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Annual Award Best Sangheili Character This article, Grono 'Yendam, written by UnggoyZealot, was voted as the Best Sangheili Character of 2018 in the Eleventh Annual Halo Fanon Wikia Awards.


Annual Award Heroic This article, Grono 'Yendam, was voted as the Heroic Article of 2018 in the Eleventh Annual Halo Fanon Wikia Awards.


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Grono 'Yendam
UZPic01
Biographical Information

TITLES

LINEAGE

Yendam

DATE OF BIRTH

Ninth Age of Reclamation (2526)

HOMEWORLD

Quendor

Physical Information

GENDER

Male

HEIGHT

2.5 Meters (8ft 2in)

WEIGHT

157 kilograms

EYE COLOR

Green

CYBERNETICS

Robotic Left Hand

Political/Military Information

SPECIALTY

Close-Quarters Combat (CQC)

SIGNATURE WEAPONS

Varmint's Nail

RANK

BRANCH

Infantry (Formerly)

UNIT

  • Gez'dar Assault Legion (Formerly)
  • Zog'fee Imperial Legion (Formerly)

AFFILIATION

ERA

[Source]
"There are limited amounts of honor these days; I don't intend to obtain any, however."
―Grono 'Yendam commenting on his slowly shrinking sense of honor.

Grono 'Yendam (Oracle Code SC20-M0921-3) is a Sangheili from the poor Yendam clan that joined the Covenant military. He never rose above Ultra, and joined a secret Cult called the Followers of the Forgotten, quelling a Heretic rebellion. After the Great Schism, he became a pirate captain, stealing Forerunner artifacts, until his ship’s demise at the hands of Spartans. He then joined Jul 'Mdama’s Covenant, and became one of Jul’s “Pet Reapers.” After the fall of Jul 'Mdama, he resorted to life as a mercenary, doing missions for pay, and fleeing from the Created’s army. The young Sangheili was considered a tier three target by ONI, due to slaughtering innocent citizens even after the Human-Covenant War, theft of secret resources, and the assassination jobs he did for pay.

Biography

Early Life

Grono 'Yendam was born during the Ninth Age of Reclamation (2526 in human terms) in the poverty-struck city-state of 'Yendam, on the small Sangheili colony, Quendor. Unlike most male Sangheili, he was raised by his paternal uncle Akorn 'Yendamee. Grono was also visited from time to time by his biological father, Sovol 'Yendamee. The reason for this was, with no teachers around, Sovol and Akorn were forced to raise Grono alone after his mother died of illness. With both his father being in the military and his uncle out of it for a few years, Grono developed a strong sense of duty, and was a decent pupil in basic military protocols. He showed a strong interest in close-range traditional weapons like the energy sword during basic defense training. Grono took part in this training with other children, in case the keep would ever have to be defended.
"Aristocrat? No--more like a sniveling brat."
―Grono 'Yendam after a tussle with Nak 'Yendam.

Around the age of nine, the young Sangheili encountered the aristocratic nephew of the Kaidon, a ten year old named Nak, while walking to the market to buy food for himself. Nak teased Grono about his poor living conditions, and that his father and uncle were only Ultras, while Nak’s uncle was a Shipmaster. Nak then realized that Grono was ignoring all this, and buying food. At this point, Nak became enraged and told Grono to listen to his “Superiors,” before striking Grono’s mandibles. Surprised but angry, Grono beat Nak until he begged Grono to stop. Grono obliged and insulted Nak’s behavior, before carrying his food basket home.

Later, Akorn was summoned by the Kaidon, who wanted to know the reason of Grono's beating of Nak. Grono was summoned, and when asked, replied that he was defending himself from Nak who first verbally abused him, before striking. The Kaidon could not find fault with Grono's reason, so he only put a minor probation on the child. A fuming Grono was taken back by Akorn to their house, where he secretly cried about having any punishment at all. Grono would have many other tussles with Nak later on.

Covenant Military Service

"I shall fight for the Covenant! I shall fight for Honor! I shall fight for Glory and the preservation of our kind!"
―Grono 'Yendam pledging himself to Covenant service.

Around the age of twenty, Grono joined the Covenant military like his father and uncle, earning himself the “-ee” suffix. Upon this, Akorn rejoined the Military too. Becoming a Minor, he joined a lance of Sangheili recruits like him, that was part of a Warrior Creche for the small but potent Fleet of Raging Dominance. It consisted of:

Unlike most fleets, Raging Dominance was commanded by the Minister of Fervent Intercession. Succession oversaw military operations against the humans during the Human-Covenant War, from his flagship, Interccession’s Wisdom, with the Fleetmaster, Oru 'Vanuxee, by his side. Grono was placed with the rest of his legion on the Destroyer, Gauntlet of the Ancients.

During the more advanced military training, Grono was constantly mocked by his more experienced teammate, Vor 'Moramee, for coming from a poor clan, but developed a small friendship with his other lance member, Gyev 'Ruvstee. The three Minors did continuous training exercises on the Sangheili homeworld Sanghelios, which was now used as a training ground for the Dominance’s warrior Creche. Their most grueling exercise was when the trio and another lance of five Sangheili Minors and seven Unggoy, were sent to a ravaged, abandoned keep. Once there, the two lances’ objectives were to reach the top of a crumbling skyscraper by any means necessary, where a Spirit would pick them up. When Gyev questioned this, Grono answered by saying that the fleet’s next destination would be a human planet with perilous mountain ranges, from what Covenant scouts said. They climbed up several stories before the floors gave away and collapsed. The Sangheili from the other lance used five of the Unggoy as stepping stools to get up to the next floor, before leaving the Unggoy to hang there. Gyev expressed his thoughts about treating the Unggoy as even less than mere cannon fodder, but Grono told him that they were ordered to use any means necessary to complete the mission, and that the Unggoy were lucky that the Sangheili didn’t stomp on their hands to make them fall to their deaths. At the top, the eight Sangheili found out that their Spirit would be delayed, so the five from the second lance decided to spend their time kicking the Unggoy and threatening them. Gyev got tired of the horseplay, and told the Sangheili to leave the Unggoy alone because Unggoy had strength in numbers, before flat out calling the Sangheili Minors as mature as hatchlings.

The Sangheili then ganged up on Gyev and broke his mandible. The leader of the bunch then told the others to throw Gyev off the skyscraper, before the Spirit came. Grono asked Vor for assistance in helping Gyev, and Vor agreed only because he cared for Sangheili, not Unggoy. But before anything could happen, the Spirit came, and a Sangheili Major stepped out, and reprimanded the five Sangheili for having no honor, before leaving them to walk back to the outpost, while Grono, Gyev, Vor, and the Unggoy got on the Spirit with him. The Lance was then moved into the Gez'dar Assault Legion.

Battle of Carchar

"You will never be one of us. Your clan has no voice in this empire. You will never be a true member of the Covenant, because you are nothing!"
―Vor 'Moramee telling Grono 'Yendamee that poor clans have no place in the Covenant.

In 2547, the Fleet of Raging Dominance arrived at one of the only remaining outer colonies, known as Carchar. The human forces there only had two ships, which were easily destroyed, at the cost of a Corvette. Dominance soon found out that the humans’ ground forces were hiding in the mountain ranges that Grono 'Yendamee and the others had trained for. The Minister of Fervent Intercession then ordered the Gez'dar Assault Legion to attack the mountains and end the humans. Grono’s lance was ordered to scout out the mountains, but having no leader, were assigned a Sangheili Major to command them. That Major turned out to be Nak 'Yendamee, who had joined the Covenant military too. Infuriated, Grono trashed his living cell in a fit of rage.

A Spirit dropped off the lance on a small mountain and the Sangheili scouted the range for several hours, before encountering a human lance. They fought hard, with Grono using his plasma pistol to kill the human leader with an overcharged shot, before the Covenant won. The lance then returned to the Gauntlet of the Ancients, where they informed the Gez'dar Assault Legion’s Zealot Field Master, Zholos 'Fenossee, about the human’s hiding place, but because of an injury sustained by Vor, they were forced to stay on the ship while Zholos led the legion into battle. The battle was coming to a close after three days, when a human strike force arrived.

Three human ships came out of slipspace and engaged the fleet, cutting off support to Zholos. One was destroyed and one evacuated some of the humans below, but the last brought down a light cruiser using superior tactics. It then infiltrated Succession’s Wisdom, before breaking off, although it was destroyed before it could fully retreat. A few hours later, Shipmaster Sorv 'Tunostee informed the Gauntlet’s crew that two reports had come in. The first, was that Zholos had launched a successful campaign on Carchar’s surface with the help of troops from Wisdom, and the other, was that the last human ship had deployed a pair of demons on the Wisdom, and they had killed multiple Covenant soldiers. For another hour, the crew waited. Finally, Sorv exclaimed to them that the first demon was killed by Intercession’s three Honor Guards, who were in turn killed by the second demon. That second demon was finally slain by Fleetmaster Oru 'Vanuxee in a last-ditch attempt to protect the Prophet.

Grono, Vor and Gyev were notified that they would be promoted on High Charity, and they grew excited. Back in their living cells, Vor brought up the 'Yendam clan’s poverty again and told Grono he had no place in the military. He was interrupted by Nak 'Yendamee this time, who discovered Vor’s insults, and threatened Vor for insulting Grono’s clan. Since Grono's clan was also his clan, that would count as Vor insulting a superior officer. That shut Vor up, and he never spoke of 'Yendam again.

Excavation at New Harmony

"Artifacts? Oracles? Please, tell me more."
―Grono 'Yendamee

The fleet prepared to go to the Covenant capital High Charity, where the Minister had a meeting with the Hierarchs. During the travel, some slipspace problems occurred, and the fleet was pulled back into normal space. They found the abandoned human planet, New Harmony, which was held by the humans a decade ago. By using it’s Luminary, Intercession’s Wisdom detected an artifact on the planet of religious reverence. Gyev and Vor expressed excitement, while Grono and Nak questioned what an artifact would do with religion. Astounded, Gyev told them that the Covenant worshiped an ancient race known as the Forerunners, who left artifacts behind for the Covenant to find. The most revered were the Halos which would initiate the Great Journey, propelling the Covenant to godhood. Humanity was an affront to the gods that had to be exterminated. Nak told Grono that because Quendor was a small colony, it was only introduced to the basics of religion. Grono asked Gyev to tell him more about this when they returned, which Gyev agreed to.

UZPic03
Grono 'Yendam on New Harmony.

Due to their success on Carchar, the Gez'dar was sent to investigate the artifact. This time however, Grono’s lance would be acting as guards for the Field Master. On the way down via gravity lift, a human stealth ship appeared and attacked the Gauntlet of the Ancients, causing the lift to malfunction and sending several hundred Covenant soldiers to their deaths. The lance survived because Zholos went down first to lead the extraction. The stealth ship escaped to slipspace, and the search continued. The legion found an underground cavern, where a small group of humans were examining the artifact. Zholos pronounced this heresy, and ordered the legion to attack. The humans were quickly slaughtered, but it was a trap and a legion of human soldiers cornered the Gez'dar, and a battle began. Gyev and Vor were fatally shot, but Grono helped Zholos take many human lives.

