Xalanyn

"If Halo cannot kill them, it must imprison them."

- Grand Edict to 117649 Despondent Pyre

The Xalanyn, also known as the Endless, was an advanced race, whose members were imprisoned by the Forerunners on Installation 07 by 97,368 BCE due to their ability to survive the effects of the Halo Array. Their cylixes were eventually discovered by Atriox during the Installation 07 conflict in 2560.

Background
"Halo was the Forerunners' terrible and ultimate solution to the parasite's relentless advance. Designed to destroy all sentient life, nothing was allowed to survive. And we were sure that nothing had. We were wrong."

- 117649 Despondent Pyre

The origins of the Xalanyn were unknown, but they were one of the sentient species that were extant during the fall of the Forerunner civilization. They were not indexed by the Forerunners prior to the firing of the Halo Array, and after the activation of the Halo rings, the Xalanyn inexplicably survived. During the century after the firing, the Xalanyn were discovered alive and well by the Forerunners, much to the latter's confusion.

The Forerunners and the Xalanyn arranged a parley between delegates from the two species, with Installation 07 taken into range of the Xalanyn homeworld. The Forerunners deemed the Xalanyn to be a threat and decided that the Xalanyn were to be sealed on Installation 07, with some members subjugated for study at the Silent Auditorium on the ring. The Grand Edict charged Installation 07's monitor, 117649 Despondent Pyre, with guarding the Xalanyn's prison, and assigned Offensive Bias to the ring to aid in this.

Return
"The Harbinger"

In 2560, the Banished forces under the leadership of its War Chief Escharum arrived at Installation 07. The Banished excavated Forerunner subterranean structures, eventually coming across the cylix that contained the Xalanyn known as the "Harbinger". The Harbinger was released from her cylix by forcing a human prisoner of war, Lucas Browning, to interface with her cylix. Upon her release, the Harbinger allied with Escharum. She promised to help Escharum return the ring to its operational status, while Escharm would help her release her fellow Xalanyn from the Silent Auditorium. The Banished excavated the Conservatory, allowing the Harbinger to gain access its interior and kill Despondent Pyre, stealing data from her at the same time. Ultimately, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 intervened, killing the Harbinger and preventing her from releasing the Xalanyn.

Elsewhere on the ring, cylixes of other Xalanyn, though with a different appearance compared to that of the Harbinger, were found by Atriox.

Physiology
The physiology of the Xalanyn appears to be highly variable, but a number of shared key traits are present in all forms seen so far. The species is generally humanoid in physical structure, possessing two arms and at least two legs, their hands bearing three or four digits. In contrast to other humanoid species, their feet project downward in a hyperextended position rather than forward, which renders the species incapable of terrestrial locomotion. As a result of this, the Xalanyn rely on the use of thrusters for movement. Their heads are smooth and hairless, with two wide-set pupil-less eyes, no nostrils, and a small, narrow mouth surrounded by a pair of fin-like tentacles. While their mouths contain teeth, they also possess a larger spike-like mouthpart at the front of their lower jaw.

List of appearances

 * Halo Infinite