Argent Moon
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
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Argent Moon | ||||||||||
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Argent Moon (AGES-004)[1], sometimes shortened to ARGMN, was a research and development station in service with the UNSC Navy's Office of Naval Intelligence.[5] The station was used for a variety of research programs including Forerunner research, bioweapons development, and the construction of a new class of stealth warship. Ultimately the station was destroyed on October 23, 2558, thanks to its capture by Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and subsequent self-destruction by Blue Team.[5]
Overview[edit]
Design details[edit]
The design of Argent Moon loosely resembled that of some deep survey craft designs of the 22nd century. The station is equipped with maneuvering propulsion systems at the aft that allow Argent Moon to travel through space, though Argent Moon is still classified as a large-scale production plant rather than a ship. With propulsion systems at its aft and navigation and operation controls at the fore, production and experiments on Argent Moon occur in the center of the station, within a massive, city-sized superstructure.[2] Argent Moon was an ONI research and development vehicle that went missing. In addition to its secretive nature, the station's hangar bays housed at least one Winter-class prowler and a stealth corvette.[5]
Development history[edit]
Argent Moon was one of several mobile shipyards/research stations constructed at Special Assembly Plant Concord.[1][7] One of Argent Moon's sister-stations may be AZURE MOON.
History[edit]
Commissioned on February 13, 2546,[5] it did not enter service with ONI until May 7, 2553.[2] During its time with ONI, the Argent Moon served as a top-secret research and development station for the Office of Naval Intelligence.[5] The station's existence was known to only a handful of individuals, with ONI personnel experimenting with a variety of highly classified and experimental projects, as well as weapons testing.[2] The crew of Argent Moon were also experimenting with unsanctioned stealth technology.[8]
In mid-2553, a Forerunner archeon-class ancilla Intrepid Eye was brought to Argent Moon for detainment and study as part of Project ARCHEON, after her capture earlier in the year. The AI was imprisoned and interrogated in a holding cell lined by a Faraday cage that ensured no signals could permeate in or out, and used by the station's staff to assist them in identifying and researching uncovered Forerunner technology (including that retrieved from the Halo Array[2]). Over the first five months of her detainment, Intrepid Eye was able to smuggle pieces of her code out of the cell on board personal electronic devices carried by the researchers and missed by security scans, allowing her to build up remote aspects of herself across the galaxy with which to manipulate humanity through a combination of shell companies and organisations. One of these remote aspects infiltrated Argent Moon's systems, giving Intrepid Eye control of its internal network without the knowledge of ONI or the station AI.[9] Others were designed to contact the Keepers of the One Freedom and have them move their operations to Taram, while a third yet set up the private military company Dark Moon Enterprises, with which Intrepid Eye could begin to effect her designs on the larger galaxy.[9]
Over time, Intrepid Eye manipulated one of the station's researchers, Bartalan Craddog, feeding him higher-quality information about the Forerunner discoveries he brought her than any other researchers to cause his rapid promotion, while also recording his affairs with junior enlisted servicewomen, eventually building up his career enough that she could blackmail him into acting as an agent for her in her goal of preparing humanity to assume the Mantle of Responsibility. Craddog reluctantly agreed and gave Intrepid Eye access to the station's communications array, allowing her to reintegrate with her remote aspects.[9]
Bioweapons research[edit]
- Main article: Project SLEEPING STAR
One of the main research projects aboard Argent Moon was Project SLEEPING STAR. The program was a bioweapon research project began by Intrepid Eye during the AI's covert infiltration of the station, using ONI's reliance on coded messages and indirect contact to begin the program without anyone noticing.[6] The project's goals were to take samples of the asteroidea merozoite pathogen develop it further into a more contagious variant while simultaneously, Argent Moon's labs would also research a cure for the weapon, something which could be used by Intrepid Eye to practice eugenics and "cull" those whose genetic lineage the AI did not consider "worthy" of attaining the Mantle.[10]
From Argent Moon, now using her increased freedom, Intrepid Eye directed the assassination of Admiral Graselyn Tuwa and his family (the only individuals to survive a deadly outbreak of asteroidea on Barugi some years prior) through Dark Moon Enterprises. She then used Bartalan Craddog and Papa-10, an ONI Security unit aboard the station, to take posession of several cryo jars containing harvested organs from the Tuwas' bodies, intending to use them as a basis for her research on a cure. Ultimately, this plot was intercepted and stopped by Blue Team and Veta Lopis' Ferret team, though Intrepid Eye's involvement remained unknown. Instead, official after-action reports blamed the venture on Craddog, and surmised that he was interested in developing a cure for the bioweapon himself to advance his own personal glory. While Admiral Serin Osman ultimately ordered the project's closure, her official notice was intercepted by Intrepid Eye, and altered to grant SLEEPING STAR unlimited funding. SLEEPING STAR's research was moved to Argent Moon itself, Ensigns Jess Wallace and Kris Gaston were promoted to Lieutenant Commanders and given permission to seek out new asteroidea antibody donors and permission was given to test its effectiveness on the enemy species of the UNSC.[11]
