The Jiralhanae, the violent Covenant Race known to the humans as "Brutes"
VS
The Krogan, the brutal warrior race capable of crushing any foe.
Jiralhanae[]
A Fearsome and barbaric people, the Jiralhanae, better known as the Brutes, are native to the magma-heated Earth-like planet, Doisac. The Brutes raised their civilization to a Space-Age level, before they were torn apart in a bloody civil war that reduced their population and crippled their technology and culture. However, their savagery and skill in battle did not go unnoticed, and when they were in this weakened state, The Covenant Empire launched a full invasion, quickly pummeling the Brutes and absorbing them into the Covenant ranks in 2492. Intially meant only to serve as guards and heavy infantry, the Jiralhanae proved incredibly quick converts- they quickly adapted and molded to the Prophet's religion, and despite their inability to truly grasp ideas like sanctity, they quickly became devout and even fanatical to The Great Journey.
The Brutes have fought in the Covenant since before the war with the UNSC, but their deployment was rare. Early sightings of their deployment after the Fall of Harvest was met with surprise and confusion from the UNSC Spirit of Fire and her crew, while other Brute forces were deployed in small numbers to Reach. The first time the Brutes saw major action as a ground force was after the destruction of the first Halo Ring and the invasion of Earth by the Covenant. Here, Brutes appeared in many major supporting roles under the leadership of Tartarus. After a great deal of fighting, the Prophets announced that the Elites were to be terminated and phased out of the Covenant, being replaced with the stronger and more fanatical Brutes. This lead to a massive Civil War within the Covenant, as the Brutes quickly took the Elites by surprise and killed many. The Arbiter was able to rally many Covenant Forces to his side, and after killing Tartarus, he split off and founded the Covenant Seperatists. After this split, the Brutes took full control of the Invasion of Earth, while they won many battles, they eventually lost the war- their Prophets all dead and their Great Journey forever halted.
After the Human-Covenant War, the exact fate of the Jiralhanae people is unknown. While some groups have splintered off and engaged each other in civil wars as they did in the generations prior to their adoption into the Covenant, a huge number of Brute forces were left in hostile territory after the war, and their warrior nature would not lead to retreat. Reports that a lack of Covenant supplies and troops, combined with the return to classic Brute Savagery allowed the UNSC and Covenant Seperatists to gain the upper hand and push them out.
Krogan[]
The Krogan are a race of large, reptilian creatures from the harsh, arid planet of Tuchanka, home to vast deserts, and numerous dangerous predators. Like all life that survived on their homeworld, the krogan are tough, fierce, and violent. The Krogan fought amongst themselves frequently, culminating about four thousand years ago in a devastating nuclear war, in which much of the Tuchanka was reduced to a barren wasteland.
Two thousand years after the nuclear war, the salarians, another alien race, discovered the Krogan and with their help, the krogan advanced to a spacefaring civilization, aiding the salarians and turians in their war with an insectoid race known as the rachni. After the defeat of the rachni, however, the krogan began expanding, attacking turian and salarian colonies. The turians and salarians fought a bloody war with the krogan, culminating in the turians and salarians deploying a jointly developed biological weapon known as the genophage, which caused 70% of krogan births to miscarry, resulting in a rapid population decline.
If Commander Shepard chooses to, he/she will aid the krogan and a salarian scientist in curing the genophage plague, gaining the support of the krogan clans in the war against the The Reapers.
Weapons[]
SMGs[]
Type 28 "Spiker" Carbine (Jiralhanae)[]
The Type-28 Carbine, known as the "Spiker" by humans is a fully automatic railgun submachine gun firing superheated, foot-long ferric tungsten spikes at a rate of fire 480 rounds per minute. These spikes cause severe trauma on impact, however, because of the mass of the rounds they have a low muzzle velocity, only 76 meters per second and a short range of only 40 meters. The weapon features a 40-round magazine and a dual bayonet on the front. The Brutes do not used the bayonet like a human-made bayonet, using it as a slashing weapon, rather than a thrusting weapon.
