User:SilvaRex/Aruli

"Bloody sneaky creatures. They're like ghosts, smoke even. They slip through your fingers everytime you get close to killing one. Best assassins I've ever seen."

- ONI agent

The Aruli (A-Roo-Lie) are a crustacean-like species that physically somewhat resemble Sangheili. They are the newest species to be used by the Covenant against Humanity. Although not officially part of the Covenant, they are in fact galactic mercanaries that are hired by various species, factions and organizations throughout the Milky Way.

Contact with the Covenant
The Aruli were first encountered by the Covenant in the year 907 AD. At that time they were Tier 4 in terms of technological achievements. First contact was surprisingly peaceful until the Covenant requested that the Aruli join the Empire. The Aruli politely declined but instead offered their services to the Covenant as mercanaries and assassins to handle operations too delicate for standard Covenant infantry and in exchange they requested advanced technology. The Covenant agreed and the Aruli became the Empire's hired assassins.

26th Century
By the 26th century, the Aruli had become almost as advanced as the Covenant Empire in terms of technology and had become popular galactic mercanaries favoured by numerous organizations throughout the Milky Way.

Human-Covenant War
The Aruli were not introduced until later in the war and they played a major role in assassinations, special and black operations and occasionally security. They took part in specialised missions far too delicate for Covenant special operations forces and far behind enemy lines. Rarely actually seen by UNSC forces, they were often referred to as "ghosts" because of their skills in stealth and assassinations. Being a very specialized fighting force, they never took part in any frontlines operations and only recieved orders from the Prophets themselves.

A squad of Aruli were used to capture Nico and Tano 'Killamee during the short story "Demon Hunt."

Anatomy and Physiology
Aruli are a bipedal crustacean-like species. Aruli on average stand at about 5 foot, ten inches and weigh typically at around 70-85 kilograms. They are a herbivorous creature and have five mandibles. However, unlike Sangheili, the inside of these mandibles have no teeth. Instead of teeth, the Aruli use small "tentacle" like appendages to rip apart and digest their food. While eating, their oaesophagus is too small to breath through and have to breath through a second "mouth"-like opening near the front of the neck.

Aruli have two tetradactyl hands and two digitigrade legs as well as a small, unused pair of tetradactyl hands located on their chest. Aruli are extremely fast and manoeverable, their natural speed and agility exceed even those of Spartan standards, being able to run in bursts of speed of up to 70 kph. They are, however, not very strong and can easily be beaten in close-quarters combat with a Human marine. Their natural speed however, gives them an edge in hand-to-hand combat unless being faced with an experienced opponent.

There are no obvious physical differences between male and female Aruli and both genders are actively used as soldiers and assassins. Sexism does not exist in the Aruli culture, as both genders look physically identical and are only recognised among each other by a pheromone emitted by each individual. This pheromone is undetected by any other species and it details the individual Aruli's gender and age to other Aruli.

Trivia

 * The concept of the Aruli was inspired by the Predator species from the Alien vs. Predator universe.