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{{Era|HGN}}
{{Status|Canon}}
 
{{Center|''Were you looking for the [[Ministry of Etiology]]?''}}
{{Covenant Character Infobox
{{Character infobox
|name=Minister of Etiology  
|variant=Cov
|image=[[Image:Legate.jpg|250px]]
|name=Minister of Etiology
|image=[[File:Fleet Battles - Minister of Etiology.jpg|300px]]
|homeworld=
|homeworld=
|birth=
|birth=
|death=2552
|death=[[2552#September|September 21, 2552]]{{Ref/Comic|Id=hgn|HGN|Story=The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor}}
|rank=Legate
|causeofdeath=
|species=[[San 'Shyuum|Prophet]]
|parents=
|siblings=
|spouses=
|children=
|species=[[San'Shyuum]]
|gender=Male
|gender=Male
|height=
|height=
|weapons=
|mass=
|equipment=
|hair=Gray
|vehicles=
|eyes=Blue
|hair=
|affiliation=*[[Covenant]] {{C|formerly}}{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}
|eyes=
**[[Ministry of Etiology]]{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}
|cyber=
*[[Flood]]
|era=
|rank-title=Title(s)|rank=*[[Minister (title)|Minister]] of [[Ministry of Etiology|Etiology]]{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}
|types=
*[[Minor Prophet]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc11|Enc11|Page=284}}
*Legate
|sn=
|notable=
|notable=
|affiliation=[[Covenant]]
}}
}}
:'''Legate:''''' An official emissary, especially an official representative of the pope.[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Legate]''
{{Quote|I see you never studied, Commander. They are the Flood, one of the many tests and obstacles we must pass to activate the holy rings and begin the Great Journey.|The Minister of Etiology, to [[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee and [[Bero 'Kusovai]]{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}}}


This character is introduced in the [[Halo Graphic Novel]] when [[Rtas 'Vadumee]]'s battle group boards the [[Infinite Succor]]. He appears to be a [[Prophet|Minor Prophet]] and is called the Minister of Etiology.
The '''Minister of Etiology''', also known as the '''Legate''', was a [[San'Shyuum]] politician and [[Minor Prophet]], serving as the [[Covenant]] [[Minister (title)|Minister]] of [[Ministry of Etiology|Etiology]] during the [[Human-Covenant War]]. He was stationed aboard the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]]'s {{Pattern|Mjern|agricultural support ship}} ''[[Infinite Succor]]'' during the [[Battle of Installation 04|Battle]] of [[Installation 04]].{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}{{Ref/Site|Id=CFBeyond|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-infinity-beyond|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Infinity & Beyond|D=23|M=12|Y=2019}} He was one of two San'Shyuum personnel in the fleet, the other being the [[Prophet of Stewardship|Minor Prophet of Stewardship]].


==In Context==
==Biography==
===Early life===
The Minister of Etiology spent much of his life studying the [[Flood]]. Eventually he was assigned to the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] as the master of the support ship ''[[Infinite Succor]]''.{{Ref/Twitter|Halo|1197877643346989057|Halo|Quote=Assigned to Thel ‘Vadamee’s Fleet of Particular Justice as master of the support ship Infinite Succor, the Minister of Etiology would eventually meet his end fighting the very threat he had spent much of his life studying – the Flood.|D=22|M=11|Y=2019}} While assigned to ''Infinite Succor'', the Minister had a safe room installed on the ship for his own protection, fearing a [[naval boarding]] action would easily overwhelm the ship's small on-board security force due to its total lack of any Sangheili - something he considered lacking. The crew of the ship were left unaware of this fact.{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}


