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{{Title|''Halo: Primordium''}} | {{Title|''Halo: Primordium''}} | ||
{{Status|RealWorld}} | |||
{{Novel infobox | {{Novel infobox | ||
|name=Halo: Primordium | |name=''Halo: Primordium'' | ||
|variant=Forerunner | |||
|image=[[File:HPrimordium - Cover.jpeg|300px]] | |image=[[File:HPrimordium - Cover.jpeg|300px]] | ||
|author=[[Greg Bear]] | |author=[[Greg Bear]] | ||
|publisher=[[Tor Books]] | |cover artist=[[Nicolas Bouvier]] | ||
|publication=[[2012|January 3, 2012]] | |illustrator= | ||
|editor= | |||
|audio=[[Tim Dadabo]] | |||
|publisher=[[Tor Books]] (2012)<br>[[Simon & Schuster]] (2019) | |||
|publication=[[2012|January 3, 2012]] (original)<br>March 26, 2019 (2019 edition) | |||
|media=Print (Hardcover), Audiobook | |media=Print (Hardcover), Audiobook | ||
|length=384 pages | |length=384 pages (original)<br>400 pages (2019 edition) | ||
|ISBN=[[Special:BookSources/0765323974|0765323974]], [[Special:BookSources/978-0765323972|978-0765323972]] | |ISBN=[[Special:BookSources/0765323974|0765323974]], [[Special:BookSources/978-0765323972|978-0765323972]], [[Special:BookSources/978-1982111779|978-1982111779]] | ||
|series=[[The Forerunner Saga]] | |||
|preceded=''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' | |||
|followed=''[[Halo: Silentium]]'' | |||
|multiseries= | |||
|notable= | |||
}} | }} | ||
| Line 16: | Line 26: | ||
Similar to ''Halo: Cryptum'', the story is told as a first-person narrative, from the perspective of [[Chakas]], one of the two humans who accompanied [[Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]] during the events of ''Cryptum''. The novel is set primarily on [[Installation 07]], a [[Halo Array|Halo ring]] under control of the [[Rampancy|rampant]] [[Mendicant Bias]].<ref name="SDCC">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNDQN7nwZlw&feature=related '''YouTube''': SDCC 2011: Halo Universe Panel Part 1]</ref> After crash-landing on the ring during Mendicant Bias' [[Battle of the Capital|assault on the Capital]], Chakas is joined by two local humans, [[Vinnevra]] and [[Gamelpar]], in an odyssey to find his companion [[Riser]]. As they attempt to survive on the war-torn Halo, they face several obstacles, including the ancient being known as the [[Primordial]], the [[Flood]], and Mendicant Bias.<ref name="amazon">[http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Primordium-Greg-Bear/dp/0765323974/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311822205&sr=1-3 '''Amazon.com''': ''Halo: Primordium product description'']</ref> | Similar to ''Halo: Cryptum'', the story is told as a first-person narrative, from the perspective of [[Chakas]], one of the two humans who accompanied [[Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]] during the events of ''Cryptum''. The novel is set primarily on [[Installation 07]], a [[Halo Array|Halo ring]] under control of the [[Rampancy|rampant]] [[Mendicant Bias]].<ref name="SDCC">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNDQN7nwZlw&feature=related '''YouTube''': SDCC 2011: Halo Universe Panel Part 1]</ref> After crash-landing on the ring during Mendicant Bias' [[Battle of the Capital|assault on the Capital]], Chakas is joined by two local humans, [[Vinnevra]] and [[Gamelpar]], in an odyssey to find his companion [[Riser]]. As they attempt to survive on the war-torn Halo, they face several obstacles, including the ancient being known as the [[Primordial]], the [[Flood]], and Mendicant Bias.<ref name="amazon">[http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Primordium-Greg-Bear/dp/0765323974/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311822205&sr=1-3 '''Amazon.com''': ''Halo: Primordium product description'']</ref> | ||
