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Installation 08: Difference between revisions

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{{Era|H3}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Ratings}}  
{{Disambig header|the replacement megastructure|other uses|Installation 04 (disambiguation)}}
{{Megastructure infobox
|image=[[File:Halo 3 - Installation04B.jpg|300px]]
|description=
|location=Over the [[Installation 00|Ark]]
|anchor=[[Threshold]] {{C|intended}}
|type=[[Halo Array|Halo Installation]]
|function=Galactic sterilization/Flood containment and research
|caretaker=[[343 Guilty Spark]] (''de facto'')
|constructed=Between [[2552|September 2552]] and [[2552#December|December 2552]]
|destroyed=[[2552#December|December 11, 2552]];{{Ref/Marketing|Id=Fortitude|Halo Waypoint|Heroes Never Die|Detail=Fortitude}} destroyed due to premature firing
|diameter={{Convert|10000|km|mi}}{{Ref/Book|Id=VIS|EVG|Page=6|Detail=Statistics provided for Alpha Halo are relevant for all Neoteric Halo rings.}}
|surface width={{Convert|318|km|mi}}{{Ref/Reuse|VIS}}
|surface depth=
|gravity=.992G (approx){{Ref/Reuse|VIS}}
|surface temperature=-23°C to 40°C (-9°F to 104°F) (controlled){{Ref/Reuse|VIS}}
|atmosphere=1 ([[Wikipedia:Nitrogen|N<sub>2</sub>]], [[Oxygen|O<sub>2</sub>]]){{Ref/Reuse|VIS}}
}}
{{Quote|A replacement. For the ring you destroyed.|[[Thel 'Vadam]] observing the second Installation 04's construction alongside [[John-117]].{{Ref/Level|Id=TC|H3|The Covenant (level)|The Covenant}}}}
'''Installation 08'''{{Ref/Site|Id=grim|URL=https://www.reddit.com/r/halo/comments/70wbxc/return_to_the_denomination_installation_04_b_c/dn6n4h7/|Site=Reddit|Page=Return to the denomination. Installation 04 (B), (C). Canonically. 343 PLS|Quote=Sorry, 08 and 09 make way more sense :-)<br>In actuality, they aren't meant to directly replace an individual ring, but to replace the loss in coverage that ring offered the galaxy.|Quotee=Jeff Easterling|D=14|M=01|Y=2024}} was a partially completed [[Halo Array|Halo installation]] which was constructed at the [[Installation 00|Ark]] after the destruction of [[Installation 04]].{{Ref/YouTube|Id=lorestream|fYaxRoAf96s|HALO|Halo Lore Stream: The Halo Array|D=08|M=03|Y=2024|Time=2444|Detail=40:44}} Incomplete to the point where firing would result in its destruction, this replacement was destroyed by [[Spartan-II]] [[Master Chief]] [[John-117]], only for yet [[Installation 09|another replacement]] to be constructed years later.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=356}}


<center>''Were you looking for the original [[Installation 04]]?''</center>
==Overview==
Installation 08 was designed as a very similar replacement to [[Installation 04]], or Alpha Halo, in order to ensure that the [[Forerunner]]s' Halo network was intact, and therefore able to encompass the entire [[Milky Way]] galaxy. Within the Halo Array's firing sequence, Alpha Halo is the first ring to fire, and the destruction of the original Alpha ring in [[2552]] left a gap in the array that required filling. As a replacement for Installation 04, Installation 08 was built utilising the same construction template as its predecessor - though does bear some notable differences in its design and capabilities.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} For example, the installation's [[control room]] had a broadly similar design to that of the original Alpha Halo, containing a pyramidal structure set into the backdrop of icey chasms - though the exact specifics of how these chasms connected and the structure's overall layout differed.{{Ref/Level|Id=Halo|H3|Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo}}


{{Haloring
At the time of its deployment and destruction, Installation 08 was incomplete; many of its functional and habitation elements were unfinished, with lots of core superstructure left exposed. Despite this, it retained functional life-support systems including atmosphere and gravity. However, the incomplete nature of the ring meant that its superstructure was unable to take the force of its activation, causing the ring to shatter.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
|name=Installation 04 (II)
|image=[[Image:1761277-Full.jpg|300px]]
|Location=Over the [[Ark]]
|Monitor=[[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]]
|Status=Destroyed due to premature firing
|Date of Construction=Between [[2552|September 2552]] and [[2552|December 2552]]
|Date of Destruction= Before [[2553|January 2553]]
|Range=25,000 light years
|Firing Record= Several Initial Simulations, 1 Actual
|Diameter=10,000 kilometers (6,210 miles)
}}
{{Quote|A replacement, for the ring you destroyed.| Thel 'Vadam observing the second Installation 04's construction alongside [[John-117]].}}
The '''replacement for Installation 04''' was a partially completed [[Halo]] Ring which began construction at the [[Ark]] after the destruction of the original [[Installation 04]].


