New Mombasa



"This is the only place on Earth the Covenant decided to land. That Prophet is going to tell us why."

New Mombasa was a major port city and industrial center on Mombasa Island in the East African Protectorate on Earth. It was the main target of the Covenant attack in the First Battle of Earth. The city was invaded, occupied, and destroyed in the course of the conflict. Near the artificial canal in the city center is the New Mombasa Orbital Elevator, a dominant feature of the city skyline. Old Mombasa is located nearby. Like Earth's other tether cities, New Mombasa's infrastructure was managed with the help of a second generation "dumb" AI, the Superintendent.

Mombasa
Two hundred and fifty years ago New Mombasa—at that time the world's busiest sea port—was chosen to be Earth's first tether city. Over the next eleven years the city experienced explosive growth, but nothing compared to what followed. The city grew out as well as up, its urban sprawl unequaled throughout the continent. By 2430 New Mombasa had absorbed all of the island and many of the surrounding towns found themselves overrun by residents of the old city. The switch was never official and many of the neighborhoods within direct line of sight to the Mombasa Tether still distribute newspapers and chatter directories under their "old" names, but all municipalities within a 74 km radius of the island are now referred to as Old Mombasa.

Mombasa had always been an important port of the Indian Ocean trade routes and was captured and recaptured countless times by a variety of powers including Portugal, the United Kingdom, and various Arab forces. This violent history led to its Swahili nickname "Kisiwa Cha Mvita", or "Island of War". The city became part of the independent nation of Kenya in the 20th century. During this era, Mombasa became a tourist destination, boasting numerous resorts and clean white beaches. It was also important as a port city, connecting East Africa to the Indian Ocean.

Formation of New Mombasa
New Mombasa was the world's busiest sea port in the year 2302, which during that year was chosen to become Earth's first tether city. By 2313, the city had experienced massive growth. New Mombasa's urban sprawl was unequaled throughout Africa.

Mombasa would change dramatically with the arrival of the interstellar era. By 2430, New Mombasa had absorbed the entire island and many of the surrounding towns, which became overrun by residents of Mombasa. The switch of name was never official, and though many of the neighborhoods within direct line of sight to the Mombasa Tether still distributed newspapers and chatter directories under their previous names, all municipalities within a 74 km radius of the island became referred to as "Old Mombasa". The economic stabilty and prominent location of New Mombasa encouraged the UNSC to select it as one of the many sites where a space elevator would be built. This structure served to lift heavy cargo into geosynchronous orbit without expensive booster rockets. The elevator transformed the city; Mombasa became one of the most important port cities on Earth. An influx of trade, citizens, and jobs drastically changed the landscape of the city. Within a century older housing and hotels on Mombasa Island were replaced with vast industrial complexes and gleaming office towers. A large canal cut through the old downtown sector of Sidiriya to provide docking space for incoming cargo ships.

During this period of tremendous growth the city became known as "New Mombasa," with four major sectors: the City Centre, Sector A, Sector B, and the Docks. By the 26th century the city was a dynamic, cosmopolitan metropolis, boasting such amenities as a mile-long suspension bridge, a highly efficient MagLev Train system, an automatic highway network, a large police department, and large-scale recreational areas.

The Covenant Invasion
On October 20th, 2552, a small cluster of Covenant capital ships exited Slipspace just off of Earth's defensive network. During the ensuing battle, a Covenant Assault Carrier breached the orbital fortifications and made its way to the surface. The ship, which carried the Covenant Hierarch known as the High Prophet of Regret, took position over New Mombasa, deploying troops and vehicles which occupied the city. The city's civilians either evacuated, took shelter, or were killed. In Old Mombasa, announcements in Swahili are broadcast over a public address system. These announcements encourage New Mombasa's citizens to fight against the polytheistic "alien zealots."