The Legate appears in the Halo Graphic Novel in the story "Infinite Succor" when Special Ops. Elite Rtas 'Vadumee and a Covenant Strike Team boards the ship in orbit over [[Installation 04]] after a Covenant [[Spirit]] dropship filled with Flood-infected humans crashes into the ship's docking bay. The group fights its way through several new flood types (as the ship contains an infected hunting ground) all the way to the bridge, only to find Infinite Succor's controls disabled.  
===Battle of Installation 04===
{{Quote|We...have command codes. Will soon leave, spread.|The [[Proto-Gravemind]], speaking through the Minister of Etiology.{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}}}
During the [[Battle of Installation 04]], ''Infinite Succor'' was in orbit over [[Installation 04]] along with the rest of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]], when it became subject to the ongoing [[Outbreak at the Containment Facility|outbreak]] of the [[Flood]] on the ring. Late in the campaign, the {{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}} dropship ''[[Brilliant Gift]]'' was able to leave the [[Halo array|ringworld's]] surface and crash in ''Infinite Succor''{{'}}s [[hangar bay]], depositing its cargo of Flood forms onto the ship - which promptly began to infect its crew. The Minister of Etiology retreated to his safe room as soon as the boarding alarm was sounded, and disabled the ship's primary controls to ensure the Flood would not be able to take control of the ship and escape the [[Soell system]], also disabling the ship's [[self-destruct]] system. The minister planned to wait for reinforcements to arrive - something which proved true later when a [[Covenant Special Operations]] strike force led by [[Commander (Covenant)|Commander]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee was tasked by the fleet's [[Supreme Commander]], [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee, to board ''Infinite Succor'', rescue the minister, and destroy the ship.{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}


Here they meet the Prophet Legate, Minister of Etiology who reveals to them that he has disabled the controls, and locked-out the self-destruct sequence over-ride from another part of the ship. The Minister orders the entire group medically scanned before he will meet with them, due to the situation of Flood outbreak aboard the ship.
Upon initial contact, the minister refused to re-enable ''Infinite Succor''{{'}}s self-destruct, worrying that Rtas and his troops were a ruse; that they had been infected by the Flood and were trying to trick him into opening his safe room. Consequently, he demanded that the team head to the ship's medical bay and submit scans to him that proved they were clean of Flood infection - before directing them to head to the hydroponics bay and into the safe room. During his time watching the strike team, he observed the Flood's behaviour change as it infected the [[Sangheili]] officers leading the force, and the Flood's [[Flood outbreak|evolution into a new stage]] - growing more organised and altering the atmosphere on-board to facilitate the creation of a [[Proto-Gravemind]]. He observed that the Flood appeared to inherit the knowledge of their victims and worried that they were planning to use the ship's [[borer]] to escape into [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] and begin spreading the infection across [[Milky Way|the galaxy]].{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}
[[File:Legate.png|thumb|250px|left|The Minister absorbed by the Flood.]]
While conversing with 'Vadumee, the minister repeatedly emphasised his own importance, and that the strike team's priority was to escort him to safety. He also noted that ''Infinite Succor'' lacked any [[vacuum suit]]s suitable for Sangheili, on account of its lack of Sangheili crew, meaning that it would be impossible to simply depressurise the ship and kill the Flood that way. As such, 'Vadumee instructed that [[Sub-commander]] [[Bero 'Kusovai]] take a strike team to their boarding ship ''[[Glorious Advance]]'' while he took the other troops to ''Infinite Succor''{{'}}s engineering deck to enact the self-destruct. If 'Vadumee did not return, 'Kusovai was to signal the fleet to fire upon and destroy ''Infinite Succor''. The minister objected to 'Vadumee's plan, noting that splitting the force would be insufficient to provide him adequete protection while he was escorted to ''Glorious Advance''. 'Vadumee in turn noted that the time and effort it would take to escort the minister to safety would be a huge risk, especially with the Flood tirelessly working to hack ''Infinite Succor'' and leave the system - by contrast, it would be a simple matter to kill the frail San'Shyuum and posit that he had simply been killed in the initial attack. 'Vadumee promptly struck the minister before picking him up and throwing him across the room - killing him and taking his access codes.{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}