M12 Locust (Krogan)[]
The M12 Locust is a magnetically acceleration submachine gun with a rate of fire of 550 rounds per minute. The weapon is most effective at ranges of less than about 50-100 meters (119's estimate). The weapon has a foregrip for greater recoil control.
119's Edge[]
The Krogan's Locust for its superior rate of fire, muzzle velocity, and longer range.
Assault Rifles[]
Type 51 Carbine (Jiralhanae)[]
The Type 51 Carbine is a Covenant semi-automatic marksman rifle with a 2x scope. The weapon fires 8.7x60mm caseless rounds made from a toxic and radioactive substance. The rounds are coated with a substance to shield the user from the radiation and toxins, but the coating is destroyed on impact, causing poisoning or possible cancer if the projectile does not kill the target. The weapon has an 18-round magazine and muzzle velocity of 700 meters per second, and a range of 600 meters.
M96 Mattock (Krogan)[]
The M96 Mattock is a semi-automatic battle rifle that fires ferric tungsten projectiles using magnetic acceleration from a 16-round magazine. Its exact muzzle velocity is unknown, but it appears to be at least as fast as a conventional firearm, if not faster. The weapon is effective at piercing armor and depleting shields. For the purposes of this match, the weapon will come with a low-power scope.
119's Edge[]
The Jiralhanae's Covenant Carbine for the sheer lethality of its ammunition.
Shotguns[]
Type-52 Pistol Shotgun "Mauler" (Jiralhanae)[]
The Type 52 is a weapon classed as a pistol by the Covenant, but is considered by humans to be more of a light shotgun. The weapon is a semi-automatic shotgun fed with a revolver-style drum magazine. The weapon has a short range, probably 50 meters or less, but while not as powerful as the larger human-made M90, still packs a destructive punch against most targets. The weapon has a blade attached to the bottom for use as a melee weapon, attacking in a downwards strike with the blade.
Graal Spike Thrower (Krogan)[]
A Krogan Shotgun firing spikes designed for use in hunting massive creatures called thresher maws, the the Graal Spike Thrower is a devastating weapon capable of being charged for maximum impact. The impact is capable of piercing the hide of a thresher maw, or piercing armor and tearing apart a humanoid target. The weapon has a three-shot magazine and attached blades, both for use in melee combat and as a last resort if the user is swallowed by a thresher maw.
119's Edge[]
Even, as the Graal's superior stopping power cancels out the Mauler's superior capacity.
Sniper Rifles[]
Particle Beam Rifle (Jiralhanae)[]
The Type 50 Particle Beam rifle is a Covenant weapon the fires a beam of accelerated ions, impacting with the force of 14.5mm anti-materiel round. The weapon has a range of 1500 meters and a muzzle velocity of 3657 meters per second. The weapon has a 5x-10x adjustable scope. The weapon operates on an 18-shot battery.
M97 Viper (Krogan)[]
The M97 Viper is a sniper rifle renowned for lethality at a long range. The weapon has a semi-automatic action and takes a six-round magazine. The weapon does severe damage to unshielded targets and has decent energy shield penetrations, though shields may take multiple hits to disable.
119's Edge[]
The Jiralhanae's Beam Rifle for it's superior firepower.
Heavy Weapons[]
Fuel Rod Cannon (Jiralhanae)[]
The Fuel Rod Cannon is a Covenant weapon that fires 38mm projectiles filled with a destructive incendiary gel that explodes into superheated plasma on detonation. The weapon earned its nickname of "Fuel Rod Cannon" among humans from the glowing green appearance of its projectiles, similar to the cartoonish depiction of a nuclear fuel rod. The weapons projectiles are capable piercing the armor tanks, though heavy armor may take multiple shots to destroy and came in five-shot clips. The weapon's projectiles fly at 72 meters per second and have an effective range of 162 meters.
M451 Firestorm (Krogan)[]
The M451 Firestorm is a flamethrower designed for close-range combat, sometimes seen in the hands of Krogan special forces. The weapon is capable of projecting a stream of fire about 30 feet, and is useful for eliminating large groups of enemies at close ranges.
119's Edge[]
The Jiralhanae's Fuel Rod Cannon for its greater range.
