Hannibal HQ
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- "This place might look like an inviting office building, but it's a fortress, make no mistake."
- — Ram Chalva[1]
Hannibal HQ is the corporate headquarters of Hannibal Weapon Systems in the city of Pilvros on New Carthage, an Inner Colony. The structure rests at the center of the city and is also its tallest skyscraper.[1]
Overview[edit]
Exterior design[edit]
Hannibal HQ sits at the center of an expansive campus of various Hannibal Weapon Systems-operated high-rises, which is itself situated at the heart of Pilvros. The headquarters is surrounded by a manicured park and a plaza with sculptures, outdoor seating, a few eateries, and a water fountain. Looming over of it—as well as every other structure in the city—is Hannibal HQ, a sleek skyscraper of mirrored glass.[3]
Interior layout[edit]
The building's main atrium is four stories tall and centered around Pori Meteor,[1] a massive chunk of variegated rock crafted by the Forerunners to be either a beacon or a power station, but to also look natural as to blend into the surrounding landscape.[3] Now the centerpiece of the headquarters' atrium, the "meteor" is surrounded with carefully landscaped plants, accent lighting, and viewing benches.[1] The atrium's floor is formed of striking marble with striations of mica and abalone-like shells, which shimmer in the room's lighting.[3] At the back of the atrium is an elevator that can be taken either higher up in the structure or down into the sublevels, of which there are at least three. On sublevel three is another elevator—this one protected by two guards—that leads to the Forerunner way station three kilometers beneath Hannibal HQ's foundation.[2]
The way station is situated in a massive subterranean cavern and is composed of a sleek gray alloy platform covering at least three acres, with glowing blue accents and symbols. The platform is anchored in place with large superstructures that reach up to pierce the bedrock above. A pair of light bridges reach out from the main platform to meet a smaller platform with a terminal on the other side of the chamber, forming a semicircle.[2]
History[edit]
Founding[edit]
In 2474, the Hannibal family travelled to New Carthage, settling on a thirty-acre swath of land in the Pori region. After a few decades of development, this would eventually become Pilvros, named after Jack Pilvros Hannibal. By 2505, the family had constructed what would come to be called "Hannibal HQ" over the site of the Pori Meteor and the Forerunner structure beneath it. Six years after that, Jack Hannibal had produced the first small-scale quantum photonic amplifier for SATCOM relays, likely basing this technology off of secrets gleaned from the advanced alien facility. This invention revolutionized the speed and integrity of extraplanet communications, and Hannibal was hailed as a genius. As a result, Hannibal Weapon Systems was formed.[1]
Post-war[edit]
Up until 2558, Hannibal HQ remained the epicenter of the corporation's dealings on New Carthage, especially in Pilvros. In September of that year, the region began seeing an increase in earthquakes, and the headquarters—along with the rest of the city—was evacuated as a precaution.[4] A few weeks later, the crew of the Ace of Spades used this knowledge to fake a tremor using a wave suppressor so that that Ram Chalva could enter the building under the cover of the evacuation. Their goal was to search the Forerunner way station beneath the HQ for Rion Forge, their captain.[2] While retrieving a coordinate key from the Cartographer on Installation 07, she had been pulled through a portal and her crew suspected that Rion had been transported to the way station, which was the key's next destination.[1]
When Lessa and Niko activated their reengineered suppressor and simulated an earthquake that would cause the building's occupants to evacuate, Ram entered Hannibal HQ as a fragment of Spark infiltrated its computer systems guide him along. Ram made use of an active camouflage unit to descend the atrium's elevator to sublevel three, then to sneak past the guards and onto the elevator that led to the way station. Rion was nowhere to be found, but Ram did retrieve the final piece of the coordinate key, which would lead to Erebus VII. Making use of his camouflage once again, he escaped Hannibal HQ and rendezvoused with the rest of the Ace of Spades crew.[2]
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo: Point of Light (First appearance)
