Editing Installation 07

{{Era|Forerunner|HCW|Post|FA}}

|location=Anchored to [[Ephsu I]], [[Ephsu system]],<ref name="HPoLC8">''[[Halo: Point of Light]]'', chapter 8</ref> [[Sagittarius Arm]], [[Milky Way]]<ref name="warfleet">''[[Halo: Warfleet]]'', p. 12</ref> {{C|formerly}}{{Ref/Game|Id=OI09|Game=Halo Infinite|Section=Database|Detail=Outpost Intel 09 - To Andrew Valleros}}

|anchor=

|caretaker=[[Monitor]] [[117649 Despondent Pyre]]<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/forums/db05ce78845f4120b062c50816008e5d/topics/query-catalog-old/7fbf60e8-92f7-4826-ac2a-ab1b5e4e3603/posts?page=10#post100 '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Query: Catalog'']</ref>

|destroyed=Deactivated from [[Installation 00]] as of [[2555#March|March 2555]]

|diameter= 10,000 kilometers {{c|formerly 30,000 kilometers}}<ref name="prim341">'''Halo: Primordium''' ''page 341''</ref>

|surface width=318 kilometers{{Ref/Reuse|hitd preview}}

'''Installation 07''', also known as '''Zeta Halo''',{{Ref/Reuse|hitd preview}}<ref name="source">[[:File:H3 halo inner ring title.PNG|Halo 3 Texture files: ''halo inner ring'']]</ref> and originally known as '''Gyre 11''',{{Ref/Novel|Id=POL9|POL|Chapter=9}} is one of the [[seven]] rings in the [[Halo Array]], located in the [[Sagittarius Arm]] of the [[Milky Way]] galaxy.{{Ref/Reuse|warfleet}} Unlike the other six remaining Halo installations, which were constructed as a separate array of rings with the diameter of 10,000 kilometers,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 329''</ref> Installation 07 is the only surviving ring from the original main array of twelve 30,000-kilometer-wide Halos.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 325''</ref> However, the installation's diameter was reduced to 10,000 kilometers after most of its superstructure was discarded as a result of heavy damage.<ref name="prim344">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 344''</ref> ONI scientists consider it to be the most mysterious Halo of all.{{Ref/Reuse|prim341}}

Unlike the other six rings in the final Halo Array, Installation 07 was manufactured at the [[greater Ark]] instead of [[Installation 00]] or the "lesser Ark". As a result, it was originally three times the size of a normal Halo ring (30,000 kilometers in diameter).{{Ref/Reuse|prim341}} Like the other Halos, Installation 07 served a secondary purpose as a [[Lifeworker]] preserve for biological specimens from across the galaxy as part of the [[Conservation Measure]]. Installation 07 was primarily dedicated to [[human]]s, being home to various species and subspecies of the human genus, alongside numerous fauna and flora. The humans living on the installation identified themselves as [[Tudejsa]], meaning "the People" or "People from Here".<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 25''</ref> In the beginning, these humans were allowed to build their own societies and were mostly left undisturbed by the Forerunners.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 64-65''</ref> Some of the People even constructed rudimentary cities.<ref name="Halo page 36">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 36''</ref>

During the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]] placed Installation 07, along with the other eleven rings in the original Array, under control of the [[Contender-class artificial intelligence|Contender-class AI]] [[Mendicant Bias]], and one of the primary extensions of the AI was placed on the ring.<ref name="prim190">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 190-192''</ref> At one point, the Master Builder broke his deal with the [[Librarian]] and began to use the human specimens on the ring for his brutal experiments on the [[Flood]]. Some of the Lifeworkers serving on the installation complied and aided Faber's minions in these experiments, while those most loyal to the Librarian worked to keep the installation's biological preserves intact. Faber also forcibly drafted [[Warrior-Servant]]s as an additional security force for the installation. In their exhaustive experiments, the Master Builder's researchers found that the majority of humans were apparently immune to the Flood, which they believed to be a result of a "cure" developed by [[ancient humanity]] during the ancient [[Human-Flood war|human-Flood conflict]]. In reality, no cure ever existed and the humans' apparent immunity was the result of the Flood's ongoing strategy to target Forerunners only.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 364''</ref>

Faber's researchers believed that a cure to the Flood might be found via extracting ancestral [[mind transfer|memory imprints]] from humans who carried the Librarian's special ''[[geas]]''. Since the human specimens on the installation lacked these imprints, Faber ordered his forces to gather humans from the Librarian's [[Erde-Tyrene civilization|special population]] on [[Earth]] and transplant them to Installation 07. This was against the instructions of the Librarian and the [[Ecumene Council]], who deemed the presence of ancient human warriors on a Halo too great of a security risk.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 189''</ref> Consequently, both the installation's own human specimens and humans from Earth would be used in the Master Builder's experiments,{{Ref/Reuse|prim190}} in what the humans came to know as the "[[Palace of Pain]]." However, the "palace" was not in fact a single location as the humans believed, but many [[Flood research facility|Flood research facilities]] across the ring, most of them being re-purposed Lifeworker biological research stations.<ref name="p357">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 357-358''</ref>