Like the rest of ''The Forerunner Saga'', the novel's story has resonant connections to ''[[Halo 4]]'', among them the introduction of the [[Composer]].< | Like the rest of ''The Forerunner Saga'', the novel's story has resonant connections to ''[[Halo 4]]'', among them the introduction of the [[Composer]].{{Ref/Reuse|SDCC}} ''Primordium''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s framing narrative of [[343 Guilty Spark]], the {{UNSCShip|Rubicon}} and Spark's search for the [[Librarian]] is picked up in the [[2019]] novel ''[[Halo: Renegades]]'' taking place three years later. | ||
==Official summary== | ==Official summary== | ||
{{Article | {{Article quote|What am I, really? A long time ago, I was a living, breathing human being. I went mad. I served my enemies. They became my only friends. Since then, I’ve traveled back and forth across this galaxy, and out to the spaces between galaxies — a greater reach than any human before me. You have asked me to tell you about that time. Since you are the true Reclaimers, I must obey. Are you recording? Good. Because my memory is failing rapidly. I doubt I’ll be able to finish the story. Once, on my birth-world, a world I knew as Erde-Tyrene, and which now is called Earth, my name was Chakas…<ref name="tor">[http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/12/halo-primordium-excerpt '''Tor.com''': ''Halo: Primordium (Excerpt)'']</ref>}} | ||
==Plot synopsis== | ==Plot synopsis== | ||
{{Spoiler}} | {{Spoiler/begin}} | ||
The book begins with an [[ONI]] science team interrogating a damaged Forerunner [[monitor]], believed to be a duplicate of a previously encountered device, questioning it about the [[Didact]] and the ancient relations between Forerunners and humans. The monitor, revealing that it was once a human named [[Chakas]], then proceeds to tell the story of its origins through a series of flashbacks. Over the course of the story, the monitor breaches [[UNSC Rubicon|the ship]]'s firewall several times, much to the team's dismay. None of the human characters in the present-day segments are identified by name and are only referred to by their titles. | The book begins with an [[ONI]] science team interrogating a damaged Forerunner [[monitor]], believed to be a duplicate of a previously encountered device, questioning it about the [[Didact]] and the ancient relations between Forerunners and humans. The monitor, revealing that it was once a human named [[Chakas]], then proceeds to tell the story of its origins through a series of flashbacks. Over the course of the story, the monitor breaches [[UNSC Rubicon|the ship]]'s firewall several times, much to the team's dismay. None of the human characters in the present-day segments are identified by name and are only referred to by their titles. | ||
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Chakas, Vinnevra, and Gamelpar then proceed to follow Vinnevra's ''geas'', which they assume will lead them to safety. However, it instead takes them near one of the "Palaces of Pain", where the group witness numerous humans following their ''geas'' walking into the structure whilst being observed by the [[Primordial]], supposedly the last [[Precursor]]. The three then decide to move in the opposite direction. Coming across the shores of a large lake, the three stumble upon a collapsing human city, in which Gamelpar and Chakas see a [[proto-Gravemind]] locked in a Forerunner cell. | Chakas, Vinnevra, and Gamelpar then proceed to follow Vinnevra's ''geas'', which they assume will lead them to safety. However, it instead takes them near one of the "Palaces of Pain", where the group witness numerous humans following their ''geas'' walking into the structure whilst being observed by the [[Primordial]], supposedly the last [[Precursor]]. The three then decide to move in the opposite direction. Coming across the shores of a large lake, the three stumble upon a collapsing human city, in which Gamelpar and Chakas see a [[proto-Gravemind]] locked in a Forerunner cell. | ||
