6 Things From The Halo Universe You Probably Didn't Know
2. The Grunt Rebellion
The Grunts of Halo are an object of adoration. With their high pitched voices and adorable waddling, pumping them full of lead feels almost criminal and that feeling only gets worse once you realise just how badly the Grunts are treated within the Covenant. Of all the weird and wonderful species in the Covenant, the Grunts were the only ones to be forced to join. After this forceful unity, the Grunts occupied the lowest position in Covenant society, used as labourers and cannon fodder in combat situations. But, it’s not over yet, it gets even worse for the little guys.
A bitter rivalry with another lowly species, the Jackals, meant tensions were even higher when it came to the Grunts and the Covenant. It turns out that Grunts know how to get it on, and their population began to spike.
To accommodate all the newborn gruntlings, more space was needed in High Charity, the Covenant holy city that the Flood infect in Halo 2. This forced the Jackals to relocate their homes and nests, causing stress for the pregnant females, resulting in a high Jackal infant mortality rate. With little notice taken by the ruling races of the Covenant, a number of Jackals took matters into their own hands, poisoning Grunt infusion, a kind of recreational drug Grunts pump into their methane tanks. This resulted in the sterilisation of thousands of Grunts, to which the Covenant legal system turned a blind eye.
Naturally, the Grunts weren’t thrilled about this and began a rebellion to break out of Covenant oppression. Grunts attacked all races of the Covenant, spreading through the lower districts of High Charity. Despite being much less combat-adept than other races, the sheer amount of Grunts caused serious problems for the Covenant in countering the rebellion. This led to the Hierarchs instating an Arbiter, something only done in times of extraordinary crisis, showing just how formidable the Grunts were as adversaries. This Arbiter launched a heavy handed response, partially glassing the Grunt homeworld and forcing the Grunts of High Charity to watch from orbit as millions of their species were burned alive. Pretty brutal. This ushered the Grunts to surrender, and the surviving rebels were absolved of their crimes.
Not only that, but the Elites recognised the tenacity and ‘warrior spirit’ of the Grunts, incorporating them into their military and allowing them access to weaponry. A bit of violent coercion, severe oppression, sterilisation and then genocide of thousands of your species is a fair trade for access to some rooty-tooty point and shooties, right? No? Well, from now on every time you shoot a Grunt in the face or destroy their methane tank just remember what they’ve had to go through, you monster.