The battle quickly ended with the Covenant as the victor, although the legion had lost half of its troops. The artifact was discovered to be an Oracle, one of the ancient intelligences left behind by Forerunners. The Oracle was handed over to Intercession, and the Covenant forces picked up their dead. Grono was surprised that Vor had died, but was relieved that it was not himself. During the cremating, Grono told Nak he could not find Gyev’s body. Nak said of course not because Gyev had survived, but with loss of blood and bones was no longer fit for military service. Grono had one last meeting with Gyev and expressed sorrow about not being able to learn of the Forerunners. Gyev laughed, and told Grono that on High Charity there were many religious classes. Gyev told Grono that he was never good enough for the Covenant’s Military, and that he should have died instead of Vor. He also said that it was a blessing that he was injured. The last time Grono thought he would ever see his friend had passed. The next day Gyev returned to Sanghelios.

Life on High Charity

"This is the Holy City? Why, it’s so….so….BIG."
―Arrival on High Charity.

When they arrived at High Charity, Grono and Nak were awed. The fleet landed in the spires of the City and they disembarked. The fleet’s crew then went to a middle-class Military Tenement building. The Unggoy and Kig-Yar dwelled at the bottom, with the Sangheili in the middle, while Interccession and his two replacement Honor Guards had the top to themselves. After a few days, the Minister summoned Grono and Nak to his quarters. Once there, they found Field Master Zholos standing next to the Minister of Fervent Intercession. The Minister told the trio that Zholos’ kill count was high and he was on the verge of being promoted from a Zealot Field Master to a full Field Marshal. Zholos thanked the Minister, who then told Nak and Grono because of their kill counts, and bravery defending the Fieldmaster, they would be promoted. Nak was bestowed the rank of Ultra, while Grono received Major.

The next day, Zholos told the pair that Nak would be in charge of a Large battle lance of Kig-Yar and Unggoy, with Grono as his second-in-command. Grono asked Zholos what happened to the Oracle, and Zholos said the Minister gave it to the Hierarchs for examination. Over the next few months, Grono started going to Covenant Religious classes. He and Nak forgave each other and became good friends because of all the battles they had been through together.

At one point in his years on High Charity, Grono was in a Food Area, when a trio of Sangheili Minors attacked him. They told him that the table he was sitting at belonged to them - troops from the Fleet of Particular Justice. Grono retaliated and beat their leader, but the other two grabbed him, slammed him against a wall, and prepared for the finishing blow, when Grono told them they would get punished for striking a superior. The lead Sangheili laughed at this, and said he didn’t care, when a Sangheili General came over and asked the Minors what they were doing to Grono. The leader stuttered, and Grono answered, saying they were acting immature and called them sniveling brats. To everyone’s surprise, the General broke down in tears of joy. When asked why he was crying by Grono, he revealed to Grono that he was Sovol 'Yendamee. Sovol instantly recognized Grono when he called them sniveling brats, like he had called Nak all those years ago. Grono asked Sovol later that day what the whereabouts of Akorn were. Sovol told him Akorn had joined the Special Ops Sangheili of Particular Justice, while he was a General in the Fie'Vair Defense Legion. A month later, Grono 'Yendamee wished his father and uncle farewell, before the Fleet of Particular Justice left to battle the humans.

When Grono and Nak were walking through the streets in mid-2548, they saw a large procession. When they got close enough, a Sangheili Ranger told them that it was for the Mistress of Harvest, a San'shyuum in charge of the Covenant Empire’s food supply. During the procession, they saw the barge carrying the Mistress go by, and strangely saw a female Sangheili with her. The Ranger said that was her adviser, Munasa 'Wattinr, the daughter of the once famed Imperial Admiral, Xytan 'Jar Wattinree. Several days later, at a meal with Nak, they spotted Munasa again. At a public speech by the Hierarchs one day, they saw her a third time standing near the Mistress. Nak was beginning to wonder why they always saw her, when Munasa walked up to them. She asked them why they were always in the same place as her, and the Grono laughed at this, telling her that’s what Nak thought. Then, Nak sarcastically said maybe it was destiny, and laughed again. Munasa laughed with them, and the trio listened to the speech. Afterwards, she asked them if they wanted to come over for dinner with her and the Mistress, and Grono and Nak agreed. After a few months of meeting up in places, Grono and Nak befriended Munasa 'Wattinr. They then frequently met for the rest of their time on High Charity.

In 2549, still young and curious, Grono learned through a Kig-Yar smuggler about the criminal underworld of High Charity. Located in the alleys of the lower-class neighborhoods, there were many things, such as secret religious groups, black markets, and shady gangs. The Kig-Yar recommended Grono bring a weapon in case he was attacked. Armed with his plasma rifle and two plasma grenades, Grono started to explore the alleyways more and more.

The Followers of the Forgotten
"I pledge my blade to a fallen cause,
fraught with foes and dangerous claws.
I pledge my heart to a righteous group,
where I'll become a gracious troop.
I pledge my soul to the Followers of the Forgotten Oath.
"
―Grono 'Yendamee chanting the Followers' initiation ritual.

Soon after his introduction to the criminal underworld, Grono arrogantly joined a secret religious group called the “Followers of the Forgotten,” which was devoted to the Forerunners. They denounced the Great Journey believing that if the Covenant ascended to godhood, the Forerunners would have no followers, and with no followers, wouldn’t be considered gods. Instead, they believed the gods’ relics could make the Covenant more powerful, but puny mortals should never be on the same level as the Forerunners.

Grono rose through the ranks of the Followers quickly because of his new devotion for religion, and eventually became one of the “Wardens”. These were devoted Followers that fought in the name of the organization. In 2550, Grono was tasked by the organization’s current leader, Qav 'Bagozee, a Sangheili High Councilor, to take care of a political rival that was the secret leader of a rival cult. Qav offered Grono a place in the Follower’s inner circle and a chance to be promoted in the military, saying it would be like a mercenary’s job, high-risk, but well-rewarding. Zealous for promotion and eager to please, Grono accepted and was given a particle beam rifle to make the kill-shot.

Later that day, Grono camped out on the rooftop of a building near the Sangheili’s quarters where they were passing a pair of Sangheili mercenaries. Grono, being experienced with only close to mid-range weapons, messed up the shot, killing one of the mercenaries instead. The other one sounded an alarm before Grono contacted Qav, telling him that he messed up the shot. Qav ordered Grono to then kill the Councilor at any means possible.

Grono infiltrated the quarters killing many mercenaries until he found the Councilor. The older Sangheili easily beat him, but Grono was able to wriggle out his rifle, and killed the Councilor. The assassination caused great dissent in the Council as rumors went around that a mere Major had killed the Councilor. Grono was elevated to the Followers inner circle, but because of the messed up shot and to keep Grono safe from execution, Qav did not have Grono promoted. Grono continued his Warden missions eliminating rival cult leaders and elevating the Followers’ status. At the end of 2550, Grono received a mission from Qav to execute a Sangheili Oracle Master by the name of Kolasa 'Zam. Rumors had it Kolasa 'Zam was using the Oracle from New Harmony to build a war machine that would end the war with a swift victory, and propel the Covenant on the Great Journey.

Grono disguised himself as a High Councilor using Qav’s armor with his blessing. Because of this, Grono slipped in and found a laboratory where Kolasa 'Zam was. Grono expected to find a proud Covenant soldier, but instead found a crippled Sangheili alone in the lab. Nonetheless, Grono prepared for the kill when Kolasa turned around to get a tool. Surprised, Kolasa put his hands up and Grono interrogated him about the war machine. Kolasa said the war machine had nothing to do with the Path at all, but was just a new warfare vehicle to speed up the war. Grono informed Qav about it through a datapad, and Qav told him to go before security came.

Grono left Kolasa to his work and returned to the Followers, where he gave back Qav’s armor. Qav gave Grono the title of Supreme Warden and gave Grono one last mission before Grono’s dated departure. In his new position, Grono would lead a group of thirty Wardens to take out a gathering of Covenant Heretics, who opposed all parts of Covenant religion. Qav told Grono that he secretly established the gathering, and would publicly oppose it on the High Council. Qav would then send in the Wardens, or “mercenaries” as Qav would call them, to eliminate the Heretics. This would boost Qav’s already high political status on the Council. Grono originally questioned this being about politics instead of religion, but graciously obeyed when told he would be a public hero, and most definitely promoted to Ultra.

The Wardens entered one of the spires in High Charity, where the gathering was. Grono brought along a beam rifle with the usual plasma rifle, reasoning that with so many Heretics, even a miss will kill. After the troops were in position, Grono ordered the attack. The Heretics were fierce, but the Wardens had vigor to match. After much hard fighting the Wardens won, and Grono was promoted to an Ultra in front of the High Council. In late 2551, the Fleet of Raging Dominance prepared to go to the human colony of Sigma Octanus IV. Grono and Nak gave farewell to Munasa, and boarded the Interccession’s Wisdom, which they were reassigned to, and joined up with the rest of the fleet. They then left for the long slipspace journey with another larger fleet to Sigma Octanus IV.

Battle of Sigma Octanus IV

"You are clearly not experienced with command. Because of your rash actions, we lost a whole Legion! You are lucky you weren’t executed, so instead you shall be demoted, and never rise up from Major."
―Grono 'Yendamee's sentence after failing on Sigma Octanus IV.

When the Covenant arrived at Sigma Octanus IV, they realized they had a wrong trajectory, and only the Inteccession’s Wisdom and three ships from the other fleet made it. They encountered a lone human destroyer guarding the whole planet, and thought it would be an easy kill. The destroyer charged and launched a nuke though, and the Intercession's Wisdom was the only ship to survive.

H2A7
Grono 'Yendam donning an Ultra Harness.

While this was happening, Wisdom deployed multiple Legions to the surface of the planet. Once there, Grono and Nak’s new Fieldmaster ordered them to march to the human city of Côte d’Azur, where a Forerunner map that was rumored to lead to the Rings was located. Grono was secretly disappointed by this, being a disbeliever of the Path. When they completed their trek, the Legion found the city in ruin and occupied the museum. They were attacked by human soldiers but quickly dealt with the nuisance. Later, scouts reported the humans calling in reinforcements, and a large human fleet appeared, prompting Interccession's Wisdom to flee. Around the same time, the two Covenant fleets arrived. The humans deployed a dropship that carried a whole lance of Demons into the city, where they split up. Knowing that the Demons would want to destroy the map and the Covenant, Grono convinced the Fieldmaster to put Grono’s lance on scouting duty. When he told Nak, who he now shared command of their lance with, Nak was disappointed at the prospect of not fighting the Demons.

