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{{Status|Canon}}
{{Era|Covenant}}
{{Battle infobox
{{Battle Infobox
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|name=Taming of the Lekgolo
|image=[[File:H2A Terminals - First Hunters.jpg|300px]]
|image=[[File:H2A Terminals - First Hunters.jpg|300px]]
|conflict=
|conflict=
|date=[[784 BCE]]{{Ref/Site|Id=universe|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/lekgolo-mgalekgolo-hunter|Site=Halo Waypoint|Section=Universe, Species|Page=Lekgolo/Mgalekgolo|D=11|M=11|Y=2020|LocalArchive=https://archives.halopedia.org/waypoint/www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/lekgolo-mgalekgolo-hunter.html}}{{Ref/Site|Id=WaypointForumCIP732|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/forums/db05ce78845f4120b062c50816008e5d/topics/catalog-interaction/4c3e1c6f-6519-4ee0-83a4-4bac13bf07a3/posts?page=37#post732|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Forums - Catalog Interaction - Page 39|D=12|M=4|Y=2016}} ([[Age of Conversion]])<ref name="enc120">''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'', p. 120 (2011)</ref>
|date=[[789 BCE]]–[[784 BCE]] ([[Age of Conversion]])<ref name="enc">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 30''</ref>
|place=[[Te]], [[Svir system]]{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
|place=[[Te]], [[Svir system]]
|result=*[[Covenant]] victory{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
|result=;Covenant victory  
**[[Lekgolo]] join the Covenant{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
*[[Lekgolo]] join the Covenant
|side1=[[Covenant]]{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
|side1=[[Lekgolo]]
|side2=[[Lekgolo]]{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
|side2=[[Covenant]]
|commanders1=[[Arbiter]] [[Jeht 'Lcmutee]]{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
|commanders1=Unknown
|commanders2=Unknown
|commanders2=[[Unidentified Arbiter (Taming of the Lekgolo)|Unidentified Arbiter]]
|forces1=Sangheili warriors{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
|forces1=Lekgolo
|forces2=[[Mgalekgolo]]{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
*[[Mgalekgolo]] forms
|casual1=
|forces2=
|casual2=
*An [[Arbiter]]
|civilian1=
*[[Sangheili]]
|civilian2=
|casual1=Unknown
|casual2=Presumably heavy
}}
}}
{{Quote|While some were shortsighted and chose to reject the promise of our union, all were eventually swayed by the knowledge that those who joined the Covenant would be welcome on our [[Great Journey]].|The [[High Prophet of Truth]]<ref>[[Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition|''Halo 2'' Limited Collector's Edition]]</ref>}}
{{Quote|While some were shortsighted and chose to reject the promise of our union, all were eventually swayed by the knowledge that those who joined the Covenant would be welcome on our [[Great Journey]].|[[Prophet of Truth]]<ref>'''[[Limited Collector's Edition Disc (Halo 2)]]''', ''Mural Scene''</ref>}}


The '''Taming of the Lekgolo''' was a [[war]] between the [[Covenant]] and the [[Lekgolo]]. First contact with the worm-like [[Lekgolo]] species during the Covenant's galaxy-wide search for remnants of [[Forerunner]] technology in one of their early [[Ages of Conversion]] led to a conflict between the Lekgolo and the Covenant, eventually resulting in the former's incorporation into the hegemony.<ref name="bestiarum">''[[Bestiarum]]''</ref>
The '''Taming of the Lekgolo''' was an event in the history of the [[Covenant]].<ref>'''Halo 2:''' - ''[[The Arbiter (level)|The Arbiter]] first cutscene''</ref> First contact with the worm-like [[Lekgolo]] species during the Covenant's galaxy-wide search for remnants of [[Forerunner]] technology in one of their early [[Ages of Conversion]] led to a conflict between the Lekgolo and the Covenant, eventually resulting in the former's incorporation into the hegemony.<ref name="bestiarum">'''[[Bestiarum]]'''</ref>


