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The Jackals are one of the three groups of raiders that originated from Vault 15, the other ones being the Khans and the Vipers.
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The Jackals are your typical group of crazies. They have no morals except one: survival. They use group tactics to overmatch their enemies. They are craven cowards, though, and will not attack unless they know they can win. They band together in their hideaway and fight over the spoils. [1]. Normally small family groups, they sometimes join forces against bigger targets. They even bring the women and children along for the hunt. Their advantage is in numbers, not strength. Unarmed, melee, and (if they're lucky) guns. Most have knives and other cutting weapons.
They file their teeth to sharp points, and are proud of their long hair (cutting it is a shameful thing). They became so savage and cannibalistic after a winter storm trapped them and forced them to eat each other, and now that's how they survive. They drop easily, or even run if wounded, but they're just waiting to claim the dead from either side. They don't do this for ghouls or super mutants because they don't taste good. They also generally hate all kinds of mutants.
The original Jackals most likely came out of Vault 15 in the 2100s. They fought extensively against the other two raider groups from Vault 15, until they were defeated by the Khans in 2135. After that, most of them fled east of California.
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The following is based on Van Buren and has not been confirmed by canon sources. |
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In the 2250s, they were moving east again, because of pressure from the unified tribes. The Jackals know that other tribes despise and fear them.
6 months before the Prisoner arrives to Boulder, Galenski runs into a pack of Jackals, kills all but one, and heads home. The lone Jackal runs to his tribe and tells them about the truck, the man, and where he went. The Jackals stop fighting among their own tribes and move out in search of this new food source. Two months after that, Galenski makes a run to Denver. On the way back he faces some Jackals but fails to kill any of them.
Within a month, Jackals organize in strength in this region. Though they originally try attacking the dome, they quickly realize the truck is an easier target.A month before the Prisoner's arrival Larsen shoots one of his soldiers and offers the body to the Jackals. The NCR soldiers and the tribes became allies, both wanting to get into the dome.
Five days before, Presper and his men arrive, shoot some Jackals. When Coleridge leaves, he points out that for about 24 hours after they leave, the Jackals are be distracted by the NCR train leaving. The Jackal leader, Banshee, is in a Mexican standoff with Larsen, as both want to get in and neither wants the other to live after that[2].
The Jackals eventually did not appear in any of the games, but they were mentioned by Ian and Killian Darkwater in Fallout 1. The Jackals were to appear in Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios, as well as in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2.
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Stub (Van Buren)
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The Kig-yar (Latin: Perosus latrunculus, translated to "Hateful Highwayman"[2]) are a saurian species[3] which would serve the Covenant as mercenaries, and later the Covenant Loyalists. Humans have termed these vicious creatures Jackals, as they are known for their swiftness, viciousness and dexterity, even though they aren't the strongest Covenant race. Jackals will either serve as snipers or scouts within the Covenant due to their excellent sense of sight, smell and hearing. They were the first Covenant species encountered by UNSC forces.[4]
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Jackals are avian in appearance, with feather-like quills on their heads and arms on males and calloused plates on females for protection from males during mating, and bird-like feet with deadly talons. In Halo: Contact Harvest, they are stated to have larger spines on their back if male. If they are female, they have thick, callus-like plates on their head and shoulders, and their beaks are longer and crocked upwards. They have three fingers on each hand with razor-sharp claws. Jackals have exhibited both beaks and razor sharp teeth that can easily rip flesh apart. Such a great variation may be indicative of a similar condition in saurids where the morphology differs wildly from birth to adulthood (lack of teeth in young and lack of feathers in adults) or something close to human races where different morphology may be a result of living in different environments. Though they are mainly carnivorous in appearance and indeed are known to consume flesh, apparently even that of other sentient beings, the Kig-Yar is omnivorous. They will eat fruits including an unknown type of melon that may be native to their homeworld.
Though they are not a low-g species, they do have many qualities that are shared with species from low-g worlds. The female of the species lack the spiny plumage (said plumage's color serving as indication of the Jackal's mood)[5] of the male; replacing it with calloistic plates at the forearms and the rear of the head. The "callous like" skin helps protect the female during courtship. When mating, the male can choose to fertilize the egg, in which a male is produced, whereas if the eggs are not fertilized a female is produced. Aside from the obvious differences in reproductive organs, the male and female of the species are more or less identical in appearance with no physical disparity or mass distribution between the sexes.
A great variance in skin tone and color has been seen among Jackals, usually a dark orange or green, and some are mottled or spotted with markings of various color. The purpose of color variation in Jackals is unknown, though it has been speculated to be tribal tattooing or camouflage suitable for their home world. Although the Jackals vary in skin color, their blood is purple in color similar to that of the Sangheili, possibly showing a similar genetic or chemical makeup.
The lack of calcium in their skeletons also makes them a poor source of food for potential Flood forms. However, they have been observed as Combat Forms in Halo Wars.