== Background ==
===Locations===
*[[Control Room (Installation 08)|Control Room]]
*"[[Avalanche]]" - A Forerunner power station set upon a glacial shelf on Installation 08.{{Ref/Site|Id=Avalanche|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=13382|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Legendary Map: Avalanche|D=12|M=10|Y=2014}}


This Installation was designed as a similar (if not identical) replacement to the original [[Installation 04]] in order to ensure that the [[Forerunner]]'s Halo Network was intact, and therefore able to encompass the entire [[Milky Way]] galaxy.
==History==
===Construction===
[[File:H3-Installation04B-Surface-Unfinished.jpg|thumb|400px|left|Installation 08's unfinished interior surface.]]
Following the [[Battle of Installation 04]] and its subsequent destruction, [[Installation 00]] was notified, and an automated function began building a new replacement for the missing installation's position. Though it has been eluded that the ring was partially constructed as part of a failsafe.{{Ref/Reuse|lorestream}} The main weapon was built first with the surrounding circular metal structure after by using materials that came from the [[strip mining moon]] located at the center of Installation 00.{{Citation needed|reason=Where is the construction process explained?|date=November 2019}}


== History ==
Before it was released into space, the installation had a number of primary features available even though it was still not complete. These included the environment, atmosphere and main structures, and the main weapon, though the ring structure was not yet stable enough to survive this weapon's discharge.{{Ref/Reuse|Halo}} This installation was intended to be a replica of Installation 04, as similarities can be noted with the design of the control room for this ring and that of its predecessor. Installation 08 was not a complete replica in every physical characteristic as it was noted that 343 Guilty Spark as custodian of the ring had made modifications and changes to the installation.{{Ref/Reuse|lorestream}}


=== Creation ===
At some point prior to the Battle of Installation 00, Cortana became aware of Installation 08's existence. While being held prisoner by the [[Gravemind]] on High Charity, she sent a covert message to John-117 on Earth informing him of a "solution to the Flood" that did not require activating the Halo Array.{{Ref/Level|Id=Floodgate|H3|Floodgate}}


[[Image:22086204-Full.jpg|thumb|left|The current status of the Installation 04]]
===Discovery===
[[Image:22086255-Full.jpg|thumb|right|The forerunner symbol that represents Installation 04.]]
The still-incomplete installation was released into space just above the Ark. John-117 first discovered its existence shortly after he and Thel 'Vadam killed the Prophet of Truth. He decided that the only way to stop the local [[Flood]] infestation (which included the [[Gravemind]] from [[Installation 05]]) was to fire the incomplete Installation, which was out of range of the other rings.{{Ref/Reuse|TC}}
[[Image:67671572-Full.jpg|thumb|left|198px|A user-created screenshot of the ring.]]


Following the [[Battle of Installation 04]] and its subsequent destruction, the [[Ark]] was notified, and an automated function began building a new replacement for the missing Installation's position.  
John headed to the Flood-controlled [[High Charity]] to retrieve [[Cortana]], as she held the [[Activation Index]] from the first Installation 04. Aided in his escape by Thel, John found a crashed Pelican near the exterior of High Charity and piloted it to the incomplete ring.{{Ref/Level|H3|Cortana (level)|Cortana}} The Pelican crashed in a snowy valley near the ring's [[Control Room]], which was situated atop a high tower. As John and Thel made their way towards the tower, [[Flood dispersal pod]]s descended from the sky to prevent them from activating the new Halo. The two, aided by [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]], fended off the Flood and reunited with [[343 Guilty Spark]], who let them into the Control Room.{{Ref/Reuse|Halo}}


The main weapon was built first with the surrounding circular metal structure after it. It is unclear how the Ark was able to create the new installation or what the source of raw materials for its construction was, as no insight is given to those functions of [[Installation 00]]. It is possible, though, that the materials came from the [[Strip Mining Moon|Ark's Core]], a planetoid located at the center of [[Installation 00]], as the core seems to have large areas torn away from the surface and is also located at the center of the Ark's foundry, where this ring was built.
Inside the Control Room, Guilty Spark informed the trio that the installation would be completed in a few more days. However, with Flood reinforcements banging on the Control Room doors, Johnson declared they didn't have time and decided to activate the installation immediately. Guilty Spark, realizing that a premature activation would destroy the new ring, turned against the trio and fatally wounded Sergeant Johnson. The Chief used Johnson's [[M6 Spartan Laser]] to seemingly destroy the rampant Monitor. John then proceeded to activate the new Halo with the Index kept by Cortana.{{Ref/Reuse|Halo}}


