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| {{Title|''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''}} | | {{realworld}} |
| {{Status|RealWorld}}
| | [[Image:Onyx cover.jpg|thumb|The cover art.]] |
| {{Novel infobox
| | [[Image:Notfinal Onyx back.jpg|thumb|Concept art of ''Onyx''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s back cover.]] |
| |name=''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''
| | '''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''' is the title of the next Halo book by [[Eric Nylund]]. Published by [[Tor]], it is due to be released on October 31st, 2006. |
| |variant=Original
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| |image=[[File:Onyx cover.jpg|300px]]
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| |author=[[Eric Nylund]] | |
| |cover artist=[[Lorraine McLees]] and [[Isaac Hannaford]]
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| |illustrator= | |
| |editor= | |
| |audio=Jonathan Davis
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| |publisher=[[Tor Books]]
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| |publication=October 31, 2006 (original)<br>April 9, 2019 (2019 edition)
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| |media=Print (Paperback), Audiobook
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| |length=383 pages (original)<br>432 pages (2019 edition)
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| |ISBN=[[Special:BookSources/0765315688|0765315688]], [[Special:BookSources/978-0765315687|978-0765315687]], [[Special:BookSources/978-1982111670|978-1982111670]]
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| |series=[[The Original Series]]
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| |preceded=''[[Halo: First Strike]]
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| |followed=
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| |multiseries=
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| |notable=
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| }}
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| '''''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''''' is the fourth novel in the Halo series. The book is written by [[Eric Nylund]] and published by [[Tor Books]]. It was officially released on [[2006|October 31, 2006]], and was released as an audiobook on [[2007 (real world)|February 6, 2007]]. The unabridged version includes 9 disks, and is narrated by Jonathan Davis.
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| The announcement of ''Ghosts of Onyx'' included a confirmation that two more novels would be released as part of the same contract; ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', and ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''. Chronologically, ''Ghosts of Onyx'' is followed by ''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'', the first novel in a [[Kilo-Five Trilogy|new series]] set after the conclusion of the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref name="bulletin">[http://halo.bungie.org/halobulletins/3 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Halo Bulletin Archive - The Halo Bulletin: 6/22/11'']</ref>
| | In addition, the announcement of the title also included a confirmation that ''Ghosts of Onyx'' is not the last planned Halo book. At least two more novels are planned to follow it, this is part of the contract with Tor. |
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| ==Official summary== | | =Plot= |
| {{Article quote|The [[SPARTAN-II program]] has gone public. Tales of super-soldiers fending off thousands of [[Covenant]] attacks has become the stuff of legend.<br>But just how many Spartans are left?<br>While the Master Chief defends a besieged Earth, and the myriad factions of the Covenant continue their crusade to eliminate humanity, an ultra-secret cell of the Office of Naval Intelligence known as "Section Three" devises a plan to buy the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] vital time. They're going to need hundreds of willing soldiers, though… and one more Spartan to get the job done.<br>Planet [[Onyx]] is virtually abandoned and therefore the perfect place to set this new plan in motion. When the Master Chief destroys Halo, however, something is triggered deep within Onyx. Action begins to boil and the Ancient [[Forerunner]] technology stirs. Armadas of UNSC and Covenant race to claim the Forerunner secrets in order to change the course of the Human-Covenant war.<br><br>But this reawakened and ancient force may have plans of its own…}}
| | The official summary is: |
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| ==Plot synopsis==
| | '''''The Spartan-II program has gone public. Tales of super-soldiers fending off thousands of Covenant attacks has become the stuff of legend.''''' |
| {{Spoiler/begin}}
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| ===Prologue: Beta Company's Victory at Pegasi Delta===
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| The prologue begins with the 300 SPARTAN-IIIs of [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]] being deployed to the Covenant-controlled planet, [[Pegasi Delta]] in [[2545]]. Out of the 300, 291 hit the ground and proceed towards their target, a Covenant refinery. The Spartans manage to destroy the facility, but due to unexpected heavy Covenant resistance in the form of seven large [[Covenant cruiser]]s, misidentified as part of the factory by the orbiting [[Stealth Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Satellite|STARS satellite]], only two; SPARTANS [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]], survive. Tom and Lucy are revealed to be only twelve years old, and Lucy is severely traumatized and rendered mute, being diagnosed with [[post-traumatic vocal disarticulation]] after the deaths of the other Spartans and several of her companions from [[Team Foxtrot]], [[Adam-B004]] and [[Min-B174]]. | |
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| ===Section 1: Lieutenant Ambrose===
| | '''''But just how many Spartans are left?''''' |
| The narrative then moves back to [[2531]] to a [[Operation: SMOKING ACES|raid]] by [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] [[Blue Team]] against [[Insurrectionist]]s on planet [[Victoria]] to recover stolen [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s. Though the team is captured by [[General]] [[Howard Graves]] and the rebels, the timely intervention of [[Kurt-051]] allows the team to complete their mission without any other serious problems, but Graves is killed during the course of events, preventing the team from learning valuable secrets the General held about the rebels' command and intelligence structure.
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| Five months later, [[James Ackerson|Colonel James Ackerson]] of Section Three of the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], meets with three ONI officers: [[Ned Rich|Rear Admiral Rich]], [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Aaron G. Gibson|Gibson]] and [[Vice Admiral]] [[Margaret Parangosky|Parangosky]]. During the meeting, Ackerson moves forward a proposal for a new SPARTAN program which retains most of the effectiveness of the SPARTAN-II program without the high costs of the previous project. This becomes the SPARTAN-III program, a more streamlined, "disposable," as well as more numerous, group of Spartans that must be trained for high-risk operations. Ackerson is given the classified, UNSC-controlled world Onyx with the purpose of training the SPARTAN-IIIs, and is promised one of the SPARTAN-II to train them.
| | ''While the Master Chief defends a beseiged Earth, and the myriad factions of the Covenant continue their crusade to eliminate humanity, an ultrasecret cell of the Office of Naval Intelligence known as "Section Three" devises a plan to buy the UNSC vital time. They're going to need hundreds of willing soldiers, though... and one more Spartan to get the job done.'' |
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| The next month, Kurt, Kelly and Fred are sent to investigate "suspicious activity" at [[Station Delphi]]. When Kurt approaches a ruptured [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] for closer inspection, his [[thruster pack]] malfunctions and sends him spinning away into deep space. Kurt awakes a month later and meets Ackerson, who informs him that the events as Station Delphi were staged in order to recruit him. Kurt is told of the SPARTAN-III project and is given orders to train the volunteers of the SPARTAN-III program. Ackerson promotes him to [[Lieutenant, Junior Grade]] and assigns him the surname Ambrose to hide his previous service as a Spartan. | | ''The planet Onyx is virtually abandoned and fleets of the UNSC and the Covenant race to claim it to change the course of the Human-Covenant War.'' |
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| ===Section 2: SPARTAN-III===
| | ''But this reawakened and ancient force may have plans of its own...'' |
| At [[Camp Currahee]] on Onyx, Kurt reduces the four hundred ninety-seven volunteers for the [[SPARTAN-III program]] to three hundred trainees by ordering a nighttime high-altitude aerial drop from Pelicans, in order to assess who among the volunteers truly wants to be a Spartan. One of the volunteers, [[Shane-A112]], is frightened by the prospect of a drop and is taunted by another recruit, [[Robert-A057]]. Upon reaching the ground, Shane attacks Robert for teasing him and the two are separated by Navy personnel. They comment on the aggressiveness of the two, hoping "the rest of them are like this."
