The Covenant's armies are headed by Ates Warrior Caste, made up mostly of the three most militant species in the Covenant, the Tiokel, V'oatan and Goramarr, assisted by warriors of other species, mostly the Thradaxians, Orgaat, Tor'nik and others. These warriors are trained in the academies and brought out to defend new worlds, maintain border worlds that might come under assault, and conquer new worlds when military forces are needed for the Covenant on worlds of interest. The Tnurg are considered the lowest form of the Ates Caste, but have, through violent protest, come to occupy a more important spot then mere fodder, but still are not yet considered worthy of quite being higher ranked within the Ates.
Overview[]
Recruitment and Training[]
Organization and Logistics[]
Transport and deployment[]
Units[]
Leadership[]
Frontline units[]
- Weapons - Pulse Accelerator Rifles, War Swords
- Defenses - Heavy Armor
The Ates Caste are one of the Four organized systems within Kajagii space, the warriors responsible for manning and guarding warships, seeing to ground assaults, and maintaining garrisons on certain worlds. The Ates Caste are eager, hot-blooded and incredibly disciplined. Once one is chosen for the Ates Caste, they train for many days and even into the night as Warriors. They will eat, sleep and train alongside various newcomers, and taught poetry, flower arrangement and philosophy by older Warriors and Commandos to hone their bodies and minds. A specialized training ritual is employed, called the Rite of Fire, in which newcomers will engage in ritualized duels with other members of the Caste, as ways to gain the attention of high-ranking commanders and promotions. Their training made them rigid in following the rulings of their Mystic rulers, but honorable and gallant.
Warriors see no issue with any weapon, and utilize many different weapons, but mostly Pulse Accelerator Rifles, long ranged firearms able to fire focused plasma pellets at long range into their targets and reduce them to burned corpses. Squads and platoons of Ates Warriors will organize into ranks, first rank kneeling, and both firing at the same time to maximize fire power. Upon completing their training, Warriors are given great War Swords they carry by their side as a symbol of their completed training. Being trained with all kinds of weapons, these swords, war staffs and other melee tools are also used when called upon.
Gormarr, V'oatan and Tiokel are the most common species within the Caste's warrior ranks, and each have their own rituals and ways of completing their training. Regardless, all members are single-minded and dedicated to the Mystics that rule over society. Almost all new warriors demonstrate an aggressive eagerness to thrown themselves into battle and prove themselves as worthy of the Caste and to serve under the Mystics. Older, more battle-hardened members learn to temper their aggression and zeal, combining it with tactics and skills they've learned and trying to pass it onto the younger members.
When under a Mystic, Warriors will fight more aggressively and push themselves further then before, and seek to complete every proclamation to the letter.
- Weapons - Pulse Pistols
- Defenses - Armor Harness
The Tnurg were elevated during the Great Disobedience for their courage and inability to accept surrender after years of abuse and mistreatment. Though still unable to become Commanders, Tnurg combat units gained access to better armor, weapons and training then ever before, those chosen among the Tnurg becoming fierce, stubborn opponents, compensating their weak frames and lack of melee skill, with overwhelming numbers and firepower. Despite this, the Tnurg are not mere canon fodder. The Ates leaders learned from their mistakes, and with the elevation into the Caste, Tnurg Warriors receive the same weapons and marksmanship training as the rest of the Caste. Their large population size means they often have an overwhelming amount of those who would make members of the Ates, meaning their numbers are always in great supply.
The Tnurg are often given small, Plasma Pistols, using the same Plasma Accelerator technology to bring down targets with massed fire power. Tnurg squads frequently employ heavy weapons, including Hyper-Acceleration Repeater guns, Galvanic Assault Canons and other weapons that their small but sturdy frames can carry with ease. As such, a squad often has 8 Tnurg, but three carrying these heavy weapons, allowing them to cut down targets with easy, making them the premier anti-vehicle experts in the Ates. A chosen member of the Goramarr, V'aotan or Tiokel will be selected to lead them, acting as Sergeant.