Before it was released into space (presumably work was to finish there before being sent to Threshold to replace the original [[Installation 04]] destroyed at the end of [[Halo: Combat Evolved]]), the Installation has a number of primary features available even though it was still not complete, these included the environment, atmosphere and main structures and the main weapon, though the ring structure was not yet stable enough to survive this weapon's discharge.
===Destruction===
{{Main|Raid on Installation 08}}
{{Quote|When Halo fired, it shook itself to pieces. Did a number on the Ark|Cortana briefing John-117 of the aftermath of their escape.{{Ref/Reuse|Halo}}}}
[[File:H3 - I08 Activation.png|250px|thumb|Installation 08 preparing to fire over the Ark.]]
As Spark predicted, the new installation was not ready to fire, and it began to shake itself apart and disintegrate. John and Thel escaped through the second [[phase pulse generator]] chamber and proceeded towards the ''Dawn'' in Johnson's Warthog as the shockwave of the activation caused explosive reactions all across the incomplete sections of the installation. John-117 and Thel 'Vadam barely managed to reach the ''Dawn'' before the Installation fired and subsequently exploded. Most of the Flood were destroyed in the explosion or perished from the ring's sterilization pulse, including the [[Gravemind]], while the Ark itself suffered severe damage.{{Ref/Reuse|Halo}}


The ring was also not connected to the other Installations, allowing a tactical pulse to be fired without triggering the other 6 Installations. It is never revealed if this is an option available to completed installations as well although it is likely the second Installation 04 merely had not been set up with this network yet, as it was incomplete; a logical precaution considering the effects of a misfire.
By March [[2555]], a large chunk of the Halo was impaled on the Ark's central hub, like a dead, arcing tree climbing thousands of kilometers into space. There was also debris from the ring in space, some of it still raining down through the atmosphere and blooming into flame before crashing on the Ark's surface.{{Ref/Novel|HiTD|Chapter=7}} By May [[2559]], the Ark had been repaired and completed another [[Installation 09|replacement]].{{Ref/Level|Id=HW2|HW2|Hold the Line}}


It is also never revealed how the Installation was intended to be placed back in the galaxy in a position where it would complete the Halo rings' coverage of the galaxy. Slipspace travel is a possibility, but this would require a Slipspace rupture of a truly colossal scale and it is unknown if the Ark or Halo would contain the systems necessary to produce such a large rupture. It is thought that since the storm over Earth before the Portal to the Ark was activated was similar to the storm over Threshold shortly after the original Installation 04 was destroyed, that there was a portal to and from the Ark on or near Threshold. This, however, is not confirmed.
The activation and firing of Installation 08 was extremely impractical and prone to many of faults, resulting in a few Flood spores or forms surviving on the Ark as late as [[2559#June|June 2559]],{{Ref/Game|Id=HW2 AtK|HW2|Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|Awakening the Nightmare}} and even a few [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Jiralhanae]] surviving inside the ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]''.{{Ref/Book|Sacrifice}} This may have been due to the unfinished state of the ring, and/or because the ring was fired in the midst of its own destruction.{{Ref/Twitter|GrimBrotherOne|874380206785445888|Jeff Easterling|Quote=Guns that are blowing up while firing might not be quite as effective...|D=11|M=11|Y=2020}} Another possibility may be the variable harmonics of the Halo's pulse.{{Ref/Twitter|GrimBrotherOne|766840297498157056|Jeff Easterling|Quote=There is quite a bit we still don't know about the rings. Even Spark spoke of how variable the tuning could be.|D=29|M=10|Y=2020}} The [[Banished]] were drawn into a fierce conflict against the Flood on the surface of the Ark after they had inadvertently released them from the rubble of High Charity, causing them to spread and multiply. After the Banished killed a [[Proto-Gravemind]] and reactivated the Ark's Sentinel defenses, the Sentinels and the Banished were able to contain the Flood and seal off High Charity once more.{{Ref/Reuse|HW2 AtK}}


=== Discovery ===
===Replacement of a replacement===
[[File:Installation 4 2 Construct.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The new Halo.]]
{{Main|Installation 09}}
The new Installation was released into space just above the Ark, but it was still incomplete then. The [[Master Chief]] and the [[Arbiter (Character)|Arbiter]] decided that the only way to stop the local [[Flood]] infestation (which included the [[Gravemind]] from [[Installation 05]]) was to fire the incomplete Installation, which was out of range of the other rings.
During the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}'s [[Second Ark Conflict|battle]] with the [[Banished]] at the Ark in [[2559#March|March 2559]], Captain [[James Cutter]], Professor [[Ellen Anders]], and logistics AI [[Isabel]] formed a plan to deploy the second replacement for Alpha Halo, Installation 09, to the Soell system in an attempt to send a [[distress beacon|distress signal]] to [[Human colonies|human space]].{{Ref/Reuse|HW2}} On the way to the original site of Installation 04 however, a Forerunner [[Guardian|Guardian construct]] controlled by Cortana's [[Created]] intercepted the ring.{{Ref/Level|HW2|Last Stand (Halo Wars 2 level)|Last Stand}}