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| Several years later, Kurt returns to the {{UNSCShip|Point of No Return}} to be briefed on [[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]]'s performance and to proceed with training for Beta Company, where he learns of the complete destruction of Alpha Company during [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]]. Devastated by the images of the battle and the loss of his soldiers, Kurt improves the training regime for [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]], and presses for upgrades to their [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor|SPI armor]] systems. Regardless, most are killed in action during [[Operation: TORPEDO]], with the exceptions of [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]], who, through Kurt's efforts, are assigned to Onyx to assist Kurt in training [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]], despite Ackerson's protests. In a further effort to reduce casualties, Kurt then institutes an illegal procedure during [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]]'s [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|augmentations]], designed to alter the Spartans' brain chemistry and make them resistant to pain and shock. The [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Deep Winter]] notices this, but unaware of the perpetrator, tells Kurt, who takes it upon himself to ensure that the files regarding the augmentations are purged.
| | This possibly involves [[Dr. Halsey]] and [[Kelly]], as well as [[CPO Mendez]], and the possible [[Spartan-III|next generation]] of [[Spartans]]. If you look closely at the cover, you see troops wearing [[SPARTAN-II|Spartan]]-like armor, but it is not the [[MJOLNIR|Mark V or Mark VI armor]], thus adding credibility to the Spartan-III prediction. |
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| ===Section 3: Intruders===
| | Through the leak of the working title, "Halo: Ghosts of Coral", it was speculated to be about the planet [[Coral]], which is the site of excavations that have uncovered [[Forerunner]] artifacts (see [[Conversations from the Universe]], and briefly touched upon in the [[ilovebees]] viral campaign), though this speculation is most likely not valid since the announcement of the real name and summary. |
| On October 31, 2552, the top three teams of the SPARTAN-III [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]]—Teams [[Team Saber|Saber]], [[Team Katana|Katana]], and [[Team Gladius|Gladius]]—conduct a training exercise near a restricted area on Onyx deemed [[Zone 67]], only to find themselves and other [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] personnel under attack by an unidentified class of [[Onyx Sentinel|alien drones]]. Very quickly, the few humans on the planet are either wiped out or struggling to survive against this new, unexpected threat.
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| ===Section 4: Dr. Catherine Halsey=== | | "Ghosts of Onyx" will delve deeper into the politics and policies between Humans and their Spartan creations. |
| [[Catherine Halsey|Doctor Catherine Halsey]] and [[Kelly-087]] arrive in the [[Zeta Doradus system]] aboard the stolen rebel ship ''[[Beatrice]]''. As they get closer to Onyx they are attacked by the drones and crash-land. Once on the planet, they meet up with the [[human]] survivors of the attacks, including S-III Team Saber, Kurt, and Chief Mendez. Halsey identifies the drones as [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]] based on [[Cortana]]'s logs of the events of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. Halsey proceeds to call for reinforcements, piggybacking her transmission on another transmission made by Cortana after the events of ''[[Halo 2]]''. On the message she calls out for caution about the danger coming from the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] that includes SPARTAN-117, as well as the grave threat of the Flood, which was trying to escape from Delta Halo at the time.
| | ==Characters== |
| | *Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN John-117 |
| | *Senior Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN Fred-104 |
| | *Petty Officer Second Class SPARTAN Kelly-087 |
| | *Petty Officer Second Class SPARTAN Linda-058 |
| | *SPARTAN Kurt-051 [Unknown Rank] |
| | *SPARTAN-III Tom-B292 |
| | *SPARTAN-III Lucy [ID Number and Rank Unknown] |
| | *SPARTAN-III Adam [ID Number and Rank Unknown] |
| | *SPARTAN-III Rin [ID Number and Rank Unknown] |
| | *General Howard Graves [Leader of the United Rebel Front] |
| | ==Excerpt== |
| | EXCERPTS: |
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| ===Section 5: Blue Team===
| | Chapter One |
| On Earth, two weeks after the [[Battle of Mombasa|New Mombasa slipspace event]], the planet remains under siege by Covenant forces. [[Frederic-104]], [[William-043]], and [[Linda-058]] are pulled out of the line of fire by [[Terrence Hood|Fleet Admiral Hood]], who responds to Halsey's call for reinforcements by dispatching the Spartans to Onyx. After hijacking a [[Covenant destroyer]] called ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'' and killing all Covenant on board by suffocation, the Spartans head for Onyx, only to be caught in the middle of a battle between [[Jiralhanae|Brute]] and [[Sangheili|Elite]] ships on the way. The Spartans barely escape and arrive at Onyx only to be attacked by the Sentinels. They escape using a [[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|Covenant dropship]] and link up with the survivors, and then make their way toward the restricted area of Onyx after shaking Sentinel pursuit. | | |
| | 1647 HOURS, MAY 1, 2531 (MILITARY CALENDAR) 111 TAURI SYSTEM, CAMP NEW HOPE, PLANET VICTORIA |
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| | John, SPARTAN-117, despite being encased in a half ton of angular MJOLNIR armor, moved like a shadow through the twilight forest underbrush. |
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| | The guard on the perimeter of Base New Hope drew on a cigarette, took a final puff, and tossed the butt. |
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| | John lunged, a whisper rustle, and he wrapped his arm around the man’s neck, wrenching it up with a pop. |
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| | The guard’s cigarette hit the ground. |
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| | Nearby crickets resumed their night song. |
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| | John pinged his status to the rest of Blue Team. Four green LED lights winked on his display, indicating the rest of the extended perimeter guards had been neutralized. |
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| | The next objective was a delivery gate, the weakest part of the rebel base’s defense system. The guardhouse had two men outside, two on the rooftop, and several inside. Past this, however, the base had impressive security even by Spartan standards: motion and seismic sensors, a triple layering of guards, trained dogs, and overhead MAKO-class drones. |
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| | John blinked his status light green: the signal to proceed with the next phase. |
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| | The setting sun just touched the edge of the horizon when the guards on the roof of the bunker twitched and crumpled. It happened so fast, John wasn’t sure which Linda had targeted first. A heartbeat later the two on the ground were dead as well. |
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| | John and Kurt ran for the gatehouse. |
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| | Kelly sprinted ahead, covering the three hundred meters from the forest in half the time, and leapt to the roof in a single bound. She opened the roof’s vent and dropped flash-bang grenades. |
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| | Kurt posted outside the door, and swept the aft side for any targets. John waited on the other side of the steel and bulletproof-glass security door, one hand on its handle, one foot braced against the wall. |
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| | Inside three muffled thumps sounded. |
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| | John pulled, wrenching the door and frame from the steel reinforcing in the wall. |
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| | Kurt entered, his M7 submachine gun burping three-round bursts. |
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| | John was in a moment later, and assessed the threats in the blink of an eye. There were three guards already down. Behind them, banks of security monitors showed a hundred views of the base. |
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| | Seven other men sat at a card table, shaking off the effects of the flash-bangs. They stood with their sidearms halfway out of their holsters. |
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| | John calmly shot each man, once in the head. |