The Covenant's use of the term "taming" can be misleading, as the Lekgolo possessed a highly advanced, if alien, culture prior to their contact with the Covenant, having reached [[Technological Achievement Tiers|Tier 3]] of the Forerunner technological achievement scale on their own. Despite this, their space travel capabilities were extremely limited, having developed at an exceedingly slow rate due to the difficulties resulting from their high-gravity homeworld [[Te]].{{Ref/Reuse|bestiarum}}
The Covenant's use of the term "taming" can be misleading, as the Lekgolo possessed a highly advanced, if alien, culture prior to their contact with the Covenant, having reached [[Technological Achievement Tiers|Tier 3]] of the Forerunner technological achievement scale on their own. Despite this, their space travel capabilities were extremely limited, having developed at an exceedingly slow rate due to the difficulties resulting from their high-gravity homeworld [[Te]].<ref name="bestiarum"/>


==Prelude==
==History==
In [[789 BCE]],{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}}{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} during one of the [[Covenant]]'s first [[Ages of Conversion]],{{Ref/Reuse|enc120}} early [[San'Shyuum]] experiments with primitive, reverse-engineered copies of the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]]'s [[luminary]] led them to discover [[Te]] in the [[Svir system]], located relatively close to the [[Sangheili]]'s native [[Urs system]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=ch16|CH|Chapter=16}} Arriving in orbit around Te by [[784 BCE]], the San'Shyuum had hoped to find a treasure trove of [[Forerunner]] relics, but instead only found the [[Lekgolo]] worms, settled around the rings and [[moon]]s of Te.{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}}{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointForumCIP732}} It was in this year that they made first contact with the Lekgolo on [[Rentus]], specifically with a powerful gestalt of the species known as [[Mgalekgolo]].{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointForumCIP732}} At the time of the Covenant's arrival, the Lekgolo were a Tier 3 race on the [[Technological Achievement Tiers]], indicating space-faring capabilities.{{Ref/Reuse|bestiarum}}
After the formation of the Covenant, early experiments with the [[Luminary|Luminaries]] reverse-engineered from the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] in ''[[High Charity]]'' led the Covenant to [[Te]] in the [[Svir system]] near [[Urs system|Urs]], the home system of the [[Sangheili]], in [[789 BCE]]. While the [[San'Shyuum]] and Sangheili hoped to find a treasure trove of Forerunner artifacts, they instead found hives of [[Lekgolo]] inside orbital rings surrounding their planet. The rings were in fact the destroyed remains of an ancient Forerunner installation in orbit. The relics had been the Lekgolo's food for millennia, and the orbital rings around the giant were actually composed of digested-and-destroyed Forerunner relics that some of the Lekgolo had been consuming. However, the Lekgolo colonies had very differing diets, as some would eat only Forerunner alloys, while other would eat everything ''except'' Forerunner materials.<ref name="ch">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 269-271''</ref>


The Covenant soon discovered that Te's rings of icy rocks were fragments of a destroyed Forerunner installation.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}} The Lekgolo had consumed the installation over millennia, ingesting metal and rock and spitting it out as they made their tight and twisting burrows. The Lekgolo colonies had very differing diets, with some colonies only digesting Forerunner alloys, while others would only consume rock rich in crushed circuits. Only a rare handful of colonies would avoid such foreign objects altogether, carefully cutting around the battered remains of the Forerunner installation.{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}}
Appalled by this desecration, the San'Shyuum Prophets ordered the Sangheili to exterminate the Lekgolo for unauthorized contact with Forerunner relics. [[Covenant fleet]] commanders soon found that indiscriminate destruction would have unacceptable consequences: since the Lekgolo lived in the sacred relics that the Sangheili were trying to preserve, simply annihilating the Lekgolo would have resulted in the destruction of some or all of those relics.<ref name="ch"/> The first battle against the Lekgolo saw the Covenant's first military defeat.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 311''</ref> The Covenant sought to take control of the Lekgolo homeworld, Te, due to its rich deposits of heavy metals.<ref name="bestiarum"/> The high-gravity conditions of the planet proved particularly difficult for the Covenant to carry out a ground campaign while serving as a tremendous advantage for the native Lekgolo,<ref name="bestiarum"/> who were able to combine into [[Mgalekgolo]] and other, even more powerful, gestalt forms. The Covenant first encountered the Mgalekgolo forms in [[784 BCE]] on a [[natural satellite]] of Te, [[Rentus]].<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/forums/db05ce78845f4120b062c50816008e5d/topics/catalog-interaction/4c3e1c6f-6519-4ee0-83a4-4bac13bf07a3/posts?page=74#post732 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction'' (post 2988575)]</ref> Consequently, the Lekgolo won most, if not all, ground engagements. The Covenant's forces were completely overwhelmed by the sheer size and ferocity of their foes.<ref name="ch"/>


