Editing Orion Archaeological Expedition

The expedition occurred some time during the [[Human-Covenant War]] and consisted of a team of civilian scientists including [[Esko Korpijaakko]].<ref name="CU">'''[[Halo 2]]''', ''[[Conversations from the Universe]]''</ref> The expedition came to Coral after explosive blasting during routine quarrying revealed a [[Coral#History|mysterious object]] - a [[Forerunner]] artifact. The expedition was joined by a [[United Nations Space Command]] science team as well as [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] agents after it became apparent that the object, while undeniably alien, was not in fact [[Covenant]] in origin.{{Ref/Reuse|CU}} UNSC involvement gave the expedition access to better resources and technology, although the ONI agents imposed a high level of secrecy on the expedition, censoring the scientists' [[Conversations from the Universe#Letter from Coral|mail]], and, as they were not themselves archaeologists, had unrealistic expectations about how quickly the dig should progress.{{Ref/Reuse|CU}} Overall, however, UNSC involvement was extremely helpful, and the expedition managed to excavate at least 80 meters of the artifact.{{Ref/Reuse|CU}}

The Coral artifact itself was constructed of a metallic crystal and was architecturally perfect.{{Ref/Reuse|CU}} Its symmetry was "impossibly accurate", and its walls were of equal height, even to a near-atomic scale. It was rich in detail, adorned with decorative artistic motifs. Its method of manufacturing was unexplainable.{{Ref/Reuse|CU}} When it was discovered, the surrounding rock was evaporated by explosive to a depth of 30 meters but the object itself remained unscorched or otherwise affected.{{Ref/Reuse|CU}} Further excavation revealed that this was only the top of the object, that underneath there existed a complex of galleries and vaults, although these remained sealed.{{Ref/Reuse|CU}} It was feared that the object's secrets have been lost to time, although the expedition - and the UNSC - hoped that something could be learned from it that would aid in the war effort.{{Ref/Reuse|CU}}