During their scouting, the lance encountered some Demons who tussled with them, taking out several Unggoy and Kig-Yar, while also knocking out Nak, before retreating for some odd reason. Grono debated what to do with the lance, when an order from the Fieldmaster came telling Grono to come back to the museum to fight Demons. But after witnessing Nak get beaten in combat by a Demon, and not wanting the map to remain, Grono refused and moved his lance away from the city. After an hour, a human dropship escaped the city, and a Spirit found Grono’s lance and picked them up, bringing them to the Gauntlet of the Ancients. A bomb then exploded, destroying the whole city, killing off Grono’s Legion, and destroying the map. After, the remains of Raging Dominance, the Gauntlet, four light cruisers, a pair of Corvettes, and the CCS-class battlecruiser Keeper of Light escaped to slipspace after tagging the human destroyer from the beginning of the battle with a tracker.

Afterwards, reunited with their flagship, Grono was confronted by Oru 'Vanuxee, who on orders from the Minister, stripped Grono of his rank in front of the whole crew for retreating as Côte d'Azur was destroyed. Calling him a coward and even referring to his Oracle Code, Oru demoted Grono to Major, and assigned him to lead a penal lance back on the Gauntlet of the Ancients. He also stating that Grono had let a holy relic get destroyed, much less a whole Legion. Nak tried consoling Grono, but was ignored. Grono, in shame, left to command his new unit while Nak was left on Interccession’s Wisdom.

Fall of Reach

"I swear, I will disembowel you and take your head once I am done with this unit! Your scavenging love for artifacts must be the reason you were sent here, hmm?"
―Wez disobeying Grono 'Yendamee's orders.

Thanks to the tracking device placed on the human ship, the Covenant easily found the human fortress-world, Reach. Grono’s lance, comprised of two Unggoy, Dipdip and Robtob, and a Kig-Yar named Wez, were sent to the city of New Alexandria. There they found a human lance defending a cache of powerful weapons. After killing them, Wez expressed his desire to sell them on the black market. He revealed his insanity and the reason he was expelled to the penal lance, when he became possessive of them. More humans came to secure the cache, but Wez was unwilling to shoot in case he damaged the cache. Because of this, Robtob was killed by the humans, and Grono threatened Wez for wanting human weapons, but Wez ignored him. Grono believed his unit to be a failure, before Dipdip went into a blood fueled rage to avenge Robtob, using his fuel rod gun to wipe out the lance. Grono was amazed.

UZPic05
Grono 'Yendam and Dipdip fighting the humans.

After it was over, Grono, like he promised, severed Wez’s head off. Dipdip happily agreed to not rat out Grono on killing his subordinate, because Wez was the reason of Robtob’s death. After they returned to the Gauntlet, Grono swore to never trust Kig-Yar vermin again. He also was told by Dipdip that Robtob was sent into the unit for being a cowardly soldier, while Dipdip on the other hand, was assigned because of his surprising bloodlust, killing a Kig-Yar over sleeping arrangements.

Grono was then sent with Dipdip to assist a Sangheili Ultra in commanding a small unit elsewhere on Reach. The unit was part of a Legion-web commanded by a Field Marshal that sniped a Demon in New Alexandria. The objective was to hold out long enough for a CCS-Class Battlecruiser to destroy a human ship. However, the lance retreated when a pair of Demons arrived, with one taking control of a heavy weapon and taking out multiple Phantoms. Eventually, the Field Marshal and his Zealots took out on Demon while the other Demon enabled the human ship to escape. The Field Marshal was killed in the ensuing chaos, as was the Demon.

Arriving back on their ship, Grono learned that the human ship was pursued by the Fleet of Particular Justice- the fleet of Grono’s father and uncle. The Fleet of Raging Dominance stayed with the other fleets to glass the planet, and turn it into a potential military outpost. A eighteen days later, the fleets received a transmission from Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee that they had found a Halo. The Covenant rejoiced at this, while Grono secretly started to doubt himself. It also said the human ship was detonated by a Demon, known as John-117, to destroy Halo and stopping the outbreak of a parasite called the Flood. The Fleets were then called back to High Charity, where Thel’s trial would be for his failure to protect the Ring. Grono laughed to himself, believing that the Followers of the Forgotten were still a true cause.

Installation 05

"You disgust me."
―Grono 'Yendamee killing Qav 'Bagozee.

On High Charity, Grono met back up with Qav, who as a Councilor, was at Thel’s trial where the two found proof that the Halos might not actually initiate the Great Journey. At the time for Thel to get the Mark of Shame for letting Installation 04 be destroyed, Grono was present along with a mob of Unggoy, Kig-Yar and Mgalekgolo. Word soon spread around that the High Prophet of Regret had found another Halo. In the Council, some Sangheili thought this to be a human trick, but Qav and the San 'Shyuum voted to investigate.

High Charity arrived at Installation 05 along with the Covenant fleets. As they arrived, they discovered John-117 had assassinated the Prophet of Regret, causing discord in the Covenant Empire. Qav voted on glassing the area to kill the Demon, and it was carried out. On his uncle's behalf, Qav also told Grono that during the battle of the first Halo, the detonation had killed Sovol. Heartbroken, Grono asked Qav about Akorn, and was answered that Akorn had survived due to being in Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee’s legion, which was stationed away from the ring with Thel 'Vadamee. Grono ignored the rest about Thel becoming an Arbiter, and went into depression.

During the beginning of his depression, Grono decided to kill himself with his plasma rifle, to retain his honor and not bear the non-Sangheili-like way he spent his life, skulking in his dormitory. Before he could do it, Qav found him and gave Grono a mission to kill the Arbiter. Qav believed the Arbiter deserved to die, and this would show the Council that Qav’s “Mercenary” was a force to be reckoned with. Grono once again said this was politics and not religion. Qav, astounded, threatened Grono with death if he didn’t do it. Grono finally cracked and started probing Qav, who finally revealed that he joined the Followers of the Forgotten for political power, not religion. Grono took his plasma rifle and prepared to fire, but Qav convinced him to drop it, saying that killing him would drop Grono’s already low status.

When the Changing of the Guard happened, the Sangheili were outraged. This only depressed Grono even more, making his hatred for humanity complete. Grono also learned that Akorn was assassinated, with most believing it to be the savage Jiralhanae. But Grono had other thoughts.

Shortly after the assassination, Grono visited Qav. Grono accused Qav of assassinating Akorn, at which Qav summoned a Warden. Qav said that he ordered the Warden to kill Akorn to remind Grono of his oath. Grono spat at Qav’s feet, saying that Qav was a disgrace, prompting the Warden to strike. Grono barely dodged the attack, cursing Qav and drawing his rifle. Grono killed the Warden and claimed their energy sword, telling Qav that the corpse was an example of what the Councilor was.

Qav growled, and pulled out his own blade, charging towards Grono. They dueled, with Qav edging forward due to Grono’s lack of experience with an energy sword, but the tide changed when Grono lunged with his free hand towards Qav, getting badly scarred, but grabbing Qav’s throat. Thrown off, Qav whimpered as Grono marched towards the window. Grono reminded Qav that they were on the 17th floor, before shattering the window with his energy sword. Qav begged Grono not to kill him, but Grono went on, determined. Grono held Qav up and said the High Councilor disgusted him, before impaling Qav and shoving him out the window. Grono covered up the murder, with a story that the Warden attacked and killed Qav. Grono then found the Warden and killed them. After he returned to the Gauntlet of the Ancients, Grono sent Dipdip to the Intercession’s Wisdom to ask the Minister of Succession for more troops in his lance. Little did he know that something big was about to happen.

Great Schism

"Sorv 'Tunostee is dead. I am your new Shipmaster. Come with me, or die."
―Grono 'Yendam taking control of the Gauntlet of the Ancients.

When the Arbiter found the Index, the Hierarchs ordered the extermination of the Sangheili. All across the ring, fleets were turning against each other. Raging Dominance was not left out. A Jiralhanae fleet attacked, destroying all the small ships. A pack of Jiralhanae lead by Chieftain Gorvanus then infiltrated the Gauntlet, and attacked the bridge killing Shipmaster Sorv 'Tunostee. Gorvanus escaped and infiltrated the flagship, abducting the Minister and retreating. When they were on the Wisdom, Fleetmaster Oru 'Vanuxee, in an act of cowardice, escaped in one of the launched lifeboats with several crew members. Nak 'Yendamee and Dipdip were supposedly killed.

On Grono’s ship, a Sangheili Officer immediately claimed command, saying that Fieldmaster Zholos ‘Fenossee had no space experience. Hatching a plan for control, Grono approached the fellow Major and whipped out a plasma pistol, killing the him and claiming control of the Gauntlet of the Ancients. Now owning the title of Shipmaster, Grono self-promoted himself to General, donning Sorv's old armor. After, Grono had all Sangheili on board strip their “-ee” suffix, and forced the crew to convert to the Followers of the Forgotten faith. Grono used Sorv 'Tunostee’s personal energy sword, Varmint’s Nail, to execute any that did not convert. Zholos willingly obeyed, and became Grono’s right hand man while the crew, most of which respected Zholos, went along with him. Escaping the slaughter, Shipmaster Grono 'Yendam did a slipspace jump, and the crew of the Gauntlet of the Ancients was thought to be lost with all hands.

Shipmaster of the Gauntlet of the Ancients

"Prepare to die! You will perish under my blade as Shipmaster Sorv 'Tunostee perished under your hammer!"
―Grono 'Yendam killing Gorvanus.

A few months after the end of the Human-Covenant War in 2553, the Gauntlet of the Ancients returned to Sanghelios, and struck an outpost, killing all and taking supplies. It then went to slipspace. Grono Yendam had turned to a pirate life, stealing supplies and killing humans and Swords of Sanghelios alike. They mainly took supplies, but also used a Luminary to try finding Forerunner artifacts. In addition, Grono hired Sangheili mercenaries to build safe havens for his crew.

Grono also conducted attacks on the small but well known Jiralhanae outposts, in revenge for what they had done and to find Gorvanus. In 2554, a raiding force of mercenary ships attacked a heavily fortified Swords of Sanghelios research facility on Quendor, killing a thousand researchers. All but one of the ships, an SDV-class heavy corvette, had left before the Gauntlet of the Ancients appeared and immobilized the ship. Grono, Zholos, and a team of Sangheili Ultras boarded the ship, slaughtered the crew and stormed the bridge. After wounding the ship’s commander, the Jiralhane Gorvanus, Grono speculated that the situation was similar to when Gorvanus killed Sorv. Grono said it would be a fitting death for Gorvanus and decapitated him with Varmint’s Nail. The team then secured the Corvette.

Deciding to visit his homeworld again, Grono went to the surface and visited 'Yendam Keep, where he saw the Kaidon, Nak’s uncle. The Kaidon asked of Nak’s whereabouts, and Grono answered that he thought Nak was dead. The Kaidon sighed, and thanked Grono, believing that the Swords had saved them. Grono then spat at the Kaidon’s feet and said the Swords were blasphemy, saying he was a righteous Shipmaster, and left. As he was leaving, Grono was approached by a crippled Sangheili. He introduced himself as a senior engineer, Kolasa 'Zam, who Grono was sent to assassinate four years prior. Kolasa explained that he was still trying to create a war machine, but his progress was halted when he was forced to join the Swords. Kolasa asked Grono if he could join his crew so he could create his machine. Grono agreed, but only if he got to command the machine. Kolasa happily obliged.

