Yanme'e

The Yanme ' e (Latin Turpis rex, meaning "dishonorable king" ), also referred to by Humans as Drones, are a race of aerial, intelligent, insectoid warriors which make up part of the unified conglomerate races of the Covenant.

They are informally referred to by UNSC infantry as "buggers". Although they have been part of the Covenant for some time, they have just recently been put to use as combatants in the war against the humans. They are suited for flight and combat in a gravitational-pull like planets such as Earth. They usually travel in swarms of about 50.

Background
Drones are insect-like and are covered in natural chitinous body armor, although it doesn't provide much protection. If you look carefully at a dead Drone, you can see small round technological/metal objects on its armor, assumed by some to be small anti-gravity generators, and shield generators employed to make up for the Drones' obvious weaknesses. It seems, like the other Covenant species, that Drones share a ranking system in colored armor, but it is unclear who is leader. They do not interact with other species except to trade and serve in a military capacity, and their exact position in the Covenant Hierarchy is relatively unknown, although it is reasonable to believe that they are higher in rank than Grunts and Jackals, but of lower rank than Elites. They are used as mechanical crews on ships when Engineers are not available, though they are not as effective as Engineers.

After the Covenant Civil War began, the Drones took the side of the Brutes.

The Drones, much like the Grunts, are a conquered race that was forced into service by the Covenant. They strictly follow the Covenant religion and obey any command without question, yet do not partake in social norms due to communication difficulties with other species. They view the Prophets as "Queens", a remnant of their former hive lifestyle. The Queens of the Drones have been described as "enormous" and had to be supported by multiple wingless Drone workers.

Capabilities
Drones are deployed in battle situations among the Covenant Loyalists. They, unlike all other types of Covenant, can fly without using technology. They're used for surprise aerial ambushes, such as catching human troops off guard, and causing them to shoot upwards as a diversion so that others may attack on the ground. This is a common Covenant tactic used to wipe out a whole squad of UNSC Marines.

Tactics
One headshot will do, and two body shots with a Battle Rifle will dispose of them in both games that they are present. The best weapon for these creatures is a Battle Rifle. Although most players prefer to use an SMG because of its high rate of fire. But if you do wish to use your SMG, make sure you use it at fairly close range. Spikers will bring them down fast and easily as well. When fighting Drones, it's always good to keep your grenades where they are unless you meet them in a low room in which a frag grenade on the ground can clear a large amount if not all of them. It's very unlikely that even a Legendary-skilled player can stick a Drone, although it is devastating when it occurs due to the Drone's swarm behavior. They're never stationary in the air, so it's best to wait until they land or crouch on walls to take them out. Also, try to remain in cover instead of staying in the open as you will die very quickly.

Halo 3
It's very unlikely anybody, or even a Legendary-skilled player can stick a Drone, although it is devastating when it occurs due to the drone's swarm behavior (on the retreat from Crow's Nest there is a swarm that flies past the player's path, and sticking one with a Spike Grenade results in every drone dying).

Though on the level Crow's Nest there are so many of them flying through the air (most of the time) that you can just shoot blindly and you will generally hit one of them. Your reticle slightly follows moving targets so Drones are easily killed compared to most other Covenant creatures.

Drone Anatomy and Physiology
Drones are an insectoid species first encountered as a combatant by human forces during the Battle of Harvest. They are covered in a natural chitinous exoskeleton that provides some protection from ballistic and plasma based weaponry.

Their exoskeleton is covered with multiple bumps, grooves, indentations and markings. Many of the markings appear to be of use as camouflage. On close inspection these markings bear resemblance to a head. This is reminiscent of many Terran insect species that bear markings that confuse predators into attacking less vital parts of their anatomy. This is indicative of the evolutionary path the Drones have taken, that they still bear the markings of their ancestry. They have the six limbs of an insect (although the last two appear vestigial), compound eyes and two furry antennae that jut forth from a small head. Drones also have peculiar light green/light grey blood. Drones are fast airborne marksmen, and they athletically make a hard target to hit. Drones make aerial assaults and attack in groups. However, they are used in conjunction with other Covenant forces. Drones are capable of powered flight, and have hovering capabilities. Using two large wings stowed beneath a protective carapace, the Drone is able to take flight. However, they can only do so for short periods of time before clinging to walls or landing for a period of rest. Drones are used to much more limited flight, as their home world's gravitational pull is twice as strong as Earth's.