According to the story [[Gamelpar]] told [[Chakas]], the ring was moved five times since he was brought from Erde-Tyrene before it settled in the system where it remained while Faber's experiments were conducted. Gamelpar's story also suggested that the installation was fired twice, once presumably in the [[Charum Hakkor system]] but the second time for an unknown reason, possibly a directed pulse at [[Faun Hakkor]] rather than both planets falling victim to the same pulse.<ref name="p66">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 66''</ref>{{Ref/Note|[[Gamelpar]] states to [[Chakas]] "and twice we saw something other than brightness and darkness - something terrible came out of the hub and the center of the wheel - something that gave us fits and hurt the soul. But we did not die. We moved again. Under the orange sun, where [[Vinnevra]] was born. It was under that sun that the Forerunners came in their boats and carried us off to the [[Palace of Pain]]."}}

Not trusting the Lifeworkers, Faber assigned Mendicant Bias to interrogate the Primordial,{{Ref/Reuse|prim190}} which, using its knowledge of the Precursors' plan and compelling arguments that the Forerunners' rule led to eternal stagnation, eventually managed to turn the AI against its Forerunner masters. The creature also managed to manipulate the Master Builder into complying it with its schemes; whether Faber was fully aware of the Primordial's goals, or simply an uninformed pawn, is unclear.{{Ref/Reuse|p357}} The Primordial then took charge of operations on Installation 07, encouraging the Master Builder to continue his experiments on humans, apparently for no reason other than its own amusement.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 365''</ref>

The Master Builder himself departed the installation shortly after the Primordial had been brought in, leaving his researchers in charge.<ref name="p271">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 271''</ref> Over time, Faber reduced the role of Lifeworkers on the installation, eventually confining them to smaller preserves with select groups of humans, while his minions continued their attempts to infect humans.{{Ref/Reuse|p271}} As Faber's researchers took more and more humans from across the ring for their experiments, many human societies effectively collapsed; the People abandoned the cities out of fear that the Forerunners would come take them away, escaping to the wilderness.{{Ref/Reuse|p66}}

After Mendicant Bias had been subverted by the Primordial, the AI broke the safeguards in the ring's various [[Flood containment facility|Flood containment facilities]],<ref name="p272">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 272''</ref> allowing the parasite to spread to various sections of the installation. The Flood devoured large areas of the Halo's artificial landscape, covering it with [[Flood hive|Flood biomass]].<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 216-219''</ref> As more and more Forerunners succumbed to the Flood across the installation, the Master Builder had a machine known as the [[Composer]] used to stave off the effects of Flood infection in a number of infected Forerunners.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 265''</ref>

After Installation 07 had been officially considered missing for 43 years, the Master Builder had a second Halo ring transported to the primary [[San'Shyuum]] world [[Janjur Qom]] and authorized its activation to suppress [[Battle of Janjur Qom|a rebellion]], wiping out all but few of the San'Shyuum.{{Ref/Note|In ''[[Halo: Primordium]]'', while explaining what has gone on to [[Chakas]], [[Genemender-Folder-of-Fortune]] tells him that Installation 07 was used to sterilize [[Janjur Qom]]. However, this contradicts ''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' where [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar]] realizes that [[Faber]] has lost a Halo. Furthermore, on page 275 of ''Cryptum'', the Halo in the [[San'Shyuum home system]] is specifically identified as a second installation.}} However, he failed to foresee the consequences of this decision. Immediately following the firing, many of the [[Warrior-Servant]]s and [[Lifeworker]]s assigned to serve under Faber's [[Builder]] forces openly rebelled against the Master Builder, viewing his actions as a grave offense against the [[Mantle]]. This rebellion was, for the most part, violently suppressed by Faber's [[Builder Security]] forces and the remaining Warriors and Lifeworkers were given a choice to either serve Faber or be killed. Some chose to ally with the Master Builder while those loyal to the Council continued to resist, sabotaging power stations and other facilities in an attempt to cripple the installation from within.<ref name="p305">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 305''</ref>

Once the news of Faber's use of a Halo installation against the San'Shyuum reached the Ecumene Council, Faber was arrested and put to trial on [[Maethrillian]], the Forerunner capital world. The other eleven Halo rings were gathered in orbit over the Capital, while Installation 07 remained missing after the incident at Janjur Qom.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 282''</ref>