After crossing the lake, the three are found by a Lifeworker named [[Genemender Folder of Fortune]], several [[Denisovan]]s, and a [[Wikipedia:Gigantopithecus|large ape]]. Strangely, Genemender and the humans cast off no smell and the insects are not interested in them. After being fed by Genemender and sent to sleep, Chakas awakens to see Riser, who warns him not to trust the Lifeworker and the other humans. Genemender then takes Chakas to a laboratory and explains what has occurred regarding the history of the [[Flood]], the [[Halo Array]], the devastation of [[Janjur Qom]], and the battle of the Capital. Genemender also explains that the Master Builder's attack on | After crossing the lake, the three are found by a Lifeworker named [[Genemender Folder of Fortune]], several [[Denisovan]]s, and a [[Wikipedia:Gigantopithecus|large ape]]. Strangely, Genemender and the humans cast off no smell and the insects are not interested in them. After being fed by Genemender and sent to sleep, Chakas awakens to see Riser, who warns him not to trust the Lifeworker and the other humans. Genemender then takes Chakas to a laboratory and explains what has occurred regarding the history of the [[Flood]], the [[Halo Array]], the devastation of [[Janjur Qom]], and the battle of the Capital. Genemender also explains that the Master Builder's attack on Janjur Qom caused a small civil war to break out among the Forerunners defying the Master Builder, of which Genemender was one. Genemender is eventually forced to reveal that he and the humans in his compound are not actually alive, but [[mind transfer|archived personalities]] manifesting as lifelike [[hard light]] [[holography|holograms]]. Genemender, who is actually based within a monitor, is under orders to salvage the humans' genetic records to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Flood and the Master Builder. The monitor wants to do this to Gamelpar, who is dying, but Gamelpar rejects him and has Chakas accompany him in his final moments. Before dying, Gamelpar has Chakas promise to watch over Vinnevra. The systems in the area then power down, leaving Chakas, Riser, Vinnevra, and the ape, whose name is revealed to be [[Mara]] by Riser, who can communicate with her, to continue their journey. | ||
Riser then tells Chakas how he found them. During the battle over the Forerunner Capital, Riser and the Forerunners that were holding him crashed on Installation 07. One of the Forerunners, who was locked up by the others due to him being on the opposing side of the small civil war caused by the Master Builder, told the others that Riser was valuable due to his ''geas'', and thus the others protected him as they moved out. After a while of traveling over a desert infested with [[Flood hive|Flood biomass]], the group was covered in [[Flood spores]], killing the Forerunners but not Riser, who continued traveling until he stumbled upon Chakas. | Riser then tells Chakas how he found them. During the battle over the Forerunner Capital, Riser and the Forerunners that were holding him crashed on Installation 07. One of the Forerunners, who was locked up by the others due to him being on the opposing side of the small civil war caused by the Master Builder, told the others that Riser was valuable due to his ''geas'', and thus the others protected him as they moved out. After a while of traveling over a desert infested with [[Flood hive|Flood biomass]], the group was covered in [[Flood spores]], killing the Forerunners but not Riser, who continued traveling until he stumbled upon Chakas. | ||
