"It's just... It's sorta like a charm..."
Parisa

A keepsake, memento, or souvenir is a unique item that a person holds to be of special importance, reminding them of a person, place, or event. They range from photographs, holo-stills, trinkets, toys, and other memorabilia.[1] Many are kept out of memory of the person who gave it or originally owned it. Being personal objects, they are mostly unrecognizable to outsiders. Within the United Nations Space Command armed forces, soldiers often pass along their dog tags as keepsakes for their comrades to remember them by.[2][3] Although generally considered an unseemly act, and in the case of the United Nations Space Command, against protocol, some Covenant and human soldiers were known to keep souvenirs from fallen enemies as war trophies.[4][5]

List of keepsakesEdit

Individual Items Importance Image
Benjamin Giraud African tribal photograph On October 20, 2552, Ben Giraud toured the streets of Old Mombasa and came across a vendor selling vintage print photographs. He admired the man's prints, having not seen any pictures like them since college, and purchased one depicting tribal Africans. Ben lost the souvenir later that day when the Covenant arrived and attacked Mombasa.[6]  
Carter-A259 A holo-still of his mother and father Carter-A259 had a holostill containing an image of his parents who had perished when the Covenant attacked their homeworld of Biko in 2526.[7]  
Catherine Halsey Dr. Halsey's personal journal Halsey bought her journal when she was eighteen and used it to record her life for the next 42 years. Inside she wrote personal thoughts, scientific diagrams, potential theories, and sketches of people and places significant to her life.[8]  
Cortana Installation 04's Activation Index Cortana took the Activation Index from its owner 343 Guilty Spark so that he could not use it to fire the Halo ring. The Index's contents put a heavy toll on her memory, due to containing a hundred millennia's worth of biological and technological data recorded on the ring, but came to help as a means to activate Alpha Halo's replacement.[9][10] When Cortana was destroyed, she left behind fragments of the Index which were taken by the Weapon.[11]  
Daisy-023 Teddy Bear keychain Daisy once possessed a small teddy bear on a chain which she lost the day she was abducted into the Spartan-II program. Years later, her own flash clone gave one to her. Daisy kept it with her to the day she was killed in action.[12][13]  
Dimah Tchakova A stuffed toy Dimah would occasionally comfort herself with a plush toy that she had taken with her to Corbulo Academy.[14]  
Emile-A239 Stolen Covenant contraband Spartan Emile possessed an "impressive" collection of souvenirs taken from Covenant he had killed. This was in direct violation of Subsection Seven of the Cole Protocol, which stated all Covenant items should be scanned for tracking devices before being brought into human territory. However his superiors ignored this, due to being part of the Army instead of Navy.[15]  
Frank Kodiak Type-1 energy sword During the Covenant war, Frank Kodiak obtained an energy sword from a Sangheili warrior he had killed. Years later, he used the sword in a duel against N'tho 'Sraom, the Sangheili responsible for severing his right arm.[16]  

(A standard Covenant energy sword)

Gabriel Thorne

During the Requiem Campaign, Fireteam Majestic leader Paul DeMarco saved Thorne's life by killing Gek 'Lhar. As a sign of gratitude, Thorne gifted DeMarco the Sangheili commander's sword while Thorne kept Gek's active camouflage module for himself.[17] When DeMarco perished later on Ealen IV, his sword was left in the possession of Fireteam Bailey. Tedra Grant won his keepsake in a card game against Jones and soon lost it on poker night to Carlo Hoya. Thorne then joined in and started a new game using playing cards that he inherited from his grandparents. Thorne won the tribute with his lucky hand and expressed appreciation for his fallen friend.[18]  
Gek 'Lhar 13 dog tags belonging to several soldiers and Spartans. Thirteen UNSC dog tags were attached to the left side of Gek's harness; these were taken from enemies he had killed, including a few Spartans.[17] Among them was the dog tags of Rion Forge's companion and lover, Cade.[19] After Gek's death, they were recovered by Paul DeMarco.[17]  
Hyperius
Hyperius obtained these items through his status as a Spartan Killer within the Banished. Glibnub claims that Hyperius obtained the helmet and breastplate from Spartan Jameson Locke, though his fate is unknown.  
Jacob Keyes Keyes' pipe Keyes' pipe was a family heirloom. As he was not permitted to smoke aboard spacecraft, Keyes usually settled for chewing on it to aid concentration.[20][21]  
John-117 A Quarter dollar, an antique United States coin. The coin was used by Dr. Halsey to choose which of the potential children should become Spartans. Halsey let John keep the coin after he guessed correctly which side it would land on.[22] It was taken from him when he was abducted for the Spartans, but returned years later by Franklin Mendez, recalling how John had broken its thieves' fingers.[23]  
John Forge The ace of spades playing card When Forge last saw his daughter, she told him to keep the card because it was lucky in the card games they played together, and she wanted him to have all the luck he could get when he was away fighting in the war. Forge kept the ace of spades playing card and later attached it to his left shoulder pauldron on his BDU.[24]

Years later his daughter would name her own ship the Ace of Spades in reference to this keepsake.

