Editing Portal at Voi

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.

Latest revision Your text
Line 27: Line 27:
{{Quote|Truth could've landed anywhere, but he committed all his forces here. East Africa. The ruins of New Mombasa. Then, they started digging.|[[Miranda Keyes]] informs [[John-117]] of the Covenant's excavation.}}
{{Quote|Truth could've landed anywhere, but he committed all his forces here. East Africa. The ruins of New Mombasa. Then, they started digging.|[[Miranda Keyes]] informs [[John-117]] of the Covenant's excavation.}}


[[File:The coming Storm.jpg|300px|thumb|The Portal, viewed during the day, prior to its activation.]]
[[File:The coming Storm.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The Portal, viewed during the day, prior to its activation.]]
By at least the nineteenth century, the portal was entirely submerged beneath the land occupied by the city of Mombasa and the town of Voi. Additionally, at least a portion of the portal was covered by a man-made lake at some point between the early 21st and mid-26th centuries. At some point after the dawn of the 24th century, the UNSC's [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] discovered a small section of the portal structure located below the metropolis of [[New Mombasa]], and constructed a major facility known as the [[ONI Alpha Site (location)|ONI Alpha Site]] in the city in order to conduct covert research on the artifact.<ref name="vis">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 132''</ref> In [[2551]], toward the end of the [[Battle of Meridian]], a luminary was discovered by the Covenant on [[Meridian|the colony]]. This luminary would later be presented to the [[Prophet of Regret]] and reveal to him the location of the portal. In [[2552#October|October of 2552]], a seismic anomaly originating with the portal was discovered in a survey conducted by New Mombasa's urban infrastructure AI, the [[Superintendent]], for [[Daniel Endesha|Dr. Endesha]], revealing the location and full extent of the structure to him.<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', ''[[Sadie's Story]]''</ref>
By at least the nineteenth century, the portal was entirely submerged beneath the land occupied by the city of Mombasa and the town of Voi. Additionally, at least a portion of the portal was covered by a man-made lake at some point between the early 21st and mid-26th centuries. At some point after the dawn of the 24th century, the UNSC's [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] discovered a small section of the portal structure located below the metropolis of [[New Mombasa]], and constructed a major facility known as the [[ONI Alpha Site (location)|ONI Alpha Site]] in the city in order to conduct covert research on the artifact.<ref name="vis">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 132''</ref> In [[2551]], toward the end of the [[Battle of Meridian]], a luminary was discovered by the Covenant on [[Meridian|the colony]]. This luminary would later be presented to the [[Prophet of Regret]] and reveal to him the location of the portal. In [[2552#October|October of 2552]], a seismic anomaly originating with the portal was discovered in a survey conducted by New Mombasa's urban infrastructure AI, the [[Superintendent]], for [[Daniel Endesha|Dr. Endesha]], revealing the location and full extent of the structure to him.<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', ''[[Sadie's Story]]''</ref>


