Argent Moon
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Argent Moon | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
| Ship history | |||||||||||
|
Unified Earth Government | ||||||||||
|
Name: |
Argent Moon | ||||||||||
|
Identification: |
Hull code: AGES-004[1] | ||||||||||
|
Operator: |
|||||||||||
|
Manufacturer: |
|||||||||||
|
Commissioned: |
|||||||||||
|
Fate: |
|||||||||||
|
Captain(s): |
|||||||||||
|
Artificial intelligence(s): |
|||||||||||
| |||||||||||
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]