Onyx

"Looks habitable"

— Fred

File:Onyx .jpg

Onyx as seen in expandedbooks.com's interview with Eric Nylund.

Onyx or XF-063 was a large, planet-sized, Forerunner construct located in the Zeta Doradus System. While it had a Human habitable surface and a seemingly terrestrial crust, internally, it was actually composed of trillions of Sentinels. Onyx's ultimate purpose was to guard the entrance to Shield World. It was the location of a large battle, the Battle of Onyx.

Background

Onyx had an Oxygen-Nitrogen gas atmosphere of suitable pressure for Human life with a moderate weather cycle. It also has a surprising abundance of Indigenous Flora and Fauna, some of which are edible species and pose no danger. The transplanting of Earth species was possible.

Notable anomalies were that it had no detectable tectonic activity, an unusually strong planetary magnetic field, and slightly higher than normal background radiation.

History

Onyx was discovered by the UNSC Engineering Corps sometime around May, 2491. In ENGCORP Field Report A76344, Captain D. F. Lambert said "XF-063 is a rare jewel of a find" and recommended colonization.

On February 19, 2492, in ENGCORP Field Report A79052 Lieutenant W. K. Davidson stated that Geological Expedition Four found and entire phylum of possible alien taxonomy and recommended a follow-up survey with specialists in Paleo, Xenobiology and Biochemistry.

In 2511, when archaeological expeditions uncovered massive subterranean Forerunner constructions in Zone 67, ONI immediately took control of the world, going so far as to remove Onyx from UNSC navigational databases and suspending any prospective colonization and terraforming attempts. However, further attempts to determine the purpose of the structures, or even to extract any usable technology, proved fruitless. In 2525, the operation was scaled down and only a minimum ONI garrison and a single AI remained. The planet's location remained secret. Regular scans continued to yield little of value.

With the onset of the Human-Covenant War, Vice Admiral Margaret O. Parangosky authorized the construction of the SPARTAN-III training base on Onyx in 2531. This base, designated Camp Currahee, was constructed perilously close to Zone 67, which had been declared strictly off limits. However, during a routine exercise north of Currahee, Beta Company Team X-ray trespassed into Zone 67, entered a Forerunner structure, and disappeared without trace. An ONI investigation into the matter was inconclusive, although it is revealed that Team X-ray hid in cryo tubes that were stuck in another dimension.

Halsey]] e SCPO Mendez sfuggito alla sicurezza del Shield Mondo.

locations on Onyx

Here are a few important places on and around Oynx.

• Camp Currahee
  • Command Center
  • Armory
  • NCO quarters
  • NCO's Inspection yard
  • Infirmary
  • Camp Commandant's residence.
• The Tree House
• Zone 67
  • Slipspace COM Launcher
• Twin Forks River
• Gregor Canyon
• El Morro Point

• Shield World
  • Core Room Antechamber
  • Sentinel Production Facility