Following the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s flight from the [[Sol system]] during the [[Battle for Earth]], the remaining forces of Regret's [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] were grouped themselves at Mombasa as [[Jiralhanae]] had already swiftly taken control of the leftover of Regret's fleet from the [[Sangheili]].{{Ref/Generic|Id=FTH|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]|Detail=[[:File:LC 002 Doc 1.jpg|First Twelve Hours]]}}{{Ref/Film|Id=Oct20|Film=Halo Waypoint|Story=Ten Twenty|StoryLinkText=Ten Twenty}} They attempted to use the data gathered by the Superintendent to pinpoint the location of the artifact, but were eventually forced to discover its location on their own. Eventually, a [[Truth's fleet|massive Covenant support fleet]] led by [[Jiralhanae]] arrived across East Africa on the next day to ensure the Forerunner artifact complex,{{Ref/Reuse|Id=coastal highway}}{{Ref/Site|Id=waypointvergil|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-vergil-reality|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Vergil Reality|D=15|M=06|Y=2021}} as the Covenant forces so far started the uncovering of the artifact by [[glassing]].{{Ref/Level|Id=coastal highway|Game=Halo 3: ODST|Level=Coastal Highway}} By [[2552#November|November 17, 2552]], the entire lake that lay over where the structure was buried had been vaporized by Covenant ships and the earth overtop of the artifact had been burned away by focused glassing to unveil it.<ref name="the storm">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Storm]]''</ref> The Prophet of Truth landed the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] on the structure, and an unusual [[Portal storm|electric storm]] formed above it. Before its activation, the prophet personally traveled to the Superintendent's data center deep underneath where New Mombasa used to be, now occupied by a number of Covenant [[Huragok]], and observed a section of the artifact visible from the facility.<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', ''Legendary ending cutscene''</ref>
Following the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s flight from the [[Sol system]] during the [[Battle for Earth]], the remaining forces of Regret's [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] were grouped themselves at Mombasa as [[Jiralhanae]] has already swiftly taken control of the leftover of Regret's fleet from the [[Sangheili]].{{Ref/Generic|Id=FTH|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]|Detail=[[:File:LC 002 Doc 1.jpg|First Twelve Hours]]}}{{Ref/Film|Id=Oct20|Film=Halo Waypoint|Story=Ten Twenty|StoryLinkText=Ten Twenty}} They attempted to use the data gathered by the Superintendent to pinpoint the location of the artifact, but were eventually forced to discover its location on their own. Eventually, a [[Truth's fleet|massive Covenant support fleet]] led by [[Jiralhanae]] arrived across the East Africa on the next day to ensure the Forerunner artifact complex,{{Ref/Reuse|Id=coastal highway}}{{Ref/Site|Id=waypointvergil|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-vergil-reality|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Vergil Reality|D=15|M=06|Y=2021}} as the Covenant forces so far started the uncovering of the artifact by [[glassing]].{{Ref/Level|Id=coastal highway|Game=Halo 3: ODST|Level=Coastal Highway}} By [[2552#November|November 17, 2552]], the entire lake that lay over where the structure was buried had been vaporized by Covenant ships and the earth overtop of the artifact had been burned away by focused glassing to unveil it.<ref name="the storm">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Storm]]''</ref> The Prophet of Truth landed the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] on the structure, and an unusual [[Portal storm|electric storm]] formed above it. Before its activation, the prophet personally traveled to the Superintendent's data center deep underneath where New Mombasa used to be, now occupied by a number of Covenant [[Huragok]], and observed a section of the artifact visible from the facility.<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', ''Legendary ending cutscene''</ref>