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| | Nothing moved. |
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| | Kelly dropped outside the door, rolled inside, her weapon leveled. |
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| | “Security system,” John whispered to her and Kurt. |
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| | Fred and Linda appeared a moment later, and together they pulled and wedged the heavy door back into its twisted frame. |
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| | “All good outside,” Fred told them. |
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| | Kelly sat before the bank of monitors and pulled out a touch pad, booting the ONI computer infiltration software package. |
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| | Kurt tapped on the keyboard, nodding to the sticky note under one monitor. “Password’s posted,” he said, shaking his head. |
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| | “Okay,” Kelly muttered. “We can do it the easy way, too. Running monitor-looping protocol, now. I’ll get a clean path to the target.” |
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| | Kurt meanwhile flipped through various camera angles and subsystems on the displays. “No alarms raised,” he reported. He paused and watched a group of guards unloading ammunition canisters off a Warthog. One man fumbled and dropped a can; along its side was stenciled: MUTA-AP-09334. |
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| | John hadn’t ordered a subsystems sweep, though he hadn’t specifically forbidden it, either. Kurt’s actions could trigger a red flag at the base’s command and control. |
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| | John had mixed feelings about using SPARTAN-051, Kurt, as Sam’s replacement on Blue Team. On the one hand, he was an extremely capable Spartan. Chief Mendez had routinely given him command of Green Team during training exercises, and Kurt had often won when facing John’s Blue Team. But on the other hand, he was, for a Spartan, undisciplined. He took time to talk with every Spartan, and even the non-Spartan personnel that trained and supplied them. As a professional soldier in the middle of two wars—one fighting an entrenched rebellion, the other taking on a technologically superior xenophobic alien race—Kurt spent a considerable amount of time and energy making friends. |
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| | “Camera system and detectors looped,” Kelly announced and made a tiny circle with her index finger. “We have fifteen minutes while dogs and drones are rotated and refueled. So just guards to deal with.” |
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| | “Move,” John told his team. |
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| | Kurt hesitated, eyes still fixed on the monitors. |
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| | “What?” John asked. |
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| | “A funny feeling,” Kurt whispered. |
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| | This worried John. Everyone had performed flawlessly, and there were no signs the enemy had reacted to their presence. But Kurt had a reputation for sniffing out ambushes. John had been on the receiving end of Kurt’s intuition several times during training. |
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| | John nodded at the monitor, still devoid of anything but normal activity. “Explain.” |
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| | “The guards unloading that Warthog,” Kurt said. “They look like . . . they’re getting ready for something. Security systems and machines can be fooled—or easily rigged to fool,” he stated. “People? They’re not so easy.” |
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| | “I understand,” John said. “We’ll stay sharp, but we have to stick to the schedule. Let’s move.” |
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| | Kurt got up, casting a glance back at the monitor as they exited the gatehouse. |
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| | The Spartans melted from shadow to shadow, skirting around a warehouse, under officers’ barracks, and finally, at the center of the base, they approached the edge of a warehouse. The building was surrounded by three fences posted with warnings that the gravel yard beyond was mined. |
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| | Eight guards patrolled the perimeter. Parked on the side was a modified Warthog; it had been cut in half and a new midsection had been welded in place that looked like it could carry ten men into battle. It would suffice. |
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| | John withdrew a tiny rod and pointed it at the building. The radiation counter flickered to a hundred times normal background level for this planet. |
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| | That confirmed that their primary target was inside: three FENRIS nuclear warheads. |
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| | Recent battles with the Covenant had depleted UNSC stockpiles of fissile materials in this sector to almost nothing. Insurgents had heard of this (which indicated they also had a considerable intelligence capability), and they had contacted the regional CENTCOM to boldly offer a trade. They said they had stolen warheads. They claimed to have people with Borren’s Syndrome, and wanted the expertise and medicines only UNSC doctors could provide. |
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| | CENTCOM said they’d consider the matter. |
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| | They had considered it, and sent in Blue Team to get those warheads, and if presented with the opportunity, they were to target any rebel leaders. |
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| | John signaled his team to move out, disperse around the bunker, and take up positions to snipe the guards. |
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| | Green acknowledgment lights winked on. Kurt’s was last, with a palpable hesitation. |
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| | John gave Kurt a short hand wave, and then pointed at the Warthog, indicating that he get the vehicle ready to move. |
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| | Kurt nodded. |
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| | Kurt’s “feeling” that something was wrong was contagious. John didn’t like it. He pushed his uncertainties aside. Blue Team was in position. |
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| | John unslung his sniper rifle and sighted. He gave the “go” signal and watched as one guard and then another silently fell over. Linda had been quick and efficient as usual. |
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| | John gave the go-ahead to move in. |
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| | Blue Team eased inside, sweeping the dark corners of the building. |
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| | The place was empty, save steel racks cradling three conical warhead casings. John’s radiation counter jumped, indicating that they did not hold conventional explosives. |
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| | He pointed at Kelly and Fred, to the rack, then to the Warthog outside. They nodded. |
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| | Kurt’s acknowledgment light winked red. |
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| | No Spartan flashed a red light on a mission unless they had a good reason. |
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| | “Abort,” John said. “Back out. Now.” |
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| | Dizziness washed over him. |
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| | John saw Linda, Fred, and Kelly sink to their knees. |
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| | Then blackness swallowed him. |
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| | John awoke with a start. Every muscle burned and it felt like someone had hammered his head. This was a good sign: it meant he wasn’t dead. |
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| | He tensed his muscles against an unyielding pressure. |
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| | He blinked to clear his hazy vision and saw he sat propped against a wall, still in the high-security bunker. |
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| | The warheads were also still there. |
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| | Then John saw a dozen commandos in the warehouse, watching him. They hefted the .30-caliber machine gun, favored by rebel forces. Nicknamed “confetti makers,” they were grossly inaccurate, but at point-blank range, it would hardly be a concern. |
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| | The rest of Blue Team lay face-first on the concrete floor. Technicians in lab coats crouched over them capturing high-resolution digital video. |