The Chief headed to the Flood-controlled [[High Charity]] to retrieve [[Cortana]], as she held the Activation [[Index]] from the first Installation 04.
==Production notes==
Installation 08 is the setting of the multiplayer map [[Avalanche]],{{Ref/Reuse|Avalanche}} alongside a [[Cut Halo 3 levels#Battle Creek|cancelled multiplayer map]] remake of the ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' map [[Battle Creek]]. The Battle Creek remake can be accessed in the ''[[Halo 3 Editing Kit]]'', and features a reuse of the skybox for the campaign level [[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]] with otherwise untextured and unfinished terrain.


After retrieving [[Cortana]], during his flight from High Charity, the Chief destroyed the main reactor core (at Cortana's suggestion). This greatly damaged, but did not destroy, the Gravemind. Aided in his escape by the Arbiter, the Chief found a crashed [[Pelican]] on the exterior of [[High Charity]] and piloted it to the [[Control Room]].
===Name===
The name of Installation 08 has been subject to numerous changes throughout the years, prior to [[343 Industries]] formally settling on the term "Installation 08" in 2017.{{Ref/Reuse|grim}} When ''[[Halo 3]]'' first released in [[2007]], the ring went formally unidentified in the game's campaign - with the only reference to its name coming in the form of a [[Halo 3 skulls#Cut hunts|cut hint]] for the [[Mythic]] skull. The hint, which was never used in the final game, references the ring by its in-development name of "'''Installation 04v2'''". At this time, this wiki referred to the ring by the fan-made term "'''Installation 04 (II)'''".


The Pelican crashed in a snowy valley near the Control Room, which was situated atop a high tower (as was the original Installation 04's). As the Chief and Arbiter made their way towards the tower, Flood dispersal pods descended from the sky and the Gravemind revealed that he was not yet defeated.
The [[2009]] edition of the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia]]'' (and its [[Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition)|2011 reissue]]{{Ref/Book|Enc11|Page=186}}) was the first source to officially provide a name for the ring, providing the term "'''Installation 04B'''".{{Ref/Book|Enc09|Page=176}} However, this name was never used in any other source, and was formally abandoned following the release of ''[[Halo Wars 2]]'' in [[2017]]. At this time, 343 Industries settled on the Installation 08/09 nomenclature{{Ref/Reuse|grim}}{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.reddit.com/r/halo/comments/70wbxc/return_to_the_denomination_installation_04_b_c/dn6zt7s/|Site=Reddit|Page=Return to the denomination. Installation 04 (B), (C). Canonically. 343 PLS|Quote=No, I'm saying that the main reason you would build a replacement ring is to make sure you covered for the area that was suddenly now uncovered. The Alpha etc nomenclature itself denotes the firing order of each ring. The "Installation XX" number simply denotes which number that ring is in relation to the total number of rings manufactured - regardless of where they are positioned or in which order they would fire.|Quotee=Jeff Easterling|D=14|M=01|Y=2024}} - something which has been consistently used in all media releases since including ''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'' and the [[2022]] ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia]]''.


After battling to the top of the tower, aided by [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]] and his [[Spartan Laser]], the team reunited with [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]].