Drones are both fast and agile and pose a serious threat to enemies unused to dealing with aerial infantry. Although they possess sharp claws on their hands and spikes across the majority of their body, Drones shy away from close combat, preferring hit and run airborne attacks.

Due to their hard chitinous outer shells, Drones would be difficult to infect by Flood Infection Forms. Also, perhaps because they lack large amounts of calcium they would not be infected at all.

Combat
Drones prefer to stay at a distance and use long range tactics. However, they are skilled close-range combatants as well if the need arises. They always appear in swarms, and usually in large, open areas, where, combined with their agility, they are hard to target effectively. Drones also have the distinction of being able to board vehicles. They do not seem capable of driving them, but will claw mercilessly at the driver until he is killed. However, their melee is weak, you can simply wait it out until someone shoots it down or simply crash into a structure, causing it to loose its grip on you. Their capability for limited flight allows them to easily weaken an enemy and retreat as necessary when in danger.

They wield lightweight weapons such as the Needler and Plasma Pistol, though they never charge up a shot of their Plasma Pistol to break a shield. They also enter battle in a pack (the number differs depending on the difficulty). Furthermore, they are not susceptible to headshots, though sniper weapons will always kill them with a single shot regardless of where it hits them. This is most likely due to a natural physical weakness, as the sniper rifle's shot would likely travel straight through the exoskeleton and cause the Drone to go in shock. Drones never dual wield or have heavy weapons because they can only become airborne while lifting a small amount of weight. When fighting, they have to take frequent rests while in the air, probably due to the gravitational pull from Earth and High Charity. However it is unknown if they can last longer while in space. They are said to have replaced the Elite Rangers after the Covenant Civil War began, probably due to their inherent maneuverability, skill in Zero-G combat, and incredible aim. Even though their weapons aren't very effective, be weary of their incredible aim because to many hits even from a lousy weapon can be fatal.

On Easy and Normal difficulty, the Drones are easy to kill and present no real threat. However, on Legendary, they can be an extremely deadly enemy to face. Their ability to fly means that if you have cover, they can still fly over and around you, and due to their pack mentality they can outnumber and kill you very quickly. Individually, however, they are still rather weak in resistance. One tactic is to lead the pack into a narrow corridor and throw any kind of grenade at them. Most of the time this tactic will kill a majority of the pack.

In Halo 3, Drones have the ability to lift Marines from the ground, similar to the Brutes. The only time this has been witnessed is during scripted events, and if you kill the Drone in question it will let the Marine go. They have also gained the ability to board vehicles and melee the driver, however they cannot actually use the vehicle.

Halo 2


Drones were first seen in Halo 2 after a long period as combatants during the First Battle of Earth, and were featured often in overwhelming swarms in open spaces. They had less distinguished, shinier, chitinous armor, and luminescent eyes, and a less insectoid and more alien-like appearance. They are enemy combatants in the following levels:
 * Cairo Station
 * Outskirts
 * Delta Halo
 * Regret
 * Gravemind
 * Uprising
 * High Charity
 * The Great Journey

Drones were among the boarders on Cairo station, and one such swarm came upon Master Chief during his defence of the station. They also attacked Johnson's squad outside their crashed Pelican during the Battle of Mombasa. They also had several run-ins with Master Chief during his fights on Delta Halo, on the way to the Prophet of Regret's temple, and on High Charity. After the Covnenant Civil War, the Drones sided with the Brutes and Jackals, causing them to attack the Arbiter's small party of Elites and Hunters outside the Control room of Installation 05.