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| | John jerked against his inert armor. He had to get to his team. Were they dead? |
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| | “No need to struggle,” a voice said. |
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| | A man with long gray hair stepped in front of John’s faceplate. “Or struggle if you want. We’ve installed neural-inhibitor collars on you and your comrades. UNSC standard issue for dangerous felons.” He smiled. “I’d wager without one you could, and would, rip me in half in that miraculous power armor.” |
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| | John kept his mouth shut. |
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| | “Relax,” the man said. “I am General Graves.” |
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| | John recognized the name. Howard Graves was one of the three men believed to be in charge of the united rebel front. It was no coincidence he was here. |
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| | “You’re suffering from rapid decompression—the bends,” he told John. “We used an antigrav plate, old technology that never panned out, but for our purposes, it worked just fine. A focused beam fooled your armor’s sensors into thinking you were in a ten-gee environment. It increased internal pressure to save your lives, momentarily rendering you unconscious.” |
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| | “You engineered this all for us,” John said, his voice hoarse. |
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| | “You ‘Spartans’ have put quite a dent in our efforts to liberate the frontier worlds,” General Graves said. “Station Jefferson in the Eridanus asteroid belt last year; our destroyer Origami; six months ago, our high-explosive manufacturing facility; followed by the incident in Micronesia, and our saboteur cell on Reach. I didn’t believe it until I saw the video. All by the same four-man team. Some said ‘Blue Team’ was a myth.” He rapped his knuckle on John’s faceplate. “You seem real enough to me.” |
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| | John struggled, but he might as well have been encased in a mountain of steel. The neural collar neutralized every signal traveling down his spine save the autonomics to his heart and diaphragm. |
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| | He had to focus. Did everyone on his team have a collar? Yes. Each Spartan had a thick clamp on the back of their neck, directly over the AI interface port. Graves had excellent intelligence on their equipment. |
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| | Wait. John scrutinized his paralyzed team: Kelly, Linda, and Fred. No Kurt. |
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| | Graves had said “four-man team.” He didn’t know about Kurt. |
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| | “As you surmised,” Graves continued, “this was all for your benefit. We scraped our fissile material together and made sure it was done so sloppily that even your Office of Naval Intelligence saw it happen. We anticipated the miraculous Blue Team would be sent. I am not disappointed that your leaders’ minds are still so easily read.” |
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| | A young commando approached, saluted, and nervously whispered, “Sir, external sensors are off-line.” |
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| | Graves frowned. “Drag the prisoners out of here. Sound the general alarm. Police those warheads, and tell the liftships to—” |
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| | A buzzing sound filled the air. John spied a blur of spinning metal through the doorway. He had a fraction of a second to see it was an eight-armed Asteroidea antipersonnel mine, its pressure trigger jammed with a chunk of gravel—just before it detonated into a ball of thunder. |
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| | Metal pinged off John’s armor. |
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| | Everyone standing in the room doubled over from the concussive force and hail of shrapnel. |
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| | Six commandos with multiple cuts and bleeding ears rose, weapons ready, shaking their heads to clear the disorientation. |
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| | The modified Warthog that had been parked next to the bunker crashed into the open double doorway. |
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| | The entire warehouse shook. |
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| | The commandos opened fire, and rushed the doorway. |
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| | The Warthog pulled away, then with a squeal, it reversed, and then rammed the doorway again. The corrugated steel walls screeched, buckled, and with a shower of sparks the vehicle wedged its midsection in the building like a pregnant queen termite. |
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| | The commandos unloaded their confetti makers, puckering the ’Hog’s armor. |
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| | The top of the midsection slid open and three more Asteroidea antipersonnel mines arced, whirling like a child’s toy—each landing in a corner of the bunker—and exploded. |
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| | White-hot metal fragments cut through the commandos like a scythe. |
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| | Kurt leapt out and shot the three men still moving. He quickly went to each Spartan and pulled off the collars. |
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| | Kelly rolled to her feet. Fred and Linda got up. |
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| | Kurt yanked the collar off John’s neck. His entire body tingled, but his muscles once again responded to his commands. He flexed his limbs. There was no permanent nerve damage. |
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| | “We can forget about stealth now,” John said. “Kurt, drive the Warthog. Kelly, Linda, Fred, get those warheads loaded ASAP.” |
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| | They nodded. |
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| | John went to General Graves. A sliver of corrugated steel had lodged in the man’s skull. |
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| | Unfortunate. Graves had held secrets of the rebels’ command and intelligence structure–secrets John had had the barest glimpse of. Their capacities had been greatly underestimated. With the larger Covenant threat looming, John wondered what the rebels would ultimately do. Attack a weakened UNSC as it battled aliens, or fight against humanity’s common enemy? |
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| | He ignored the larger strategic picture and focused on the tactical, helping Kelly maneuver the last warhead into the Warthog’s armored midsection. |
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| | Loaded with the bombs and five armored Spartans, the vehicle bottomed its shocks. John climbed into the rear and Kurt drove, and they sluggishly accelerated away from the secure warehouse. |
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| | “Best speed to the PZ,” John ordered. |
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| | Kurt turned on the Warthog’s radio. It buzzed with confused chatter. |
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| | “Unit One nonresponsive. Gunfire reported. Man down! Tracking APC. Open fire? Confirm—confirm! All units converge. Do it now!” |
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| | “Everyone,” John shouted, “into the center.” |
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| | Holes peppered the Warthog, armor-piecing rounds penetrating the side like paper and denting the casings of the warheads. |
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| | “Behind the warheads!” Fred told them. |
| | |
| | John, Kelly, Fred, and Linda huddled behind the missiles. Nuclear warheads ironically would provide their best defense. Their casings were superhardened, both to contain radiation and hold the fury of a small sun for a split second longer and to boost the thermonuclear yield. |
| | |
| | John looked up at the driver’s seat. Kurt squeezed himself lower into the seat, presenting the smallest possible target, risking his life to get them all to safety. |
| | |
| | The Warthog billowed smoke, but its speed slowly increased to forty kilometers an hour. A sharp rattle came from the engine. A tire shredded and the vehicle swerved right and then left. |
| | |
| | Kurt regained control and kept going. |
| | |
| | The AP fire slowed and then stopped. |
| | |
| | “Brace!” Kurt said and downshifted. |
| | |
| | The Warthog barreled through the chain-link and concertina-wire barrier, over gravel fields, and into the forest. |
| | |
| | “Road 32-B to the PZ,” Kurt said. |
| | |
| | “Road” was a creative overstatement. They bounced along, mowing down trees, fishtailing, and spraying mud. |