 
Levu 'Mdama M12 Warthog Kaidon 'Mdama was a Sangheili traditionalist but was known to have eccentric tastes. Due to his eccentric tendecies, it was suspected that he was responsible for bringing a UNSC Warthog back to his clan's state as a battlefied trophy.[5]  

(A standard UNSC Warthog)

Marcille Johnson Familial photographs and holo-stills Avery Johnson's aunt had many holostills in her home along with faded print photographs of long-dead relatives. [25]
Michael Crespo

The Rookie

Luna medallions At the conclusion of the war, Mickey and the Rookie purchased circular medallions that resembled the surface of Earth's moon. The shocktroopers bought them to remember their common home, both having been born in Crisium City on Luna.[26]  

(Luna, Earth's only natural satellite)

Naomi-010
  • Dollhouse miniature chair
Naomi Sentzke was fascinated with toy dollhouses and Astronomy as a young girl. For her sixth birthday, Naomi's father planned to gift her a planetarium lamp, however, Naomi never received it as she was abducted into the Spartan-II program days before her birthday. Devastated by his daughter's disappearance, Staffan Sentzke took up crafting and kept the star lamp as a keepsake for years, well after the glassing of his homeworld, Sansar. Decades later, when Staffan learned Naomi was alive and well, he sent her the lamp and a miniature painted wooden chair.[27]
Parisa A childhood photograph Parisa had a photo of herself with a boy named John taken when they were six years old. John had saved her from drowning and promised to marry her. Two decades later, the now-Master Chief recognized himself in her photo but chose not to tell her who he really was.[28]  
Reth Sangheili practice helmet Reth, the Kig-Yar leader of the Redoubt on Metisette, was an art collector who acquired many pieces from other Covenant species through trade and theft. The most prized possession in his hoard was a Sangheili practice helmet that was carved from wood and painted black. Because Sangheili didn't part with their gifts easily, Reth had worked hard to pilfer this handmade item for his collection.[29]
Rion Forge A holo-still of her father Rion kept a small holostill in her quarter's desk drawer aboard the Ace of Spades. It was a holostill of her father, Sergeant John Forge, which she had held onto since she was a little girl.[30]
SPARTAN-B312 Jorge-052's dog tag Jorge gave his dog tag to Noble Six shortly before he sacrificed himself to detonate the slipspace bomb to destroy the Long Night of Solace.[31] Six kept them as a reminder of Jorge's heroism, while the Covenant continued to assault Reach.[32] Though Six tried to give them to Emile-A239, Emile refused the offer and told Six to keep them since Jorge had chosen to give them to Six.[33]  
Thomas Lasky
Lasky kept his brother Cadmon's dogtags after he was killed by Insurrectionists on Andesia, and then his friend Chyler's dogtags after she was killed by the Covenant during the Battle of Circinius IV.[34][35] After the battle, the Master Chief gave Lasky a fragment of a dead Hunter's armor, which they had both worked together to kill.[35]  
Makee (Silver Timeline) The Dawn of Angels A book belonging to her love interest Det before he was murdered by Obanian enforcers.

GalleryEdit

SourcesEdit

  1. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Palace Hotel"
  2. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level Long Night of Solace (level)
  3. ^ Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Part 5
  4. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 157
  5. ^ a b Halo: Glasslands, page 57-58
  6. ^ Halo Graphic Novel, Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa
  7. ^ Birth of a Spartan
  8. ^ Dr. Halsey's personal journal
  9. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 208 (2010 edition)
  10. ^ Halo 3, campaign level Cortana
  11. ^ Halo Infinite, campaign mission Ringfall: Foundation
  12. ^ Halo Legends: Homecoming
  13. ^ Twitter: Reply by GrimBrotherOne
  14. ^ Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
  15. ^ Bungie.net - Emile's performance report
  16. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 105
  17. ^ a b c Spartan Ops, S1E8 Expendable
  18. ^ Halo: Tales from Slipspace, Fireteam Majestic Poker Night
  19. ^ Halo: Smoke and Shadow, page 127 (Google Play edition)
  20. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 135
  21. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 1, page 17(2001 paperback); page 31(2010 paperback)
  22. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 2, page 25(2001 paperback); page 40(2010 paperback)
  23. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, Chapter 11, page 101(2001 paperback); page 123(2010 paperback)
  24. ^ Halo: Smoke and Shadow, page 61 (Google Play edition)
  25. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, pages 39-40
  26. ^ Halo: New Blood, chapter 15
  27. ^ Halo: Mortal Dictata, page 485-488
  28. ^ Halo: Evolutions, "Palace Hotel", pages 368-369
  29. ^ Halo:The Cole Protocol, page 294
  30. ^ Halo: Renegades, page 61
  31. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level Long Night of Solace
  32. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level Exodus
  33. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level New Alexandrial
  34. ^ Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Part 2
  35. ^ a b Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Part 5