The group meets with the Legate in a secret location on the ship, where a plan is devised to get everyone off of the ship and have the ship vaporized by the nearby Covenant Fleet. During this time it also becomes apparent that the Flood have gained the access codes to Infinite Succor through one of the infected [[Elites]] from Rtas' party. As the Flood continue to spread throughout the ship, they gain access to the bridges and engineering room, and have begun fortifying the engineering room - - The Flood are attempting a [[Slipspace]] jump to escape the system. At this time Rtas realizes the Legate is only concerned with his own safety, which has been costing the group precious time. In anger, 'Vadumee slams the Legate into the floor, telling him that their prime concern is the Covenant's safety, not his.  
After 'Vadumee and his entourage left the safe room to finish their mission, the Flood infected the now-dead minister - absorbing him into the Proto-Gravemind and gaining all of his knowledge - including the command codes needed to operate ''Infinite Succor''. As 'Vadumee worked to enact ''Infinite Succor''{{'}}s destruction, the Flood used the minister's face to taunt him, noting that the [[Forerunner]]s had [[Forerunner-Flood war|failed]] to stop the Flood, and that the Covenant had no chance. Despite this, 'Vadumee successfully completed his mission, causing ''Infinite Succor'' to fly into Soell and be destroyed.{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}


[[Image:Floodlegate.jpg|thumb|left|230px|The Minister absorbed by the Flood.]]
==In-game information==
===''Halo: Fleet Battles''===
The Minister of Etiology is available as a Heroic Character in ''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]''. As a Heroic Character he must be assigned to a specific formation base within the fleet at the start of the battle.{{Ref/Reuse|CFBeyond}}


Although the Minister is eventually absorbed by Flood, 'Vadumee is able to set Infinite Succor on a Slipspace course directly into the nearest star ([[Threshold]] System). It was also here that 'Vadumee, in a fight against the Flood-infected Elite [[Kusovai]], lost his left mandibles to Kusovai's [[energy sword]]. Rtas somehow manages to escape the Succor just prior to the doomed Slipspace jump, and is apparently the only survivor of the mission.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;text-align:center"
|+ <sup>MINOR PROPHET</sup><br>MINISTER OF ETILOGY - 80 points
|-
| ZEALOTS: 0-2 per full 1000 Points / 1VP KIA || Each Zealot costs +10 Points
|-
! colspan=2 | Special Orders
|-
| colspan=2 |
;Prepare My Transport
:Cost: 2 Order Defense die
: The Minister of Etiology is never without an escape plan. Should the element containing the Minister be destroyed, roll a Halo dice - on the roll of any result other than a fail, the Minister may be placed on a nearby friendly vessel within 12". Should Minister roll a fail when trying to escape, or have no friendly formation base within 12" however, the Minister is removed from the game and the enemy fleet gains and additional +4 victory points.
|-
| colspan=2 |
;Protect The Minister!
:Cost: 2 Order Attack die
: The Minister may force an enemy firing solution targeting his own formation base to re-target a different member of his battle group - even if a loadout would require the formation to be the nominated (missile barrage, for example). This order may be issued after the formation containing the Minister is declared the target of a firing solution.
|-
! colspan=2 | Unique Ability
|-
| colspan=2 |
:Whilst utterly self-possessed and concerned only with politics, the Minster claims a high rank within the Covenant hierarchy and can bend even Fleet Commanders to his will. After any initial order dice have been rolled during the order dice phase, the Minister may change a single friendly Covenant order dice to be any result.
|}


Rtas 'Vadumee goes on to eventually become the leader of the Covenant Special Operations in [[Halo 2]].
==Production notes==
The Minister of Etiology was first introduced in ''[[The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor]]'', a story in the ''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]'' with an extremely heavily stylised visual style. As part of this style, the minister is illustrated as having four fingers on each hand rather than the three as shown in all other media. A minor oversight is also shown later in the story when the Legate is grabbed in a chokehold by Rtas 'Vadumee, then slammed to the floor. In the next panel, he is seen unharmed, his headpiece unbroken, and his being is robustly frail as any other Prophet. This is just a simple printing glitch, meant to be in a prior page.{{Ref/Reuse|hgn}}


== Sources ==
The minister was later featured in ''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]'' as a Heroic Character, and given a new and definitive illustration more in keeping with ''Halo''{{'}}s canon visual direction (shown at the top of this page).{{Ref/Reuse|CFBeyond}}
*''[[Halo: Graphic Novel]]''


{{Prophets}}
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Legate.jpg|The Minister in the ''Graphic Novel''
File:Fleet Battles - Covenant busts.jpg|''Halo: Fleet Battles'' busts of the Minister and other Covenant leaders
</gallery>


