Audacity

Audacity
Production information
Manufacturer:	Builders
Role:	Exploratory vessel
Specifications
Engine:	Reaction drive
Slipspace drive:	Equipped
Length:	~100 meters (328 ft 1 in)
Width:	30 meters (98 ft 5 in)
Armament:	Lightly armed
Service information
Year introduced:	98,395 BCE
Last sighted:	Centuries after 97,445 BCE
Participated battles:	Forerunner-Flood war Battle of the greater Ark
Noteworthy crewmembers:	Keeper-of-Tools Dawn-over-Fields Clearance-of-Old-Forests Chant-to-Green Birth-to-Light
Known commanders:	Librarian Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting
Affiliation:	Forerunner ecumene

The Audacity was a unique Forerunner ship originally constructed for the Librarian's research mission to Path Kethona and later adopted by the Lifeshaper as her personal vessel. After her death, it became the vessel of Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting, the former IsoDidact.

History

The Audacity was commissioned around 98,395 BCE for a Lifeworker-led mission to the satellite galaxy of Path Kethona to explore the possible origins of the Flood. It was designed and constructed by the Builders, with the challenges of its mission—namely, the unusually long slipspace journey—in mind. The design and construction of the ship took ten years; approval from the Council for the mission took another ten. Over a million volunteered to be part of the ship's crew on the great expedition. Seven were chosen, including the Librarian herself, three Builders including one named Keeper-of-Tools and another known as Dawn-over-Fields, a Miner named Clearance-of-Old-Forests, and two Lifeworkers, Chant-to-Green and Birth-to-Light. Despite the Builders engineering the ship specifically for the mission, the journey was demanding for its occupants as well as the ecumene at large; despite Audacity crossing the intergalactic gulf in several jumps, the required causal reconciliations accrued significant space-time debt, slowing down slipspace travel across the galaxy and forcing the crew into stasis for portions of the journey.

Following the expedition, the Librarian appropriated the ship as her personal transport. In the final days of the Forerunner-Flood war, she and the IsoDidact used the vessel to travel to the greater Ark after the Flood ravaged Nomdagro, with the Ur-Didact's flagship, Mantle's Approach, following. When the Ur-Didact was preparing to process the human inhabitants of Omega Halo with the Composer, the Librarian attempted to save them by taking the Audacity to the firing path of the Composer, but was pushed aside by a torsion field projected by the Mantle's Approach. After the incident, the Librarian followed Mantle's Approach to Requiem aboard the Audacity, intent on stopping the Ur-Didact's genocidal schemes by locking her husband in a Cryptum. The Audacity was allowed inside due to the Librarian's transponder codes and she succeeded in her plan.

Afterwards, the Librarian used the ship to travel to Erde-Tyrene where she also spent her last days before the firing of the Halo Array. It was returned to the Ark by Chant-to-Green who used it to return at the Librarian's request.

Over a century later, Audacity was one of the few ships the Forerunners had left aside from keyships found on the Ark used in the reintroduction. Audacity was used by Bornstellar's team to return to Maethrillian and retrieve two more ships for the Forerunners exodus from the galaxy, the slipspace flakes they needed for the ships and to restore the Domain through the Organon. When Abaddon revealed itself, it shut down Audacity, but the ship's power was restored when Growth-Through-Trial-of-Change sacrificed herself to restore the Domain and Abaddon disappeared.

Audacity was kept by Bornstellar and Chant-to-Green who used it to settle on their new homeworld in another galaxy. After the two decided to give up technology for a simpler lifestyle, Audacity was left abandoned on a nearby mountain with their personal armor aboard. After being reminded of the Halo Array by a story he told his son, Bornstellar paid a brief visit to the long-abandoned ship and his old armor.

List of appearances

• Halo: Silentium (First appearance)
• Halo: Fractures
  • Promises to Keep
  • Untitled story
• Halo: Point of Light (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Epitaph (Mentioned only)