Reclaimer: Difference between revisions

==Overview==

Generally speaking, the term "Reclaimer" refers to humans (as a species or as individuals) retaking stewardship of the Mantle. However, technically the term denotes humans who are capable of activating Forerunner technology.{{Ref/Reuse|Hammer}} This is due to the presence of ''[[geas]]'' implanted by the Librarian,{{Ref/Reuse|definition}} which give at least some humans an instinctive familiarity (often a feeling of déjà vu) when encountering Forerunner technology. For example, [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] simply "knew" how to activate a [[Holography|holographic]] control panel on [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]], despite it being the first piece of Forerunner technology he had ever encountered.{{Ref/Novel|TF|Page=84}} This innate knowledge extends to Covenant technology as well, as Covenant technology is crudely reverse-engineered from Forerunner designs.{{Ref/Novel|FS|Page=142}} In the same vein, Forerunner technology responds to human presence much as it would have done in the presence of its creators, though it will not do so for other species. Though it is unclear how commonly the ''geas'' may be found among humans, it is known that at least some are incapable of properly interfacing with Forerunner technology.<ref name="Hammer">''Spartan Ops'', [[Key/The Hammer|S109 The Hammer]]: ''"Elites were here, trying to find Reclaimers: humans who can operate Forerunner technology."''</ref>

Strangely, [[343 Guilty Spark]], the monitor of Halo Installation 04, once insisted to John-117, ''"You ''are'' Forerunner."''{{Ref/Reuse|H3 Halo}} This is presumably metaphorical, as [[Mendicant Bias]] likewise claimed the Reclaimers as its makers,{{Ref/Novel|Id=Oracle|CH|Page=274-278}} despite humanity being genetically and culturally distinct from the Forerunners. Alternately, this may be due to the onset of rampancy; Guilty Spark had previously treated the Master Chief as if the latter were the [[IsoDidact]], responding to a question the IsoDidact had asked 100,000 years prior.{{Ref/Level|CE|[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]}}{{Ref/Novel|Sil|Page=314}}

===Failures to recognize Reclaimer status===

As the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} was pulled inside of the [[Etran Harborage]] on [[2531#February|February 23, 2531]], the ship and her crew were scanned by the installation's decontamination network. In addition to detecting a high-order [[Flood]] infestation, the [[Unidentified ancilla (Shield World 0459)|ancilla]] in charge of the network's cleansing rings failed to recognize the crew as Reclaimers. As the ''Spirit of Fire's'' crew and complement were regarded as an "unknown alien intrusion", they were forced to engage a bevy of [[Sentinel]]s in addition to fighting the Flood on the surface of the ship.{{Ref/Level|HW|Repairs}}

During the [[Requiem Campaign]], [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|Jul 'Mdama's forces]] captured [[Hawk Squad]] and forced them to activate a Forerunner map of [[Requiem]] at "[[Lockup]]," but the structure failed to recognize them as Reclaimers.<ref name="Hammer2">''Spartan Ops'', [[Key/The Hammer|S109 The Hammer]]</ref>

===Humans identified as Reclaimers===

<!--These characters are listed in chronological order. Only their interactions with the Forerunners or their technology should be related.-->

Given that all known bestowals of the "Reclaimer" title have occurred during military engagements, all individuals identified as such have been either military personnel or civilian advisers.

*[[Veta Lopis]] - Utilized as a Reclaimer by the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]], [[Intrepid Eye]] and the [[Covenant loyalists]] to activate one of the Ark's Cartographers and they attempted to use her to activate the Halo Array from [[Epsilon Clarion]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=DW|DW}}

*[[Lucas Browning]] - Captured and utilized as a Reclaimer by the [[Banished]] in order to release [[the Harbinger]] from her [[cylix]] on [[Installation 07]].{{Ref/Game|Id=tp3|Hi|Audio log (Halo Infinite)#The Prisoner 2|UNSC Audio log|Detail=The Prisoner #03 - She was Smiling}}

==As understood by the Covenant==

====History====

For many Ages, the Covenant used [[Luminary|Luminaries]] (crude AIs based on Forerunner [[ancilla]]s) to pinpoint concentrations of Forerunner artifacts. At the turn of [[2524]] - [[2525]], the Luminary aboard the vessel ''[[Minor Transgression]]'' led the ship's crew to the human colony world of [[Harvest]]. Ultimately, communications between the planet's government and the Covenant broke down, leading to the [[First Battle of Harvest|first major conflict]] between the two civilizations and the planet's eventual [[glassing]]. A trio of mid-level San'Shyuum ministers consulted the "Oracle" aboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] on [[High Charity]] about the "Reclamation" glyphs encountered in such large numbers on Harvest; these San'Shyuum hoped to use the clout gained from this discovery to oust the current triumvirate of [[Hierarchs]]. The Oracle, which was actually the AI [[Mendicant Bias]], informed the party that the luminations found on Harvest were actually the world's human population, and that the symbol the Covenant had long held to mean "Reclamation" actually meant "Reclaimer"; following this revelation, Mendicant Bias attempted to leave High Charity and make contact with its so-called "makers", though the ship was disabled and the AI quarantined before this could happen.{{Ref/Reuse|Oracle}}

The schemers interpreted the Oracle's words to mean that humans were actually the living remnants of Forerunner civilization; this would directly contradict the Covenant's dogma regarding the [[Covenant religion#Great Journey|Great Journey]], which held that the Forerunners used an artifact known as [[Halo Array|Halo]] to transcend to godhood. Accordingly, the newly ordained [[Prophet of Truth]] declared a [[Human-Covenant War|war of extermination]] upon humanity, secretly hoping that genocide would prevent humanity's relation to the Forerunners from coming to light.{{Ref/Reuse|Oracle}} In the wake of commencing the Ninth Age of Reclamation, Truth also revealed that the Reclaimer glyph could help the Covenant scour the galaxy for any other [[human colonies]].{{Ref/Novel|CH|Page=381-382}}

For the Covenant, Reclaimers are "Blessed Ones" who have the ability to activate Forerunner artifacts. [[Makee]], a human who they had discovered and taken into their custody as a child after she reacted to a [[Luminary]], is held and treated with a degree of reverence by the [[Hierarchs]].{{Ref/Reuse|Unbound}}