Summary
Tartarus is the most prominent of the Brutes, easily recognized by his white hair and distinctive mohawk. He represents his entire species as their Chieftain: rough, arrogant, disdainful of the Covenant Elite, and totally dedicated to the Prophets' "Great Journey".
Tartarus made his first chronological appearance in the novel Halo: First Strike, in the chamber of the High Prophet of Truth. Even back then Truth had trusted him enough to dismiss the Honor Guards in the chamber. He had scoured the wreckage of the Covenant attack coordination station Unyielding Hierophant after its destruction at the hands of the Master Chief. Tartarus reported the Covenant Fleet preparing to attack Earth largely destroyed, and an artifact almost entirely lost but for three small chips, which he presented to Truth. He was instructed to reward the surviving pilots well, then "execute them all. Quickly. Quietly." (p. 340) He was also requested to bring the future Arbiter, referred to as the "incompetent" who lost Ascendant Justice, before the Council to let "his fate match the magnitude of his failure".
In Halo 2, Tartarus branded the Arbiter with the Mark of Shame and took him to the Mausoleum for an execution. When the Arbiter was pardoned and promoted, Tartarus was obviously displeased, but kept silent out of respect for the Prophets. Tartarus provided aerial support for the Arbiter during his mission to kill the Heretic leader near Basis, and reappeared when the Arbiter tried to retrieve the Index of Delta Halo. While he mocked the Arbiter, he himself flew in a Phantom and never set foot on Flood-infested ground. On the Prophets' orders, Tartarus eventually took action against the Arbiter, stealing the Index and pushing him to his (supposed) death in an endless pit. The Brute then returned with the Index and captives Miranda Keyes and Sgt. Avery Johnson to Delta Halo.
While trying to get the Reclaimer (Miranda Keyes) to cooperate, Tartarus was confronted by the Arbiter. Blind to the Prophets' deception, he activated Delta Halo and prepared to guard the Index from all comers. In the final showdown, Tartarus puts up a difficult fight with his massive one-hit-kill electromagnetic warhammer and his unique fog-like energy shield that is almost impervious to damage, but ultimately is killed through the combined efforts of the Arbiter, several Elites, and Sgt. Johnson, successfully delaying the destruction of the galaxy.
Combat
Tartarus is invincible as long as his shield is up. It can be taken out temporarily with three Beam Rifle shots in close succession. Fortunatly, Johnson has one. Keep Tartarus in Johnson's line of sight so he can fire. When it goes out, hit him with all you've got before his shield recharges.
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