After introducing Kolasa to Zholos, Grono quickly made Kolasa the scientist of the Gauntlet of the Ancients. Intending to take the Corvette, Grono was forced to flee when Swords of Sangheilios reinforcements arrived to claim it. By 2555, the Gauntlet of the Ancients was known as a pirate ship for killing Humans and Sangheili alike. They stole many weapons and even a Huragok from the Swords of Sanghelios once, that added many upgrades to the ship. Kolasa eventually finished his machine, a large mech he dubbed an Orc.

While refueling at the independent colony of Venezia, Grono was approached by a trio of Sangheili. Asking what they wanted, Grono learned that they were Sangheili diplomats from Sanghelios. The one in the middle, a female, asked Grono if he remembered her. Grono was confused at first, but then recognized her as his old friend, Munasa 'Wattinr. After docking the Gauntlet, Grono spent several days catching up with Munasa over current events, learning that her father Xytan 'Jar Wattinree had died during the Great Schism. They then kept in contact while Grono commanded the Gauntlet of the Ancients. While leaving orbit, Kolasa gave Grono the coordinates to a powerful Forerunner artifact on the backwater world of Drawn, a planet with one of Grono's safe havens.

Cleanser

"You will bear witness to me, the great Shipmaster Grono 'Yendam, as I end this creature’s pitiful lifespan!"
―Grono 'Yendam executing Captain Andrew Barnett.

Upon arrival at Drawn in late 2556, Grono watched as a human ship laid waste to a dig site run by one of Grono’s hired mercenaries, a Zealot from Jul 'Mdama’s Covenant Remnant. Shortly after, Grono launched a wave of Banshees towards the ship, destroying it’s defenses, before the Gauntlet destroyed it with a plasma lance. A lance of Covenant went to find survivors, while a Demon lance called Fireteam Atom boarded the Gauntlet in a dropship. When Fireteam Atom made it to the bridge, Grono had left and sent a squad of Sangheili Ultras to fight them. The Ultras were killed, and Atom got back to the dropship. However, an Unggoy damaged it with a fuel rod gun, causing it to crash.

Grono sent one of Kolasa’s three Orc prototypes to salvage the wreckage, while his lance came back and reported capturing two humans while a trio of Demons escaped. After having the lance’s Sangheili Major shoot one human, Grono brought the other, the ship’s commanding officer Captain Andrew Barnett, into a prison cell to await execution. Meanwhile, Kolasa had led the Gez-Dar Assault Legion to the dig site with Zholos, and the Gauntlet used it's excavation beam to unearth a Forerunner artifact with an Oracle inside, designated 589 Curious Puzzle. Puzzle claimed he was trapped inside the device, which he called the Cleanser.

The Cleanser was a smaller alternative to the Halo array to wipe out life in the galaxy, but Forerunners figured it would take too long to use. The Cleanser needed scans of a species DNA, approximately ten specimens, to wipe out all of that species in a light-year’s range. The Forerunners had planned to use it on the Flood, but discovered that it did not work and scrapped it. After learning this, Grono realized that the Halos truly weren’t revered, and were more of doomsday weapons. Thinking the Followers’ salvation was at hand, Grono boldly asked the Oracle if the Forerunners were gods. It answered no.

Realizing that all the Covenant faith was a lie, like the Swords of Sanghelios said, Grono resolved to use the Cleanser to wipe out humanity anyways, but never told any of his crew members. Scanning the dead human’s DNA cells, Grono went to Captain Barnett’s prison cell with a pair of Kig-Yar, which Grono barely tolerated, and executed the Captain with Varmint’s Nail before scanning his DNA. The Orc returned, and went to the Gauntlet’s cargo bay, where Fireteam Atom burst out and slaughtered a lance. Kolasa had a pair of Sangheili pilot his other Orcs to stop Atom, but a Demon sacrificed their life to destroy all three.

As Grono thought things couldn’t get any worse, all across the ship Sangheili started massacring soldiers, with Grono eventually locking himself in the bridge with a lance and Zholos. A security video later showed that Kolasa killed a Demon with his Guard Drones, before the rest of Fireteam Atom eliminated him. Questioning how the mutiny could have happened, Grono was fired on and sustained minor injuries. Grono stared in disbelief, when he saw Zholos standing there, holding a smoking plasma rifle. Zholos laughed and stated that Grono’s little "Cult" was nothing, also citing that Grono was an undeserving lowlife that climbed his way to power. Zholos said Grono had terrible combat experience, only participating in several battles with Humanity.

Grono took out Varmint’s Nail, and stated that in the Followers, he had killed many enemies, to which Zholos whipped out his own energy sword, challenging Grono to a duel. Grono accepted, and went for Zholos. The lance just watched as they fought, with Grono skimming Zholos several times. Grono sensed victory was near, but suddenly Zholos pulled out another energy sword. Surprised, Grono started to falter, and knowing there was only one thing left, Grono lunged with his hand for Zholos. Screaming with pain as Zholos severed his hand, Grono roared in agony, while Zholos dropped his energy swords in surprise. Regaining his stature, Grono shoved Zholos to the ground, planting his foot on the Fieldmaster’s chest. Grono said this was exactly how he killed High Councilor Qav 'Bagozee, and said that he always liked the Covenant’s Arbiter concept. Wanting to kill Zholos, but still finding a use for him, Grono gave the Fieldmaster an energy sword and a datapad to record. Grono ordered him to kill the Demons, stating that if he came back in fear, Grono would execute him. Zholos grumbled and left to kill Fireteam Atom.

UZPic02
Benjamin Nishurd, the Spartan that destroyed Grono's army.

After tending to his wound, mourning his lost honor, and quelling the rebellion by sending a transmission across the Gauntlet of the Ancients, Grono looked at a screen that was linked to Zholos’ datapad. Grono saw the trio of Demons that escaped his lance at the human ship’s wreckage. Zholos killed two of them swiftly, and impaled the last one, before moving in to the reactor to kill both remaining members of Fireteam Atom. Zholos killed one, but the other one fought on. He introduced himself as Benjamin Nishurd, and taunted Zholos by saying that Grono had killed his father on Carchar, and helped the Covenant take over, while he, at only seventeen, had barely escaped with his mother. Zholos finally won, and asked the Demon if they had any last words. Ben said that he had a grenade, which he threw into the Reactor. Knowing he was doomed, Grono launched his lifeboat, just as the Gauntlet of the Ancients exploded. Believing he was stranded, Grono prepared for the worst.

Service in Jul 'Mdama's Covenant

"I cannot stand humans. Your friend Gek 'Lhar may hate humans, but he seems to have a slight tolerance for them. I, however, might need some adjustment."
―Grono 'Yendam becoming one of the enforcers of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant.

After a day, a CRS-class light cruiser came out of slipspace. Intercepting Grono’s pod, he was brought aboard. There, he met the Shipmaster, a battle-scarred Sangheili, who introduced himself as Gek 'Lhar, the right hand man of Jul 'Mdama, the Supreme Commander of the Covenant Remnant. Gek said that he had been monitoring Grono’s movements ever since he hired the Zealot on Drawn. 'Lhar also stated he was impressed by Grono’s skills raiding bases for artifacts. Gek explained that he wanted to offer Grono a position in the Storm Covenant, with a high rank involved, hinting that the Storm Covenant hated the Swords of Sanghelios too. Grono accepted and Gek set course for an uncharted planet, Requiem, where Grono would meet up with Jul.

Once there, Grono beheld a large fleet of ships, amazed. They set course for a CAS-Class Assault Carrier, Song of Retribution, Jul’s prized flagship. Once there, several Zealots greeted them, praising Grono for his acts against the Swords. They walked through corridors, until a pair of humans passed. Outraged, Grono took out Varmint’s Nail, and lunged. He was stopped by Gek however, who said they were smugglers that had been promised freedom if they gave him the location of an artifact crucial to Jul 'Mdama. Frustrated at the fact of humans working with the Covenant, even if it was forced, Grono put his blade away and proceeded to the bridge. There he met the famed Jul 'Mdama.

Jul acknowledged Grono’s actions and gave him an offer in the Covenant. Jul reminded Grono that the Covenant was mainly enemies with the Swords of Sanghelios and scouted for Forerunner artifacts, which was why Jul hated humans for the most part. Grono replied that he could maybe tolerate the humans, but only for so long. Jul then incorporated Grono into the Covenant, giving Grono the rank of Warrior.

Grono didn’t see much action, mainly accompanying Jul to meetings with his Zealots. Grono disliked being cooped up in a dormitory, and asked Jul for a mission. Jul agreed that it was time for Grono to fight, and gave him surgery to replace his severed hand with cybernetics. Grono was not ashamed, but amazed at this, before Jul said that they were preparing to attack a base occupied by the Swords. Grono boarded a frigate bound for the moon of Suban. Once there, Grono commanded a lance of Storm Sangheili into the facility, killing the Sangheili there and capturing the officer. Grono thought something was suspicious when he examined the officer. Waiting until the Storm soldiers went to investigate the facility, Grono interrogated the officer. He unhappily gave Grono information, telling that they were trying to improve the Needler designs. Grono asked why anyone would be pathetic enough to join the Swords, and the officer answered that they saved him from his ship, Intercession’s Wisdom. Grono, shocked, asked the officer if they knew a Sangheili named Nak 'Yendam. The Sangheili was appalled and replied that he was Nak.

Grono revealed his identity, and Nak told him that humanity was not so bad, and that it was time to change. Grono refused to accept this, and let Nak escape to a nearby village, losing his friend to his temper. Leaving the base with the Needler blueprints, Grono returned to Jul 'Mdama’s fleet. Upon return, Jul praised Grono’s skill and sent him on many more missions over several months. Grono liked these missions, capturing artifacts, and killing Swords and humans. Grono had another temper flare in late 2556, when Jul gave him a mission with a certain partner.

Infiltration of ONI

"So, you hate Demons, eh? Well, you’ve got your Angel right here."
―William Luchin after beating Grono 'Yendam in a duel.

On one of his multiple missions, Grono was given a partner to do the mission by Jul 'Mdama. The mission was to infiltrate an ONI facility on Earth. The partner was supposedly a hacker, but when Grono met him, he lost it. Grono tried killing the human, and they fought ruthlessly, Grono thrusting his blade, but the human dodging every time. Eventually, Grono tired out, and dropped his sword. The human told Grono his name, William Luchin, and offered Grono his blade, which Grono took. Grono told Luchin he fought like a Demon, and Luchin replied that humans called “Demons” Spartans. Luchin also told Grono that he was a Spartan-turned-mercenary, and had killed several before. Grono asked how a human such as him could kill a Demon, and Luchin said that he was born with a disorder called Muscle Hypertrophy Syndrome, that made him much stronger than normal, along with his added Spartan augmentations.