During Faber's trial, Installation 07 appeared over [[Maethrillian]]. The rampant Mendicant Bias managed to subvert its other extensions on five of the remaining Halo rings, and cripple the capital's forces, while releasing the Master Builder from captivity. However, the emergent [[IsoDidact]] used a control code to temporarily stun Mendicant Bias, which allowed the Capital's defenses to respond to the attack and assault the Halos under Mendicant Bias' control.<ref name="cryptum">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 300-316''</ref> The capital's fleets opened fire on Installation 07, while the Halo's [[sentinel]]s and the Master Builder's ships attempted to defend it.{{Ref/Reuse|cryptum}} Many of the ships involved in the battle were destroyed and crashed across the ringworld.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 304''</ref> Despite the installation taking heavy damage, Mendicant Bias successfully activated the ring's main weapon at the conclusion of the battle, presumably wiping out all life in the Capital system.{{Ref/Reuse|p272}}

Following the battle at the capital, Installation 07 retreated into a [[slipspace portal]], reappearing in a distant star system near the galaxy's edges.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 273''</ref> This was part of a security measure beyond Mendicant Bias' control—in order to prevent the ring from falling in the wrong hands, it had been programmed to enter a course which would result in a collision with [[Wolf-faced planet|a planet]] in several days.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 279''</ref> As the primary, automated control systems had been sabotaged,<ref name="p320">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 320''</ref> the Primordial and Mendicant Bias were unable to direct the Halo's movements. Instead, they began to gather humans in a last-ditch effort to use them to manually steer the ring away from its destructive course.

After its successful retreat, Installation 07 began automated measures to repair the damage it had taken. Over the next few days, entire plates of the ring's superstructure were replaced and rebuilt.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 76-78''</ref> However, the installation was still low on power due to many of the power stations being down, and entire sections kept experiencing power outages.<ref name="p194">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 194-197''</ref> Meanwhile, the Halo's human and Forerunner occupants were caught amidst the chaos. Mendicant Bias used its all-encompassing control to corrupt most ancillas and [[Forerunner personal armor|Forerunner armors]] on the ring, turning the armors into death-traps for their wearers. This forced Forerunners on the installation to remove their armor in order to survive.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 186''</ref>

The [[Lifeworker beacon]]s across the installation, used to transmit orders to the local humans via their ''[[geas]]'', were giving conflicting commands which kept changing as the various factions fought for control of the beacons.<ref name="p184">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 184''</ref> Similar beacons were used to transmit orders to Lifeworkers and their ancillas across the ring, and although they believed the orders came from the Librarian, there was no definite certainty of this. Acting under these orders, a Lifeworker known as [[Genemender-Folder-of-Fortune]] extracted and stored the consciousnesses and ancient personality imprints of any humans he found, doing the same to himself, believing it would save him from having to serve the Master Builder.{{Ref/Reuse|p194}}

During the battle above the capital, two Earth humans, [[Chakas]] and [[Riser]], who had been captured by Faber and were aboard ships headed to Installation 07, crashed in different parts of the ring. Chakas landed near a village, where a young woman known as [[Vinnevra]] found him and later took him to see her grandfather, [[Gamelpar]], who had been brought on the ring from Earth by Faber's minions long ago. The group then proceeded to travel under the guidance of Vinnevra's ''geas'', which had activated upon Chakas' arrival, but upon arriving at the destination, they discovered it to be a "Palace of Pain", where the Primordial itself and a number of [[war sphinx]]es were herding numerous humans inside.<ref name="p109">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 109''</ref> After traveling in the opposite direction for several days, the group reunited with Riser, who had landed in a Flood-infested region nearby. Eventually, they came across a rail transport which brought them to Lifeworker Central, where a monitor instructed them to enter another transport.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 266-273''</ref>

The humans were then taken to the facility where Mendicant Bias' core was housed. There, humans from Earth were separated from the Tudejsa, and their ancestral personality imprints were removed by Mendicant Bias and the Primordial. They were given a choice to cooperate with Mendicant Bias and have their revenge against the Forerunners for [[Human-Forerunner wars|destroying their civilization]] ten thousand years earlier; however, they would first have to help save the Halo from colliding with the approaching planet. Those who accepted Bias' offer were sent to various control stations spread out across the Halo, including the [[Cartographer]].{{Ref/Reuse|p320}} However, humans alone did not possess the knowledge necessary to properly interface with the ring; instead, Flood-infected Forerunners processed by the Composer were brought in and connected with each human to the Halo's control systems.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 328''</ref> As Installation 07 approached the planet, the controllers successfully managed to reorient the ring in a way the planet would pass through the center; this way, the ring would take heavy damage but had a chance of surviving.