==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
**''[[Halo: The Flood#2010 bonus content|Adjunct]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''
**''[[The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]''


[[Category:Prophets]]
==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}


[[Category:Ranks]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Etiology}}
[[Category:San'Shyuum characters]]
[[Category:Covenant politicians]]

Latest revision as of 16:07, July 14, 2024

Were you looking for the Ministry of Etiology?
Minister of Etiology
An illustration of the Minister of Etiology.
Biographical information

Died:

September 21, 2552[1]

Personal details

Species:

San'Shyuum

Gender:

Male

Hair color:

Gray

Eye color:

Blue

Political and military information

Affiliation:

Title(s):

 

"I see you never studied, Commander. They are the Flood, one of the many tests and obstacles we must pass to activate the holy rings and begin the Great Journey."
— The Minister of Etiology, to Rtas 'Vadumee and Bero 'Kusovai[1]

The Minister of Etiology, also known as the Legate, was a San'Shyuum politician and Minor Prophet, serving as the Covenant Minister of Etiology during the Human-Covenant War. He was stationed aboard the Fleet of Particular Justice's Mjern-pattern agricultural support ship Infinite Succor during the Battle of Installation 04.[1][3] He was one of two San'Shyuum personnel in the fleet, the other being the Minor Prophet of Stewardship.

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

The Minister of Etiology spent much of his life studying the Flood. Eventually he was assigned to the Fleet of Particular Justice as the master of the support ship Infinite Succor.[4] While assigned to Infinite Succor, the Minister had a safe room installed on the ship for his own protection, fearing a naval boarding action would easily overwhelm the ship's small on-board security force due to its total lack of any Sangheili - something he considered lacking. The crew of the ship were left unaware of this fact.[1]

Battle of Installation 04[edit]

"We...have command codes. Will soon leave, spread."
— The Proto-Gravemind, speaking through the Minister of Etiology.[1]

During the Battle of Installation 04, Infinite Succor was in orbit over Installation 04 along with the rest of the Fleet of Particular Justice, when it became subject to the ongoing outbreak of the Flood on the ring. Late in the campaign, the Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit dropship Brilliant Gift was able to leave the ringworld's surface and crash in Infinite Succor's hangar bay, depositing its cargo of Flood forms onto the ship - which promptly began to infect its crew. The Minister of Etiology retreated to his safe room as soon as the boarding alarm was sounded, and disabled the ship's primary controls to ensure the Flood would not be able to take control of the ship and escape the Soell system, also disabling the ship's self-destruct system. The minister planned to wait for reinforcements to arrive - something which proved true later when a Covenant Special Operations strike force led by Commander Rtas 'Vadumee was tasked by the fleet's Supreme Commander, Thel 'Vadamee, to board Infinite Succor, rescue the minister, and destroy the ship.[1]

Upon initial contact, the minister refused to re-enable Infinite Succor's self-destruct, worrying that Rtas and his troops were a ruse; that they had been infected by the Flood and were trying to trick him into opening his safe room. Consequently, he demanded that the team head to the ship's medical bay and submit scans to him that proved they were clean of Flood infection - before directing them to head to the hydroponics bay and into the safe room. During his time watching the strike team, he observed the Flood's behaviour change as it infected the Sangheili officers leading the force, and the Flood's evolution into a new stage - growing more organised and altering the atmosphere on-board to facilitate the creation of a Proto-Gravemind. He observed that the Flood appeared to inherit the knowledge of their victims and worried that they were planning to use the ship's borer to escape into slipspace and begin spreading the infection across the galaxy.[1]

The Minister of Etiology is infected by the Flood.
The Minister absorbed by the Flood.