Tnurg are often stereotyped as mere canon fodder and cowardly beings, due to many cultures' interactions with the Kajagii taking place at an earlier point in history. For this reason, the foe is often one to underestimate the strength of these beings and their courage in battle. Though often considered dim-witted, and not having a grasp of large-scale tactics, Tnurg are excellent fighters on the fly, and can create thrown-together plans that leave the enemy often surprised and dumb-founded.
Support[]
- Weapons - Rifles, Blades
- Defenses - Scales, Hides, scrape armor.
Considered largely part of the Ates Caste, the Orgaat largely maintain their own self-sufficient communities and worlds, their Shamans a regular part of the Mystic Caste, but prefer to not rely on others when they can help themselves. For this reason, and the fact that most are mercenaries, means the Carnivores are able to employ their own training, weapons, gear and tactics all their own without having to send their warriors to the Central Academies like other member species. The Orgaat ask only for their payment in meat and resources, and will settle onto worlds when they believe the worlds in question can support their environment. The Ates Caste, meanwhile, honors their Orgaat comrades, for their self-sufficient nature and scouting abilities, though wish the Orgaat would better embrace the ways of the Covenant.
Orgaat arm themselves with long rifles, using plasma shells instead of bullets, breach loaded to fire piercing rounds at enemies, usually seeking to take down a few targets before they charge in during their ambushes. They utilize knives, spears and blades on their rifles to cut down targets in melee. Orgaat are trained from a young age to fight with staffs and such in martial arts training, letting their whip-cord musculature strike into their targets with greater power then their physical size could tell. Their scaled hides can withstand bullets and light laser fire, while using leather hides and scraped armor, looted from enemies, to better protect themselves.
Carnivores are fast and deadly fighters, independent and stubborn to hold their ways. They do not, in their communities, recognize much of the Caste system among themselves, so a large number of Orgaat will often jump from Caste to Caste based on the needs of their community, using the lack of resources dedicated to monitoring Orgaat communities to allow Warriors to do whatever jobs are needed, Carnivores often being both engineers and food tenders. Carnivores maintain their own ships and weapons, allowing them to also take whatever tools are needed to complete their tasks, only accepting advise from the Ates Commanders and Pashas on what weapons will be needed.
- Weapons - Pulse Pistols, Needle Guns
- Defenses - Light Armor, Power Shields
Heavy Infantry[]
- Weapons - Shotguns, Close combat weapons
- Defenses - Heavy Armor
Members of the Ates Caste noted for their greater strength, zeal and aggression, are trained and outfitted as Breacher Squadrons, the majority of them usually Gormarr Warriors. Breachers take to battle alongside the rest of the Ates, but focus on ambush and clearing out foes in close quarters, usually sent into buildings and trenches, using their Plasma Shotguns to pulverize enemy ranks in quick rates. The Breachers will face every fight with the same bravado and loud, boastful yells, never stopping as they lay their foes to waste. The Mystic Caste almost did not wish to allow the deployment of such wild warriors, wishing to maintain the carefully planned order of battle, but the close combat skills of the Lacdae, Loron and other threats convinced them certain changes would be needed.
Though primarily recruited from the Gormarr, who are noted for their more aggressive disposition, the Breacher Warriors have members from all species in the caste, chosen for their valor, aggression and willingness to lay down their lives for the cause. Trained to act quick and react without a moment of doubt, the Breachers will go into the most dangerous territory without a second thought, using Pulse Shotguns to vaporize sections of their foes, while using Power Staffs, Swords and other melee weapons to bring down targets that might try to engage them in melee. With quick reaction times and aggressive ardor, Breachers can quickly figure out what weapon will work best in what situation, never hesitating even for a second.
The Breachers are physically the strongest and broadest of build of the Ates, and regarded by their fellow warriors as mad and brave fighters, willing to go above and beyond to accomplish their tasks in battle. The Mystic Caste views them with weariness, as despite accomplishing many great victories, their willingness to use such brutal methods and their single-minded aggression, raises worries about a return to the Chaos that once gripped their peoples, when all were divided and too aggressive to listen.
- Weapons - Energy Canon, Projector Canons
- Defenses - Heavy Sealed Armor.