Despite this, there was still a grave risk that the gravitational pull of the planet would tear the Halo apart. Plates of foundation material were moved over the exterior walls in preparation for repairs during the passage. Sentinels and other craft were positioned across the Halo, firing their engines in an attempt to alter the installation's course, with little success. The Halo's central [[hard light]] hub and spokes, typically used in the activation process of the main weapon, were activated to slow down the ring's passage over the planet, and to borrow some of the planet's velocity in order to alter the ring's orbit in an effort to prevent collisions in possible future orbital passes. However, the hard-light structures did not last long against the planet's surface, disintegrating shortly after the impact. The installation's outer walls quickly exceeded their capacity to manage the strain of the planet's tidal stresses, coming apart at various points. As the walls gave way, the foundational plates began to bend and distort, with massive gaps–some of them hundreds of kilometers in diameter–opening between them.<ref name="p333">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 333-346''</ref>

====Retake and reduction====

Most of the Installation's surviving biological specimens, including humans, were saved by the Lifeworkers and relocated to the Ark.<ref>''Halo: Primordium'', p. 348</ref> Mendicant Bias' core on the installation was deactivated, while the AI itself was forced to undergo a process to "correct" its rampancy.<ref>''Halo: Primordium'', p. 356</ref> The Primordial was captured and placed in a cage within a chamber deep underneath the installation's surface; there, the Didact interrogated the being with an injured Chakas, before executing it.<ref>''Halo: Primordium'', p. 359-367</ref> The majority of the Flood, including ten inactive [[proto-Gravemind]]s and the infected Forerunners processed by the Composer, remained on the ring, watched over by a number of remaining monitors. By order of the Didact, the Halo, now shrouded in perpetual cloud, was eventually sent through a slipspace portal to remain as a memorial, a "sacred tomb" for the millions of beings that had died there.<ref>''Halo: Primordium'', p. 373-374</ref> At the same time, it was intended to be used in concert with the final, newer Halo Array if mass galactic sterilization was deemed necessary.<ref>''Halo: Silentium'', p. 314</ref>{{Ref/Note|Though never officially stated, Installation 07's primary weapon was presumably upgraded at some point to become omnidirectional like those of the newer array rather than the unidirectional pulse it had as part of the older array. Otherwise, Installation 07 never could've acted as part of the newer array in an act of mass galactic sterilization.}}

At the conclusion of the Forerunner-Flood war, Installation 07 was activated along with the other six rings in the final Halo Array, wiping out all life within its effective radius of 25,000 light years.

====Activation====

On [[2552#November|November 3, 2552]], during the [[Battle of Installation 05]], a signal was sent to this Halo from [[Installation 05]], putting the former—as well as the entire Array—on standby mode. Installation 07 was then ready to fire on demand.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[The Great Journey]]''</ref>

Later in 2552, during the [[Battle of Installation 00]], Installation 07 was still on standby. However, [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN]] [[John-117]] deactivated the Halo Array before it could be fired, rendering Installation 07 inert.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref> By analyzing the holographic data in the Ark's [[Installation 00 Citadel|Citadel]], the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] deduced basic details about Installation 07, including its size and what appeared to be a cloud cover blanketing its surface. The supposedly cloud-covered surface led an ONI scientist to speculate on whether the ring's life support systems had never recovered from the damage it sustained 100,000 years prior.{{Ref/Reuse|prim341}} It later turned out that the hologram within the Citadel was out of date and the ring's automated systems had since managed to restore its Earth-like ecosystem.<ref name="lore of the rings">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/canon-fodder-lore-of-the-rings '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Lore of the Rings'']</ref>