The [[UNSC]] attempted to attack the keyship, falsely presuming the portal to be the Ark itself, but was stopped by Covenant {{Pattern|Skar'wa|Mantis}}'. A small force in the city of Voi, consisting of [[John-117]], [[Thel 'Vadam]], [[Marines]], and factory workers from a [[Traxus Industries]] facility, neutralized an anti-aircraft battery to clear a path for a [[Battle Group Victory|handful]] of [[Charon-class light frigate|frigates]] and numerous [[C712 Longsword|Longswords]]. These then made several attacks on the Dreadnought with [[MAC]] cannons and [[ASGM-10 missile]]s, but to no effect. At that moment, the gateway finally activated, opening a large [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] rift above the Portal which led to the real Ark. Truth and his fleet advanced through the rift and were pursued by the [[Fleet of Retribution]] and the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}. The activation of the portal was achieved by Truth using the shards of [[Menachite Forerunner crystal|the crystal]] that had once been used to power the [[Menachite portal complex|portal complex]] on [[Reach]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=Sacrifice|HSoR|Detail= Adjunct - [[Sacrifice]]}}
The [[UNSC]] attempted to attack the keyship, falsely presuming the portal to be the Ark itself, but was stopped by Covenant {{Pattern|Skar'wa|Mantis}}'. A small force in the city of Voi, consisting of [[John-117]], [[Thel 'Vadam]], [[Marines]], and factory workers from a [[Traxus Industries]] facility, neutralized an anti-aircraft battery to clear a path for a [[Battle Group Victory|handful]] of [[Charon-class light frigate|frigates]] and numerous [[C712 Longsword|Longswords]]. These then made several attacks on the Dreadnought with [[MAC]] cannons and [[ASGM-10 missile]]s, but to no effect. At that moment, the gateway finally activated, opening a large [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] rift above the Portal which led to the real Ark. Truth and his fleet advanced through the rift and were pursued by the [[Fleet of Retribution]] and the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}. The activation of the portal was achieved by Truth using the shards of [[Menachite Forerunner crystal|the crystal]] that had once been used to power the [[Menachite portal complex|portal complex]] on [[Reach]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=Sacrifice|HSoR|Detail= Adjunct - [[Sacrifice]]}}
Line 37: Line 37:
{{Quote|There are more secrets locked under our feet than we dare speculate on.|Doctor [[William Iqbal]] in a letter from the Department of Xenoarchaeological Studies at [[Edinburgh University]] to security-cleared faculty and onsite graduate students.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}}}}
{{Quote|There are more secrets locked under our feet than we dare speculate on.|Doctor [[William Iqbal]] in a letter from the Department of Xenoarchaeological Studies at [[Edinburgh University]] to security-cleared faculty and onsite graduate students.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}}}}
[[File:PortalOrbit.png|thumb|left|250px|The portal as seen from orbit immediately after it collapsed following damage done to the Ark.]]
[[File:PortalOrbit.png|thumb|left|250px|The portal as seen from orbit immediately after it collapsed following damage done to the Ark.]]
When [[Installation 08]] was prematurely fired on December 11, 2552, it tore itself to pieces, doing an enormous amount of damage to the Ark. This sudden destruction caused the portal to collapse while the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was still traveling through it back to Earth. The ship was torn in to two large pieces at this time and only the fore half made it back to Earth, crashing into the Indian Ocean. The ''Dawn'' did not exit at the point in Earth's atmosphere where it would have had the portal remained wholly intact, but instead emerged from [[slipspace]] in Earth's orbit, just narrowly allowing [[Thel 'Vadam]] a destination to land. From that point onward, the portal remained inert and inaccessible. In March of [[2553]] following a ceremony honoring the fallen of the [[Human-Covenant War]] held near the site, the Excession was isolated from the rest of the [[East African Protectorate]] and heavily guarded. Civilian [[Xenoarchaeology|xenoarchaeologists]] were hired by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to study the artifact. While closed, it was still drawing power from an unknown source and the majority of the passageways below it were still unexplored.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}} It was suspected that the portal had additional as-of-yet undiscovered functions besides simply creating a gateway between Earth and the Ark.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}}
When [[Installation 08]] was prematurely fired on December 11, 2552, it tore itself to pieces, doing an enormous amount of damage to the Ark. This sudden destruction caused the portal to collapse while the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was still traveling through it back to Earth. The ship was torn in to two large pieces at this time and only the fore half made it back to Earth, crashing into the Indian Ocean. The ''Dawn'' did not exit at the point in Earth's atmosphere where it would have had the portal remained wholly intact, but instead emerged from [[slipspace]] in Earth's orbit, just narrowly allowing [[Thel 'Vadam]] a destination to land. From that point onward, the portal remained inert and inaccessible. In March of [[2553]], following a ceremony honoring the fallen of the [[Covenant War]] held near the site, the Excession was isolated from the rest of the [[East African Protectorate]] and heavily guarded. Civilian [[Xenoarchaeology|xenoarchaeologists]] were hired by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to study the artifact. While closed, it was still drawing power from an unknown source and the majority of the passageways below it were still unexplored.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}} It was suspected that the portal had additional as-of-yet undiscovered functions besides simply creating a gateway between Earth and the Ark.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}}