Though Argent Moon's AI Rooker tried to intervene, Intrepid Eye used a control worm, deception routine, logic trap and memory leech to successfully deceive him.[3] Despite this, ONI eventually discovered Intrepid Eye's network and released millions of dumb AI hunter-killer teams that ultimately overwhelmed even Intrepid Eye's prodigious capabilities and destroyed her network and her remote aspects, leaving the ancilla trapped once more aboard Argent Moon.[12]
In 2557, some personnel aboard the station continued experimenting with asteroidea that remained dormant and asymptomatic as it spread through a population before it was activated by an otherwise harmless aerosol dispersal;[2] all test formulas were tested on live Kig-Yar subjects. There were also unknown, misshapen creatures detained in the laboratory's tanks. In March 2557,[5] an accident caused a particularly aggressive form of the biological agent[2] to vaporize and spread throughout the station via its air systems, killing nearly all aboard. Those closer to the accident were killed instantly and, depending on distance from the accident, the rest of the vessel's personnel began suffering symptoms from the chemical minutes or hours later. Although Rooker attempted to enforce quarantine protocols, they "massively" failed and all personnel aboard Argent Moon were dead by March 17, 2557. As a result, ONI lost contact with Argent Moon and Rooker sent a message that warned any ONI personnel who board the station of the situation. Rooker then took further actions to quarantine the vessel; he put Argent Moon on a course that kept it away from all inhabited systems and jettisoned what remains he could into open space. On September 12, 2557, Rooker was now suffering from rampancy due to being six months past his "expiration date". Feeling he could no longer manage the vessel, he initiated his own destruction.[5] Despite being the cause of the bioweapon's research, Intrepid Eye was not responsible for the accident, having been left so isolated following the discovery and destruction of her network that she wasn't even aware that anything had happened.[12]
Destruction[edit]
- Main article: Operation: BIRD IN HAND
In October 2558, nineteen months after it went missing, Argent Moon was discovered by Kig-Yar scavengers, who sold it to Jul 'Mdama's Covenant.[5] Preparing for an attack on Sanghelios, the Covenant infiltrated the station in search for weapons and resources to use against the Swords of Sanghelios.[8] One week later, SPARTAN-II Blue Team was tasked with securing the vessel and its intel, encountering the Covenant scavengers aboard the vessel. However, a Covenant fleet soon arrived in response to their leader's recent assassination. Outnumbered, Blue Team decided to scuttle Argent Moon instead to keep it out of enemy hands. Though Blue Team started a reactor overload, Argent Moon's containment systems attempted to cool the reactor from an outside location, forcing Blue Team to use Covenant Banshees to destroy the cooling system. With Argent Moon self-destructing, Blue Team escaped in the station's Winter-class prowler ONI Acrisius as they were unable to reach their Pelican. The reactor explosion destroyed Argent Moon and several nearby Covenant warships.[5]
Due to the station's obscurity, UNSC investigators who examined the remains of Argent Moon were unaware of the station's role. The investigators searched the debris for clues, and eventually discovered that the station's crew were manufacturing bioweapons.[2]
Intrepid Eye was believed to have been destroyed along with the station. However, she barely managed to escape by latching onto the Acrisius as Blue Team fled.[12][13]
Known crew[edit]
- Admiral Friedel - station commanding officer (c.January 2554)
- Bartalan Craddog - chief science officer (c.January 2554)
- Lieutenant Commander Jess Wallace
- Lieutenant Commander Kris Gaston
Gallery[edit]
Concept art of Argent Moon for Halo 5: Guardians.
Conceptual views of the Argent Moon.
Concept art of the stealth vessel being constructed inside Argent Moon.
Concept art of one of Argent Moon's elevators.
Concept art of a console onboard the station.
Concept art of a console onboard the station.
Concept art of a console onboard the station.
Concept art of Argent Moon's reactor room.
The interior of Argent Moon.
The stealth vessel that was being developed on Argent Moon.
A hologram of Argent Moon.
A display of a Kig-Yar neural network aboard the Argent Moon.
Blue Team deep in the bowels of Argent Moon.
Sangheili soldiers occupying the ship's hangar bays.
Kelly-087 in the process of clearing the hangar bay.
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List of appearances[edit]
- Halo 5: Guardians (First appearance)
- Halo Mythos
- Halo: Retribution
- Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual
- Halo: Divine Wind (Mentioned only)
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c d Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 41
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Halo Waypoint, Argent Moon (Retrieved on Jun 30, 2021) [archive]
- ^ a b HR, chapter 27
- ^ Halo 5: Guardians, Mission Intel: Log 2557 9-12 613 SMT 4/4
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Halo 5: Guardians, campaign level Blue Team
- ^ a b Halo: Retribution, chapter 16
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 35
- ^ a b Halo Mythos, page 185
- ^ a b c Halo: Retribution, chapter 5
- ^ Halo: Retribution, chapter 21
- ^ Halo: Retribution, chapter 27
- ^ a b c Halo: Divine Wind, chapter 5
- ^ Halo: Divine Wind, chapter 6
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