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A fleet led by the [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar Didact]] then appears, and the Didact uses a failsafe code to disable Mendicant Bias. The Didact then enters the Cartographer and commands that the Halo be saved by moving it to an [[Ark]] installation for repairs. To successfully move through a [[Slipspace portal|portal]], however, the Halo must shed a large portion of its constituent structure, thus reducing its diameter from 30,000 kilometers to 10,000 kilometers. Though heavily damaged, the Halo survives and moves through the portal. | A fleet led by the [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar Didact]] then appears, and the Didact uses a failsafe code to disable Mendicant Bias. The Didact then enters the Cartographer and commands that the Halo be saved by moving it to an [[Ark]] installation for repairs. To successfully move through a [[Slipspace portal|portal]], however, the Halo must shed a large portion of its constituent structure, thus reducing its diameter from 30,000 kilometers to 10,000 kilometers. Though heavily damaged, the Halo survives and moves through the portal. | ||
Shortly afterward, the Didact brings a mortally wounded Chakas | Shortly afterward, the Didact brings a mortally wounded Chakas — who is already undergoing conversion into a monitor — with him to confront the Primordial, who has been imprisoned. The ensuing conversation reveals that the Primordial is actually a Gravemind, and that more Precursors may have survived [[Forerunner-Precursor war|their war with the Forerunners]]. The Didact claims that war happened because the Precursors resented any who might take up the [[Mantle]], but the Primordial explains that the Forerunners had been deemed unfit for the Mantle. The Primordial asserts that "there is no difference" between the Flood and the Precursors, although it does not reveal the precise nature of their relationship. It also reveals that no human was ever truly immune to the Flood, but the Flood can choose whether to infect or not infect. The Primordial states that the Flood is a test to judge a species' worthiness of inheriting the Mantle, stating that the Forerunners are to be eliminated and that humans will be tested next once they rise again. At the conversation's conclusion, the Didact kills the Primordial by activating a [[Slipspace bubble|reverse stasis chamber]] that forces the Primordial to go through a billion years of aging in several seconds, causing it to disintegrate. | ||
Back at present day, the ONI researchers reluctantly accept that the monitor telling the story is actually [[343 Guilty Spark]], the monitor of [[Installation 04]]. In the final segment of the story, Guilty Spark briefly explains what happened after he had become a monitor; he reveals that the [[Ecumene Council]] was reinstated and the debates on new strategies against the Flood renewed under the direction of the Didact. He also notes that Riser and Vinnevra survived and were relocated on an Ark under the Librarian's care, with Riser eventually being returned to Earth. | Back at present day, the ONI researchers reluctantly accept that the monitor telling the story is actually [[343 Guilty Spark]], the monitor of [[Installation 04]]. In the final segment of the story, Guilty Spark briefly explains what happened after he had become a monitor; he reveals that the [[Ecumene Council]] was reinstated and the debates on new strategies against the Flood renewed under the direction of the Didact. He also notes that Riser and Vinnevra survived and were relocated on an Ark under the Librarian's care, with Riser eventually being returned to Earth. | ||
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*Unidentified political team leader | *Unidentified political team leader | ||
;Artificial intelligences | ;Artificial intelligences | ||
*[[Bornstellar's ancilla]] {{Mo}} | |||
*[[Mendicant Bias]] | *[[Mendicant Bias]] | ||
*[[343 Guilty Spark]] | *[[343 Guilty Spark]] | ||
*[[Curator]] {{Im}} | *[[Curator]] {{Im}} | ||
;Precursor | |||
*[[Primordial]] | |||
;Other | ;Other | ||
*[[Mara]] {{1st}} | *[[Mara]] {{1st}} | ||