=== Destruction ===
==Gallery==
[[Image:37121689-Medium.jpg|thumb|right|The Master Chief and the Arbiter drive at full speed in Johnson's Warthog to reach the [[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn|UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn'']] before the ring is destroyed.]]
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes}}
As they entered the Control Room, Spark stated that "this Installation would be ready to fire in just a few more days," and that "a premature firing would destroy the Ark" and the ring. However, due to the gravity of the situation, Johnson replied curtly, "we don't have a few more days," and attempted to unite Cortana with the Control Core.
===Concept art===
<gallery>
File:H3_Installation08_Interior.jpg|Concept art of Installation 08's interior for ''[[Halo 3]]''.
File:H3 Installation08_Reveal_Concept.jpg|Concept art of Installation 08's reveal.
File:H3 Installation08_Matte.jpg|Closeup of the Halo.
File:H3_Installation08_Clouds.jpg|Concept art of the Halo over the Ark.
File:H3_Installation08_ControlRoom_Concept_1.jpg|Early concept art of the control room, with the Ark in the background.
File:H3_Installation08_ControlRoom_Concept_2.jpg|Finalized concept art of the structure, now bearing clear similarities to the original ring's control room.
File:H3_Installation08_Wall_Concept.jpg|Concept art of the Installation's incomplete environment.
File:H3 WarthogRun Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Warthog run at the end of ''Halo 3''.
File:H3 RingConstructionConcept.jpg|Concept art for the exterior of the partially-constructed Halo.
File:H3 RingConstructionConcept2.jpg|Concept art for the interior of the partially-constructed Halo.
</gallery>
===Screenshots===
<gallery>
File:H3 Installation 08 Citadel hologram.jpg|A hologram showing the status of Installation 08 before its destruction.
File:Installation04S.png|The Forerunner symbol that represents Installation 08.
File:Ark02.jpg|The incomplete Installation 08 rises from the Ark's center.
File:H3 HighCharityView.jpg|The partially constructed Installation 08 visible from the Ark's Citadel.
File:HaloOverArk.jpg|Installation 08 in the skies of the Ark.
File:Installation 4 2 Construct.jpg|The scaffolding on the new Halo.
File:04B Control Room.png|Installation 08's Control Room.
File:H3-Halo.png|Hologram of Installation 08
File:Halo ring 1.png|The surface of Installation 08.
File:H3 Installation 08 blowing up.jpg|The Master Chief and the Arbiter driving at full speed in Johnson's Warthog to reach the ''Dawn'' before the new Halo is destroyed.
File:Halo3Mythos.jpg|Thel 'Vadam, John-117, 343 Guilty Spark, and Avery Johnson on Installation 08 in ''[[Halo Mythos]]''.
File:H3 Halo Final Run.png|Surface of Installation 08 being constructed.
File:HaloLegends-Origins-ArkHalo.png|Installation 08 fires and crumbles over the Ark, severely damaging it.
File:H3 - I08 Unfinished.png|An incomplete section of Installation 08, as seen from space.
File:H3 - Halo Pulse Charging.png|Halo disintegrating as it prepares to fire.
File:H3 - I08 pulse charging.png|Halo charging above the ark.
File:H3 Halo Glowing.png|The ring charging as it prepares to fire.
</gallery>


This proved too much for the already partially rampant 343 Guilty Spark, who regarded the Installation as his. He entered full [[Rampancy]], (or he could have just been carrying out his original programming, which would have been to ensure the safety of Installation 04) and fired on Johnson with his enhanced [[Sentinel Beam]], mortally wounding him.
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]'' {{Mo}}


The Chief rushed to Johnson's aid, but was knocked down by Spark's beam, which was then turned on the Arbiter, who was knocked out of the door, which closed. As the Master Chief tried to get up, he was fired upon again. However, his shield took most of the blast. In the ensuing battle, when the Chief was cornered, Johnson fired his Spartan Laser on Spark before lapsing into unconsciousness; this stunned Spark. Johnson gave the Laser to the Chief with the words, "''Kick his ass.''" After three shots from the Laser, Spark exploded, and the Chief was finally able to unite Cortana and the Core.
==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}


As Spark predicted, the ring was not ready to fire, and it began to shake itself apart and disintegrate. Master Chief attempted to save Johnson, but he replied with only "Send me out...with a bang," before closing his eyes. Master Chief and the Arbiter escaped through the first [[Phase Pulse Generator]] room and then to Johnson's [[Warthog]]. The vibration of the activation began to tear the Installation apart, causing explosive reactions all across incomplete sections of the installation. Master Chief and the Arbiter barely managed to reach the ''[[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn]]'' before the ring exploded. Cortana stated that the ring's explosion "''did a number on The Ark.''"
{{Forerunner|array|category=no}}


== Trivia ==
[[Category:Halo Array]]
*In the Control Room, the hologram of planet [[Threshold]] is missing and if the control room is viewed from above, it looks like an entirely black circle. If [[Threshold]] was present, it would have a blue center. This draws parallel to a glyph during the [[Iris]] campaign, which was missing the circle in its center compared to all the others. 
*The map [[Avalanche (Level)|Avalanche]] from the [[Legendary Map Pack]] takes place on this installation. Note, the [[Ark]] and the Milky Way are missing from the sky background graphics.
*This Installation would have had a [[Flood Containment Facility]], just like the first [[Installation 04]], although there would be no Flood to be transported to them at that time.
*It seems that key places like the Control Room and the Silent Cartographer would be on the finished parts of the ring, as the Control Room had at least a mile of complete, sound structure around it.
*The near completed Installation shows the power of the Forerunners creations as it was built completely from scratch in a matter of months.
*If this installation was completed, it is unknown if it would have gone to Threshold or somewhere else.
*The control room tower resembles the first 04, but the corridors on the inside are more like 05, the directions turned are the same, while in ''Combat Evolved'' it was almost straight. The control room itself is the same as the origina 04.
{{Forerunner2}}
[[Category:The Forerunner]]
[[Category:Halos]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Places]]

