Installation 03
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Installation 03 | |
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| General overview | |
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Description: |
Deserts and volcanic activity for terrain[1] |
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Location: |
Within the Milky Way |
| Operation overview | |
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Type: |
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Function: |
Galactic sterilization/Flood containment and research |
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Attached AI(s): |
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Date of construction: |
Before c. 100,000 BCE |
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Status: |
Deactivated from Installation 00 |
Installation 03, also known as Gamma Halo,[3][note 1] is one of the seven rings in the Halo Array. It was originally part of a smaller array of six Halos with a diameter of 10,000 kilometers, as opposed to the 12 larger, 30,000-kilometer-wide Halo installations.[4] Its monitor is 03-049 Abject Testament.[2] It appears to have a red and cracked surface, indicating the presence of vast deserts, as well as volcanic activity.[1]
Unlike Installations 04 and 05, which orbit large gas giants, Installation 03 orbits a rocky planet, the face of which has been shattered as a result of a fairly recent impact event; the debris from the impact, still aglow as of 2557, has collected to form a dense asteroid field in orbit over the planet as well as Installation 03.[5]
History
Forerunner-Flood war
As with the other seven Halo rings, Installation 03 was fired at the conclusion of the Forerunners' war with the Flood, killing all sentient life within its effective radius. Afterwards, it entered an inactive state along with the rest of the Array.
Human-Covenant War
On November 3, 2552 during the Battle of Installation 05, a signal was sent to this Halo from Installation 05, putting it on standby mode and preparing it to fire on demand.[6] On December 11, 2552, the installation was still in standby mode and was about to be fired at the behest of the High Prophet of Truth, who had seized Installation 00's control room. However, the Array was deactivated by SPARTAN John-117 and the Hierarch was assassinated by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam before this could occur.[7]
Post-war
The Office of Naval Intelligence discovered the installation's location some time after the Human-Covenant War had ended. Subsequently, the top-secret research station Ivanoff was built in the Halo's orbit. In March 2553, Catherine Halsey was indefinitely detained here by Admiral Margaret Parangosky, as retribution for lying to her about the creation and deployment of flash clones during the SPARTAN-II program's early phases.[8] The MJOLNIR/Pioneer variant first saw field use during the initial ground exploration of Installation 03.
The ONI science teams retrieved various artifacts from the surface of Installation 03 and brought them on Ivanoff Station for study, including the installation's Activation Index and the Composer. An accident with the Composer led the UNSC Infinity to the shield world known as Requiem. When the Didact was awakened, he traveled to Ivanoff in his ship Mantle's Approach and acquired the Composer, using it to digitize Ivanoff's staff before jumping to Slipspace to travel to Earth to use the recovered weapon on humanity's homeworld.[5] However, the surviving Master Chief and Cortana followed the Didact into slipspace in an F-41 Broadsword in hopes of foiling his plot.
List of appearances
- Halo 2 (Holographic representation only) (First appearance)
- Halo 3 (Holographic representation only)
- Halo Legends
- Halo: Glasslands
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Halo 4
Note
- ^ In Halo 3's texture files, Installation 03 is named "Eta Halo", while the designation "Gamma Halo" is given to Installation 06. This is contradicted by one of the audio logs in Halo 4, in which Installation 03 is identified as "Gamma Halo". Since the name assigned to the ring in Halo 4 is conveyed in a piece of in-game dialog, it is considered to override the previous designation, which is never seen outside Halo 3's files.
Sources
- ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia, page 174
- ^ a b Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Terminal 2
- ^ Halo 4, Composer (audio log)
- ^ Halo: Cryptum, page 329
- ^ a b Halo 4, Composer
- ^ Halo 2, campaign level The Great Journey
- ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant
- ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 341