| | |
| | “Drones!” Kurt told them. |
| | |
| | “Get the hatch open,” John ordered. Kelly and Fred pulled the midsection roof panels apart. |
| | |
| | John stuck his head out, and spotted three MAKO-class attack drones jetting toward them, each heavy with a fat missile. One direct hit would take out the Warthog. Even a near miss could destroy an axle. |
| | |
| | Linda popped up, her sniper rifle already in hand and eyes on the scope. |
| | |
| | John and Linda opened fire. |
| | |
| | The lead drone smoked and dropped into the trees. The next drone angled up, bobbing. It released its missile, and banked away. A line of smoke appeared, a tail of fire, and a missile accelerated toward them at a frightening rate. |
| | |
| | Linda fired, squeezing off the rounds as fast as the chamber could cycle. The missile started to spin . . . but it was still dead on course. |
| | |
| | “PZ three hundred meters,” Kelly said, consulting her tablet. “Welcome committee has us in their sights.” |
| | |
| | “Tell them we have the package,” John said, “and we need a hand.” |
| | |
| | “Roger that,” she said. |
| | |
| | The missile was two kilometers from them—closing fast. |
| | |
| | Ahead, the forest turned into swamp. With a hurricane roar, a UNSC Pelican dropship rose over the treetops and its twin chain guns spat a cloud of depleted uranium slugs at the incoming missile—making it bloom into a flower of fire and smoke. |
| | |
| | “Stand by for pickup, Blue Team,” the dropship’s pilot said over their COM. “We got incoming single-craft hostiles. So hang tight, and go vacuum protocols.” |
| | |
| | “Check suit integrity,” John ordered. He remembered Sam and how his friend had sacrificed himself, remaining on a Covenant ship under siege because of a breach in his suit. If a single AP round had breached their MJOLNIR, they’d be in a similar jam. |
| | |
| | The Warthog, billowing thick black clouds, rattled to a stop. |
| | |
| | The Pelican settled over it and clamped tight. |
| | |
| | Blue Team came back all green status lights, and John relaxed; he had been holding his breath. |
| | |
| | The Pelican lifted the Warthog, laden with Spartans and warheads, into the air. |
| | |
| | “Make secure,” the pilot said. “Bogies inbound on vector zero seven two.” |
| | |
| | Acceleration tugged at John, but he stood fast, one hand bracing the nukes, the other against the punctured side of the Warthog. |
| | |
| | The clear blue light outside darkened to black and filled with the twinkle of stars. |
| | |
| | “Rendezvous with the Bunker Hill in fifteen seconds,” the Pelican pilot announced. “Prepare for immediate out-system Slipspace jump.” |
| | |
| | Kurt carefully eased out of the driver’s seat and into the midsection to join them. |
| | |
| | “Nice work,” Fred told him. “How did you know it was a trap?” |
| | |
| | “It was the guards loading ammunition off the Warthog,” Kurt explained. “I saw it at the time, but it didn’t register until it was almost too late. Those ammo canisters were marked as armor-piercing rounds. All of them. You wouldn’t need that much AP unless you were taking on a few light tanks. . . .” |
| | |
| | “Or a squad of Spartans,” Linda said, catching on. |
| | |
| | “Us,” Fred remarked. |
| | |
| | Kurt doggedly shook his head. “I should have figured it out sooner. I almost got everyone killed.” |
| | |
| | “You mean you saved everyone,” Kelly said and she butted her shoulder into his. |
| | |
| | “If you ever have another funny ‘feeling,’” John told him, “tell me, and make me understand.” |
| | |
| | Kurt nodded. |
| | |
| | John wondered about this man’s “feelings,” his instinctive subconscious awareness of the danger. CPO Mendez had made then all train so hard, lessons in fire-team integration, target prioritization, hand-to-hand combat, and battlefield tactics were part of their hardwired instincts now. But that didn’t mean the underlying biological impulses were worthless. Quite the opposite. |
| | |
| | John set a hand on Kurt’s shoulder, searching for the right words. |
| | |
| | Kelly, as usual, articulated the sentiments that John never could. She said, “Welcome to Blue, Spartan. We’re going to make a great team.” |
|
| |
|
| ===Section 6: The Ghosts of Onyx=== | | ==External links== |
| Within this section, the story takes place on [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]], where the Covenant are in the midst of a [[Great Schism|civil war]]. The Elites intercept Halsey's message, learn of the existence of Onyx and its Forerunner artifacts then regroup at a Covenant world called [[Joyous Exultation]]. There, the Sangheili [[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] rallies the Elites together and discuss the apparent treachery of the Brutes and Prophets, and how to go about handling the situation. Ship Master [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree|Voro 'Mantakree]] speaks to his fellow ship masters and suggests that they go to Onyx, as well as be vigilant of the [[Flood]] threat. He is promoted to the rank of [[Fleet Master]] and is given command of a fleet of eighteen [[Covenant destroyer|destroyers]], two cruisers, and one [[Covenant carrier|carrier]]. They then prepare to go to Onyx to retrieve the [[Forerunner]] technology.
| |
| | |
| Meanwhile, on the Covenant supercarrier called ''[[Sublime Transcendence]]'', a [[Unggoy|Grunt]] named [[Kwassass]] stumbles upon the [[Huragok]] who are busy examining what is revealed to be [[Danforth Whitcomb|Admiral Whitcomb]]'s [[NOVA bomb]]. The Huragok unknowingly arm it after Kwassass messes with the arming device. Shortly after 'Mantakree's fleet departs for Onyx, the NOVA detonates, devastating the surface of the Covenant world, shattering its nearby moon, [[Malhiem]], into a billion fragments, and disintegrating the Covenant armada.
| |
| | |
| ===Section 7: Reclaimers===
| |
| The Covenant fleet and a [[Patterson's battle group|UNSC battle group]] arrive at Onyx, where they encounter one another and the Sentinel defenders, which attack anything approaching the system. In the ensuing battle, the entire UNSC fleet is destroyed except the [[prowler]] ''[[UNSC Dusk|Dusk]]'', which stays hidden and observes events unfolding. The humans on Onyx head for Zone 67, where they discover an ancient Forerunner city. Pursued by the Covenant, the humans head underground, where Dr. Halsey determines that the entire planet is actually an artificial construct concealing a Forerunner "[[Shield World]]", which was constructed by the Forerunners to protect themselves from the firing of the Halo Array, which are designed to eradicate all sentient life should the [[Flood]] escape.
| |
| | |
| Fighting off determined Covenant pursuers, they press on into the heart of the planet to find its secrets, but not before the ONI [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Endless Summer]] communicates to Dr. Halsey the importance of shutting down a Forerunner [[Sentinel manufacturing facility]] which is producing new Sentinels at a rapid rate. After disabling the factory, the group proceeds to the location of [[Team Katana]]. They find eight [[slipspace field pod]]s, five of which contain members of Katana, with the rest housing unidentified individuals. They then press on to Onyx's [[Core room antechamber|core]], where they discover a Slipspace rift supposedly leading into the "shield world". Will-043 and Holly-G003 fall fighting off the Covenant forces, Will-043 engaging several Hunters in hand-to-hand combat before meeting his demise. Halsey, Mendez, Tom, Lucy, and the other Spartans escape, while Kurt remains behind in order to stop the Covenant from following the humans into the slipspace rift. He waits for the portal to fully close and then he lists Kurt Ambrose as MIA under SPARTAN-051 along with the other Spartans, adhering to the [[ONI Directive 930|tradition]] of never listing a fallen Spartan as KIA. He ends his life responding to the Elite Fleet Master, "''Die? Didn't you know?... Spartans never die,''" he detonates the two [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s that the team had taken with them.
| |
| | |
| ===Epilogue: Shield World===
| |
| [[File:HM OnyxDestruction.jpg|thumb|200px|Onyx is ripped apart.]]
| |
| From outside Onyx, the surviving UNSC prowler ''Dusk'' watches on as the planet's surface rips apart, to reveal that the entire world is constructed of literally trillions of Sentinels, all connected together to provide an impenetrable defense around [[Trevelyan|the shield world]] at the heart of the planet. The story is concluded on the other side of the slipspace rift, which is revealed to house an immense [[Dyson sphere]], which features terrain similar to that of Earth and is separated from normal space-time inside a compressed [[slipspace bubble]]. The survivors hold a memorial service to the fallen, and Fred-104 takes command of the remaining survivors, ordering them to move out and complete their mission of finding Forerunner artifacts and searching for a method of escape. Kelly then welcomes the Spartan-IIIs to the Blue Team, stating that they are "going to make a great team."