Grono and Luchin were transported to Earth in a smuggler ship, and made it to the facility’s entrance. True to his agenda, Luchin easily hacked into the system, and soon had the door opened. Once inside, they set course for Office B7, where plans to upgrade Spartan armor significantly were there. Killing two ONI guards, the pair found the office, and Luchin uploaded the plans to his datapad, before deleting the file on the computer. While preparing to leave, a squad of ONI operatives and a Spartan IV appeared. The Spartan ordered them to kill Grono, while he took care of Luchin. Grono laughed and stated that four humans were nothing, and that he had been a Shipmaster, that killed a Demon team, Fireteam Atom.

The Spartan then growled and stated to Grono that he was Benjamin, the leader of the Spartan team. Astounded, Grono believed he was dead. Ben said that he somehow survived in a stasis field, and was rescued by the UNSC, and rehabilitated. They then fought ruthlessly, with all the operatives dying, and Grono being wounded. Luchin treated Grono's wounds while Ben retreated. Leaving while they could, Grono and Luchin traveled back to Jul 'Mdama, where he could analyze the data, and learn the Spartan IV weaknesses. Luchin prepared to leave, stating that he had another contractor waiting for him. Grono surprisingly admitted that Luchin was a good partner, and the only human he could probably trust, because of the Spartan's beliefs. Luchin said that it was just his job, and told Grono if he wanted to, he would make a great mercenary. Luchin left the next day. For his service, Jul gave Grono a permanent Legion to command, and a promotion to Zealot. Known as the Zog'Fee Imperial Legion, some of Jul’s most elite, Grono took them with pride.

Requiem Campaign

Jul 'Mdama: "I am now Didact’s Hand. He will help us fight humanity."
Grono 'Yendam: "My faith... Is changed, by this. The Gods truly do exist."
Jul 'Mdama: "... Of course."
— Jul 'Mdama becoming Didact's Hand.
Grono had started to gain a reputation as one of Jul’s many “Pet Reapers” which were high ranking underlings that did missions sent directly from Jul himself. They also were known to execute Jul’s main enemies, and disloyal soldiers, getting the term Reaper. In June, 2557, Grono’s scout ship detected a human signal. Sending a warning to Jul, Grono prepared a boarding party, that boarded the ship.

Grono was present on Jul’s flagship, Song of Retribution, when the human ship launched a missile at the boarding ship, destroying it. At that moment, Requiem opened, and the whole fleet was sucked down into it. After Gek 'Lhar sent out a scout force, the Covenant began to explore the planet. Grono led a lance and eventually found a Cartographer. He was able to escape on a Phantom when a Demon appeared and took control. Later, Jul gave Grono and the Covenant surprising news. The Demon was Master Chief, who had taken refuge on the ship, not dying after all.

Excited to gain Artifacts inside the planet, Jul personally came down with Grono and some Zealots. Jul was hoping to awaken a Forerunner warrior known as the Didact rumored to be there. They encountered Forerunner constructs that Jul said were Prometheans, the loyal soldiers of the Didact. After gaining entrance to the structure where the Didact’s Cryptum was, they were quickly surrounded by Promethean Knights. Summoning reinforcements, they fought the Prometheans with unmatchable vigor, and Grono had slain three, while watching a unique Commander killing Prometheans, by the time the Master Chief arrived.

Making his way through the crossfire of Covenant and Prometheans, Chief took hold of the Cryptum’s controls, before unwittingly unleashing the Didact. Upon his arrival, Jul called out the Didact’s name, and the Covenant bowed down before the Forerunner. Grono was astonished, knowing now, that there were still Forerunners alive. The Prometheans stopped fighting too, and beheld the Forerunner, swaying under his control. The Didact single-handedly took out Master Chief, and flew out in his Cryptum, while Grono and Jul evacuated on a Phantom. After escaping, Jul went to offer his services to the Didact. Before Jul left, Grono asked him the name of the Major that fought, and learned of their name: Zephyr 'Rorke. Grono was pleased and made a successful request to move him to the Zog'fee Imperial Legion as one of Grono's officers. The next day, he met Zephyr.

While in charge of a scouting base, Grono intercepted a distress signal from another human ship outside Requiem. Thinking it was backup for the first, Grono prepared to call a strike force, but alerted Jul when discovering it was a human supercarrier. Jul returned, and Grono told him that their fleet was no match for the supercarrier. Jul said not to worry because the Didact would help them disable the ship, making Jul “Didact’s Hand”. During the invasion of the carrier, Grono was leading a scout mission to an array of Forerunner towers.  He was informed by Gek 'Lhar that they would help the Didact. After securing the position, Grono was put in charge of a Legion there. Staying to guard the towers, Grono missed the events of Master Chief destroying the gravity well, allowing the ship to escape.

Thinking the battle was over, Grono started to relax, but was unfortunate when Master Chief, alone, entered the structures while the Didact was preparing his weapon. Although his tower was not infiltrated, soon after it and several other buildings gravitated towards the Cryptum. Narrowly escaping in a Lich, Grono feared the Cryptum would be destroyed and he would take the blame. Luckily, the towers went back to their normal position before the Cryptum plunged into the ground.

Suddenly, a leviathan Command Ship burst out. Realizing that this was the Didact’s flagship, Grono knew that the supercarrier would be no match for it, if they fought. Wanting to follow the Didact, Grono was ordered by Jul 'Mdama to stay behind on Requiem while Gek 'Lhar travelled to other regions of space for business. Begrudgingly, Grono obeyed and watched as the Didact left. After remaining on Requiem for a while, Jul’s fleet returned. Hoping for tales of salvation, Grono, Gek, who had been captured by the UNSC but escaped during his voyage, and several Zealots were summoned to Jul’s new headquarters. Jul said that while the Didact was defeated and his ship destroyed, Jul was now in control of the Prometheans. Telling them to get ready for an assault he planned to wage in a few months, Jul had them leave. However, the humans returned with their Supercarrier, now known with dread as Infinity, and rammed a warship, completely destroying it before deploying a small fleet of ships to fight the Covenant.

Early in the campaign Grono and other Covenant forces under the direct command of Jul attacked Fireteam Castle, which was passing by. Their Pelican was shot down, and Grono slayed the Fireteam leader Ernst Deming himself using Varmint’s Nail, while the rest of the Spartans were eliminated by Grono's forces. Grono was sent to an outpost in the center of a large lake and commanded the Zog'fee Legion with Zephyr 'Rorke by his side. At the beginning of the new campaign, Grono and four other commanders were summoned by Jul 'Mdama to be assigned positions. Two were assigned to Jul's defense, while a third was chosen to scout out artifacts. The fourth was named Dato 'Motumai, a Zealot, who's cousin had killed some of Grono's troops during a recent fight.

Grono was displeased with this, and asked Jul permission to execute the cousin. Dato was angered by this however, and Jul compromised, saying that Zephyr would execute the cousin. It was so, and soon Grono was placed in command alongside Dato, begrudgingly, and amassed his forces for an assault on the new Citadel Base. 'Yendam would soon fight the humans across Requiem with new Promethean forces added to the Imperial Legion and a second Commander alongside 'Rorke known as Rach 'Iltuk. In a matter of days, the Zealot had lost several Forerunner structures to the UNSC, only getting revenge when he decapitated the Spartan Emily Shushnikov. He then hatched a plan with his commanders to launch an assault on their base of operations. Having a new Lich assault boat, and a third commander named Kyro 'Dezan acting as the Shipmaster of Grono's new vessel, a CRS-class light cruiser called the Universal Resonance, he planned to finish off the humans once and for all.

Later during the ground campaign, Jul had Grono go to a mercenary ship commanded by the Sangheili terrorist, Parg 'Vol. After escorting Vol down, Grono went back to his post on the far side of Requiem. Grono later discovered that Gek was killed by Demons, before meeting his new Promethean Knight Commanders, Zevezin and Chravezin, otherwise known as the twin Knight Commandos. Soon, the campaign for Requiem ended with Jul setting the planet to collide with its sun. Grono escaped with him, and they prepared to recuperate their losses while Jul conversed with the human traitor Halsey Dr. Halsey, the creator of the Demons. Grono did not pay much attention to Halsey’s schemes, as she was under the personal protection of Jul, and had retrieved half of a Forerunner artifact called the Janus Key. Halsey discovered that it would lead them to a map of artifacts called the Absolute Record.

Escalation

"This constant fighting is... tiring. Even one like myself can grow sick of war."
―Grono 'Yendam's opinion on the numerous battles fought by Jul 'Mdama's Covenant in the aftermath of the Requiem Campaign.

Grono would soon go to Jul’s base of operations, Hesduros. Coming out of slipspace, Grono lead the Legion to the planet’s surface, where they met Kaidon Panom. Grono requested reinforcements for the Covenant due to the battle of Requiem. Knowing that Jul must have sent him, but angry after their loss, Panom reluctantly transported three RCS-class armored cruisers into slipspace towards Jul’s location. Gracious, Grono thanked the Kaidon and followed the ships..

UZPic46
Grono 'Yendam during one of his many missions following the Requiem Campaign.

On returning, Grono was thanked by Jul, who told him that with the Didact’s death and loss of Requiem, some of the Covenant’s followers were becoming disillusioned. Saying that Grono had done well, Jul offered him higher status if he could weed out the traitors. Grono eagerly agreed. His first target was a Sangheili Ranger that was preparing to defect to the Swords of Sanghelios with the rest his lance. Grono spied on them for many days, and finally, satisfied that they were traitors, crept into their barracks. Slaying them all, Jul thanked Grono who had lived up to the Pet Reaper name. Grono was then boosted up among the Zealots, as one of the only ones not native to Hesduros.

Becoming a well known confidant among Jul’s inner circle, Grono appeased Jul with traitors to execute. The zenith of his career was when Grono overheard a group of Zealots planning to overthrow Jul. Their planned new leader was a Sangheili named Sali 'Nyon. Grono reported back to Jul, who planned to capture the other half of the Janus Key from the humans. During an assault on the ship Infinity, 'Nyon stole half of the Janus Key, but a Sangheili Minor abducted it for the Covenant. In return, Grono let the Sangheili live before presenting the holy artifact to Jul, who had used Song of Retribution to quell the rebellion. The fleet escaped with from the Infinity as 'Nyon was imprisoned in the brig.

Operation: WARHUNT

Grono 'Yendam: "Another Demon?"
Caliber Five: "You got that right."
Grono 'Yendam: "Splendid. I shall slay you like I slew your fellow abominations."
— Grono 'Yendam facing off against Caliber Five.

In late July, Grono was stationed on the planet Kalincton, which was where a Forerunner artifact known as the Producer was. Containing the ability to spawn Promethean carapaces from Composed beings, it was of vital importance to Grono, who expanded his forces exponentially with the device. Grono was with his Promethean Knight Commanders, Zevezin and Chravezin, as well as Rach 'Iltuk, when his subordinate Kyro 'Dezan requested assistance in subduing the Sangheili colony of Righteous Cause for the Covenant. Grono agreed to the request, and departed with the majority of his Prometheans and Zog'fee forces. Unbeknownst to the Zealot, a Spartan IV squad named Fireteam Caliber arrived on Kalincton shortly after. Once done defeating the meager troops of Righteous Cause, Grono, his commanders, and the Prometheans returned to Kalincton while leaving Kyro 'Dezan in charge of keeping the populace in line.

Discovering that the few Covenant defenses he had left behind to guard his command structure were dead, Grono heavily reinforced the region with large Covenant and Promethean patrols, tasking the twin Knight Commandos with defending the Producer from any further attacks. The Zealot soon received news that Shipmaster 'Dezan was killed during a joint UNSC-Swords of Sanghelios effort to liberate Righteous Cause, which ended with a Covenant retreat. With the Universal Resonance now under his command, Grono departed from Kalincton to personally take command of the cruiser.

Returning once more after an unexpected delay, 'Yendam discovered that the UNSC and Swords had completely decimated his forces, while also destroying the Producer, which subsequently disintegrated all Prometheans spawned from it. The Knight Commandos had failed their task, but after being repaired, they revealed that a lone human ship designated as the UNSC Horus still remained at the planet. Fueled by vengeance, the Field Master ordered an assault on the ship, boarding it quickly and without delay. As the ship was overrun by Prometheans and Covenant alike, a Demon team designated as Fireteam Titanium, boarded the Resonance, attempting to assassinated Grono.

Cornering the squad with multiple Zog'fee strike teams, Grono used active camouflage to sneak into the center of the group slowly while they were distracted, before whipping out Varmint's Nail and slicing through all four Spartans. As his boarders were pushed back, Fireteam Caliber made an appearance once more, backed up by human soldiers. Sending Zevezin and Chravezin to delay them, Grono encountered a single Spartan in his meditation chamber, summoning a guard lance of Sangheili Warriors to protect himself. They were all eliminated, however, and Grono was defeated by the Spartan. However, catching him/her off-guard, Grono regained the upper hand, only to be distracted as the Horus launched retaliation in the form of bombers. The Spartan escaped, and 'Yendam begrudgingly ordered a retreat.

Cautioned by Rach about their failure, Grono reassured the Commander that Jul 'Mdama would not punish them harshly, if at all due to the overwhelming odds facing them. 'Yendam even hinted that they might be complimented for Grono's massacre of Fireteam Titanium. Returning to the Didact's Hand, the duo was tasked with taking the Resonance to the Yain system, where Jul intended to take advantage of a brewing conflict between the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios, who were combining their forces to fight a new faction known as the Imperium of Clarity.

Imperial War

"'Iltuk, prepare my men. I want them ready for the glorious battles we shall win when we are on the battlefield."
―Grono 'Yendam to his subordinate Rach 'Iltuk shortly before the beginning of the Imperial War.

Ordered to lie low as not to upset a potential rival, Grono was informed by 'Iltuk that a Sangheili named Shinsu 'Refum and a human known as Stray who had managed to secure Jul 'Mdama's trust and commanded the Kru'desh Legion were sent as negotiators to secure an alliance with the Imperium. Travelling to the planet Montak, Grono took part in a large space battle between the Imperium and the joint UNSC-Swords forces. After destroying a human frigate, the Resonance was damaged beyond repair after landing hits on multiple enemy ships, before Grono, Rach, and the remaining crew were transferred aboard the Imperial DDS-class carrier Blissful Solitude where they were quickly assigned to assist the Field Marshal Orro 'Hendai in boarding the Swords of Sanghelios flagship.

Grono, several Zog'fee Sangheili, and two lances of Imperial troops eliminated multiple Swords in key chokepoints while Rach and his Unggoy reconnoitered the hangar, which they were commanded to secure in the case of an untimely escape. Once most of the enemies had been dealt with, Grono lead his forces to link up with Rach, before taking the hangar with haste. Holding it for some time, They retreated in stolen Phantoms when Orro returned, safely making it off of the ship. Despite being congratulated on his efforts, Grono was offended when the Field Marshal referred to he and his men as mere mercenaries. Correcting the elder Sangheili with a degree of humility, 'Yendam and his remaining lance were stationed in the Solitude's barracks as it retreated back to the Yain system, having lost the battle as a whole.

Informed by Rach that the ravaging Kru'desh Legion had gained favor for saving the life of an Imperial Fleet Master, Grono scoffed at this, before he was told that Jul had decided to take a gamble by sending in multiple Liches carrying the whole of the Zog'fee Imperial Legion to assist Grono. Enlightened that he would be commanding his whole Legion, Grono contacted Orro 'Hendai to tell him not to fire upon the Zog'fee when they arrived.

End of the Covenant Remnant

"You are alive? And here I thought the great Fleetmaster Oru 'Vanuxee had died in battle. No. You have become the very thing you punished me for being in my youth, while I have taken a position similar to yours. The irony is bittersweet, isn't it?"
―Grono 'Yendam finding out Oru 'Vanuxee's fate.

After the Imperial War ended, Dr. Halsey pinpointed the location of the Absolute Record. The Covenant traveled there, but soon encountered the Infinity yet again. Taking command of the Song of Retribution as Jul, Halsey, and some Zealots went down to the surface Grono would stay relatively safe. Sali 'Nyon, the insurgent leader from a few months prior, soon escaped captivity and fled with a ship, while the Janus Key was lost. Despite his failure, Grono was tasked with leading a sizable portion of Jul's forces in an upcoming engagement.

while Jul was on the planet Kamchatka with Halsey, Grono took command of a Kraken battle station. Using it to fight off the Prometheans which were rebelling, Grono had recently just survived an assassination attempt by his former Promethean Knight Commanders Zevezin and Chravezin, who were not excluded during the Promethean betrayal. Grono had lost almost all of his forces in the Zog'fee Imperial Legion, when he learned of Jul’s death at the hands of Demons. Morose, Grono ordered a tactical retreat back to Jul’s fleet. Regrouping with the remaining commanders of the Covenant, Grono learned that most had defected, while some even created their own factions.

Taking the few ships remaining, Grono and the other loyal commanders such as Kitun 'Arachled the fleet to the space station Argent Moon, which had been boarded by Master Chief and several Demons. Planning to kill the Demons, the station suddenly exploded destroying several ships. Grono repudiated the thought of the Covenant being done for, and missed the opportunity to destroy a Prowler that escaped the destruction. Learning that their only strong hold left was Sunaion, Grono heard chatter of defectors in the Song of Retribution’s hangar. Arriving there, Grono whipped out Varmint’s Nail, as the defectors’ leader said they were just mercenaries, not even soldiers. Grono asked why they were there, and the leader said they were hired by a contractor to steal equipment and asked Grono what he was going to do about it. The leader said that the others were part of his gang, and introduced himself as a high-bid mercenary, Oru 'Vanuxee.

Grono was flabbergasted as Oru introduced his crew. The Kig-Yar was a veteran pirate called Vike Vok, who Grono expressed his distaste at, for being a scavenger. Oru’s second-in-command was a Sangheili named Boro 'Vasaan. His three Unggoy were an unusually smart one named Roopum, and Grono’s old subordinate, Dipdip. The last was the average Unggoy, Hugpy. Truculent, Grono prepared to fight Oru, stating that he was a disgrace, when Oru offered Grono a mercenary position, as the Covenant was on the verge of collapsing. A few minutes later a Zealot arrived to find Grono escaping with the gang in Oru’s modified Spirit, equipped with a slipspace drive.

Mercenary Career

"I am 'Skivich, founder of a criminal empire, friend to all Sangheili."
―Grono 'Yendam meeting Sangheili crime lord 'Skivich.

On the trip through slipspace Oru decided to tell Grono about his decision. Oru had fled with Dipdip and Boro as the Jiralhanae took over. Oru had some “Difficulties” with Dipdip after abandoning him at their crash site but was rescued when Dipdip hijacked a Spirit, saving them. Soon after, Oru was captured by the minions of 'Skivich, the founder of a newly formed criminal empire. The only way out of being slaughtered as punishment for hijacking 'Skivich’s Spirit was to join his group as a mercenary. Oru then set down the foundations for his gang with Boro and Dipip, recruiting Roopum and Hugpy in the process. Grono asked about the Kig-Yar scum Vike, and Oru said he defected from his old gang. Grono asked where they were headed, and Oru answered Venezia, the planet of mercenaries, crime, and terror.

Coming out of slipspace, the Spirit traveled to a remote spot on the planet with a single mega-city in it. They landed in the city center where a bulky, weaponized fortress was. Grono followed Oru’s gang to the entrance where they met 'Skivich, who introduced himself as the dictator of the small Sangheili criminal empire, the Flame. The crime lord had Oru’s gang leave so he could talk to Grono in private. 'Skivich gave Grono an offer to work for him as a mercenary, and 'Skivich would supply him with the necessary equipment. Grono asked about other contractors, and 'Skivich said Grono could do other missions too, as long as they didn’t interfere with his plans. Grono took up 'Skivich’s offer and abandoned his Zealot armor to forget his past in the dead Covenant Remnant, and donned a set of Warrior armor.

UZPic04
Dipdip, Grono's old comrade.

Shortly before Grono’s first mission, the alliance known as the Created attacked, devastating multiple planets. 'Skivich said that with the governments out of the picture, Mercenaries and bounty hunters had a bigger career range. Grono then started taking up missions from 'Skivich and other criminal groups, making a large sum of money and working with Oru’s gang from time to time. On one mission, Grono, along with two humans, was tasked with capturing an artifact held in a Created outpost on the planet Madrigal. While meeting with his assigned partners, Grono recognized one of them as his old friend William Luchin. They greeted each other, and Luchin said that Grono finally took his advice. They were briefed on the mission, having a reward of several million credits, with the outpost only having Prometheans.

Arriving at Madrigal via a smuggler ship, they attacked the outpost. The other mercenary was killed, but Luchin and Grono went unto the breach, killing all the Prometheans. They discovered the prize to be a Forerunner Ancilla, who identified itself as 589 Curious Puzzle, the Monitor that denied Grono from using the Cleanser on Humanity. Grono and Puzzle remembered each other, and their hatred. The pair prepared to haul Puzzle away, but were sidetracked Grono and Puzzle were locked in. Two Knights teleported into the room, and Puzzle told Grono they would have to work together to get out. Grono reluctantly agreed, and held off the Knights while Puzzle tried opening the doors. Eventually Puzzle cracked the code, and they emerged to find all the Prometheans dead, with Luchin wielding a rocket launcher. They boarded the smuggler ship, and escaped right as Puzzle detected a large object arrive in the system. On the way back, Grono asked Luchin what he had been up to while they were separated. Luchin answered that he had infiltrated ONI again to wipe his contractor’s name off the most wanted list, and found out Grono was a tier-three target. Luchin also found out in another file that Prometheans were actually ancient humans, and ever since, hated killing them. Grono snorted, still having a callous attitude towards them.

Upon receiving their payment, Luchin and Grono parted ways yet again, but a few months later the hiring group called Grono back and gave him Curious Puzzle, stating that they had all the information they wanted, plus Puzzle was starting to annoy them. Puzzle said that with his functions comprised as the Humans’ creations wreaked havoc, the only logical explanation was that the Reclaimers were to fault, as they created the danger. Puzzle offered his services to Grono, apologizing about the incident on Gauntlet of the Ancients. Grono accepted, and Puzzle became his personal assistant, also becoming a valuable asset on missions, with his ability to hack into systems.

In early 2559, Grono 'Yendam would be hired by an anonymous employer to assassinate a high-priority target; UNSC Vice Admiral Ray Vocerif. As Puzzle stayed behind to barter for the price, Grono and a Kig-Yar mercenary infiltrated a high security facility on a human planet cut off from Earth, assassinating Admiral Vocerif. After the Kig-Yar turned on him to try getting all the money, 'Yendam easily killed the backstabber, making his way off-planet before the UNSC authorities could catch him.

Soon after, on a mission with Puzzle from a new contractor, Grono would be attacked by a pair of Spartans, one of them being his old enemy Benjamin Nishurd. As Puzzle fought the other opponent, Grono easily beat Nishurd a third time, taunting him for his weak efforts. Escaping, the duo were found again, this time barely escaping the Spartans and an entourage of local authorities. Fearing that they were being tracked, Grono had Puzzle look through databanks to find the identities of their other attacker. She was someone called a Headhunter, named Bethany-A204, and took special priority in tracking her targets. Suspicious, 589 burrowed deeper to find out where she gained her information, and found a surprising result. Grono's old friend from the Covenant War, Gyev 'Ruvstee.

Astounded at this, the mercenary discovered that his friend was now making a living as an accomplished weaponsmith in a small village on Sanghelios. Deciding to cut loose ends and destroy evidence of his own whereabouts, 'Yendam traveled there and met Gyev, now much bulkier in size and missing an eye from the bullet during the War. Reluctant to kill his companion, Grono struck down Gyev, losing his only other true friend. Puzzle in the meantime found out that Gyev had attained information from drunken Sangheili mercenaries at a nearby bar of Grono, thus explaining how he had the knowledge in the first place. Leaving the village after hiding the body, Grono boarded a passenger convoy to return to the nearby keep where his ship was docked.

While chugging through the desert, Grono was almost assassinated by Bethany, who was disguised in active camouflage behind him. With Ben on the other side, it seemed like Grono was done for. Suddenly, cloaked passengers revealed themselves to be members of Oru 'Vanuxee's gang, excluding Dipdip and Hugpy. Engaging in a skirmish that would eventually result in a rooftop duel on top of the convoy, the battle ground to a halt when 'Yendam and Puzzle simultaneously wounded Bethany, forcing Ben to retreat with her. After tending to flesh wounds on Boro 'Vasaan, the group met up back in Oru's Spirit, where they hid from the civilians that witnessed the fight on the convoy.

Pleasantly surprised, Grono learned that Oru 'Vanuxee was secretly stalking the Spartans without Lord 'Skivich's discretion after they killed gang member Hugpy and took Dipdip into ONI custody, all while searching for clues on 'Yendam. Not fazed by the fact that he was viewed as a priority target by ONI for single-handedly killing a naval officer, Grono and 'Vanuxee parted ways, keeping in touch with each other in the case of another attack like that. With all remaining sources of his locations destroyed, Grono would have Puzzle tune in on a broad-speaker they secretly hacked into belonging to the anonymous employer from a few weeks prior.

Listening to the broadcast, they discovered the contractor speaking with 'Skivich, and eventually heard his name. Percy Vocerif. 589 Curious Puzzle revealed from his knowledge that Percy was the estranged brother of Vice Admiral Ray Vocerif, and had a large drug shipping business, reigning as a top-level gangster in the criminal underworld, also having been an ally of 'Skivich's Flame empire. Realizing that Percy had ordered Grono to exact the death of his own brother, 'Yendam and Puzzle found themselves entangled in a large plot. This was worsened when 'Skivich revealed his true intentions and motives, which would have dastardly consequences for all involved with the Flame. Not wanting to be a part of it, Grono cut almost all ties with the Flame.

Months later, in June, Grono and Puzzle had travelled back to the colony of Righteous Cause, which was not targeted by the Created due to its minor threat level. Having boomed into a large marketplace ever since Grono's old comrade Kyro had attacked it, the duo planned to purchase new equipment at the planet. Luckily, Grono was not known to be behind the attack on the planet, and rather was known of by his fearsome reputation as a mercenary.

Unfortunately, the Created had decided to attempt to steal Puzzle back from Grono, and had sent the twin Knight Commandos Zevezin and Chravezin to do the job. Remembering their betrayal and attempted assassination of himself, Grono refused to hand the Ancilla over, which ensued in a marketplace brawl. Discovering a powerful weapon called the T-56 DEW/L Plasma Striker, Grono used its firepower along with Puzzle's Sentinel Beam to defeat the Knights, forcing the two to retreat. Taking an interest to the weapon, Grono referenced it for future use, before departing from Righteous Cause with Puzzle.

Assassination Games

"Welcome to the Assassination Games."
―Kyle Craig

In December, 2559, Grono 'Yendam and Curious Puzzle returned to Drawn, now one of the only planets not under Created control. They had been contracted by a human individual by the name of Kyle Craig, and arrived in the capital city of Obsidion to greet him. Several other mercenaries had been hired as well, including questionable ONI Spartan-IV Mitchel Sanders, LEGION hitman Damien Black, and a human Flame enforcer named Red Blaze, adorned in Sangheili-like armor.

Upon first meeting each other, Mitchel held Damien at gunpoint for his affiliation with LEGION, while Grono put Varmint's Nail to Red Blaze's throat due to his disdain of the human's imitation of a Sangheili. However, wary of 'Skivich coming for him after he abandoned the Flame, Grono hesitantly let the Blaze be before Kyle Craig finally greeted the group. He gave them their target, an ex-Spartan-IV named David King, and asked them for details about themselves. Grono expressed his intent to kill the other three humans immediately, especially Red Blaze. Craig offered the one who killed King 3 million credits, and promptly dismissed the group. Grono 'Yendam stayed behind as Mitchel spoke with Kyle Craig, before speaking with the criminal himself.

Knowing that Kyle Craig was a high-value target of ONI like himself, Grono offered Kyle the opportunity to kill Mitchel to prevent him from capturing the two later, at the cost of a portion of the bounty. Craig agreed, and Grono had Curious Puzzle extract a tracking device Mitchel had placed on Craig's arm to solidify the agreement.

Intent on disposing of Mitchel early on, Grono and Puzzle tracked the unarmored Spartan to Obsidion's spaceport, killing multiple civilians with an explosive intended for Sanders. Pursuing Mitchel through the spaceport while Puzzle split off to try flanking him, Grono constantly kept on the Spartan's tail, eventually chasing him into the city slums. Cornering him on the roof of a building, Grono prepared to go for the kill when Mitchel threw a nerve gas capsule towards him, smashing it open. While the Spartan regained his composure, Grono put on his breathing apparatus, retreating into the opaque cloud that formed.

Using the dense fog to his advantage, the Sangheili barreled into Mitchel from behind, putting him down with a blast from his concussion rifle. Grabbing the wounded Spartan, he flew up to the top of a nearby apartment complex, throwing down Sanders and charging a plasma pistol to deliver the killing blow. However, two shots from a sniper rifle destroyed the Sangheili's shield, knocking him off guard. Mitchel used the opportunity to stab Grono's shin, causing the mercenary to release him.

Mitchel jumped down onto lower roofs until he reached the lower levels, while Grono deduced that the sniper had either been another ONI agent or David King. Stuck with a limp because of his injury, the Sangheili pursued, cornering Mitchel once more in the spaceport's hangar. Only fueled by his desire to see the Spartan dead, Grono threatened to kill him here and now. However, a nearby crowd of civilians recognized Grono from his collateral damage at the spaceport earlier, and began surround him.

Caught unaware by the turn of events Grono found the tables turned on him as Mitchel prepared a Pelican to depart. Angered at seeing his competitor fleeing, Grono used an energy dagger to kill a human woman, only to find himself outnumbered by a squad of police officers. With no other options, Grono reluctantly surrendered, being brought to a maximum security prison on the outskirts of the city. Unbeknownst to the police, Curious Puzzle was tracking them and would carry out Grono's escape plan.

Days later, he was visited by two members of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Alex Mulroy and Jason Miller. Interrogated by them, Grono refused to answer their questions on his motives and employer, but was amused when they attempted to use his pirate attack on Drawn three years prior as leverage. However, Grono expressed anger when they mentioned his defunct position in Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, and stated he was done with the two.

Curious Puzzle then switched off the prison's power supply upon arriving, deactivating Grono's energy cuffs and the prison cell door. While Puzzle dealt with the guards, Grono used his superior strength to subdue Miller and Mulroy, fleeing from his cell. Grono then reacquired his confiscated weapons before departing with Puzzle.

Switching to a new target, Grono and Puzzle decided to go after Red Blaze to see if they could profit of off his own work. Tracking the human assassin to a decrepit warehouse, they interrupted a confrontation between Blaze and David King's partner in crime, Hailey Brooks. The two humans nonverbally aligned themselves, fighting against Grono and Puzzle. However, their fight was soon interrupted once more by a task force of armored troopers from the Obsidion Police Department. Led by Jason Miller and a Sangheili officer named 'Joral, they ordered Grono to stand down, while Blaze and Hailey feigned innocence.


Reforming the Followers of the Forgotten

Personality

As a child, Grono was very introverted after his mother died, only speaking to his uncle and father. One day when he was shopping for food, he ran into Nak 'Yendam, who pushed him to his breaking point, causing Grono to lash out at Nak and insult him. In the Covenant Military, he made his first friend with fellow Sangheili Gyev 'Ruvstee, but because of his quiet nature let himself be shunned by Vor 'Moramee. Grono’s first push into his current aggressive nature was when he trashed his living cell in a fit of rage after learning that Nak would be leading his lance.

As he served in the Covenant, Grono grew more callous towards humans because they had killed multiple lance-mates. He thought of all humans as beasts that deserved to die, and did his best to make that happen. When Grono was introduced to religion, he was very interested, and joined a religious group called the Followers of the Forgotten, becoming a devout follower even after he found out the leader, Qav 'Bagozee’s real intent. Grono was also more tactical and less honorable than other Sangheili, such as the time when he retreated from a city on Sigma Octanus IV, saving himself, but at a cost of shame.