Halo 3
Drones appear a few times in the game, but when they do, they are nearly always in swarms of fifteen or more. Here is the list of drones in the following levels:
 * Crow's Nest
 * Tsavo Highway
 * The Storm
 * The Covenant

The best tactics for dealing with a Drone swarm is to hide behind cover and take the Drones down one at a time. If a Drone boards a vehicle, it will claw at the driver until they are killed, a certain amount of time has passed, or they themselves are killed. An effective, but dangerous way to remove them from vehicles is to ram the vehicle into a nearby wall or large structure. This does, however, risk the destruction of the vehicle and possibly death.

On the level Crows Nest, if the player is vigilant enough, he/she can take and save a Deployable Cover from the hangar. After the Drones grab a Marine (seen through the mesh), run to the left and place it in front of the .50 Cal Turret. Doing so will enable one to shoot through and kill while avoiding the incoming Plasma Pistol shots from the Drones.

One more simple and effective tactic to deal with Drones is when they are in a swarm, all that is required is a sticky grenade to stick one of them in the center, or an explosive (such as the Rocket Launcher) and most, if not, all of the swarm should be wiped out.

Trivia

 * The Drones is an enslaved race by the Covenant, much like the Unggoy. The Covenant slaved them because of their unmatched tactical advantage: capable of flight.
 * On the level Rat's Nest, you can hear the drones in the pipes.
 * In the multiplayer map called Guardian, you can hear Drone screeches and the texture and layout is the same description as the Drones home world called Palamok, which means Guardian could be placed on the Drones' home world
 * Turpis means "dishonorable, disgraceful". Rex means "king".
 * The nickname "buggers" is possibly a reference to Starship Troopers or Ender's Game, or more likely, because they resemble "bugs".
 * In Halo 2, the Yanme'e are more green-colored and shinier, but in Halo 3, Drones are more grey-colored.
 * Originally, Bungie wanted to call Drones "buggers", but decided not to because bugger means different things in the world.
 * In Halo 3, it is possible to shoot a Drone in the wing and cause it to land. They crawl away from the player at a speed slightly faster than that of a Grunt.
 * Due to the fact that they were not seen in Halo: CE, it is commonly conceived that they joined the Covenant after the first Halo ring was destroyed. However, Yanme'e were seen clearly in Halo: Contact Harvest, meaning that this isn't true. Also, it has been clearly stated that the Jiralhanae are the most recent addition to the Covenant, and it has been shown in Contact Harvest that the Jiralhanae have been a part of the Covenant since before the Human-Covenant War began, further confirming that the Drones must have been part of the Covenant before the events of the first game. Also in Contact Harvest, it is shown that the Yanme'e were used for engineering ships as a kind of substitute for Huragok when they were unavailable prior to the discovery of their usefulness in combat, which accounts for why they aren't used on Installation 04.
 * With the exception of the Hunters, Drones are the only frequent Covenant combatant that do not have a rivalry with another race. (Except in Contact Harvest where they had a simple dislike for the Huragok).
 * In Halo: Contact Harvest, Drones can be killed by one shot from a Plasma Pistol. However, in the games they are a lot tougher. This may be because in Contact Harvest the Drones were just engineers. The ones in the game may be tougher because they have military equipment, or it might just be for gameplay reasons.
 * When killed, Drones have a frequent habit of air swimming this happens when they are thrown up in the air.
 * If you look very closely once you've killed a Yanme'e, you might be able to see its eyes blink. This only occurs in Halo 3.
 * The markings on their outer shells are similar in appearance to the Plasma Pistol charge meter. They also resemble the camouflage markings on some real-life insects.
 * In Halo 2, it is quite difficult to get a headshot on a Drone because it was unclear where the "head" is.
 * They can not be infected by Flood; since a Drone has no basic skeleton, it can't be infected due to a lack of calcium needed to sustain the parasite, however they may be used as bio-mass.
 * In Halo 3, dead Drones occasionally twitch or jiggle.