SOLDIERING ON

One of the most noticeable additions fans caught on to in the Halo 5: Guardians E3 reveals was the presence of an as-of yet-unseen Forerunner construct, the Soldier. Sometimes referred to as “Promethean Soldiers” due to the operational origins of particular variants, these combat constructs have a little-known, but intriguing, history. Here’s a first look into their past…

During their war with ancient humanity millennia ago, the Didact employed the use of Armigers – bipedal combat platforms that proved incredibly useful for raiding ancient human warships, particularly when attempting to infiltrate the often-more confined spaces of human vessels.

Following the conflict, after the Didact had entered into exile during the ecumene Council’s diminishment of his rate, the Forerunners found themselves dangerously underprepared for the Flood’s return. In order to bolster the empire’s defenses, the Master Builder recommissioned the production of the Armigers to support the ranks of both Builder Security and the waning number of remaining Warrior-Servants. The Soldiers are one such example of these combat platforms, with multiple types used by various factions within the Forerunner ecumene.

While most were originally expended in the fruitless war against the Flood or compromised by the logic plague, some were secretly left to guard key Forerunner sites in the ages following the firing of the Array. Their reappearance with the Guardians indicates the secret of their manufacture has once again been uncovered, and as humanity continues to try and reclaim the vestiges of the Forerunners’ dominance, the reawakening of these constructs and others like them cannot be taken lightly by the UNSC.

Many of you will realize that it’s not the first time you’ve encountered the name “Armiger” in Halo fiction, specifically those who have already picked up Halo: Hunters in the Dark, which released just this past Tuesday. Once fans have had a chance to pick up the novel for themselves and digest it, we’ll be revisiting right here in Canon Fodder for a closer look, as has become customary. And in regards to the Soldier units themselves, there might still be a few details yet to come for those who are paying careful attention.