New Carthage

New Carthage, known as Kaphus to the Forerunners, is a human Inner Colony in the Carthage system, governed by the Unified Earth Government.

Topography and ecology
Described as a "radiant sapphire", New Carthage is home to vast blue oceans that hide many dangerous species, such as the great red shark. New Carthage required no terraforming to sustain human life, though the planet is home to large stretches of hostile alien environments that still remain unexplored well over a century after New Carthage's colonization. Its landmasses are covered in weathered shale mountains, high alpine plains, and semi-arid grasslands and deserts.

Locations

 * Pori region
 * Kotka
 * WG/Facility 93-00/Kotka
 * Pilvros
 * Hannibal HQ
 * Pori Meteor
 * New Carthage Forerunner Way Station
 * Pilvros Municipal Support Facility
 * Pilvros Reclamation Facility
 * Torba
 * Latsa region
 * Suomi
 * Nystad

Known residents

 * Hannibal family
 * Jack Hannibal - Businessman and founder of Hannibal Weapon Systems
 * Dr. Henry Glassman - UNSC scientist
 * Quarrie family
 * McKinnon Quarrie - Rally driver
 * Maise Quarrie
 * Ram Chalva - Well-known salvager

Forerunner era
During the Forerunner ecumene, New Carthage was one of their worlds known as Kaphus. The Forerunners had a way station located on the planet where the Librarian hid the third part of the coordinate key leading to Bastion.

Colonization
New Carthage was colonized by humanity in 2379 and incorporated into the Unified Earth Government as an Inner Colony. Requiring no terraforming to sustain human life, New Carthage quickly saw an explosion of growth and the development of large-scale urban settlements, including the densely populated cities of Nystad, Suomi, and the capital city of Pilvros.

Though New Carthage was comparatively smaller to the colonies in the Sol and Epsilon Eridani systems, the planet was still a strong, densely populated core world.

Early history
In 2474, the Hannibal family acquired thirty acres of land in the Pori region of New Carthage. This tract of land would eventually become the city of Pilvros, named after Jack Pilvros Hannibal. By 2505, the family had constructed a building over the site of an abnormally large shard of variegated rock—called Pori Meteor—and the buried Forerunner structure. Later known as Hannibal HQ, it is likely that this location was selected purposefully by the Hannibal family after the discovery of the subterranean alien facility. Within the next six years, Jack Hannibal had produced the first small-scale quantum photonic amplifier for SATCOM relays, revolutionizing the speed and integrity of extraplanet communication. This success would kickstart Hannibal Weapon Systems, a manufacturer that would eventually hold a substantial amount of control over the entire colony.

New Carthage survived the Human-Covenant War unscathed.

Post-war
Following the Covenant War, a reduction in military presence and New Carthage's commercial traffic has frequently attracted Kig-Yar pirates. In 2554, two s, Mark of Prophecy and Divine Breath, were being used by Kig-Yar engaged in smuggling and piracy near New Carthage. The two ships had a deadly encounter with the. At some point a thermal reactor located underneath the city of Pilvros failed and threatened to melt down, causing the city to be evacuated.

In October 2558, New Carthage was visited by the crew of the Ace of Spades after the Librarian's coordinate key had pointed them to the alien facility via Installation 07's Cartographer. With the help of 343 Guilty Spark, Ram Chalva managed to infiltrate Hannibal HQ and the alien facility and received a third piece of the coordinate key, this time pointing to Erebus VII.

During the rise of the Created in that same month, one of Cortana's Guardians emerged near Pilvros, causing a crater that swallowed part of an Office of Naval Intelligence facility. At least two prowlers attempted to fight back against the construct but were quickly knocked out of the sky by its electromagnetic pulse. The planet was likely subjugated by the Created following this event.

Defenses
New Carthage has a network of two orbital defense platforms, though the planet has had a noticeably reduced military presence following the end of the Human-Covenant War.

Economy
Hannibal Weapon Systems is a prominent defense contractor on the planet. Their biggest work appears to be in MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor. They developed the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Infiltrator, which was tested on the orbital defense platforms above New Carthage. The Hannibal Weapon Systems facility also developed multiple MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor variants at Kotka, Pori on New Carthage.

Culture
New Carthage is host to the New Carthage Sprint Series, a competitive motorsport event that features the colony's deadly wildlife, rugged terrain, heavy weapons, and talented driving skill.

Trivia
The planet is named after the ancient city of Carthage. Hannibal Weapon Systems is named in reference to Hannibal, an infamous Carthaginian general who is considered to be one of the greatest military leaders in history.

List of appearances

 * Halo 4
 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Halo: Legacy of Onyx
 * Halo: Point of Light
 * Halo Infinite
 * Halo: The Television Series
 * Homecoming