Latest revision as of 12:10, June 8, 2024

This article is about the replacement megastructure. For other uses, see Installation 04 (disambiguation).
Installation 08
Halo 3 - Installation04B.jpg
General overview

Location:

Over the Ark

Gravitational anchor:

Threshold (intended)

Operation overview

Type:

Halo Installation

Function:

Galactic sterilization/Flood containment and research

Attached AI(s):

343 Guilty Spark (de facto)

Date of construction:

Between September 2552 and December 2552

Date of destruction:

December 11, 2552;[1] destroyed due to premature firing

Structural information

Diameter:

10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi)[2]

Surface width:

318 kilometres (198 mi)[2]

Gravity:

.992G (approx)[2]

Surface temperature:

-23°C to 40°C (-9°F to 104°F) (controlled)[2]

Atmospheric composition:

1 (N2, O2)[2]

 

"A replacement. For the ring you destroyed."
— Thel 'Vadam observing the second Installation 04's construction alongside John-117.[3]

Installation 08[4] was a partially completed Halo installation which was constructed at the Ark after the destruction of Installation 04.[5] Incomplete to the point where firing would result in its destruction, this replacement was destroyed by Spartan-II Master Chief John-117, only for yet another replacement to be constructed years later.[6]

Overview[edit]

Installation 08 was designed as a very similar replacement to Installation 04, or Alpha Halo, in order to ensure that the Forerunners' Halo network was intact, and therefore able to encompass the entire Milky Way galaxy. Within the Halo Array's firing sequence, Alpha Halo is the first ring to fire, and the destruction of the original Alpha ring in 2552 left a gap in the array that required filling. As a replacement for Installation 04, Installation 08 was built utilising the same construction template as its predecessor - though does bear some notable differences in its design and capabilities.[6] For example, the installation's control room had a broadly similar design to that of the original Alpha Halo, containing a pyramidal structure set into the backdrop of icey chasms - though the exact specifics of how these chasms connected and the structure's overall layout differed.[7]

At the time of its deployment and destruction, Installation 08 was incomplete; many of its functional and habitation elements were unfinished, with lots of core superstructure left exposed. Despite this, it retained functional life-support systems including atmosphere and gravity. However, the incomplete nature of the ring meant that its superstructure was unable to take the force of its activation, causing the ring to shatter.[6]

Locations[edit]

History[edit]

Construction[edit]

Installation 08's unfinished interior surface.

Following the Battle of Installation 04 and its subsequent destruction, Installation 00 was notified, and an automated function began building a new replacement for the missing installation's position. Though it has been eluded that the ring was partially constructed as part of a failsafe.[5] The main weapon was built first with the surrounding circular metal structure after by using materials that came from the strip mining moon located at the center of Installation 00.[citation needed]

Before it was released into space, the installation had a number of primary features available even though it was still not complete. These included the environment, atmosphere and main structures, and the main weapon, though the ring structure was not yet stable enough to survive this weapon's discharge.[7] This installation was intended to be a replica of Installation 04, as similarities can be noted with the design of the control room for this ring and that of its predecessor. Installation 08 was not a complete replica in every physical characteristic as it was noted that 343 Guilty Spark as custodian of the ring had made modifications and changes to the installation.[5]

At some point prior to the Battle of Installation 00, Cortana became aware of Installation 08's existence. While being held prisoner by the Gravemind on High Charity, she sent a covert message to John-117 on Earth informing him of a "solution to the Flood" that did not require activating the Halo Array.[9]

Discovery[edit]

The still-incomplete installation was released into space just above the Ark. John-117 first discovered its existence shortly after he and Thel 'Vadam killed the Prophet of Truth. He decided that the only way to stop the local Flood infestation (which included the Gravemind from Installation 05) was to fire the incomplete Installation, which was out of range of the other rings.[3]

John headed to the Flood-controlled High Charity to retrieve Cortana, as she held the Activation Index from the first Installation 04. Aided in his escape by Thel, John found a crashed Pelican near the exterior of High Charity and piloted it to the incomplete ring.[10] The Pelican crashed in a snowy valley near the ring's Control Room, which was situated atop a high tower. As John and Thel made their way towards the tower, Flood dispersal pods descended from the sky to prevent them from activating the new Halo. The two, aided by Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, fended off the Flood and reunited with 343 Guilty Spark, who let them into the Control Room.[7]

Inside the Control Room, Guilty Spark informed the trio that the installation would be completed in a few more days. However, with Flood reinforcements banging on the Control Room doors, Johnson declared they didn't have time and decided to activate the installation immediately. Guilty Spark, realizing that a premature activation would destroy the new ring, turned against the trio and fatally wounded Sergeant Johnson. The Chief used Johnson's M6 Spartan Laser to seemingly destroy the rampant Monitor. John then proceeded to activate the new Halo with the Index kept by Cortana.[7]

Destruction[edit]

Main article: Raid on Installation 08

"When Halo fired, it shook itself to pieces. Did a number on the Ark"
— Cortana briefing John-117 of the aftermath of their escape.[7]
Installation 08 moments before activation
Installation 08 preparing to fire over the Ark.