The Master Chief arrived in Old Mombasa to help UNSC forces liberate the city from the Covenant. After fighting through the maze-like streets of the mainland, the Master Chief crossed the empty beach below the seawall and then entered the highway system and the bridge to New Mombasa. After a series of quick battles in a public park and the city streets, the Chief boarded and destroyed a Covenant Scarab as it passed through the city's artificial canals. Instantly after destroying the Scarab, the Chief returned to the In Amber Clad. At this point, the Covenant troops were retreating back into the Prophet's Assault Carrier, which was preparing to leave. Meanwhile in orbit, an ODST force was preparing to attack the Assault Carrier. While the ODSTs were on their way down, the Covenant ship jumped into Slipspace, with the In Amber Clad in pursuit. The ensuing shockwave and EMP filled the whole city, causing heavy damage to most structures scattered the ODSTs' drop pods around the city. Their eventual fate is unknown, though at least six survived landing. Although the whole of Mombasa Island was consumed by the explosion, only the buildings close to the Slipspace vortex were sucked through. What remains of the city is used by all of the UNSC forces still stationed within the city.

After the Slipspace event, a Covenant occupation force led by Brutes arrived at the city. The remaining UNSC Marines and NMPD fought against the Covenant occupiers for the rest of the day. The ODSTs participated in several battles, including the Battle of the ONI Alpha Base.

Appearances
The overall appearance and shape of the city of New Mombasa have changed greatly over the years, but the general architectural direction has stayed fairly similar.

Halo 2 E3 Demo
In the E3 presentation of Halo 2, the city appeared vastly different from its later versions.

The New Mombasa Orbital Elevator was nowhere to be found. Instead, the Space Elevator's site in the heart of the city was occupied by a massive tower shaped like an African Baobab tree, composed of massive skyscrapers, and surrounded by spires. The city was much larger than it's future incarnations, with the urban metropolis sprawling into the horizon as far as one could see. The internal architecture of the city also differed greatly in the final version of Halo 2.

Halo 2
In Halo 2, the city was shaped more like its real-world counterpart, with the metropolis residing on the Mombasa island instead of the whole surrounding area having been filled with a gargantuan megalopolis. The space elevator was located in the city center, surrounded by massive skyscrapers. A massive suspension bridge connected the island to Old Mombasa, and a large artificial canal cut through the island. The city's streets also appeared more simple and plain than in the E3 Demo, although with more trees and plants. An effort had been made to try to design the city as realistically as possible. "What would the city look like after 500 years of advancement?"

Halo 3: ODST
The city's architecture was changed again considerably in Halo 3: ODST.

The skyscrapers in the city appear more sleek and tall than in Halo 2. The Orbital Elevator's base now resides away from the city centre, surrounded by water at all sides. Its base structure is different, notably being less immense in size than in Halo 2. The internal architecture of the city is much more detailed, with the streets ramping up and down, and elevated walkways surrounding them. In many ways, it resembles the city seen in the E3 2003 demo, albeit much more detailed. The city center and the surrounding area is nearly symmetrical, as seen in the in-game map of the city. The Superintendent is also a feature introduced in ODST.

Organizations

 * New Mombasa Police Department (NMPD)
 * New Mombasa Transit Authority (NMTA)
 * New Mombasa Waste Management (NMWM)

Locations

 * Major Sections
 * New Mombasa Sector A
 * New Mombasa Sector B
 * New Mombasa Sector 10
 * New Mombasa City Centre
 * New Mombasa Docks
 * Mombasa Quays


 * Highways and streets
 * SV. 2326
 * New Mombasa 105 East
 * Kizingo Boulevard


 * Other locations
 * Lumumba
 * Mbaraki
 * Tanaga
 * ONI Alpha Base
 * NMPD Headquarters
 * Uplift Reserve
 * New Mombasa Orbital Elevator


 * New Mombasa Transit Authority MagLev Train stations
 * Kikowani Station
 * Kilindini Station
 * Liwitoni Station
 * Manyimbo Station
 * Mtongwe Station
 * Nyali Station


 * Multiplayer levels


 * Headlong
 * Ivory Tower
 * Terminal
 * Tombstone

Trivia

 * Tterrab Industries, a corporation in downtown New Mombasa, is Bungie level designer Chris Barrett's name reversed. "Mtangulizi Kampuni," printed on a welcome mat at the entrance to the building that leads to the canals, is Swahili for "Forerunner Company".
 * Originally, it was assumed that the slipspace jump of the Prophet of Regret's Assault Carrier had completely destroyed the city, creating the crater seen later in Halo 3, even though the crater is tens of kilometers away from the city.