| |
| {{Spoiler/end}}
| |
| | |
| ==Appearances==
| |
| {{Featurelist|secondcolumn=title-5|title-1=Characters|
| |
| ;Human
| |
| *[[Howard Graves]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Catherine Halsey]]
| |
| *[[Franklin Mendez]]
| |
| *[[Terrence Hood]]
| |
| *[[James Ackerson]]
| |
| *[[Laura Tanner]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Jim Higgins]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Richard Lash]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Julian Waters]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Xaing Cho]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Joe Yang]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Bethany Durruno]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Margaret Parangosky]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Aaron Gibson]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Miranda Keyes]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Ned Rich]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Kurt Ambrose]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Frederic-104]]
| |
| *[[Iglesias]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[John-117]]
| |
| *[[Kelly-087]]
| |
| *[[Linda-058]]
| |
| *[[William-043]]
| |
| *[[Shane-A112]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Robert-A057]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Jane-A203]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Tom-B292]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Lucy-B091]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Adam-B004]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Min-B174]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Ash-G099]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Holly-G003]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Olivia-G291]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Mark-G313]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Dante-G188]] {{1st}}
| |
| ;AI
| |
| *[[343 Guilty Spark]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Cortana]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Deep Winter]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Endless Summer]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Jerrod]] {{1st}}
| |
| ;Covenant
| |
| *[[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Paruto Xida Konna]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Waruna Xida Yotno]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Kwassass]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Gargantum]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Uruo 'Losonaee]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Zasses 'Jeqkogoee]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Y'gar 'Pewtrunoee]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Tano 'Inanraree]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Qunu]] {{1st}}
| |
| |title-2=Species|
| |
| *[[Flood]]
| |
| *[[Forerunners]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Human]]
| |
| *[[Huragok]]
| |
| *[[Jiralhanae]]
| |
| *[[Kig-Yar]]
| |
| *[[Mgalekgolo]]
| |
| *[[San'Shyuum]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Sangheili]]
| |
| *[[Unggoy]]
| |
| |title-3=Organizations|
| |
| *[[Covenant]]
| |
| **[[Covenant fleet]]
| |
| ***[[High Charity defense fleet|''High Charity'' defense fleet]]
| |
| ***[[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]
| |
| **[[Covenant military]]
| |
| **[[Fleet Security]]
| |
| **[[Governors of Contrition]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Covenant remnants]]
| |
| **[[Joyous Exultation Covenant]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Unified Earth Government]]
| |
| **[[United Nations Space Command]]
| |
| ***[[UNSC Army]]
| |
| ***[[UNSC Engineering Corps]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
| |
| ****[[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *****[[105th Shock Troops Division]] {{Mo}}
| |
| ***[[UNSC Medical Corps]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[UNSC Navy]]
| |
| ****[[Naval Special Weapons]]
| |
| *****[[SPARTAN-II program]]
| |
| ******[[Blue Team]]
| |
| ******[[Gray Team]] {{Mo}}
| |
| ******[[Green Team]]
| |
| ******[[Red Team]]
| |
| ****[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]
| |
| *****[[Beta-5 Division]]
| |
| ******[[SPARTAN-III program]] {{1st}}
| |
| *******[[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]] {{1st}}
| |
| *******[[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]] {{1st}}
| |
| *******[[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]] {{1st}}
| |
| *******[[SPARTAN-III Delta Company|Delta Company]] {{Fm}}
| |
| ****[[Patterson's battle group]] {{1st}}
| |
| ****[[Second Fleet]] {{Fm}}
| |
| ****[[Seventh Fleet]] {{Fm}}
| |
| ****[[Sixteenth Fleet]] {{Fm}}
| |
| ****[[UNSC Home Fleet]]
| |
| ***[[UNSC Prowler Corps]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[United Rebel Front]]
| |
| |title-4=Locations|
| |
| *[[111 Tauri system]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Victoria]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Camp New Hope]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Road 32-B]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[51 Pegasi system]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[51 Pegasi B]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Pegasi Delta]] {{1st}}
| |
| ****[[Target Area Apache]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[85 Pegasi-194A]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Biko]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Bonanza asteroid belt]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Coelest system]]
| |
| **[[Substance]]
| |
| ***[[Installation 05]]
| |
| ***[[Opusculus]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Cote d'Azure]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Eridanus system]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Station Jefferson]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Epsilon Eridani system]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Reach]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Epsilon Indi system]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Harvest]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Far-gone]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Far Isle]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Groombridge 34 system]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Construction Platform 966A]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[K7-49]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Lambda Serpentis system]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Jericho VII]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Mamore]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Miridem]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[New Constantinople]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[New Harmony]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Salia system]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Joyous Exultation]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Malhiem]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Sector B-042]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Sector K-009]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Sigma Octanus system]]
| |
| **[[Sigma Octanus IV]]
| |
| *[[Soell]] system {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Threshold]] {{Mo}}
| |
| ***[[Installation 04]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Sol system]]
| |
| **[[Earth]]
| |
| ***[[Africa]]
| |
| ****[[Kenya]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *****[[New Mombasa]] {{Mo}}
| |
| ***[[Australia]] {{Mo}}
| |
| ****[[Sydney]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *****[[Sydney Synthetic Intellect Institute]] {{Fm}}
| |
| ***[[Mount Erebus]] {{Fm}}
| |
| ***[[South America]]
| |
| ****[[Wikipedia:Cuba|Cuba]] {{1st}}
| |
| *****[[Havana]] {{1st}}
| |
| ******[[Centennial Orbital Elevator]] {{1st}}
| |
| *******[[Station Wayward Rest]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[United Republic of North America]]
| |
| ****[[Mexico City]] {{1st}}
| |
| *****[[Base Segundo Terra]] {{1st}}
| |
| *****[[Yucatan Peninsula]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Pluto]]
| |
| ***''[[Democritus]]'' {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Tala system]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Balaho]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *''[[Tripoli]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| *[[YED-4]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Zeta Doradus system]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Mackintosh]] {{Im}}
| |