On [[2553|November 28, 2553]], a renowned scientist and historian named [[Luther Mann]] discovered the location of Zeta Halo through cross-referencing [[Forerunner]] architecture on the [[shield world]] [[Sarcophagus]]. ONI subsequently initiated the [[Zeta Halo project]] in [[2555]], sending a researcher detachment of approximately 300 scientists of multiple fields, including Mann and [[Henry Lamb]], to study the Halo along with hundreds of automated probes to scan and map out the installation. While inspecting the ring's custodial systems, Mann and Lamb discovered a Forerunner timer that they concluded was counting down to Installation 07's activation in five weeks.<ref name="hitd preview">[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1476795851/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=desktop-1&amp;pf_rd_r=0ZDTBAZQPQQBZSSQ44VW&amp;pf_rd_t=36701&amp;pf_rd_p=2079475242&amp;pf_rd_i=desktop '''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''': ''Chapter 1'']</ref> Similar countdowns were reported on the other installations of the Array. The galactic threat prompted the deployment of a joint UNSC-Sangheili detachment to [[Installation 00]] in order to find a way to stop the activation.<ref>'''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''', Chapter 2</ref>{{Ref/Note|According to a statement by [[Catalog/Archive|Catalog]] on the [[Halo Waypoint]] forums, the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] had implemented containment and sterilization protocols within possible [[Flood]] infected zones on the installation as of [[2558]]; after the Swords of Sanghelios informed the [[UNSC]] of its containment efforts, human and Sangheili naval forces began monitoring the installation, ensuring the Flood did not escape. ([https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm3003659_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post3003659 ''Catalog Interaction, page 48'']) This statement is of dubious accuracy in light of information from ''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'', which gives no indication of an ongoing Sangheili quarantine of Installation 07 as of 2555; instead, the Halo is depicted as having been discovered by the UNSC and remaining under ONI control, making the notion of the Swords informing the UNSC of their containment efforts distinctly out of place. Furthermore, no conspicuous Flood infection is described as being present on the installation in ''Hunters in the Dark''. It is possible that Catalog's statement was instead meant to refer to [[Installation 05]], which was known to be under quarantine by the Sangheili since the [[Great Schism]], or was simply ignored and overridden during the writing process of ''Hunters in the Dark''.}} As of August [[2558]] there were 3,416 humans present on the ring. 406 were scientists, the rest were military personnel.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=POL9}}

====Conflict on the Ring====

{{Main|Battle for Installation 07|Installation 07 conflict}}

At some point following the outbreak of the [[Created conflict]], the [[Banished]] under warlord [[Escharum]] took control of Installation 07 from the UNSC occupation force. The conflict was a huge loss for the UNSC, and left Installation 07 in a severe state of damage.{{Ref/Game|HINF}} During the event, the ring was moved from the Ephsu system.{{Ref/Reuse|OI09}}

[[File:Int7.jpg|250px|thumb|left|The symbol representing Installation 07.]]

Because of its different origin from the other six Halos in the Array, Installation 07 exhibits conspicuous differences to the other extant rings despite now being the same size. These differences are apparent in the Halo's physical infrastructure and material composition, but also subtler aspects such as the architecture and aesthetics of its structures and technology or the machine language of its distributed computer systems.{{Ref/Reuse|hitd preview}}

The depth of Installation 07's ground layer before the foundation material below, at least in some areas, is approximately 800–900 meters.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 97''</ref> As with the rest of the Halos, the upper layers of the plate foundation were shaped to accommodate the terrain formations that would be laid over them.<ref name="p318">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 318''</ref>

During the skirmishes surrounding the [[Fate of Maethrillian]], the terrain on the Halo was destroyed in many areas, leaving the bare foundation exposed. In addition, large gaps had been burned into the foundation itself during the battle around the Capital.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 112''</ref> Some of these damages was deemed extensive enough to remove and replace entire sections of the ring's foundational plate, with the Halo held together by its edge walls and possible field reinforcement during the operation. The replacement plates were moved from the Halo's exterior, transported over the inner portion of the ring and eventually placed in the missing sections.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 71-72, 76-77''</ref> In less damaged areas, building up the foundation from within the ring's interior was sufficient for repairs. A ditch in the landscape, for example, would be closed by the foundation gradually rising from below.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 105''</ref> Entire complexes of structures—some of them thousands of meters tall—had been destroyed; due to the ring's limited power, their basic [[hard light]] frameworks would continue to flicker on and off erratically, attempting to rebuild themselves.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 114, 116''</ref>

{{Quote|We feed the flies, the flies feed the bats and birds and the fish. It is [[Librarian|the Lady]]'s way.|[[Kirimt]]<ref name="p172">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 172''</ref>}}

As a sanctuary of Lifeworker specimens like the rest of the Halos, Installation 07 was home to numerous transplanted species of flora and fauna from various worlds, including life native to [[Earth]].<ref name="p57">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 57''</ref> These included bees,<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 43''</ref> mosquitoes,<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 164''</ref> rabbits,{{Ref/Reuse|p57}} bats{{Ref/Reuse|p172}} and edible scorpions larger than [[Chakas]] had seen in his home region of [[Marontik]].<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 41''</ref> Installation 07 had not been fully finished by the time of Chakas' journey there; when complete, it would have accommodated even more transplanted beings.{{Ref/Reuse|p318}}

Among its vast amount of different flora the ring was home to one peculiar type of enormous tree with thick thorns that made passage impossible in forests where the trees were thickly spaced. The trees' trunks were brown and green, and several meters thick. Ten or twelve meters up the thorns were supplanted by tiny branches that formed a dense canopy.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 127-128''</ref> Several hours before dawn, the spikes would withdraw into the trunks, allowing passage through the forest, thrusting out again at first light. A forest of these trees was traversed by Chakas, [[Vinnevra]] and [[Gamelpar]] during their journey on the ring; the trio made it out just in time before the dawn.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 129-132''</ref>

