive, making environmental considerations crucial for their deployment.
Following the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War, the Unggoy faced a period of transition. Many Grunts aligned themselves with factions that they believed would be most advantageous to their interests, while others opted to return to their homeworld of Balaho.
Ancient History
Prior to the activation of the Halo Array, the Unggoy species had achieved Tier 4 technological status, marking their entry into the space age. Unfortunately, the excessive industrialization on their homeworld of Balaho caused severe damage to its biosphere, resulting in a significant technological setback. Following the galaxy's reseeding, which included Balaho, the Unggoy civilization began to grow again, albeit reaching only Tier 6 due to the challenging climate.
In 2142, the Covenant finally discovered Balaho and the Unggoy, promptly assimilating them into the Covenant hierarchy. Unlike other species that willingly joined due to shared beliefs or mutual benefits, the Unggoy were coerced into joining, effectively becoming enslaved and occupying the lowest positions within the religious organization. Nevertheless, they quickly embraced the Covenant faith and became devout believers in the Great Journey.
The inclusion of the Unggoy within the Covenant disrupted the pre-existing delicate hierarchy, leading to conflict between the Unggoy and the Kig-Yar over the bottom rungs of the social ladder. This strife culminated in 2462, when the Kig-Yar poisoned a significant portion of the Unggoy population on High Charity, resulting in sterilization. Frustrated by the Covenant leadership's inaction and failure to punish the responsible Kig-Yar, the Unggoy launched a rebellion, sparking a major civil conflict within the Covenant that resulted in the partial glassing of Balaho. Despite the violent suppression of the rebellion, the Unggoy earned the respect of the military leaders of the Sangheili and were granted minor positions within the Covenant military structure.
Modern History
During the Human-Covenant War, the Unggoy served in nearly every non-leadership position within the Covenant, from ground troop to maintenance to Deacon of the Covenant faith. While numbers are not available, it is likely the Unggoy suffered the most casualties of the Covenant races, and possibly of all species involved in the conflict, as their proficient ability to breed allowed them to recover population losses rapidly. Despite their willingness to serve and die for the Covenant, they never earned equality in the eyes of any of the Covenant races, remaining the lowest tier of the Covenant species.
Following the war, Unggoy served in any position they could find in the complicated power structures that rose from the ashes of the Covenant. While most filled the same roles they did during the Covenant era, some rose to leadership roles, notably Stolt, who rose to commander of a contingent of Sangheili Rangers aboard the Shadow of Intent in 2553, and YapYap, who led an armed rebellion against the Banished forces on the Ark in 2559. When Cortana initiated the Rule of the Created at the end of 2558, the Unggoy on Balaho immediately accepted her authority and were favorited by her Created who provided them far more resources than had ever been available to them previously.
Worlds
The Unggoy are unique among the Covenant species as they have only colonized a single world, Balaho. In the past, Balaho was a more habitable planet until the devastating effects of over-industrialization resulted in the collapse of its environment and significant damage to the ecosystem. After the firing of the Halo Array and the subsequent reintroduction of species, the Unggoy began repopulating their homeworld. However, due to the harsh climate, they were unable to regain their previous level of advancements.