| **[[Onyx]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Camp Currahee]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Core room antechamber]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[El Morro Point]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Gregor Canyon]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Tree house]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Trevelyan]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Twin Forks River]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[XF-063 IV-1]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Zone 67]] {{1st}}
| |
| |title-5=Events|
| |
| *[[Great Schism]]
| |
| *[[Human-Covenant War]]
| |
| **[[Battle of Chi Ceti]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Battle for Earth]]
| |
| ***[[Battle of Havana]] {{1st}}
| |
| ***[[Battle of Mombasa]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Battle of Installation 05]]
| |
| ***[[Fall of High Charity|Fall of ''High Charity'']]
| |
| **[[Battle of New Harmony]] {{Fm}}
| |
| **[[Battle of Miridem]] {{Fm}}
| |
| **[[Onyx Conflict]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Fall of Reach]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Operation: HYPODERMIC]] {{Mo}}
| |
| **[[Operation: PROMETHEUS]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Operation: TORPEDO]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Battle of New Constantinople]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Insurrection]]
| |
| **[[Mamore insurrections]]
| |
| **[[Operation: SMOKING ACES]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Rainforest Wars]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures]] {{Mo}}
| |
| |title-6=Vehicles|
| |
| *{{Class|Behemoth|tug}} {{Mo}}
| |
| *{{Class|Black Cat|subprowler}} {{1st}}
| |
| *{{Class|Calypso|exfiltration craft}} {{1st}}
| |
| *{{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} {{Mo}}
| |
| **''[[Solemn Penance]]'' {{Mo}}
| |
| *{{Class|Chiroptera|subprowler}}
| |
| **''[[Beatrice]]''
| |
| *[[Class-3 Bumblebee]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Covenant destroyer]]
| |
| **''[[Absolution]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| **''[[Far Sight Lost]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| **''[[Rapturous Arc]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Covenant escape pod]]
| |
| *[[Covenant frigate]]
| |
| **''[[Revenant (ship)|Revenant]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| **''[[Tenebrous]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| **''[[Twilight Compunction]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| *{{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}} {{1st}}
| |
| **''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| *''[[Sublime Transcendence]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| *[[DCS light freighter]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Covenant light carrier]]
| |
| **''[[Lawgiver]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| *[[D77-TC Pelican]]
| |
| *''[[High Charity]]''
| |
| *[[GA-TL1 Longsword]]
| |
| *[[M12 Chaingun Warthog]]
| |
| *[[M808B Scorpion]]
| |
| *[[MAKO drone]] {{1st}}
| |
| *{{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}
| |
| *[[Orbital defense platform]]
| |
| **''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''
| |
| *{{Class|Parabola|freighter}}
| |
| *{{Class|Paris|heavy frigate}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Paris}} {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Prowler]]
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Circumference}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Dusk}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Razor's Edge}} {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Refit station]]
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Cradle}} {{Mo}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Hopeful}} {{1st}}
| |
| *{{Pattern|Varric|heavy cruiser}} {{1st}}
| |
| **''[[Incorruptible]]'' {{1st}}
| |
| *{{Pattern|Wik|light destroyer}}
| |
| *[[Scarab]]
| |
| *[[Drop pod]]
| |
| **[[Long range stealth orbital drop pod]] {{Mo}}
| |
| *{{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}} {{Mo}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} {{Mo}}
| |
| *[[Tractor unit]]
| |
| *{{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}
| |
| *[[Type-26 Banshee]]
| |
| *{{Pattern|Zurdo|Wraith}}
| |
| *{{Pattern|Ruwaa|Shadow}}
| |
| *[[Seraph]]
| |
| *{{Pattern|Ru'swum|Phantom}}
| |
| *[[UNSC carrier]]
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|All Under Heaven}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Magellan}} {{Mo}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Stalingrad}} {{1st}}
| |
| *[[UNSC corvette]]
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Chalons}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Coral Sea}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Pony Express}} {{1st}}
| |
| *[[UNSC destroyer]]
| |
| **''[[Origami]]'' {{Fm}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Brasidas}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Bunker Hill}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Glasgow Kiss}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Iwo Jima}} {{1st}}
| |
| *[[UNSC frigate]]
| |
| **[[UNSC Agincourt (frigate)|UNSC ''Agincourt'']] {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}} {{Mo}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Redoubtable}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Tannenberg}} {{1st}}
| |
| *{{Class|Point Blank|prowler}} {{1st}}
| |
| **{{UNSCShip|Point of No Return}} {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Warthog armored personnel carrier]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Welcome Wagon]]
| |
| |title-7=Weapons|
| |
| *[[Archer missile]]
| |
| *[[Assault cannon]]
| |
| *[[Asteroidea anti-personnel mine]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[C-12 shaped charge]]
| |
| *[[Class-2 directed energy cannon]]
| |
| *[[Combat knife]]
| |
| *[[Concussion grenade]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[CM 300 carbine]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]
| |
| *[[Four-forty]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Fougasse]]
| |
| *[[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]]
| |
| *[[Heavy plasma cannon]]
| |
| *[[Lotus anti-tank mine]]
| |
| *[[M19-B surface-to-air missile launcher]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[M202 XP machine gun]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[M370 autocannon]]
| |
| *[[M41 rocket launcher]]
| |
| *[[M41 Vulcan]]
| |
| *[[M441 Hornet Remote Explosive System]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[M6 series|M6 series magnum]]
| |
| *[[M7/Caseless Submachine Gun]]
| |
| *[[M9 fragmentation grenade]]
| |
| *[[MA5B assault rifle]]
| |
| *[[MA5K carbine]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]
| |
| *[[NOVA bomb]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Plasma charge]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Plasma mortar]]
| |
| *[[Plasma turret]]
| |
| *[[Pulse laser turret]]
| |
| *[[Sentinel beam]]
| |
| *[[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle]]
| |
| *[[Type-1 energy sword]]
| |
| *{{Pattern|Anskum|plasma grenade}}
| |
| *[[Type-25 Brute Shot]]
| |
| *[[Type-25 plasma pistol]]
| |
| *{{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}
| |
| *{{Pattern|Pez'tk|fuel rod gun}}
| |
| *[[Type-33 Needler]]
| |
| *{{Pattern|Shepsu|plasma cannon}}
| |
| |title-8=Equipment and Technology|
| |
| *[[Active camouflage]]
| |
| *[[Ancilla]]
| |
| *[[Artificial intelligence]]
| |
| **[[Avatar]]
| |
| **[[Dumb AI]]
| |
| **[[Rampancy]]
| |
| **[[Smart AI]]
| |
| *[[Antigravity pack]]
| |
| *[[Antigravity plate]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[BLACK WIDOW communications satellite]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Communications satellite]]
| |
| *[[Cryonics]]
| |
| *[[Data pad]]
| |
| *[[Dyson sphere]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Electronic countermeasures]]
| |
| *[[Emergency lighting]]
| |
| *[[Encryption code]]
| |
| *[[Energy shielding]]
| |
| **[[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet]]
| |
| **[[Sangheili personal energy shield]]
| |
| *[[Falcon Wing aerial descent unit]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Faraday cage]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Flashbang grenade]]
| |
| *[[Fusion reactor]]
| |
| *[[Gravity lift]]
| |
| *[[Guidance lock]]
| |
| *[[Helmet recorder]]
| |
| *[[Holotank]]
| |
| *[[Long range stealth orbital drop pod]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Methane tank]]
| |
| *[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]]
| |
| **[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV]]