As Spark predicted, the new installation was not ready to fire, and it began to shake itself apart and disintegrate. John and Thel escaped through the second phase pulse generator chamber and proceeded towards the Dawn in Johnson's Warthog as the shockwave of the activation caused explosive reactions all across the incomplete sections of the installation. John-117 and Thel 'Vadam barely managed to reach the Dawn before the Installation fired and subsequently exploded. Most of the Flood were destroyed in the explosion or perished from the ring's sterilization pulse, including the Gravemind, while the Ark itself suffered severe damage.[7]

By March 2555, a large chunk of the Halo was impaled on the Ark's central hub, like a dead, arcing tree climbing thousands of kilometers into space. There was also debris from the ring in space, some of it still raining down through the atmosphere and blooming into flame before crashing on the Ark's surface.[11] By May 2559, the Ark had been repaired and completed another replacement.[12]

The activation and firing of Installation 08 was extremely impractical and prone to many of faults, resulting in a few Flood spores or forms surviving on the Ark as late as June 2559,[13] and even a few Kig-Yar and Jiralhanae surviving inside the Anodyne Spirit.[14] This may have been due to the unfinished state of the ring, and/or because the ring was fired in the midst of its own destruction.[15] Another possibility may be the variable harmonics of the Halo's pulse.[16] The Banished were drawn into a fierce conflict against the Flood on the surface of the Ark after they had inadvertently released them from the rubble of High Charity, causing them to spread and multiply. After the Banished killed a Proto-Gravemind and reactivated the Ark's Sentinel defenses, the Sentinels and the Banished were able to contain the Flood and seal off High Charity once more.[13]

Replacement of a replacement[edit]

Main article: Installation 09

During the UNSC Spirit of Fire's battle with the Banished at the Ark in March 2559, Captain James Cutter, Professor Ellen Anders, and logistics AI Isabel formed a plan to deploy the second replacement for Alpha Halo, Installation 09, to the Soell system in an attempt to send a distress signal to human space.[12] On the way to the original site of Installation 04 however, a Forerunner Guardian construct controlled by Cortana's Created intercepted the ring.[17]

Production notes[edit]

Installation 08 is the setting of the multiplayer map Avalanche,[8] alongside a cancelled multiplayer map remake of the Halo: Combat Evolved map Battle Creek. The Battle Creek remake can be accessed in the Halo 3 Editing Kit, and features a reuse of the skybox for the campaign level Halo with otherwise untextured and unfinished terrain.

Name[edit]

The name of Installation 08 has been subject to numerous changes throughout the years, prior to 343 Industries formally settling on the term "Installation 08" in 2017.[4] When Halo 3 first released in 2007, the ring went formally unidentified in the game's campaign - with the only reference to its name coming in the form of a cut hint for the Mythic skull. The hint, which was never used in the final game, references the ring by its in-development name of "Installation 04v2". At this time, this wiki referred to the ring by the fan-made term "Installation 04 (II)".

The 2009 edition of the Halo Encyclopedia (and its 2011 reissue[18]) was the first source to officially provide a name for the ring, providing the term "Installation 04B".[19] However, this name was never used in any other source, and was formally abandoned following the release of Halo Wars 2 in 2017. At this time, 343 Industries settled on the Installation 08/09 nomenclature[4][20] - something which has been consistently used in all media releases since including Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual and the 2022 Halo Encyclopedia.


Gallery[edit]

Main-Superintendent.png Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

Concept art[edit]

  • Concept art of Installation 08's interior for Halo 3.

    Concept art of Installation 08's interior for Halo 3.

  • Concept art of Installation 08's reveal.

    Concept art of Installation 08's reveal.

  • Closeup of the Halo.

    Closeup of the Halo.

  • Concept art of the Halo over the Ark.

    Concept art of the Halo over the Ark.

  • Early concept art of the control room, with the Ark in the background.

    Early concept art of the control room, with the Ark in the background.

  • Finalized concept art of the structure, now bearing clear similarities to the original ring's control room.

    Finalized concept art of the structure, now bearing clear similarities to the original ring's control room.

  • Concept art of the Installation's incomplete environment.