|title-2=Species| | |title-2=Species| | ||
*[[Flood]] | *[[Flood]] | ||
*[[Forerunner]] | *[[Forerunner]] | ||
*[[Human]] | *[[Human]] | ||
*[[Merse]] | *[[Merse]] {{Mo}} | ||
*[[Precursor]] | |||
*[[San'Shyuum]] {{Mo}} | *[[San'Shyuum]] {{Mo}} | ||
|title-3=Organizations| | |title-3=Organizations| | ||
| Line 110: | Line 123: | ||
***[[Citadel Charum]] {{1st}} | ***[[Citadel Charum]] {{1st}} | ||
***[[Charum Hakkor arena]] {{Mo}} | ***[[Charum Hakkor arena]] {{Mo}} | ||
*[[Installation 00]] | *[[Greater Ark]] | ||
*[[Installation 00]] {{Mo}} | |||
*[[Installation 07]] | *[[Installation 07]] | ||
**[[Cartographer]] | **[[Cartographer]] | ||
**[[Palace of Pain]] {{1st}} | **[[Palace of Pain]] {{1st}} | ||
*[[San'Shyuum home system]] | |||
**[[Janjur Qom]] {{Mo}} | |||
*[[Sol system]] {{Mo}} | *[[Sol system]] {{Mo}} | ||
**[[Earth]] {{Mo}} | **[[Earth]] {{Mo}} | ||
***[[Marontik]] {{Mo}} | |||
***[[Djamonkin Crater]] {{Mo}} | ***[[Djamonkin Crater]] {{Mo}} | ||
**[[Luna]] {{Mo}} | **[[Luna]] {{Mo}} | ||
*[[Wolf-faced planet]] {{1st}} | *[[Wolf-faced planet]] {{1st}} | ||
*[[Zeta Doradus system]] {{Mo}} | *[[Zeta Doradus system]] {{Mo}} | ||
**[[ | **[[Sarcophagus]] {{Mo}} | ||
|title-5=Events| | |title-5=Events| | ||
*[[Forerunner-Flood war]] | *[[Forerunner-Flood war]] | ||
**[[Battle | **[[Fate of Maethrillian]] | ||
*[[Forerunner-Precursor war]] | **[[Battle for Gyre 11]] {{1st}} | ||
*[[Forerunner-Precursor war]] {{Mo}} | |||
*[[Human-Forerunner wars]] {{Mo}} | *[[Human-Forerunner wars]] {{Mo}} | ||
**[[ | **[[Battle of Charum Hakkor]] {{Mo}} | ||
*San'Shyuum rebellion {{Mo}} | *San'Shyuum rebellion {{Mo}} | ||
**[[Battle of Janjur Qom]] {{Mo}} | **[[Battle of Janjur Qom]] {{Mo}} | ||
|title-6=Vehicles| | |title-6=Vehicles| | ||
*{{Class|Falco|space pod}} | |||
*{{Class|Fortress|vessel}} | *{{Class|Fortress|vessel}} | ||
*[[Prime cruiser]] {{Fm}} | *[[Prime cruiser]] {{Fm}} | ||
*[[Seeker (vehicle)|Seeker]] | *[[Seeker (vehicle)|Seeker]] | ||
*[[Planet-breaker]] | |||
**[[Didact's ship]] | |||
*{{UNSCShip|Rubicon}} {{1st}} | *{{UNSCShip|Rubicon}} {{1st}} | ||
*[[War sphinx]] | *[[War sphinx]] | ||
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*[[Cryptum]] | *[[Cryptum]] | ||
*[[Domain]] | *[[Domain]] | ||
*[[Geas]] | *''[[Geas]]'' | ||
*[[Halo Array]] | *[[Halo Array]] | ||
*[[Hard light]] | *[[Hard light]] | ||
*[[Lifeworker beacon]] | *[[Lifeworker beacon]] | ||
*[[Logic plague]] | *[[Logic plague]] | ||
*[[Metarch]] | *[[Metarch-class ancilla|Metarch]] | ||
*[[Mind transfer]] | *[[Mind transfer]] | ||
*[[Monitor]] | *[[Monitor]] | ||
*[[Sentinel]] | *[[Sentinel]] | ||
**[[Aggressor Sentinel]] | **[[Aggressor Sentinel]] | ||
*[[Servitor]] {{Im}} | |||
*[[Slipspace bubble]] | *[[Slipspace bubble]] | ||
*[[Slipspace portal]] | *[[Slipspace portal]] | ||
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*The novel's cover illustration, as well as that of ''Halo: Cryptum'', was created as concept art for ''Halo 4''. Both images were illustrated by [[Nicolas Bouvier|Nicolas "Sparth" Bouvier]].<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP2gSLNzKSc&feature=related '''Halo Fest 2011''' - ''Halo 4 Discussion Part 1'']</ref><ref>[http://youtu.be/vAKmu2yn3Fk '''YouTube''': ''Halo Fest: Halo 4 Concept Art Glimpse'']</ref> | *The novel's cover illustration, as well as that of ''Halo: Cryptum'', was created as concept art for ''Halo 4''. Both images were illustrated by [[Nicolas Bouvier|Nicolas "Sparth" Bouvier]].<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP2gSLNzKSc&feature=related '''Halo Fest 2011''' - ''Halo 4 Discussion Part 1'']</ref><ref>[http://youtu.be/vAKmu2yn3Fk '''YouTube''': ''Halo Fest: Halo 4 Concept Art Glimpse'']</ref> | ||
*The novel is dedicated to [[Claude Errera]], a long-time [[Bungie]] and ''Halo'' fan as well as the founder of [[halo.bungie.org]]. | *The novel is dedicated to [[Claude Errera]], a long-time [[Bungie]] and ''Halo'' fan as well as the founder of [[halo.bungie.org]]. | ||
