Reclaimer
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
- "The Oracle calls them "Reclaimers". But what do they reclaim? These machines? These cities? These worlds? Or, as I fear, are they to reclaim the Mantle we so terribly squandered?"
- — Minister of Discovery[1]
"Reclaimer" is a Forerunner term used to refer to a species (or a member of said species) chosen to be the inheritors of the Mantle,[2] the stewardship over all life originally held by the Precursors. Following the activation of the Halo Array and the ensuing Reintroduction, this refers to humans, whom the Forerunners (more pointedly those allied with the Librarian) regarded as their rightful successors. In particular the term is applied to humans who carry the requisite Lifeworker-created geas that allow them to activate Forerunner technology;[3] indeed, a great deal of the Forerunners' abandoned technology may be activated only when used by a Reclaimer. For most of their history, however, the Forerunners considered themselves the rightful inheritors of the Mantle from the Precursors, who had originally intended to pass the Mantle down to humanity.
Overview[edit]
Generally speaking, the term "Reclaimer" refers to humans (as a species or as individuals) retaking stewardship of the Mantle. However, technically the term denotes humans who are capable of activating Forerunner technology.[4] This is due to the presence of geas implanted by the Librarian,[3] which give at least some humans an instinctive familiarity (often a feeling of déjà vu) when encountering Forerunner technology. For example, Spartan John-117 simply "knew" how to activate a holographic control panel on Halo Installation 04, despite it being the first piece of Forerunner technology he had ever encountered.[5] This innate knowledge extends to Covenant technology as well, as Covenant technology is crudely reverse-engineered from Forerunner designs.[6] In the same vein, Forerunner technology responds to human presence much as it would have done in the presence of its creators, though it will not do so for other species. Though it is unclear how commonly the geas may be found among humans, it is known that at least some are incapable of properly interfacing with Forerunner technology.[4] An imprint of Birth-to-Light once told Rion Forge of the Librarian and the mark that she had left on the human race that "all of humanity carries remnants of her work from times past - passed along from generation to generation, becoming dormant but never gone. It is what propels our technology to recognize your status and allow interaction."[7] Joyeuse explained to Lucas Browning that the Librarian had used technology to place a genetic imprint on humanity that could be instructions or subconscious orders that might pertain to a single individual or passed down through generations. As the Librarian had placed these within the humans seeded on Earth, in a way all humans have some remaining geas built into their DNA which is why they're recognized as Reclaimers by Forerunner systems.[8]
Along with implanting the geas necessary to utilize Forerunner relics, the Librarian planted "seeds" that led to some of humanity's most important technological achievements. Specifically, this genesong led to the creation of the SPARTAN programs and their MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, as well as Smart AI.[9] These developments enabled humanity - primarily through the efforts of John-117 and Cortana - to defeat the Ur-Didact during his renewed campaign to compose humanity into Promethean Knights.[10] Despite this tragedy, the Librarian originally hoped that the Didact would emerge from stasis after millennia of meditation to guide humanity; he was to give them the Janus Key, thereby providing the location of all Forerunner technology in the galaxy and securing the Reclaimers' ascendancy.[11]
The status of Reclaimer was conferred upon humanity as an emergency directive on the authority of the remains of the New Council (namely the Librarian and the IsoDidact) during the events surrounding the firing of the Halo Array. This overrode the Builder-controlled Old Council's previous ruling from ten thousand years earlier which involved humanity's biological and technological regression as punishment for their part in the human-Forerunner wars. However, following the enactment of this punitive measure, the Librarian had been secretly modifying humanity's geas for thousands of years to prepare them to take on the role of Reclaimers — against the direct orders of the Council.[3]
Strangely, 343 Guilty Spark, the monitor of Halo Installation 04, once insisted to John-117, "you are Forerunner."[12] This is presumably metaphorical, as Mendicant Bias likewise claimed the Reclaimers as its makers,[13] despite humanity being genetically and culturally distinct from the Forerunners. Alternately, this may be due to the onset of rampancy; Spark had previously treated the Master Chief as if the latter were the IsoDidact, responding to a question the IsoDidact had asked 100,000 years prior.[14][15]
Failures to recognize Reclaimer status[edit]
As the UNSC Spirit of Fire was pulled inside of Trove on February 23, 2531, the ship and her crew were scanned by the installation's decontamination network. In addition to detecting a high-order Flood infestation, the ancilla in charge of the network's cleansing rings failed to recognize the crew as Reclaimers. As the Spirit of Fire's crew and complement were regarded as an "unknown alien intrusion", they were forced to engage a bevy of Sentinels in addition to fighting the Flood on the surface of the ship.[16]
During the Onyx Conflict in October-November 2552, the SPARTAN-III Ash-G099 failed to provide the appropriate counter-response to a Sentinel after initially being recognized as a Reclaimer.[17] This caused the Sentinel to reclassify Ash as a "non-Reclaimer" and an "aboriginal subspecies" of humanity.[17]
During the Requiem Campaign, Jul 'Mdama's forces captured Hawk Squad and forced them to activate a Forerunner map of Requiem at "Lockup," but the structure failed to recognize them as Reclaimers.[18]
Humans identified as Reclaimers[edit]
Given that all known bestowals of the "Reclaimer" title have occurred during military engagements, all individuals identified as such have been either military personnel or civilian advisers.
- Ellen Anders - Activated the Relic on Harvest in February 2531 with her touch.[19] Kidnapped by Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee, Anders was later forced to activate a fleet of Sojourner-class dreadnoughts on Trove shield world.[20]
- Evelyn Rousseau - After retrieving the Forerunner artifact from Brume-sur-Mer, Evie managed to activate it with some effort.[21] Throughout the mission to Annecy, Evie continues to be the one to manipulate and control the artifact.[22] Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Evie as a Reclaimer and opens to let her in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.[23]
- Dorian Nguyen - Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Dorian as a Reclaimer and opens to let him in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.[23]
- Saskia Nazari - Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Saskia as a Reclaimer and opens to let her in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.[23]
- Victor Gallardo - Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Victor as a Reclaimer and opens to let him in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.[23]
- Owen-B096 - Upon reaching the Forerunner structure in Annecy, the energy shield over the door recognizes Owen as a Reclaimer and opens to let him in before closing again to keep the Covenant out.[23]
- Taylor Miles and Kojo Agu - The Forerunner construct called the Knowing identified them as Reclaimers and obeyed their order to self-destruct.[24]
- Marvin Mobuto - Recruited by 343 Guilty Spark to fire Alpha Halo during the Flood outbreak. Killed in the installation's Library while attempting to retrieve the Activation Index.[25]
- John-117 - Arguably the most significant Reclaimer, John-117 is the realization of a geas seeded by the Librarian which apparently manifested in the Spartan-IIs' creator, Dr. Catherine Halsey.