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Halo Array: Difference between revisions
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[[File:H2A - Halo Array hologram.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Readout of the seven Halos.]] | [[File:H2A - Halo Array hologram.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Readout of the seven Halos.]] | ||
[[File:H2_halo_surfaceland.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A section of a Halo's surface.]] | [[File:H2_halo_surfaceland.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A section of a Halo's surface.]] | ||
As it is known in modern times, the Halo Array is a network of seven ring-shaped megastructures created by the Forerunners, designed to exterminate all sentient life within the Milky Way galaxy.<ref name="great journey">'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[The Great Journey]]'', '''343 Guilty Spark:''' ''"After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They, and all additional sentient life in three radii of the galactic center, died, as planned."''</ref> Built following the [[Human-Forerunner War]], these ringworlds were later used as a last resort against the Flood, a parasitic extra-galactic species that threatened to consume every sentient life-form in the galaxy. By activating the rings, the Forerunners wiped out every sentient being in the galaxy, effectively starving the Flood to virtual extinction, though specimens were kept in a number of Forerunner [[Flood containment facility|containment facilities]], including the Halo installations themselves.<ref name="library">'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', level ''[[The Library]]''</ref> | As it is known in modern times, the Halo Array is a network of seven ring-shaped megastructures created by the Forerunners, designed to exterminate all sentient life within the Milky Way galaxy.<ref name="great journey">'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[The Great Journey]]'', ('''343 Guilty Spark:''' ''"After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They, and all additional sentient life in three radii of the galactic center, died, as planned."'')</ref> Built following the [[Human-Forerunner War]], these ringworlds were later used as a last resort against the Flood, a parasitic extra-galactic species that threatened to consume every sentient life-form in the galaxy. By activating the rings, the Forerunners wiped out every sentient being in the galaxy, effectively starving the Flood to virtual extinction, though specimens were kept in a number of Forerunner [[Flood containment facility|containment facilities]], including the Halo installations themselves.<ref name="library">'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', level ''[[The Library]]''</ref> | ||
A total of eighteen Halo rings existed during the reign of the Forerunners; an older array of twelve 30,000-kilometer-wide rings produced by the [[greater Ark]] and six 10,000-kilometer rings, constructed at the newer [[Installation 00|lesser Ark]]. Of these, only seven survived to be included in the final Array. The Halos were originally deployed in orbit over large gas giants.<ref name="gas giants">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 237''</ref> However, as of [[2557]], [[Installation 03]] orbited a rocky planet.<ref name="h4composer">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Composer (level)|Composer]]''</ref> Installation 04 maintained an atmospheric [[Threshold gas mine|mining facility]] in its anchor planet [[Threshold]]'s atmosphere until [[Battle of the Threshold gas mine|it was destroyed]] by the [[Covenant]].<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', level ''[[The Oracle]]''</ref> | A total of eighteen Halo rings existed during the reign of the Forerunners; an older array of twelve 30,000-kilometer-wide rings produced by the [[greater Ark]] and six 10,000-kilometer rings, constructed at the newer [[Installation 00|lesser Ark]]. Of these, only seven survived to be included in the final Array. The Halos were originally deployed in orbit over large gas giants.<ref name="gas giants">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 237''</ref> However, as of [[2557]], [[Installation 03]] orbited a rocky planet.<ref name="h4composer">'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Composer (level)|Composer]]''</ref> Installation 04 maintained an atmospheric [[Threshold gas mine|mining facility]] in its anchor planet [[Threshold]]'s atmosphere until [[Battle of the Threshold gas mine|it was destroyed]] by the [[Covenant]].<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', level ''[[The Oracle]]''</ref> | ||
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The radiation is propelled at superluminal speeds and will eventually propagate at a near-infinite velocity. This was known to generate causal paradoxes when the rings first fired, with two of the Halos reporting pre-echoes of the combined activation ''before'' the rings had been fired.<ref name="sil326"/> Once activated from Installation 00, all installations will cumulatively trigger one another as their radiation fields intersect, amplifying the effects of each individual Halo.<ref name="s312"/> The energy discharge covers the Array's effective range and cleanses it of all affected sentient life.<ref name="terminal8"/> Individual Halos can also be fired independently from the rest of the Array; this is known as a "tactical pulse".<ref name="thecovenant"/> | The radiation is propelled at superluminal speeds and will eventually propagate at a near-infinite velocity. This was known to generate causal paradoxes when the rings first fired, with two of the Halos reporting pre-echoes of the combined activation ''before'' the rings had been fired.<ref name="sil326"/> Once activated from Installation 00, all installations will cumulatively trigger one another as their radiation fields intersect, amplifying the effects of each individual Halo.<ref name="s312"/> The energy discharge covers the Array's effective range and cleanses it of all affected sentient life.<ref name="terminal8"/> Individual Halos can also be fired independently from the rest of the Array; this is known as a "tactical pulse".<ref name="thecovenant"/> | ||
In the event a Halo's activation is canceled, a burst of energy is fired from the control center into the hub, causing the energy collected there to violently implode, then dissipate harmlessly.<ref name="great journey" | In the event a Halo's activation is canceled, a burst of energy is fired from the control center into the hub, causing the energy collected there to violently implode, then dissipate harmlessly.<ref name="great journey"/> | ||
The final Halo Array, comprising the six smaller Halos (and the reduced Installation 07) were designed to fire in all directions, within a spherical radius of 25,000 light-years;<ref name="radius"/> together, the rings were capable of killing all sentient life within three radii of the Milky Way's center.<ref name="radius"/> The original twelve Halos were designed to fire laterally, generating a cone-shaped field with a maximum effective range of hundreds of thousands light-years. When fired from the greater Ark to the [[Path Kethona|Large Magellanic Cloud]], the blast was wide enough to cover the entire 14,000 light-year-wide satellite galaxy.<ref name="s273"/> The rings could also be fired on a lower power setting, cleansing specific planets or systems within a relatively small area of effect.<ref name="c131"/> | The final Halo Array, comprising the six smaller Halos (and the reduced Installation 07) were designed to fire in all directions, within a spherical radius of 25,000 light-years;<ref name="radius"/> together, the rings were capable of killing all sentient life within three radii of the Milky Way's center.<ref name="radius"/> The original twelve Halos were designed to fire laterally, generating a cone-shaped field with a maximum effective range of hundreds of thousands light-years. When fired from the greater Ark to the [[Path Kethona|Large Magellanic Cloud]], the blast was wide enough to cover the entire 14,000 light-year-wide satellite galaxy.<ref name="s273"/> The rings could also be fired on a lower power setting, cleansing specific planets or systems within a relatively small area of effect.<ref name="c131"/> | ||