    Concept art of the Installation's incomplete environment.

  • Concept art for the Warthog run at the end of Halo 3.

    Concept art for the Warthog run at the end of Halo 3.

  • Concept art for the exterior of the partially-constructed Halo.

    Concept art for the exterior of the partially-constructed Halo.

  • Concept art for the interior of the partially-constructed Halo.

    Concept art for the interior of the partially-constructed Halo.

Screenshots[edit]

  • A hologram showing the status of Installation 08 before its destruction.

    A hologram showing the status of Installation 08 before its destruction.

  • The Forerunner symbol that represents Installation 08.

    The Forerunner symbol that represents Installation 08.

  • The incomplete Installation 08 rises from the Ark's center.

    The incomplete Installation 08 rises from the Ark's center.

  • The partially constructed Installation 08 visible from the Ark's Citadel.

    The partially constructed Installation 08 visible from the Ark's Citadel.

  • Installation 08 in the skies of the Ark.

    Installation 08 in the skies of the Ark.

  • The scaffolding on the new Halo.

    The scaffolding on the new Halo.

  • Installation 08's Control Room.

    Installation 08's Control Room.

  • Hologram of Installation 08

    Hologram of Installation 08

  • The surface of Installation 08.

    The surface of Installation 08.

  • The Master Chief and the Arbiter driving at full speed in Johnson's Warthog to reach the Dawn before the new Halo is destroyed.

    The Master Chief and the Arbiter driving at full speed in Johnson's Warthog to reach the Dawn before the new Halo is destroyed.

  • Thel 'Vadam, John-117, 343 Guilty Spark, and Avery Johnson on Installation 08 in Halo Mythos.

    Thel 'Vadam, John-117, 343 Guilty Spark, and Avery Johnson on Installation 08 in Halo Mythos.

  • Surface of Installation 08 being constructed.

    Surface of Installation 08 being constructed.

  • Installation 08 fires and crumbles over the Ark, severely damaging it.

    Installation 08 fires and crumbles over the Ark, severely damaging it.

  • An incomplete section of Installation 08, as seen from space.

    An incomplete section of Installation 08, as seen from space.

  • Halo disintegrating as it prepares to fire.

    Halo disintegrating as it prepares to fire.

  • Halo charging above the ark.

    Halo charging above the ark.

  • The ring charging as it prepares to fire.

    The ring charging as it prepares to fire.

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ Halo Waypoint marketing, Heroes Never Die: Fortitude
  2. ^ a b c d e Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 6: Statistics provided for Alpha Halo are relevant for all Neoteric Halo rings.
  3. ^ a b Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant
  4. ^ a b c Reddit, Return to the denomination. Installation 04 (B), (C). Canonically. 343 PLS: "Sorry, 08 and 09 make way more sense :-)
    In actuality, they aren't meant to directly replace an individual ring, but to replace the loss in coverage that ring offered the galaxy."     - Jeff Easterling (Retrieved on Jan 14, 2024) [archive]
  5. ^ a b c YouTube - HALO, Halo Lore Stream: The Halo Array: 40:44 (Retrieved on Mar 8, 2024)
  6. ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 356
  7. ^ a b c d e f Halo 3, campaign level Halo
  8. ^ a b Bungie.net, Legendary Map: Avalanche (Retrieved on Oct 12, 2014) [archive]
  9. ^ Halo 3, campaign level Floodgate
  10. ^ Halo 3, campaign level Cortana
  11. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, chapter 7
  12. ^ a b Halo Wars 2, campaign level Hold the Line
  13. ^ a b Halo Wars 2, Awakening the Nightmare
  14. ^ Sacrifice
  15. ^ Twitter, Jeff Easterling (@GrimBrotherOne): "Guns that are blowing up while firing might not be quite as effective..." (Retrieved on Nov 11, 2020) [archive]
  16. ^ Twitter, Jeff Easterling (@GrimBrotherOne): "There is quite a bit we still don't know about the rings. Even Spark spoke of how variable the tuning could be." (Retrieved on Oct 29, 2020) [archive]
  17. ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level Last Stand
  18. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 186
  19. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 176
  20. ^ Reddit, Return to the denomination. Installation 04 (B), (C). Canonically. 343 PLS: "No, I'm saying that the main reason you would build a replacement ring is to make sure you covered for the area that was suddenly now uncovered. The Alpha etc nomenclature itself denotes the firing order of each ring. The "Installation XX" number simply denotes which number that ring is in relation to the total number of rings manufactured - regardless of where they are positioned or in which order they would fire." - Jeff Easterling (Retrieved on Jan 14, 2024) [archive]

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The Forerunners

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Halo Array
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Installation components

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Other installations
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For a complete list, check out our Forerunner category.
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