While conversing with 'Vadumee, the minister repeatedly emphasised his own importance, and that the strike team's priority was to escort him to safety. He also noted that Infinite Succor lacked any vacuum suits suitable for Sangheili, on account of its lack of Sangheili crew, meaning that it would be impossible to simply depressurise the ship and kill the Flood that way. As such, 'Vadumee instructed that Sub-commander Bero 'Kusovai take a strike team to their boarding ship Glorious Advance while he took the other troops to Infinite Succor's engineering deck to enact the self-destruct. If 'Vadumee did not return, 'Kusovai was to signal the fleet to fire upon and destroy Infinite Succor. The minister objected to 'Vadumee's plan, noting that splitting the force would be insufficient to provide him adequete protection while he was escorted to Glorious Advance. 'Vadumee in turn noted that the time and effort it would take to escort the minister to safety would be a huge risk, especially with the Flood tirelessly working to hack Infinite Succor and leave the system - by contrast, it would be a simple matter to kill the frail San'Shyuum and posit that he had simply been killed in the initial attack. 'Vadumee promptly struck the minister before picking him up and throwing him across the room - killing him and taking his access codes.[1]

After 'Vadumee and his entourage left the safe room to finish their mission, the Flood infected the now-dead minister - absorbing him into the Proto-Gravemind and gaining all of his knowledge - including the command codes needed to operate Infinite Succor. As 'Vadumee worked to enact Infinite Succor's destruction, the Flood used the minister's face to taunt him, noting that the Forerunners had failed to stop the Flood, and that the Covenant had no chance. Despite this, 'Vadumee successfully completed his mission, causing Infinite Succor to fly into Soell and be destroyed.[1]

In-game information[edit]

Halo: Fleet Battles[edit]

The Minister of Etiology is available as a Heroic Character in Halo: Fleet Battles. As a Heroic Character he must be assigned to a specific formation base within the fleet at the start of the battle.[3]

MINOR PROPHET
MINISTER OF ETILOGY - 80 points
ZEALOTS: 0-2 per full 1000 Points / 1VP KIA Each Zealot costs +10 Points
Special Orders
Prepare My Transport
Cost: 2 Order Defense die
The Minister of Etiology is never without an escape plan. Should the element containing the Minister be destroyed, roll a Halo dice - on the roll of any result other than a fail, the Minister may be placed on a nearby friendly vessel within 12". Should Minister roll a fail when trying to escape, or have no friendly formation base within 12" however, the Minister is removed from the game and the enemy fleet gains and additional +4 victory points.
Protect The Minister!
Cost: 2 Order Attack die
The Minister may force an enemy firing solution targeting his own formation base to re-target a different member of his battle group - even if a loadout would require the formation to be the nominated (missile barrage, for example). This order may be issued after the formation containing the Minister is declared the target of a firing solution.
Unique Ability
Whilst utterly self-possessed and concerned only with politics, the Minster claims a high rank within the Covenant hierarchy and can bend even Fleet Commanders to his will. After any initial order dice have been rolled during the order dice phase, the Minister may change a single friendly Covenant order dice to be any result.

Production notes[edit]

The Minister of Etiology was first introduced in The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor, a story in the Halo Graphic Novel with an extremely heavily stylised visual style. As part of this style, the minister is illustrated as having four fingers on each hand rather than the three as shown in all other media. A minor oversight is also shown later in the story when the Legate is grabbed in a chokehold by Rtas 'Vadumee, then slammed to the floor. In the next panel, he is seen unharmed, his headpiece unbroken, and his being is robustly frail as any other Prophet. This is just a simple printing glitch, meant to be in a prior page.[1]

The minister was later featured in Halo: Fleet Battles as a Heroic Character, and given a new and definitive illustration more in keeping with Halo's canon visual direction (shown at the top of this page).[3]

Gallery[edit]

  • The Minister in the Graphic Novel

    The Minister in the Graphic Novel

  • Halo: Fleet Battles busts of the Minister and other Covenant leaders

    Halo: Fleet Battles busts of the Minister and other Covenant leaders

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Halo Graphic Novel - The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor
  2. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 284
  3. ^ a b c Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Infinity & Beyond (Retrieved on Dec 23, 2019) [archive]
  4. ^ Twitter, Halo (@Halo): "Assigned to Thel ‘Vadamee’s Fleet of Particular Justice as master of the support ship Infinite Succor, the Minister of Etiology would eventually meet his end fighting the very threat he had spent much of his life studying – the Flood." (Retrieved on Nov 22, 2019) [archive]
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