Covenant scripture dictated that any unauthorized contact with Forerunner objects was [[heresy]], punishable by [[Capital punishment|death]]. Appalled by the damage done to the Forerunner installation, the San'Shyuum declared war on the Lekgolo species.{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}}
The [[Hierarchs]] of the [[Covenant]] [[High Council]] assigned [[Unidentified Arbiter (Taming of the Lekgolo)|an Arbiter]] to help end the war through an unconventional way. The Arbiter traveled to [[Rantu]], one of the moons of Te, that contained a Lekgolo colony. For an entire year, the Arbiter remained on the moon and studied the Lekgolo's strengths and weaknesses. On Rantu, the Arbiter encountered more Mgalekgolo forms and engaged them in combat.<ref>'''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''', ''[[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminals]]''</ref> When he returned to ''High Charity'', the Arbiter suggested that the Lekgolo could be "tamed" and put to better uses as part of the Covenant hierarchy. Despite viewing the Lekgolo's destruction of Forerunner artifacts as grave heresy, the San'Shyuum recognized their potential and absolved the Lekgolo from their transgressions against the [[Covenant religion]], allowing them to join the hegemony as a client race.<ref name="ch"/>
 
==The war==
{{Quote|Our first encounter with the Lekgolo was an effort in futility.|A [[Unidentified San'Shyuum scribe|San'Shyuum scribe]]{{Ref/Reuse|h2a terminal}}}}
[[Sangheili]] warriors were ordered to eradicate the Lekgolo,{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}} as well as take control of Te for its resources. However, the Covenant was met with a protracted and difficult resistance, as the Lekgolo's physiology gave them a tremendous fighting advantage on their own world.{{Ref/Reuse|bestiarum}} The Sangheili proved to be ill-equipped to combat the Lekgolo. Additionally, the Lekgolo sought shelter from the Covenant's wrath within fortifications built throughout the rings, hidden within the very structures the Covenant wished to preserve.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}}
 
[[File:LekgoloArby.png|thumb|250px|left|The Arbiter confronts a Mgalekgolo]]
The Covenant was soon handed its first defeat in battle{{Ref/Book|Id=enc311|Enc11|Page=311}} as conventional measures failed to wipe out the Lekgolo around the Rings of Te.{{Ref/Game|Id=h2a terminal|H2A|Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminal 8}} The Covenant soon learned that waging a war of extermination against trillions of Lekgolo eels was a battle they could not win.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} The Mgalekgolo gestalt in particular proved to be an extreme challenge, as these hulking warriors were more than a match for the Sangheili in combat.{{Ref/Reuse|enc120}}
 
The [[Hierarchs]] eventually decided to dispatch [[Arbiter]] [[Jeht 'Lcmutee]],{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P244|Enc22|Page=244}} who traveled alone to the Svir system aboard a [[diplomatic shuttle]] and ventured across the surface of the moon [[Rantu]], where he learned both the Lekgolo's strengths and weaknesses as he battled the Mgalekgolo. While on Rantu, the Arbiter discovered that while some Lekgolo were responsible for the destruction of the Forerunner installation, others were not and instead worked around the Forerunner materials.{{Ref/Reuse|h2a terminal}} With this insight, 'Lcmutee proposed "taming" the Lekgolo and assimilating them into the Covenant,{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}}{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} allowing the empire to put the habits of these Lekgolo to good use,{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}} capitalizing on the Lekgolo's excavation, transportation, and combat abilities.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}
 