*A preview of the novel's first chapters was released on December 28, 2011 on Tor.com and [[Halo Waypoint]], with the first chapter released on Tor.com and the second and third chapters as well as part of the fourth chapter on Halo Waypoint. | *A preview of the novel's first chapters was released on December 28, 2011 on Tor.com and [[Halo Waypoint]], with the first chapter released on Tor.com and the second and third chapters as well as part of the fourth chapter on Halo Waypoint.{{Ref/Reuse|tor}} | ||
*The audio edition of the novel is narrated by [[Tim Dadabo]], the voice actor of 343 Guilty Spark.<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/blogs/Headlines/post/2012/01/18/The-Halo-Bulletin-11812.aspx ''The Halo Bulletin: 1.18.12'']</ref> | *The audio edition of the novel is narrated by [[Tim Dadabo]], the voice actor of 343 Guilty Spark.<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/blogs/Headlines/post/2012/01/18/The-Halo-Bulletin-11812.aspx ''The Halo Bulletin: 1.18.12'']</ref> | ||
*While explaining what has gone on to [[Chakas]], [[Genemender-Folder-of-Fortune]] tells him that [[Installation 07]] was used to sterilize [[Janjur Qom]]. However, this contradicts ''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' where [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar]] realizes that [[Faber]] has lost a Halo and page 275, the Halo in the [[San'Shyuum home system]] is specifically identified as a second installation. | |||
*The fourth [[Eleventh Hour reports|Eleventh Hour report]], "Provenance", provides additional background for the modern-day portion of the novel. For example, the report identifies the ship of the UNSC science team as {{UNSCShip|Rubicon}} and reveals that the damaged monitor shell was recovered during an ONI expedition to the severely damaged [[Installation 00]], implying that the monitor featured in the novel is in fact the damaged remains of the Guilty Spark encountered in the games and not a duplicate discovered elsewhere. | *The fourth [[Eleventh Hour reports|Eleventh Hour report]], "Provenance", provides additional background for the modern-day portion of the novel. For example, the report identifies the ship of the UNSC science team as {{UNSCShip|Rubicon}} and reveals that the damaged monitor shell was recovered during an ONI expedition to the severely damaged [[Installation 00]], implying that the monitor featured in the novel is in fact the damaged remains of the Guilty Spark encountered in the games and not a duplicate discovered elsewhere. | ||
*The follow-up novel ''Halo: Renegades'' reveals that Spark's search for the Librarian was actually to find a [[mind transfer|personality imprint]] of her similar to the one on [[Requiem]] but this one located beneath [[Mount Kilimanjaro]] on [[Earth]]. Spark's desire was to access the [[Domain]] through the Librarian and have her either bring his friends back as ''[[geas]]'' or for him to go to the Domain to join them. It is also revealed that the story 343 Guilty Spark told the ''Rubicon'' crew was released in a data drop and reached ONI, interesting them with Spark's survival and his search for the [[Librarian]]. | |||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
| Line 176: | Line 200: | ||
File:Primordium cover_art.jpg|Text-free version of the novel's cover art. | File:Primordium cover_art.jpg|Text-free version of the novel's cover art. | ||
File:Primordium wallpaper.jpg|A wallpaper version of the cover illustration. | File:Primordium wallpaper.jpg|A wallpaper version of the cover illustration. | ||
File:Primordium Back Cover.jpg | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||
{{Ref/Sources}} | |||
{{ | {{Navbox/Media/Novels}} | ||
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