In [[2555]], scientists exploring [[Installation 07]] discovered a countdown sequence and it was determined that it was originating from the Ark. It suddenly became of paramount importance that the portal be reactivated. The UNSC reached out to the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] and a Huragok named [[Drifts Randomly]] that had worked onboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] was brought to Earth. After a few days, it was able to open the portal using data from the keyship it had internalized. A joint UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios team was sent through the portal to [[Operation: FAR STORM|prevent]] the activation of the [[Halo Array]]. The countdown was part of a ploy by the Ark's monitor, [[000 Tragic Solitude]], to make the humans on Earth reactivate the portal so that he could send [[Retriever Sentinel]]s to mine the [[Sol system]] for materials to repair damage done to his installation. Tragic Solitude explained to [[Olympia Vale]] that the firing of [[Installation 08]] damaged the portal and severed his ability to control it from the Ark. Though Tragic Solitude repaired the portal on the Ark end, it required activation on the Earth end to return to its previous state.<ref name="HITD266">'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''page 266''</ref> He also increased the portal's power and astrogation systems to send and receive objects much faster despite the fact that doing so was an extraordinary exertion of power and information and could well compromise many of his systems.<ref name="HITD305">'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''page 305''</ref> As a result travel through the portal was far faster than before.{{Ref/Reuse|HITD}}
In [[2555]], scientists exploring [[Installation 07]] discovered a countdown sequence and it was determined that it was originating from the Ark. It suddenly became of paramount importance that the portal be reactivated. The UNSC reached out to the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] and a Huragok named [[Drifts Randomly]] that had worked onboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] was brought to Earth. After a few days, it was able to open the portal using data from the keyship it had internalized. A joint UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios team was sent through the portal to [[Operation: FAR STORM|prevent]] the activation of the [[Halo Array]]. The countdown was part of a ploy by the Ark's monitor, [[000 Tragic Solitude]], to make the humans on Earth reactivate the portal so that he could send [[Retriever Sentinel]]s to mine the [[Sol system]] for materials to repair damage done to his installation. Tragic Solitude explained to [[Olympia Vale]] that the firing of [[Installation 08]] damaged the portal and severed his ability to control it from the Ark. Though Tragic Solitude repaired the portal on the Ark end, it required activation on the Earth end to return to its previous state.<ref name="HITD266">'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''page 266''</ref> He also increased the portal's power and astrogation systems to send and receive objects much faster despite the fact that doing so was an extraordinary exertion of power and information and could well compromise many of his systems.<ref name="HITD305">'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''page 305''</ref> As a result travel through the portal was far faster than before.{{Ref/Reuse|HITD}}
Line 61: Line 61:


== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
*Before ''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]'' established a definitive diameter for the portal, there was some confusion regarding its size. This was due to a conflict between the in-game sizes of the Forerunner Dreadnought in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', with the latter depicting the ship as being far smaller than its former incarnation. Based on the map geometry in ''Halo 3'', the Portal could be estimated to be approximately 25 kilometers in diameter.<ref>[http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=845588 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Artifact Sizing *Minor H3 Spoilers*'']</ref> However, this figure is contradicted by the geography of the Portal's surroundings; since the structure stretches from the edge of where the metropolis of [[New Mombasa]] used to be all the way to the edge of what was formerly Voi, a distance of well over 100 kilometers. The canonical size of the portal can be derived by referencing the in-game measurements of the Forerunner Dreadnought as it appears in ''Halo 2''.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 3]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'''</ref> The sizes of the portal and the Dreadnought in ''Halo 3'' were taken as a liberties resulting from game engine limitations; generating map geometry for an area over 117&nbsp;km across would have been extremely taxing, if not impossible, for the game engine.
*Before ''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]'' established a definitive diameter for the portal, there was some confusion regarding its size. This was due to a conflict between the in-game sizes of the Forerunner Dreadnought in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', with the latter depicting the ship as being far smaller than its former incarnation. Based on the map geometry in ''Halo 3'', the Portal could be estimated to be approximately 25 kilometers in diameter.<ref>[http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=845588 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Artifact Sizing *Minor H3 Spoilers*'']</ref> However, this figure is contradicted by the geography of the Portal's surroundings; since the structure stretches from the edge of where the metropolis of [[New Mombasa]] used to be all the way to the edge of what was formerly Voi, a distance of well over 100 kilometers. The canonical size of the portal can be derived by referencing the in-game measurements of the Forerunner Dreadnought as it appears in ''Halo 2''.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 3]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'''</ref> The sizes of the portal and the Dreadnought in ''Halo 3'' were taken as a liberties resulting from to engine limitations; generating map geometry for an area over 117&nbsp;km across would have been extremely taxing, if not impossible, for the game engine.
*In the "Behind the Scenes" section of the ''Halo 2'' Collectors Edition, there is a sketch of the portal.
*In the "Behind the Scenes" section of the ''Halo 2'' Collectors Edition, there is a sketch of the portal.
*The fourteen pylons of the portal structure may be a reference to the number 7, as 7+7=14. The entire structure also appears to be constructed of seven identical parts, those being seven pairs of pylons. The Portal is also 117 kilometers in diameter, which is a direct reference to [[John-117]].
*The fourteen pylons of the portal structure may be a reference to the number 7, as 7+7=14. The entire structure also appears to be constructed of seven identical parts, those being seven pairs of pylons. The Portal is also 117 kilometers in diameter, which is a direct reference to [[John-117]].
Line 67: Line 67:
*The pylons bear a striking resemblance to the monoliths around the Atmosphere Processor in the film ''[[List of References to Aliens in Halo|Aliens]]''.
*The pylons bear a striking resemblance to the monoliths around the Atmosphere Processor in the film ''[[List of References to Aliens in Halo|Aliens]]''.
*The [[Apex|portal]] encountered in the first chapter of [[Spartan Ops]] [[S1/Invasion|Episode 7]] is nearly identical in design to that of the portal at Voi; with pylons that withdraw downward when the portal is deactivated.
*The [[Apex|portal]] encountered in the first chapter of [[Spartan Ops]] [[S1/Invasion|Episode 7]] is nearly identical in design to that of the portal at Voi; with pylons that withdraw downward when the portal is deactivated.
*The term "Excession" may have been inspired by the same term used in the "Culture" series of books by science-fiction author Iain M. Banks; namely the book [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excession Excession]. In the book, the Excession is described as an "Outside Context Problem", a term coined by Banks to describe an unforeseen and incomprehensible challenge, such as a technologically advanced civilization encountering a far superior one, often disrupting the former’s entire way of life.


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
Line 84: Line 83:
File:Halo 3 - The Artifact.jpg|An overhead view of the portal.
File:Halo 3 - The Artifact.jpg|An overhead view of the portal.
File:H3 VoiPortal details.jpg|A view of the details on the portal.
File:H3 VoiPortal details.jpg|A view of the details on the portal.
File:Ark2.jpg|The portal fires a beam as it activates.
File:H3_VoiPortal_Above.jpg|The portal as viewed from above, while active.
File:H3_VoiPortal_Above.jpg|The portal as viewed from above, while active.
File:Portal.jpg|The portal as it appeared when activated.
File:Portal.jpg|The portal as it appeared when activated.

Please note that all contributions to Halopedia are considered to be released under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license (see Halopedia:Copyrights for details). If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then don't submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource. Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

Cancel Editing help (opens in new window)

To view or search uploaded images go to the list of images. Uploads and deletions are also logged in the upload log. For help including images on a page see Help:Images. For a sound file, use this code: [[Media:File.ogg]].

Do not copy text from other websites without permission. It will be deleted.

Templates used on this page:

This page is a member of 1 meta category: