Bungie Universe
This topic has moved here: Subject: Did the UNSC attempt to use Biological weapons on the covenant?
  • Subject: Did the UNSC attempt to use Biological weapons on the covenant?
Subject: Did the UNSC attempt to use Biological weapons on the covenant?

"A LIE is a LIE"


- Truly intelligent and deep Black ops trailer

In any of the Halo canon, did the UNSC attempt to use Chemical or Biological weapons on the covenant? Like releasing a Virus, Biological toxin or infectious disease on them?

I'd figure the humans would go all "war of the worlds" style and release something like a bio-engineered super-flu where humans are immune to the worst symptoms but the covie's aren't.

Given the covenant is made up of several races, a virus that affects grunts only (or any other race) would still cause massive damage to the military. A single Bio-bomb that releases the right virus would be more than enough to destroy the population of something as big as high charity.


Discuss.

EDIT:here's a little taster

[Edited on 04.27.2011 8:51 AM PDT]

  • 04.27.2011 8:46 AM PDT

However, UNSC had no locations of any Covenant population centers. As well as no prisoners to test such things on.

And unleashing such a weapon would ruin their later plan of capturing a prophet and getting a cease-fire.

  • 04.27.2011 8:57 AM PDT

"A LIE is a LIE"


- Truly intelligent and deep Black ops trailer


Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
However, UNSC had no locations of any Covenant population centers. As well as no prisoners to test such things on.

And unleashing such a weapon would ruin their later plan of capturing a prophet and getting a cease-fire.


Not even covenant population centres. If you release a bio-weapon on lets say, a Super-carrier, you could not only take out the entire crew slowly without them knowing, but there's a chance that the infected supercarrier may go to an un-known Covenant camp or population centre and spread the virus more before they realise they have a virus on their hands.




EDIT: How do you know they had no prisoners? I think in such a big war they would at least have a few elites, even a few grunts captive. ONI probably got their hands of a few captive covies during the war.

[Edited on 04.27.2011 9:10 AM PDT]

  • 04.27.2011 8:59 AM PDT


Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
However, UNSC had no locations of any Covenant population centers. As well as no prisoners to test such things on.

And unleashing such a weapon would ruin their later plan of capturing a prophet and getting a cease-fire.


Yes, the UNSC were mostly on the retreat throughout the war so there would be too greater a chance of it back-firring. For example, if the UNSC were to use it to destroy a covenant force, there is an extremely large chance of it killing survivors or soldiers. It could also explain why the NOVA bomb was never used on purpose by the UNSC. It was a war of survival and the UNSC couldn't take that risk.

[Edited on 04.27.2011 9:08 AM PDT]

  • 04.27.2011 9:03 AM PDT

"A LIE is a LIE"


- Truly intelligent and deep Black ops trailer


Posted by: KeselvonTresel

Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
However, UNSC had no locations of any Covenant population centers. As well as no prisoners to test such things on.

And unleashing such a weapon would ruin their later plan of capturing a prophet and getting a cease-fire.


Yes, the UNSC were mostly on the retreat throughout the war so there would be too greater a chance of it back-firring. For example, if the UNSC were to use it to destroy a covenant force, there is an extremely large chance of it killing survivors or soldiers. It could also explain why the NOVA bomb was never used on purpose by the UNSC. It was a war of survival and the UNSC couldn't take that risk.



I disagree. A NOVA would probably have inevitable collateral damage no matter what, but a Bio-engineered virus that is proven to work on the covenant but with humans being immune WOULD have tipped the scales of the war if it was released at the right place and time.

[Edited on 04.27.2011 9:08 AM PDT]

  • 04.27.2011 9:06 AM PDT


Posted by: Pipboy 3050

Posted by: KeselvonTresel

Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
However, UNSC had no locations of any Covenant population centers. As well as no prisoners to test such things on.

And unleashing such a weapon would ruin their later plan of capturing a prophet and getting a cease-fire.


Yes, the UNSC were mostly on the retreat throughout the war so there would be too greater a chance of it back-firring. For example, if the UNSC were to use it to destroy a covenant force, there is an extremely large chance of it killing survivors or soldiers. It could also explain why the NOVA bomb was never used on purpose by the UNSC. It was a war of survival and the UNSC couldn't take that risk.



I disagree. A NOVA would probably have inevitable collateral damage no matter what, but a Bio-engineered virus that is proven to work on the covenant but with humans being immune WOULD have tipped the scales of the war if it was released at the right place and time.


The humans wouldn't be able to make themselves immune to it unless they had spent thousands of years developing an immunity to the virus. And I doubt vaccinations would work, as the virus would be set to kill almost instantly, therefore injecting even the smallest amount would surely kill the person instantly. Unless the virus was fully composed of a virus that we already had some form of immunity to, it wouldn't work.

  • 04.27.2011 9:09 AM PDT

"A LIE is a LIE"


- Truly intelligent and deep Black ops trailer


Posted by: KeselvonTresel

The humans wouldn't be able to make themselves immune to it unless they had spent thousands of years developing an immunity to the virus. And I doubt vaccinations would work, as the virus would be set to kill almost instantly, therefore injecting even the smallest amount would surely kill the person instantly. Unless the virus was fully composed of a virus that we already had some form of immunity to, it wouldn't work.