On the other side of the forest there was a salty ocean spanning the width of the ring.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 132-133, 246''</ref> The sea was home to massive aquatic creatures smooth and gray in general aspect with fins and rounded, blue and purple appendages edged with lobes branching off into sets of smaller and smaller lobes. The flesh that comprised the lobes resembled milky glass full of bubble-like jewels. They initially reminded Chakas of [[merse]], another aquatic creature favored by the Librarian. These creatures observed Chakas, Vinnevra and Gamelpar for hours while they crossed the ocean in a wooden boat but did not attack.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 158-160''</ref>

On the other side of the ocean was a dense, humid jungle<ref name="p168">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 168-169, 172''</ref> with terrain that gradually rose from the shoreline into a plateau and a mountain range.<ref name="p213">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 213''</ref> This area was a Lifeworker special reserve and housed [[Genemender-Folder-of-Fortune]]'s station.{{Ref/Reuse|p168}} Several hundred kilometers inland away from the mountains was a large region where terrain had been stripped away, leaving only bare foundation material for four or five thousand kilometers.{{Ref/Reuse|p213}} This damaged portion terminated in an area covered in a thick coat of inert [[Flood spore]] powder generated by [[spore peak]]s that had formed there after a localized outbreak.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 218-219, 223''</ref> The region was shrouded by a perpetual storm.{{Ref/Reuse|p213}}

Installation 07 was also home to a species of small, deer-like animal, [[Vanessa|a specimen of which]] was encountered by Dr. Mann and his research group in 2555.{{Ref/Reuse|hitd preview}}

Shortly after completing its jump away from [[Maethrillian]], the Halo's spin slowed down and the ring began to [[Wikipedia:Precession|precess]].<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 44''</ref> While in the refuge system on its way to collide with the [[wolf-faced planet]], Installation 07 still maintained a day-night cycle of sorts with a noticeable axial tilt relative to the local star. The Halo rotated in a way that the local sun would first fall behind one of the edge walls lining the band,<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 148''</ref> then pass behind the other side of the ring, reappearing at dawn from the top of the opposite edge wall. Dawn was preceded by the illuminated portion of the ring's terrain growing closer further up the band while the shadow receded. The orange glow of dawn would be partly reflected to some areas still in the shadow of either the other side of the ring or the edge walls.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 73''</ref> At "noon", the sun would pass through the middle of the opposite side of the ring directly above the observer—termed the "sky bridge" by Chakas.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 171''</ref>

To better grasp directions on the Halo, Chakas devised his own system of terms: ''inland'' or ''inward'' for away from the nearest edge wall and ''outland'' or ''outward'' toward the opposite wall. "East", he decided, was the direction of the local "sunrise" while west was where the sun "set".<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 81''</ref> Meanwhile, the [[Tudejsa]], who had acclimatized to life on the ring as opposed to Earth, used their own words to describe directions, including ''lightwise'', ''crosswise'' and ''turnwise''.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 83''</ref>

Installation 07's primary mapping facility was an enormous structure extruding from one of the edge walls.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 319-320''</ref> By 2558, the Cartographer was destroyed and its function transferred to the former Mendicant Bias' core.

The nexus of Lifeworker operations on the installation, Lifeworker Central<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 266''</ref> was a large structure with a cavernous, dim interior built near a body of water with rocky cliffs several kilometers on the other side. Like many other locations on the ring, the hard light structures within—including walls, balconies, windows, roadways and walkways—were suffering frequent power outages and flickering uncontrollably. The Central was accessible via a rail transit system as well as anti-gravity gondolas on the waterfront, which housed a wide dock platform. After the crisis at the Capital, several of the boats at the dock had partially sunk.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 268-269''</ref>

Known to the local humans collectively as the "[[Palace of Pain]]", these facilities were the thousands of former Lifeworker biological stations converted into Flood research centers by the [[Faber|Master Builder]]. In practice, they were under the administration of [[Mendicant Bias]], working under the [[Primordial]]'s instructions.{{Ref/Reuse|p357}} One of these research facilities was an enormous square pillar leaning against one of the edge walls, its top obscured by clouds.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 106''</ref> The Primordial personally observed crowds of humans—made docile by controlling their ''geas'' via beacons—being herded into the structure by [[war sphinx]]es.{{Ref/Reuse|p109}}