Vehicles[]
Type 25 Wraith Assault Gun Carriage (Jiralhanae)[]
The Wraith is a large Covenant armored vehicle with an anti-gravity hover engine. While often deployed against UNSC Scorpion main battle tanks, the Wraith is actually less a tank than an uparmored self-propelled artillery vehicle or assault gun, and consequently, is often outgunned by UNSC Scorpions. The Wraith is armed with a heavy plasma mortar mounted in a fixed position in the rear and a secondary plasma cannon mounted in a forward turret.
Tomkah (Krogan)[]
The Tomkah is a large Krogan armored vehicle with four large wheels for traversing rough terrain and a heavily armored body. The vehicle carries a large turret with two heavy mass accelerator guns. For the purposes of this match, the vehicle will also carry a defensive machine gun.
119's Edge[]
The Krogan's Tomkah for its rotating turret, making it able to engage targets more quickly, as well as the straighter trajectory of its shots, making it more suited for ranges typically seen in armored combat.
X-Factors[]
| Jiralhanae | X-Factor | Krogan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96 | Training | 96 | |
| 95 | Combat Experience | 100 | |
| 100 | Brutality | 92 | |
| 68 | Intelligence | 76 | |
| 94 | Physical Strength | 94 | |
| 92 | Durability | 100 |
Explanations[]
The Jiralhanae and Krogan are similar in training and physical strength, however, the Krogan take combat experience, living for over 1000 years and fighting all the time. The Jiralhanae take the brutality, while the Krogan gain a slight edge in intelligence. Krogan take that durability easily, having multiple copies of organs, including four lungs and two hearts, as well as limited regenerative capabilities, as well as a nervous system that utilizes a fluid rather than a nerve cord, making them almost impossible to paralyze.
Battle[]
Jiralhanae: 
1 Wraith
Krogan: 
1 Tomkah
A Phantom troop transport dropped off a squad of Jiralhanae and a Wraith onto the the surface of Tuchanka, along a road in the middle of a vast desert with scattered mountains. The Wraith rolled along, the Brutes in tow. The road turned around a mountain, as the Brutes rounded the corner, they met a Tomkah and five Krogan.
The Wraith fired it plasma mortars, missing the Tomkah, but hitting a Krogan and killing it instantly. . The Krogan Tomkah retaliated by firing one of its twin main guns, landing a hit right on the front of the Wraith and sending it up in flash of blue fire. (Wraith destroyed)
A Brute with a fuel rod cannon fired three shots at the Tomkah, impacting the vehicle and sending it up in a fireball (Tomkah destroyed). A Krogan sniper retaliated, firing a shot with his M97 Viper that blew the head off the Jiralhanae fuel rod gunner. .
A Jiralhanae with a beam rifle fired, the particle beam burning through the forehead of the Krogan sniper . Seconds later, however, the Brute sniper was killed by three shot from an M96 Mattock rifle to the torso.
The remaining Jiralhanae charged, firing a Spikers and Covenant Carbines they ran, however, all of their shots missed. The Brute furthest to the right, however, was hit by a burst of Locust SMG fire, depleting its shields and perforating its chest, causing it to fall to its knees and then face down on the ground.
A second Jiralhanae was killed when a Krogan fired his M451 Firestorm at him, setting the Brute ablaze and quickly scoring a kill. The final Jiralhanae fired its spiker, scoring a hit on the Krogan's flamethrower fuel tank, killing the Krogan in a ball of fire
The final Brute drew its Mauler and ran at the two surviving Krogan, firing two shots, one of them hitting a krogan in its chest, but causing little damage. The krogan raised its Graal Spike Thrower and fired a blast of large metal spikes at much greater velocity than the spiker. Some of the spikes impaled the jiralhanae, while others went right through it, tearing through the alien's flesh as they went.
The mangled body of the Brute fell to the ground, dead
The two surviving Krogan raised their weapons in triumph, before reporting in to their commanders, informing them of the encounter with the Brutes and requesting reinforcements.
WINNER: Krogan
Experts Opinion[]
The Jiralhanae were physically strong and well armed, however, the greater resilience and experience of the krogan won this match for them.