While the San'Shyuum were eager to assert their moral authority, they reluctantly agreed that the Lekgolo, if properly trained, could be very useful when interacting with Forerunner technology and absolved the Lekgolo of their sins.{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}} The Covenant turned to negotiating with the Lekgolo, slowed by communication difficulty,{{Ref/Reuse|bestiarum}} where the Sangheili eventually threatened to destroy the Lekgolo with [[nuclear weapon]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|enc311}} Faced with extinction,{{Ref/Novel|Id=bc|HBC|Chapter=15}} the Lekgolo surrendered and were welcomed into the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|enc120}}{{Ref/Reuse|enc311}}


==Aftermath==
==Aftermath==
[[File:H2A Terminals - Dreadnought Oracle.jpg|thumb|250px|The Hierarchs and Arbiter inserting a Lekgolo into the Dreadnought]]
[[File:H2A Terminals - Dreadnought Oracle.jpg|thumb|250px|The Hierarchs and Arbiter inserting a Lekgolo into the Dreadnought.]]
{{Quote|The Taming of the Hunters, the Grunt Rebellion. Were it not for the Arbiters, the Covenant would have broken long ago!|The [[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]]<ref name="h2arbiter">''[[Halo 2]]'', campaign level, "[[The Arbiter]]"</ref>}}
Despite initial difficulties in communication,<ref name="bestiarum"/> the compliant Lekgolo were incorporated into the [[Writ of Union]] in [[784 BCE]].<ref name="enc"/> Impressed by the Mgalekgolo fighting prowess, the Sangheili incorporated them into the [[Covenant military]]. After many experimentations, individual Lekgolo worms were given proper training by San'Shyuum [[Asceticism|ascetic priests]] and were used to explore the electrical pathways deep inside the Dreadnought on ''High Charity''. It became a ritual for San'Shyuum priests and [[Huragok]] to insert Lekgolo into the Dreadnought to allow them to probe for information for a time, before retrieving the worm and returning it to its colony.<ref name="ch"/> In exchange for providing troops and manual labor to the Covenant, the Lekgolo were granted access to the Covenant's advanced [[slipspace]] technology, elevating them from their native Tier 3 to the Covenant's Tier 2.<ref name="bestiarum"/>
The San'Shyuum hoped to use the Lekgolo to explore the Dreadnought and other Forerunner artifacts by creating minuscule tunnels for the eels to enter, allowing for the Lekgolo to gather data on their surroundings with micro-sensors ingested by the Lekgolo. After many ages of experimentation on lesser relics, the San'Shyuum finally decided to allow the Lekgolo to explore the Dreadnought itself, of which they currently had a limited understanding of for fear that their studies and research on the Dreadnought's processing pathways may damage vital systems. With great care, the [[ascetic priests]] carved a hole and slipped a chosen Lekgolo, gathering information while also hoping for a response from the Dreadnought's [[Oracle]], a dormant fragment of [[Mendicant Bias]]. When the priests received no response, they gradually increased the amount of Lekgolo probes inserted into the Dreadnought. Over time, the process became rather mundane.{{Ref/Reuse|ch16}}


As Te now fell under the domain of the empire, the Lekgolo supplied the [[Covenant military]] with Mgalekgolo warriors, for each Covenant world must provide fighting troops. While the Mgalekgolo were only provided in relatively small numbers, this was accepted by the Covenant government as a necessary interaction with its most alien client. As the Lekgolo have little need for religion, the Lekgolo's affiliation with the Covenant was soley built on their need for viable space travel.{{Ref/Reuse|bestiarum}}
The Taming of the Hunters was pictured on one of the [[seven]] [[Covenant murals|murals]] in the [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]].


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:2 mural.jpg|The Taming of the Hunters as depicted on a mural cut from ''[[Halo 2]]''.
File:2 mural.jpg|The Covenant mural used to represent the war.
</gallery>
</gallery>


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*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Terminal/Halo 2: Anniversary|Terminals]]'' {{1st}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
<references/>


{{Covenantwars}}
{{Covenantwars}}
[[Category:The Covenant]]
[[Category:Covenant Victories]]

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