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Skirmishers are a sub-species of Kig-yar, deployed on the ground for their viciousness and fierce tactics. While very similar to normal Kig-yar in appearance, their heads are noticeably different. Skirmishers have strong, beak-like jaws, with very sharp teeth. They develop thick, mane-like plumage around their head and neck and have several horns protruding from said plumage. So far, they have only been seen deployed in the Battle of Reach.
Unlike races such as the Grunts, the Kig-yar was space-faring long before joining the Covenant. As such the Jackals are unique among Covenant races: rather than faithful followers of the Prophets' religion, they are mercenaries paid by the Covenant. However, due to the long time they have been in the Covenant, a large number of them have accepted the Covenant religion. Jackals can live fairly peaceful lives with Humans, as is seen in the Cole Protocol. When they were finally ordered by the Prophets to attack and destroy the Humans of the Rubble, many of them even regretted the order. This is likely due to the pragmatic, merchant culture of their race. They can likely live happily with anyone in a relationship of trade.
Once, the Kig-Yar culture was centered around rival clans sailing across Eayn's seas as pirates, raiding the encampments and settlements of rival clans. As the distances between the clans grew less, so too did the differences, and a united Kig-Yar race reached out to the stars in spacecrafts, beginning to populate small asteroids around Chu'ot. Some of these saw opportunity, and became pirates once more, raiding merchant ships. These were apparently the Kig-Yar's only effective response to the overwhelming Covenant military juggernaut when they arrived in their home-system in 1342.The war between the two factions apparently culminating around sieges of redoubts on the asteroids surrounding their world. Though eventually in order to survive they accepted letters of marque: commissions from the Ministry of Tranquility to engage in the services of the Covenant, though often this was merely used as an excuse to continue raiding. This time preying on the ships of the Covenant's enemies, such as the humans.
When inducted into the Covenant, the Kig-yar were intended to fill the role later assigned to the Grunts as the Covenant's foot soldiers, however the temperament of the Jackals made this impractical. Instead, they were placed in roles that suited their abilities better such as scouts and being in teams of commando units which allowed the exploitation of their fine senses in the battlefield. They are also deployed as police forces on occupied worlds, although this was always done under the supervision of a member of the higher castes. The reason for this duty was unclear - it is not known if the Covenant feel that the Grunts could not be trusted with such roles or if the predatory nature of the Jackals allowed them a greater ability to police planets.
Jackals have little status in the Covenant hierarchy and are subservient to all but the Grunts. Although they technically stand as equals with the Grunts, the reality is that Jackals are usually in an elevated position. While the other races consider the Grunts beneath notice. The Jackals are often purposefully cruel to them in order to assure themselves of their own superiority. The Jackals are not represented on the High Council but are instead vetted by the Ministry of Concert. However, unlike the other castes, the Kig-yar do not vocally complain about their position but instead have selected to siphon off resources to their brothers. Whether the Covenant leadership was aware of this is currently unknown. After the Great Schism, they were promoted to where the Drones once were.
The ranking authorities in Covenant society have been known to let Jackals eat prisoners alive, perhaps indicating that the Jackals are much more bloodthirsty and cruel than previously seen in combat. This probability is supported by the vicious screeches, squawks, and squalls that Jackals make in combat, and the UNSC remark stating that Jackals were "too bloodthirsty" to really be called snipers. The Jackals are despised by most Elites for their devious nature.
The Kig-yar government type is postindustrial capitalism, with a population of 978 million.[6] It is also described as an Ochlocracy, a system of government best described as a government by mob, or the intimidation of constitutional authorities. Presumably, this implies that whatever form of local government the Kig-Yar possess is ineffective and ignored.
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Jackals are not permitted by the Elites to have more than one name, but Jackal society had never placed a premium on such things, so they don't care. Jackal names are invariably single syllable, with two consonants and one vowel, such as Yeg, Jak and Bok.
Eayn is the homeworld of the Kig-Yar species and is the primary satellite of the planet Chu'ot. It is characterized by its single equatorial ocean, sparse volcanism, and almost total lack of glaciation. Only about one-third of all Kig-Yar who still reside in the Y'deio system call Eayn their home; many have chosen to live among the minor planets within the asteroid belt since their initial contact with the Covenant.
| Known Jackal Ranks |
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| Minor · Major · Sniper · Ranger · Zealot |
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 A Jackal Sniper from Halo 3. |
 Jackal about to meet a Pelican in the level Assault on the Control Room in Halo: Combat Evolved. |
 A Minor Jackal on patrol on The Ark. |
 A Jackal Sniper from Halo 2 wields a Particle Beam Rifle. |
 A Minor Jackal about to fire a charged Plasma Pistol. |
 A Jackal's blood stain. |
 Halo Wars concept art of the Jackals. |
 A Jackal Sniper with a Beam Rifle on Halo 3: ODST |
 Kig-Yar, as they appear in Halo Wars. |
 The prototype of McFarlane Toys' Jackal figure. |
 The helmet worn by Jackals in Halo: Combat Evolved. |
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