Reclaimer

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A "Reclaimer" (Latin: Homo Sapiens Augeous) is an individual who, whether by chance or by precedent, has been placed in charge of activating a Halo super-weapon. The individual must journey to retrieve the Halo's activation key (The Index) and then activate the array. The word is first used by 343 Guilty Spark as a title bestowed upon Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto in Halo: The Flood and Master Chief in Halo: Combat Evolved. The former was killed by the Flood and failed to retrieve the Index due to the lack of superior armor and training that SPARTAN-IIs such as later Reclaimer John-117 had.

The exact qualifications for a Reclaimer are sketchy at best. In Halo: The Flood, 343 Guilty Spark implies that to become a Reclaimer an individual must first retrieve the Index and then activate the ring. The use of the designation "Augeous" (Latin for augmented) has spawned many theories. The word may imply that Forerunners were basically stronger, smarter humans. The designation could also be a reference unique to Master Chief, the most recent Reclaimer, who is physically augmented by his combat suit. Another theory in this line of thinking is that Reclaimers may be of any species, so long as they are augmented by protective armor. This last speculation is based on Guilty Spark's comment to the Master Chief regarding his "combat skin". However, this is refuted by the armor-less Miranda Keyes' status as a Reclaimer in Halo 2. Though all known identified Reclaimers have been a part of the UNSCDF, either in the Navy or Marine Corps, this is probably not a qualification.

The specific procedure a Reclaimer must follow to activate a Halo ring involves retrieving the item known as the Index and subsequently placing it into a control panel within Halo's control room.

Qualifications and Use


It is unclear what qualifications there are to being a Reclaimer. The term is used many times throughout Halo games and literature, with no clear-cut definition.

Chronologically, the title of Reclaimer is first used by Mendicant Bias, as described in Contact Harvest. While correcting the Covenant's misinterpretation of the Luminary's readings, Mendicant applies the term to a large portion, if not all, of the Human population on Harvest. Mendicant also claims that the humans are his makers, which corroborates what 343 Guilty Spark says to the Master Chief in Halo 3: "You are the child of my makers. Inheritor of all they left behind. You are Forerunner." After Mendicants, the next known use of the title is when Guilty Spark addressed Sergeant Marvin Mobuto in Halo: The Flood. Following this, the Master Chief has the title bestowed upon him by Spark. 2401 Penitent Tangent also instantly recognized the Master Chief as a Reclaimer. In addition to the Chief, both Commander Keyes and Sergeant Johnson are referred to as Reclaimers, and seem to receive the same respect from 343 Guilty Spark that he gave to the Master Chief.

It is also important to note when the term "Reclaimer" is not applied. All Covenant species are viewed as intruders or "meddlers" and are unable to access and fully utilize the Forerunner weapon systems found in the Halo Rings and on the Ark. Additionally, in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, the Sentinels do not at first accept the humans on Onyx as "Reclaimers." The Sentinels ask for identification from the humans. This may be because they were of limited intelligence while apart from a controlling Monitor. It is safe to speculate that the Monitors, as custodians of the Halo installations, play an important role in helping local Sentinels determine who is friendly and who is not. It should also be noted that the first human a Sentinel tried to identify on Onyx was Ash-G099, one of the SPARTAN-IIIs, all of whom possessed artificial augmentations, most notably an illegal drug cocktail designed to affect the brain's frontal lobe to enhance certain traits in combat. This cocktail was the only major difference in their augmentation program from what the SPARTAN-IIs had received. This may have been enough for the Sentinel to identify him as something other than human or Reclaimer (After Ash spoke to it, the Sentinel said, "Reclassification of targets as non-Reclaimers. Aboriginal subspecies."), and after that the Sentinels may have simply assumed that all humans on Onyx were of the same classification.

It is speculated that 343 Guilty Spark does not recognize Reclaimers as separate beings. When talking with Master Chief in Installation 04's Control Room, Spark says, "Last time, you asked me, would I do it? Having had considerable time to ponder your query, my answer has not changed." It seems that Guilty Spark was referring to a question posed to him by a Forerunner, possibly Didact prior to the activation of Installation 04 100,000 years before.

The title of "Reclaimer" stems from the idea that one day Homo Sapient will rise and claim the inheritance left by the Forerunners. It was established by the Forerunner who issued certain rules for what could be a Reclaimer. The title is bestowed by the Forerunner's remaining A.I. constructs like the Monitors of the Halo Installations.

The word "Reclaimer" is also an extension referring to one person who's job is to "reclaim". The word "reclaim" means to bring (uncultivated areas or wasteland) into a condition for cultivation or other use, to tame, or to bring back to a preferable manner of living, sound principles, ideas, etc. From what 343-Guilty Spark tells the Master Chief that is exactly what is meant to happen; order is to be established once again (the will of the Forerunner) by their predecessors, Humanity.

Trivia

 * If indeed the image above is the glyph for Reclaimer, then it is another Marathon reference.
 * In Halo 2 and 3, Monitors have the same glyph shown on their "eyes." But if you look closer in Halo: Combat Evolved you can see the glyph.
 * No known members of the Covenant have ever been deemed Reclaimer.
 * No known beings have been given the title of Reclaimer between the existence of the Forerunners and the events of the Halo series.
 * In Ghosts of Onyx, the Sentinels judge the Covenant as a threat to the Reclaimers when they first discover Onyx. Why they do not think of themselves as threats or of 343 Guilty Spark is unknown.
 * Mendicant Bias refers to John-117 as the Reclaimer through the terminals in Halo 3.