Re-read the OP. I said a Super-flu of some sorts where humans already have immunity would be perfect.

Also, if you look at the Link I provided, there are many deadly viruses that could kill in a few days but which also have vaccines.

  • 04.27.2011 9:12 AM PDT

The problem. They'd have to successfully capture enemy troops, which from everything I gather was a rarity.

Then they'd have to create something which harms/kills the Covenant but cannot affect humans, or the planets in question.

That's a lot of resources, and time diverted from weapons research/development and production.

Even then, let's say they infected a super-carrier. Once the Covenant notice something is wrong they'd simply purge the ship, the shipmaster willingly venting all atmosphere/activating a self-destruct or lowering their shields to allow other ships to destroy them.

  • 04.27.2011 9:29 AM PDT

"A LIE is a LIE"


- Truly intelligent and deep Black ops trailer


Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
The problem. They'd have to successfully capture enemy troops, which from everything I gather was a rarity.

Then they'd have to create something which harms/kills the Covenant but cannot affect humans, or the planets in question.

That's a lot of resources, and time diverted from weapons research/development and production.

Even then, let's say they infected a super-carrier. Once the Covenant notice something is wrong they'd simply purge the ship, the shipmaster willingly venting all atmosphere/activating a self-destruct or lowering their shields to allow other ships to destroy them.



First, capturing enemy troops is not a rarity when the UNSC and covenant are in ground battles much of the time. Capturing the grunt seems too easy, but lets say they capture a elite, this elite will probably fall into ONI hands (hence any captured enemies will be kept secret).

Its not as hard to create a virus 500 years in the future. Heck, to this day we are bio-engineering viral weapons (see link).

Its not as much resources as you think. UNSC is an interplanetary empire 500 years in the future. Theoretically, they should have the time and resources to bio-engineer a few viral weapons.

Depends on how long the virus takes. Some viruses require a week before symptoms show. By a week's time, god knows what the ship's been in contact with.

[Edited on 04.27.2011 9:38 AM PDT]

  • 04.27.2011 9:37 AM PDT


Posted by: Pipboy 3050

Posted by: Cmdr DaeFaron
The problem. They'd have to successfully capture enemy troops, which from everything I gather was a rarity.

Then they'd have to create something which harms/kills the Covenant but cannot affect humans, or the planets in question.

That's a lot of resources, and time diverted from weapons research/development and production.

Even then, let's say they infected a super-carrier. Once the Covenant notice something is wrong they'd simply purge the ship, the shipmaster willingly venting all atmosphere/activating a self-destruct or lowering their shields to allow other ships to destroy them.



First, capturing enemy troops is not a rarity when the UNSC and covenant are in ground battles much of the time. Capturing the grunt seems too easy, but lets say they capture a elite, this elite will probably fall into ONI hands (hence any captured enemies will be kept secret).

Its not as hard to create a virus 500 years in the future. Heck, to this day we are bio-engineering viral weapons (see link).

Its not as much resources as you think. UNSC is an interplanetary empire 500 years in the future. Theoretically, they should have the time and resources to bio-engineer a few viral weapons.

Depends on how long the virus takes. Some viruses require a week before symptoms show. By a week's time, god knows what the ship's been in contact with.


That the problem with Bio weapons it could go anyhwere, especially places its not intended. If it were to somehow get to Earth or any of the Inner Colonies, even if the humans were immune, it could possibly deprive the food source and cause some sort of famine.

  • 04.27.2011 10:00 AM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

The Covenant have automated systems built off of Forerunner technology that tends to healthcare needs sort of, like the one Truth used in Contact Harvest to cure a headache. I assume that it could also handle diseases, which means that the UNSC may have already tried this tactic and failed in it.

They did try studying the Flood though, which ended horribly for all aboard the ship that the experiments were conducted on... In the process though they discovered that the Covenant had a forced immunity to radiation produced from plasma weaponry that they planned to somehow use against them. So they were sort of researching this stuff.

  • 04.27.2011 10:12 AM PDT

Thing is OP, developing something that works on a body you already know everything, or most everything is easy.

Developing one which does not affect humans, but FATALLY effects every race in the Covenant, or at the least just one, all alien and their body functions unknown to humans, would take time and resources.

Then you run into things as somebody else said, they wouldn't want planets affected and plant/animal life dying or being affected by the bio-weapon. Such contact could also cause it to mutate and become lethal to humans.

  • 04.27.2011 10:25 AM PDT

(') (')
(0_o) ROAR!!!
(") (")

No it would only damage their own planet because bio attacks AOE and since they were attacked on reach it would only making escaping reach worse because of the toxic every where... but if they assaulted the weapons are a big advantage!

  • 04.27.2011 1:26 PM PDT

I imagine a bio-weapon would require too much effort and random chance to work, but why no chemicals. Aside from the Grunts and possibly the Hunters, every member of the Covenant breathes an O2 atmosphere, and thus should be vulnerable to a variety of ready-made chemical weapons.

So why haven't we dropped some VX or hydrogen cyanide on those buggers?

[Edited on 04.27.2011 1:33 PM PDT]

  • 04.27.2011 1:31 PM PDT