Like most Sangheili, Grono harbored an ancient hatred for the Jiralhanae, which was fueled during the Great Schism. Because of this hatred, he went to great lengths to hunt down and execute Chieftain Gorvanus, who killed Grono’s former Shipmaster Sorv 'Tunostee. Grono also disliked Kig-Yar, after his subordinate Wez let an Unggoy die to keep some contraband safe. Grono judged this to be the personalities of all Kig-Yar, and barely tolerated the Kig-Yar on the Gauntlet of the Ancients when he was Shipmaster. Although he mimicked some of their pirate ways, Grono refused to acknowledge that, and showed distaste for fellow mercenary Vike Vok.

After his ship was destroyed, Grono gave up religion until Jul 'Mdama's Covenant awakened the Didact, ramping up Grono’s religious demeanor once again with the Followers faith. Grono still hated humans until he met William Luchin, and after working with him realized that not all humans were enemies, and that some could make good allies. After the Covenant Remnant fell Grono became a mercenary, giving up religion to focus on money and avoiding the Created.
"Get in line this instant. Now, which one of you pitiful maggots wishes to die first?"
―Grono 'Yendam executing hostages on an employers orders.

As a mercenary, Grono focused only on using money for equipment to help with missions, instead of a luxurious lifestyle like most popular mercenaries. He willingly worked with any partners assigned to him, but only cooperated for the money. Grono grew very remorseless, and that made it easier for him to kill targets. This gave some of his cohorts surprise, especially human ones. Grono was also a bit of a thrill seeker, taking dangerous missions with associates that would likely betray him to get all the payment. This only happened twice, but Grono hunted them down with a deadly vigor, taking their lives. The only missions Grono did not prefer were ones involving the Created, because of their immense power. Grono would only accept the less dangerous ones involving them.

Relations

Oru 'Vanuxee

"You were once the light in my darkness, the one I looked up to. Then when you stripped me of... my honor... I saw that you were no more than a puppet to a higher force. How can I believe that you are not still one?"
―Grono 'Yendam commenting to Oru 'Vanuxee about his position when they meet each other again.

Grono 'Yendam's relation with his former Fleet Master has been a strained one. When 'Yendam first joined the military, he looked to Oru 'Vanuxee as his idol, and fervently fought to impress his superiors. Little did Grono know that after his massacre of the heretics on High charity and his promotion to Ultra, Oru took much more interest in Grono 'Yendam, seeing him as a potential Shipmaster if he ever decided to turn to command. This all ended after the battle of Sigma Octanus IV, when Grono tactically retreated from a nuclear explosion, saving his life, but not his reputation. Oru would then change his mind about the young Sangheili warrior, and gladly demoted him to Major on behalf of the Minister of Fervent Intercession.

After this, Grono hated Oru with a fury like nothing else, blaming the Fleetmaster for his misfortune and believing that Oru was just the Minister's puppet. Oru, however, acted independently many times, and thought of Grono as no more than a disgraced warrior. During the Post-War era, 'Yendam would think of Oru as a failed commander that was no better than him for cowardly escaping from his fate, while 'Vanuxee would never even have a second thought. When they reunited after Jul 'Mdama's fall, Grono was originally truculent on his former master's motives, scoffing at the notion of a Fleetmaster sinking down to the level of a mercenary. Grono himself would eventually become a mercenary, working for high bidders, and would go on many missions in conjunction with Oru's crew, for the most part rebuilding his relation with 'Vanuxee.

Dipdip

"I have lost faith in many of the former Covenant species, but Dipdip's fire still burns, albeit in an unorthodox way."
―Grono 'Yendam's opinion on Dipdip

Grono's acquaintanceship with Dipdip has lasted only a few years, with a large break in between. His initial thoughts on the little Unggoy were that he was an insane killer, with no mind at all. However, Dipdip earned Grono's respect after taking out a squad of marines with just his fuel rod cannon, impressing the Sangheili thoroughly. Dipdip was also trustworthy to Grono 'Yendam, being more or less loyal to his commander and not ratting him out after he killed Wez. Even as a lone duo, they made an effective pairing against humans during the Fall of Reach, with Grono pointing at an enemy, and the Unggoy doing the rest.

During the Great Schism, both of them had assumed the other died during Gorvanus' assault, and as such, were both very surprised to encounter each other again six years later. Dipdip served as a bridge of sorts between Grono and Oru reconciling with each other, and was a welcome addition into Grono's mercenary life. Although he does not know much, 'Yendam was modestly disappointed when Dipdip was captured by ONI, and as such does not expect to ever see him again.

'Skivich

"Many Sangheili say I am the embodiment of all bad things. But I am not. I may not be an honor addict like them, but I have power, intelligence, and strength. I think many Sangheili have that, do you not?"
―Grono 'Yendam being spoken to by 'Skivich

'Yendam has only known this powerful Sangheili crime lord for a limited time, but in that short span has come to learn many of his rules. Being one of the only mercenaries not officially part of the Flame that has met 'Skivich in person, Grono considers it mainly the fact that he is associated with Oru 'Vanuxee, one of 'Skivich's best known Heralds of Fire. Grono considers 'Skivich with the utmost caution, knowing that breaking his policies or affronting him will cause the fiery wrath of the Flame. Even through this, Grono considers 'Skivich adept at leading and organizing his followers, and has also commented on the Flame's satisfactory pay.

589 Curious Puzzle

"I do know that we have had troubles in the past, but I believe if we join forces, we will be near unstoppable."
―589 Curious Puzzle trying to convince Grono 'Yendam to ally with him.

Grono 'Yendam and 589 Curious Puzzle make a striking pair, easy to sort out among a crowd, due to one having the large bulk of a Sangheili, and the other one literally being able to hover over others heads. Originally, this dynamic duo started out as enemies of sorts, their roots taking place during the Second Battle of Drawn. When Grono assaulted this planet, he dug up the artifact that Puzzle had control of, planning to use it on humanity. Being a Forerunner ancilla, Puzzle naturally had a programmed loyalty to humans as reclaimers, and as such denied Grono access, ruining his plans and giving the Spartan Benjamin Nishurd time to destroy Grono's vessel.

Two years later, during the Created uprising, Grono would inexplicably encounter the monitor once again, now having been capture by the notorious AI faction. Deducing that the reclaimers themselves were to fault since they manufactured the Created in the first place, Puzzle offered his services to 'Yendam if the Sangheili would free him. Grono reluctantly obliged, but came to find Puzzle's assistance helpful as a mercenary duo, and his company comforting. Thus, a shaky but well-intentioned alliance was born between them.

Skills

Grono 'Yendam is experienced in almost all areas of combat except sniping. This is mainly due to his impatience in combat, and the fact that he was trained in only close-range weapons during his childhood. Grono displays talent in various other categories though, being able to assess weak points on his numerous enemies. He does have an array of explosive weapons, but does not use them often, saving them only to use on vehicles if need be. He excels with mid-range guns, able to take out a fully armored enemy with his concussion rifle, and also aim very accurately with with Covenant pistols and rifles, largely due to the familiar grip on them. Grono uses the most latter form of weapons often, but none of these rival his skill with the blade.

Having slain many of his foes with an energy sword, this Sangheili has unmatched talents. He has a more unique style than most, preferring to stay on the defensive while assessing his opponent's own skill in a duel. Once Grono is satisfied, or more often, the opponent makes a move, he will either go on the defensive if his opponent is a more bruty enemy, liking to swing hits, or the offensive if his foe is less skilled. In either of these two cases, Grono has won victories a many, tiring large opponents out before dealing the finishing blow, or mercilessly dealing attacks until he has won. In the rare case of a much more experienced opponent, Grono will often try to level his swipes and parries, to be neutral on the form. In the two cases that he has been at risk of death, Grono has a trump card strategy of thrusting his free hand at his enemy, to either surprise them with this unorthodox antic, or to grasp their neck or blade. Even though this has proven successful, it has been sacrificing, causing Grono to get severe burns the first time, and even losing his hand the second. Even though it is dangerous, Grono's unique style let's him lose less than his life.

Equipment

Throughout his life Grono used a variety of equipment. As part of the Covenant Empire, he used whatever weapons were assigned to him. As a Minor, he used a plasma pistol, before switching to a plasma rifle as he progressed to Major, and Ultra. As the Supreme Warden of the Followers of the Forgotten, Grono used many weapons depending on the situation, but used an energy sword to duel with the Followers’ leader Qav 'Bagozee before murdering him.

As the Shipmaster of the Gauntlet of the Ancients, Grono had control over a vast repository of ground and air vehicles alike. He wielded the personal energy sword Varmint’s Nail, passed down from each Shipmaster, and used it to execute his foes. With the help of Kolasa 'Zam, Grono also had a trio of war mechs called Orcs. Grono used this armada to further his pirating ends until Spartan IV Benjamin Nishurd destroyed it all.

In Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, because of his high rank, Grono also used almost whatever he pleased, but prominently used Varmint’s Nail during assaults on enemies. With the fall of the Covenant Remnant and death of Jul 'Mdama, Grono turned to the life of a mercenary. In this career, he wields an assortment of weapons he buys with payment money, human and Covenant alike, although his favorites are the concussion rifle, Plasma Striker, and Varmint’s Nail. 'Yendam also uses a plasma pistol and a storm rifle for tactical use, while stacking up on plasma grenades. The mercenary's less conventional equipment are things like an energy dagger mounted on his wrist, a breathing apparatus, and an Amraa Voto-pattern jet pack. His personal assistant is 589 Curious Puzzle, who is sort of an asset to Grono, with some considering Puzzle an advanced personal A.I.

Quotes

"Rise, Followers, rise! Break free of the memories holding us back in the past! The future will be shaped by us, and be for us! We shall eliminate all who oppose us, and be in the favor of the Gods!"
―Grono 'Yendam rallying the Followers of the Forgotten.


"In a little over a decade, I have served in the mighty Covenant Empire, led pirates as a rogue Shipmaster, worked as a commander for Jul 'Mdama, and now as a mercenary. Is there no true calling in store for me?"
―Grono 'Yendam's opinion on his multiple and short-lived positions over the years.


"I will never ally with humanity. It’s too late for that now, not after the War. I thought that exterminating them was the will of the gods, but it was blasphemy! San'shyuum lies! I’ll kill humans any day, because they are still weak! The true path was with Jul 'Mdama! As one of his Warriors, I was content. But I am now a mercenary, a pirate! My career as a leader was ill-fated--my army destroyed! It was better to be a follower, or a bounty hunter! That’s all I am these days…."
―Grono 'Yendam


Ranks and Positions

Covenant Empire

  • Minor (2546-2547)
  • Major (2547-2551) (Second Time [2552])
  • Ultra (2551-2552)

Followers of the Forgotten

  • Warden (2549-2550)
  • Supreme Warden (2550-2552)

Pirate Captain

  • General (2552-2556)

Jul 'Mdama's Covenant

  • Warrior (2556-2557)
  • Zealot (2557-2558)

Mercenary Career

  • Mercenary (2558-2559)

List of Appearances

Trivia

  • Grono 'Yendam was originally supposed to be the leader of the Flame, which would be a Covenant remnant.
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