Shield world: Difference between revisions

Scattered across the Forerunner [[ecumene]], the shield worlds outnumber the Halos by a large margin,{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Novel|Cry|Page=273}} with over a thousand installations originally planned and at least 673 constructed, assuming their numeric designations were assigned sequentially.<ref name="Have S'moa">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/canon-fodder-have-s-moa ''Halo Waypoint'': ''Canon Fodder: 2-20-15'']</ref>{{Ref/Novel|Id=hbc76|BC|Page=76}} In the final iteration of the Forerunners' defense plan, the shield worlds were collectively known as "Shields"{{Ref/Reuse|mythos}} while the Halos were known as "the Sword".{{Ref/Novel|GoO|Page=310}}

During the [[Human-Covenant War]], the shield worlds began to be discovered by humanity, starting with the [[Etran Harborage]] in [[2531]].{{Ref/Reuse|Wars}} The shield world [[Onyx]]'s internal Dyson shell, [[Sarcophagus]], was rediscovered in [[2552]]{{Ref/Novel|GoO}} and [[Requiem]] in [[2557]].{{Ref/Game|H4}} Both the Etran Harborage and Requiem were ultimately destroyed, but Sarcophagus became home to a joint UNSC-Sangheili research effort and colony.

Requiem apparently lacked shielding from the Halo effect<ref name="Bulletin924">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/bulletins/the-halo-bulletin-knowledge-drop ''Halo Waypoint'' - The Halo Bulletin: ''9.24.14'']</ref> in spite of being the most fortified shield world in existence.{{Ref/Reuse|h4guide}} Whether this is true of [[the Refuge]], which used a scaled-down version of Requiem's planet-within-shell design, is unclear.

[[File:Shieldogram.png|thumb|250px|A holographic diagram of the [[Etran Harborage]].]]

A common iteration of the shield world concept, the conservation sphere consists of an artificial planetary surface encapsulating a miniature Dyson sphere.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|Timeline}} Beneath the artificial planetary surface span kilometers of machinery, including many access portals which lead to the sphere's interior; these portals remain sealed when not in use. The interior of the installation is hollow and features a vast [[Terraforming|terraformed]] surface and a miniature [[Astroengineering|artificial star]]. At least one such installation, the [[Etran Harborage]], had an interior diameter of 2,873 kilometers (1,787 miles).{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Level|Id=Escape|HW|[[Escape (Halo Wars level)|Escape]]}}<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/theuniverse/locations/gallery/shield-world/073e5c8b-63bf-4fdc-a46d-6150a0026201 ''Halo Waypoint'': ''Shield World''] (defunct, backup on [https://web.archive.org/web/20111008060749/http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/theuniverse/locations/gallery/shield-world/073e5c8b-63bf-4fdc-a46d-6150a0026201 Archive.org])</ref>

Shield World 0001 (commonly known as Requiem) is the oldest shield world as well as the most heavily fortified.{{Ref/Reuse|h4guide}} It was built long before the [[human-Forerunner wars]] and served as a template for the construction of the other shield worlds.{{Ref/Reuse|sil278}} Requiem once served as the nexus of operations for the [[Promethean]] class of [[Warrior-Servant]]s but was sealed off shortly before the end of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]].{{Ref/Reuse|h4guide}} [[John-117]] and [[Cortana]] found themselves on Requiem in [[2557|July 2557]],<ref>''Game Informer'' (''May 2012''), ''page 41''</ref> where they encountered [[Jul 'Mdama]]'s [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|Covenant]], the occupying Prometheans, and eventually the crew of {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}. John accidentally released the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] from his imprisonment in [[Core of Requiem|Requiem's core]]; after helping ''Infinity'' escape the Spartan attempted to stop the Forerunner from acquiring the device known as the [[Composer]]. The Didact escaped in his ship ''[[Mantle's Approach]]'' but the two successfully pursued him.{{Ref/Level|H4|[[Shutdown]]}} Six months later, in [[2558|February 2558]], the UNSC, the Covenant, and the Promethean forces returned to [[Requiem Campaign|fight for control]] of the shield world,<ref>''Spartan Ops'', [[S1/Departure|S1E1 ''Departure'']]</ref> which ended when  Jul 'Mdama put Requiem on a collision course with [[Epoloch system|its star]], destroying both bodies.<ref>''[[Spartan Ops]]'' [[S1/Exodus|S1E10 ''Exodus'']]</ref>

During the [[Battle of the Etran Harborage|campaign on the installation]] in [[2531#February|February 2531]], the crew of the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} encountered the Flood on the surface of and later within the shield world. Upon rescuing [[Ellen Anders|Professor Ellen Anders]], whom [[Arbiter]] [[Ripa 'Moramee]] had captured to activate the installation's fleet of Forerunner dreadnoughts, the crew realized the danger this fleet could pose to humanity. Thus, they decided to sacrifice ''Spirit of Fire's'' [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|slipspace drive]], causing a supernova within the shield world's artificial star and destroying the vessels. This plan was successful: Shield 0459 was pulverized by the ensuing explosion, the dreadnoughts were destroyed, and all the Covenant forces and Flood forms on the installation were killed.{{Ref/Reuse|Escape}}

Shield World 0983 (referred to as "Bastion") is a shield world that acts as the [[Librarian]]'s secret laboratory outside of the purview of the [[Ecumene Council]] containing her most dangerous research and experiments. Upon returning from [[Path Kethona]] with specimens that grew from two deceased [[Precursor]]s, the crew of the ''[[Audacity]]'' transformed a small shield world in its construction phase into Bastion to nurture the eventual new species created from the Precursor samples with the intention of one day sending them to a world outside of the Milky Way galaxy where they could grow and rebirth the Precursors as something entirely new with a blank slate.

In [[2558]], Bastion was rediscovered by [[Rion Forge]] and [[343 Guilty Spark]]. After the personality imprint of [[Keeper-of-Tools]] transmitted himself to Bastion, he launched the ''[[Eden (spaceship)|Eden]]'' to deliver the samples to their new home to begin the rebirth process. Using the Librarian's key, Spark became the caretaker of Bastion and launched the shield world into a [[slipspace portal]] to an unknown destination in order to keep it out of the hands of [[Cortana]] and the [[Created]].{{Ref/Novel|PoL}}

A Forerunner shield world that the [[San'Shyuum]] [[San'Shyuum flotilla|flotilla]] intended to retreat to.{{Ref/Novel|DW|Chapter=5}}

*The destruction of two shield worlds involved a [[supernova]]. The [[Etran Harborage]] was destroyed when the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}'s FTL reactor was used to cause the internal sun to go supernova while the destruction of [[Requiem]] in its sun [[Epoloch system|Epoloch]] caused Epoloch to go supernova.

File:Halowars shieldworld official.jpg|The [[Etran Harborage]]'s artificial planetary surface in ''[[Halo Wars]]''.

File:HBC-Refuge.jpg|[[The Refuge]] disassembling itself in ''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''.