Editing Asteroidea merozoite

{{Status|Canon}}

[[File:H5G-Jackal Neural Network.png|thumb|350px|A readout displaying the results of an Asteroidea formulation on the neural network of an [[Ibie'sh]]an Kig-Yar.]] '''Asteroidea merozoite''' was a virulent protozoal disease, native to [[Barugi]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=R17|Ret|Chapter=17}} In 2553, it was being weaponized by the [[Forerunner]] [[Archeon-class ancilla|archeon-class]] [[ancilla]] [[Intrepid Eye]] through the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] aboard the research and development station, ''[[Argent Moon]]''.<ref name="universe">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/argent-moon ''Halo Waypoint'': ''Argent Moon'']</ref> The compounds were designed with the goal of creating a [[biological weapon]] that could remain dormant and asymptomatic as it spread through a population before being activated by a certain otherwise harmless aerosol dispersal.{{Ref/Level|Id=Blue|H5|[[Blue Team (level)|Blue Team]]}}{{Ref/Level|Id=Intel|H5|[[Blue Team (level)|Blue Team]]|Detail=[[Mission Intel]]}} The formulas developed by the researchers were tested on live [[Kig-Yar]] prisoners, and possibly on [[Creatures aboard Argent Moon|unknown, misshapen creatures]] that were present in at least one laboratory on the station.

In [[2538]], there was an asteroidea merozoite outbreak at the [[Barugi Preparatory Academy]]. In just thirty hours, ten thousand people at the school were infected and all but nine died shortly after. The nine survivors were all partially resistant to being infected thanks to mutations they had that resulted in variants of [[Wikipedia:thalassemia|thalassemia]]. Six with [[Wikipedia:Delta-beta thalassemia|delta-beta thalassemia]] survived for years before finally succumbing to the disease but those with gamma-thalessemia from a novel mutation did not suffer any adverse effects. The three survivors were [[Kerbasi Tuwa]], the medical officer of the academy, and his two children, [[Catalin Tuwa|Catalin]] and [[Yuso Tuwa|Yuso]]. The devastation wrought by the infection caused the academy to be shut down and by [[2541]], the entire planet was placed under biohazard quarantine (BQ). This required encircling Barugi with a net of thermonuclear [[Hornet mine]]s and blockade beacons that would alert any vessels that showed an intention to approach. The [[Barugi Incident]] was first made a matter of public record around a year after it occurred but in late [[2553]] it was mysteriously classified and compartmentalized.{{Ref/Reuse|R17}}

In [[2553#December|December 2553]], after the murder of Admiral [[Graselyn Tuwa]] and the abduction of her family, [[Operation: RETRIBUTION]] was launched to gain revenge and recover the survivors. However, in the process, [[Veta Lopis]]' [[Ferret]] team connected the Tuwa family to the Barugi Incident and discovered that [[Intrepid Eye|someone]] was trying to weaponize asteroidea, using the Tuwa's immunity to it to culture a vaccine. The plot was seemingly foiled when Veta destroyed the [[cryo-jar]]s containing the Tuwa's organs and the bioweapon plot was exposed. However, the incident was blamed on Lieutenant [[Bartalan Craddog]] and Intrepid Eye, the true culprit, remained undetected. Intrepid Eye manipulated the final report on Operation: RETRIBUTION and [[Project SLEEPING STAR]] so that the research on asteroidea and a vaccine was moved to ''[[Argent Moon]]'' with an unlimited black budget.{{Ref/Novel|Ret}}

In [[2557#March|March 2557]], an accident caused a particularly aggressive form of asteroidea to vaporize and spread throughout ''Argent Moon'' via its air systems, killing nearly all aboard. Those closer to the accident were killed instantly, being liquidized from the inside out, and, depending on distance from the accident, the rest of the vessel's personnel began suffering symptoms from the chemical minutes to hours later. Although shipboard [[smart AI]] [[Rooker]] attempted to enforce quarantine protocols, they failed massively and all personnel aboard Argent Moon were dead by [[2557#March|March 19]]. Two days later, Rooker made the decision to quarantine the vessel by jettisoning what portion of the asteroidea compounds and dead bodies he could into empty space and setting the ''Argent Moon'' on a course that would keep it clear of any inhabited systems. He also recorded a message which was set to repeat for any potential ONI personnel that would try to reclaim the station, warning them that her air was not safe for humans to breathe. Rooker eventually succumbed to [[rampancy]] and chose to initiate his own [[final dispensation]] on [[2557#September|September 12, 2557]].{{Ref/Reuse|Intel}} Despite being responsible for the bioweapons program, Intrepid Eye did not cause the accident and the outbreak as her network had been discovered and destroyed by ONI some time before. As a result, Intrepid Eye was left completely isolated on ''Argent Moon'' and was unaware that there had even been a problem.{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW5|DW|Chapter=5}}

In [[2558#October|October 2558]], nineteen months after it went missing, ''Argent Moon'' was discovered by [[Kig-Yar]] scavengers, who sold it to [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]]. One week later, [[Spartan-II]] [[Blue Team]] was tasked with [[Operation: BIRD IN HAND|securing]] the vessel and its intel, encountering Covenant scavengers aboard the vessel. During the mission, Blue Team recovered Rooker's data logs about the asteroidea outbreak and some of the research data. However, the mission to recover ''Argent Moon'' was scrapped when a Covenant [[fleet]], sent following the death of [[Jul 'Mdama]] in the [[Battle of Kamchatka]], arrived. Instead, Blue Team decided to [[self-destruct|scuttle]] the station by overloading ''Argent Moon's'' reactor. Blue Team was able to escape in the {{Class|Winter|prowler}} [[ONI Acrisius|ONI ''Acrisius'']] as the overloading reactor destroyed ''Argent Moon'', the nearby vessels caught in the blast and all of the asteroidea remaining on the station.{{Ref/Reuse|Blue}} During this conflict, Intrepid Eye finally became aware of the problem and barely managed to escape by attaching herself to the Prowler as Blue Team fled.{{Ref/Reuse|DW5}}

 

Due to the station's obscurity, UNSC investigators who examined the remains of ''Argent Moon'' were initially unaware of the station's role, but upon searching the debris for clues, the investigators eventually discovered that the station's crew had been manufacturing a [[bioweapon]].{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}

*''[[Halo: Retribution]]'' {{c|First identified as asteroidea merozoite}}

*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]'' {{Mo}}

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