The [[Lifeworker]]s maintained many outposts and reserves across the ring where they monitored and tended to the local life.{{Ref/Reuse|p168}} [[Genemender-Folder-of-Fortune]]'s station was located in what appeared to be a primitive human village, the Forerunner technology of the outpost itself hidden by a [[dazzler]] or [[baffler]].<ref name="p174">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 174-175, 186''</ref> The huts in the village—including a central hall—were constructed of log, elevated above the ground by pillars and accessible via stairs or ladders.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 174-175''</ref> After the crisis on the ring escalated Genemender began to scan and archive the humans' minds, occasionally allowing them to simulate physical interaction in bodies of hard light. Hard light projectors were also used to maintain the village in a superficially pristine condition; in truth, however, the buildings had dilapidated considerably and the area had overgrown with tall grass.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 201''</ref> The interior of Genemender's station had a high, round ceiling and corridors branching off from the central chamber. The station also housed the machinery used for the mind-state scans; the archived human essences were stored in cylindrical [[Durance]]s inside the station.{{Ref/Reuse|p174}} The entire compound and the machines there were left inert after a power outage in the area.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 207''</ref>

Beacons were ovoid-shaped devices found across the ring used by the Lifeworkers—or whoever controlled them—to give humans and other beings seemingly instinctive instructions through their ''geas''.{{Ref/Reuse|p184}}<ref name="beacon">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 88-89''</ref>

The ring was home to a number of power stations, many of which were sabotaged by the Warriors who rebelled against the Master Builder during the crisis at the Capital.{{Ref/Reuse|p305}} A dark gray conical structure 300–400 meters tall was assumed to be a power station by Chakas, who had seen similar structures on Erde-Tyrene.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 161''</ref>

;Mendicant Bias' core/The Monument

The primary extension of Mendicant Bias was housed in a massive facility deep beneath Installation 07's surface, accessible via anti-gravity gondolas which traveled through an enormous, 20-30-kilometer-diameter circular opening in the ring's landscape. After passing through an undetermined void within the ring's bowels, the transit vehicles settled in an enormous chamber whose floor was a green-glowing maze of hard light paths resembling a spiderweb.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 278-283''</ref> Mendicant Bias itself was based in a mobile structure featuring its core crystals and a large green eye, moving on legs of hard light.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 287-288''</ref> It was here that the humans were eventually gathered and thoroughly examined by Mendicant Bias before the final effort to cancel the ring's failsafe orbit.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 288''</ref> After the installation's retake by the IsoDidact and Mendicant Bias' transfer away from the ring, the Primordial was detained in a chamber located near Mendicant Bias' former core, the [[metarch]]'s data crystals now dark and inert.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 356''</ref> The Primordial was imprisoned in a hemispherical chamber 531 meters in diameter within an arena 104 meters wide, locked in a cage of intermeshed black rods housing a [[slipspace bubble|temporal manipulation mechanism]]. The cage was located on a round elevated platform in the center of the arena.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 359''</ref> By 2558, with the destruction of Zeta Halo's Cartographer, its function was transferred to this location.

A form of transport not observed on the other Halo installations, this form of conveyance consisted of high-speed cars hanging from a rail that floated in the air with no visible support.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 252''</ref> There were poles spaced at long intervals but the railing did not physically touch the pole, instead going through a wide circle on top of it.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 257''</ref> The cars were largely featureless on the inside and were capable of combining, reconfiguring and compartmentalizing their interiors to accommodate different passengers; after completing their journey Chakas and his human companions were shocked to learn that their car had been shared by [[Composer]]-processed Flood victims in a different compartment.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 265''</ref> The wagons were equipped with an [[ancilla]] who could provide refreshment—water and a nutritional paste—at the occupants' request.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 262-263''</ref>

Like many other Forerunner installations, Installation 07 featured a unique type of anti-gravity gondola or "boat". Unlike many other gondolas which follow linear paths, these vehicles could traverse rather long and complicated routes, including one from Lifeworker Central to Mendicant Bias' core.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 277''</ref>

;Human settlements

The home village of Vinnevra and Gamelpar was located near one of the ring's edge walls.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 39''</ref> It was a collection of huts situated on a flat plain of dry grass and dirt several hundred meters from the tree line.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 37''</ref>

There was also an old Tudejsa city some distance inland from the village. The humans abandoned the settlement after the Forerunners began to abduct humans for experiments. The city reminded Chakas of [[Marontik]], though he noted it may have been older{{Ref/Reuse|Halo page 36}} and more populous.<ref name="p84">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 84-85''</ref> The city was lined by a large wall with mud and rock ramparts designed as a defense against raiders from other cities or roving bands. A single wooden gate on the western side allowed passage inside; the entrance tunnel was approximately 20 meters long.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''pages 82-83''</ref> Much like Marontik, the city was home to motley stone and mud buildings with wooden supports no more than tree stories tall and with no particular concern for aesthetics. Cobble or dirt streets and alleys crisscrossed between the buildings. By the time Chakas, Vinnevra and Gamelpar visited the city, it had been raided of any valuables long prior.{{Ref/Reuse|p84}} Likewise, the city was almost entirely devoid of life, including mosquitoes or waterborne larvae.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 90''</ref> The city's market was home to one of the [[Lifeworker beacon]]s, camouflaged by Forerunner technology.{{Ref/Reuse|beacon}}