| |
| **[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V]]
| |
| **[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI]]
| |
| **[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/V variant]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Motion tracker]]
| |
| *[[Neural-inhibitor collar]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Personal computer]]
| |
| *[[Photoreactive panel]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Pinch fusion reactor]]
| |
| *[[Quantum mirror]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Repulsor engine]]
| |
| *[[Retinal scanner]]
| |
| *[[Riemann matrix]]
| |
| *[[Robotic rover]]
| |
| *[[Rucksack]]
| |
| *[[Combat harness|Sangheili combat harness]]
| |
| *[[Sentinel]]
| |
| **[[Aggressor Sentinel]]
| |
| **[[Onyx Sentinel]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Sealant foam]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Sentinel manufacturing facility]]
| |
| *[[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]]
| |
| *[[Shield world]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Slipspace bubble]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Slipspace COM launcher]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Slipspace field pod]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Slipspace translocation]]
| |
| *[[Space elevator]]
| |
| *[[Stationary shield generator]]
| |
| *[[Stealth ablative coating]] {{Fm}}
| |
| *[[Stealth Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Satellite]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Sterile field generator]]
| |
| *[[TACMAP]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Teleportation grid]]
| |
| *[[Texture buffer]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[Thermal blanket]] {{1st}}
| |
| *[[VTOL]]
| |
| *[[Unggoy combat harness]]
| |
| *[[Weapon attachments]]
| |
| **[[Flashlight]]
| |
| **[[Muzzle brake]]
| |
| **[[Oracle scope|Oracle N-variant scope]] {{1st}}
| |
| **[[Telescopic sight]]
| |
| *[[X-ELF radar system]] {{1st}}
| |
| |title-9=Miscellaneous|
| |
| *[[File EHY-97]] {{1st}}
| |
| }}
| |
| | |
| ==Reception==
| |
| Critical reception to ''Ghosts of Onyx'' was mostly positive. IGN stated that it did some "pretty nifty things" and that it was "an interesting and very sneaky way to conclude a story without spoiling ''Halo 3''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s story".<ref>http://xbox.ign.com/articles/749/749402p1.html</ref> Arbiter's Judgment stated that it was "a grand continuation of Nylund's previous work, and if you enjoyed it then you will enjoy Ghosts of Onyx, plain and simple".<ref>http://arbitersjudgement.blogspot.com/2006/11/halo-ghosts-of-onyx-review.html</ref>
| |
|
| |
|
| However, Subnova had reviews that were less than positive, stating that "it introduces a new character...well, 300 new characters, while incorporating no old ones, and it dizzies the reader with new facts and information". It also noted how the Master Chief and Cortana were "ignored", and only appeared in one section, rather than in the past books.<ref>http://www.subnova.com/books/</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ==Sequel==
| |
| {{Main|Halo: Glasslands}}
| |
| For several years, ''Ghosts of Onyx'' was one of the most popular ''Halo'' novels to have a sequel made. [[Frank O'Connor]] had hinted at the possibility of a follow-up to ''Ghosts of Onyx'', authored by Eric Nylund. The sequel was already in talks by early 2010.<ref>[http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive32.pl?read=968949 '''halo.bungie.org:''' ''Re: Frankie, Frankie, Frankie...'' #1]</ref><ref>[http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive32.pl?read=969038 '''halo.bungie.org:''' ''Re: Frankie, Frankie, Frankie...'' #2]</ref> The follow-up to the novel was announced on July 20, 2010, and despite the earlier talks with Nylund, it was confirmed to be written by [[Karen Traviss]], award-winning novelist and author of the ''[[Human Weakness]]'' short story in ''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''. The novel, titled ''Halo: Glasslands'', is a direct follow-up to the story of ''Ghosts of Onyx'', and is the first of a new series to explore the ''Halo'' universe after the events of ''[[Halo 3]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|bulletin}}<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/transmissions/article/2010-07-20-Bestselling-Author-Karen-Traviss-Set-To-Explore-The-Halo-Universe Bestselling Author Karen Traviss Set To Explore The Halo Universe]</ref> It was released on [[2011|October 25, 2011]] on hardcover, paperback and audiobook.<ref name = "Amazon">[http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Glasslands-Karen-Traviss/dp/0765323931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308338967&sr=8-1 '''Amazon.com''': ''Halo: Glasslands (hardcover)'']</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ==Trivia==
| |
| *The name ''Ghosts of Onyx'' is reminiscent of the track ''[[Ghosts of Reach]]'' from the ''[[Halo 2: Original Soundtrack]]''.
| |
| *Before the confirmation of the book itself, the book's placeholder and showcase online name was ''"Ghosts of Coral"''. This raised much speculation about [[i love bees]]' significance to the ''Halo'' series, as [[Coral]] is a planet featured in the alternate reality game. During that stage, two chapters were cut from the novel for "pacing reasons," though Nylund expressed a desire to release them.<ref>http://www.ericnylund.net/2008/02/foul.html</ref>
| |
| *There are two different back cover variants; one with a SPARTAN in [[Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor|SPI armor]] and another with a SPARTAN-II in [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI MJOLNIR armor]].
| |
| *On his blog, Eric Nylund has confirmed that there will be a reprint some time in the future, fixing many errors in the book. The time for this reprint is not yet known.<ref>http://www.ericnylund.net/2006/11/quick-fix.html</ref>
| |
| *Camp Currahee is most likely a reference to the real-world [[wikipedia:Camp Toccoa|Camp Toccoa]], a training area for the [[wikipedia:101st Airborne Division|101st Airborne Division]] during World War II, which was located near Currahee Mountain in Georgia. It was popularized by the HBO miniseries [[wikipedia:Band of Brothers (TV miniseries)|''Band of Brothers'']]. Kurt-051's pseudonym, "Ambrose", is likely a reference to [[wikipedia:Steven Ambrose|Steven E. Ambrose]], the author of the book upon which the miniseries was based.
| |
| *This book, along with ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest]]'' and ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol|The Cole Protocol]]'' , is included in the [[Halo Boxed Set|''Halo'' Boxed Set]].
| |
| *The cover of the novel depicts what has since been established as the [[Eld]], the Forerunner glyph for the [[Mantle]], under the title ''Ghosts of Onyx''.
| |
| *The book erroneously refers to the [[UNSC]] [[frigate]] ''[[In Amber Clad]]'' as a destroyer.
| |
|
| |
| ==Gallery==
| |
| ===Cover art artwork===
| |
| <gallery>
| |
| File:Ih_onyx_cover.jpg|2006 cover art of the novel.
| |
| </gallery>
| |
|
| |
| ===Edition covers===
| |
| <gallery>
| |
| File:Onyx cover.jpg|2006 edition.
| |
| File:GoO cover 2019.jpg|2019 edition.
| |
| </div>
| |
| </gallery>
| |
|
| |
| ===Other===
| |
| <gallery>
| |
| File:Notfinal Onyx back.jpg|An early version of ''Onyx''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s back cover.
| |
| File:HGOO Cover with spine.jpg|The Cover with the spine of the book.
| |
| File:GoO cover back 2019.jpg|Cover back of 2019 edition.
| |
| File:HINF - Ghost of Onyx feat MA5K.jpg|A render in ''[[Halo Infinite]]'' made by [[Halo Studios]] which echoes the cover of the novel.
| |
| </gallery>
| |
|
| |
| ==Sources==
| |
| {{Ref/Sources}}
| |
|
| |
| ==External links==
| |
| *[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Halo-Ghosts-Onyx-Tor/dp/0765315688/sr=1-2/qid=1161280357/ref=sr_1_2/202-4426755-9654208?ie=UTF8&s=books/ Amazon.co.uk Halo Ghosts of Onyx] | | *[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Halo-Ghosts-Onyx-Tor/dp/0765315688/sr=1-2/qid=1161280357/ref=sr_1_2/202-4426755-9654208?ie=UTF8&s=books/ Amazon.co.uk Halo Ghosts of Onyx] |
| *[http://astore.amazon.ca/gp/detail.html?tag=cuteseller-20&linkCode=sb1&asin=0765315688 Read an excerpt] | | *[http://astore.amazon.ca/gp/detail.html?tag=cuteseller-20&linkCode=sb1&asin=0765315688 Read an excerpt] |
| *[[wikipedia:Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Wikipedia's article on Ghosts of Onyx]] | | *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_of_onyx |
|
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|
| {{Navbox/Media/Novels}}
| | [[Category:Books]] |
| [[Category:Novels|Ghosts of Onyx]] | |
| [[Category:Canon|Ghosts]]
| |