About a kilometer off the shores of the ocean crossed by Chakas and his compatriots there was a human city based on wooden platforms supported by stone pillars and only accessible via water.<ref name="p135">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 135''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 139''</ref> A network of bridges, platforms, docks and other wooden structures crisscrossed between these pillars,{{Ref/Reuse|p135}} becoming denser toward the settlement's center.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 142''</ref> The largest building had a layout the shape of a peaked pentagram and was home to a large hall with impressively intricate carvings in its [[door]].<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 144''</ref> During the skirmishes on the ring, this city was the site of a battle between hundreds of Forerunners whose corpses would remain scattered across the area; no humans—alive or dead—were present at this point. [[Vinnevra]] believed them all to have been taken away, most likely to a "[[Palace of Pain]] for experiments given the events on the ring at the time.<ref>'''Halo Primordium''', ''page 143''</ref> The Forerunners had imprisoned a [[Proto-Gravemind]] in an energy cage placed inside the hall of the central building. The [[mind transfer|personality imprint]] of [[Forthencho]] suggested that this battle was fought for a prize or to keep that prize from falling into the wrong hands, possibly the Proto-Gravemind. The Forerunners appeared to have fought to the last man with none surviving.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 150-153''</ref>

The installation's surface, as portrayed in the [[:File:Halo ring 6.png|''Halo 3'' texture]], resembles [[Venus]]' surface. According to the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'', Installation 07 has a desert-like landscape and its surface is perpetually clouded.<ref name="Encyclopedia">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 174''</ref> The UNSC science team's observations in ''[[Halo: Primordium]]'' corroborate this.{{Ref/Reuse|prim341}} However, in ''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'', the ring's surface is described as having verdant forests and clear skies with no indication of an extensive cloud cover or desert-like environments.{{Ref/Reuse|hitd preview}} It was later clarified in [[Canon Fodder]] that the surface image on Installation 00 was outdated and the ring had repaired its environments.{{Ref/Reuse|lore of the rings}} The ring was later featured in ''[[Halo Infinite]]'' as the game's primary setting, and is shown to have an Earth-like atmosphere with terrain similar to [[Installation 04]].{{Ref/Site|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=https://www.gamesradar.com/halo-infinite-inside-343s-attempt-to-build-the-most-ambitious-halo-game-ever-made|Site=GamesRadar|Page=Halo Infinite: Inside 343's attempt to build "the most ambitious Halo game ever made"}} Early "blue-sky" concept art for the ring was created as early as [[2015]].{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Lynn|KoryLynnHubbell|1427361077709328396|Kory Lynn Hubbell|Quote=A piece I worked on at 343 back in 2015 which I noticed is being used in the Halo: Infinite 2022 wall calendar! I was lucky enough to be assigned some early “blue sky” work for the game before I left.|D=16|M=08|Y=2021}}

File:surface01.jpg|A holographic model of Installation 07 on the Ark.

File:Halo ring 6.png|The surface of Installation 07 in ''Halo 3''.

File:H5G-LegendaryHalo.png|Installation 07 in ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''.

File:Halo Fractures cover art.png|Zeta Halo on the cover of ''[[Halo: Fractures]]''.

File:HINF BrokeHaloConcept.png|Concept art for the ring heavily damaged.

File:HINF BehemothConcept.png|Concept art of a desert Forerunner installation on the ring; the setting for the map [[Behemoth]].

File:HINF Banshee Patrol.png|Concept art of [[Banished Banshee|Banshees]] over a valley on Installation 07.

File:HINF PaxWest Concept.png|Concept art of the installation for ''Halo Infinite''.

File:HINF BanishedStrongholdConcept.png|Concept art of a Banished stronghold on Installation 07.

File:HINF BeamEmitter1.png|A [[beam emitter]] on the ring during the day.

File:HINF Beam Emitter2.png|The same beam emitter at night.

File:HI E319 TheRingReveal.png|John-117 gazing at a destroyed Installation 07 from the ''[[Halo Infinite]] [[Discover Hope]]'' trailer.

File:HINF FullZetaHalo.png|Installation 07 as viewed by John-117 in space.

*''[[Rebirth]]'' {{Mo}}

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