Editing Splendid-Dust-of-Ancient-Suns

{{Era|Forerunner}}
{{Newcontent|[[Promises to Keep]]}}
{{Character infobox
|variant=
|name=
|image=
|homeworld=
|birth=c. 97,465 BCE
|death=100+ years after [[97,445 BCE]] {{c|original body}}<ref name="ptk">'''[[Halo: Fractures]]''', ''[[Promises to Keep]]''</ref>
|causeofdeath=
|parents=
|siblings=
|spouses=
|children=
|species=[[Forerunner]]
|gender=Male
|height=
|mass=
|hair=
|eyes=
|affiliation=[[Ecumene]]
|rank=[[First Councilor]] ([[Rate|R]]: [[Builder]])
|sn=
|notable=*Led the [[Ecumene Council]]
*Mind used as basis for [[000 Tragic Solitude]]{{Ref/Reuse|ptk}}
}}
'''Splendid-Dust-of-Ancient-Suns''', more commonly known as '''Splendid Dust''' or simply '''Dust''', was a young [[Forerunner]] politician who served as [[First Councilor]] of the [[Ecumene Council]] in the final years of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]].<ref name="p260">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 260-261''</ref>

==Biography==
===Council career===
Unlike the generations before him, Splendid Dust's [[Forerunner mutation|mutation]] was based on a new pattern in which he underwent multiple mutations over a single year, as opposed to many mutations over the course several centuries. This led in a more natural end result, with less distortions - both physical and mental - from the Forerunner baseline. One of the differences was Dust's ability to smile, unusual in mature Forerunners; [[Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting]] was somewhat unsettled by this, seeing Dust's smile as more of an awkward rictus.{{Ref/Reuse|p260}}

After the [[Master Builder]], [[Faber]], used a [[Installation 07|Halo installation]] to punish the [[San'Shyuum]] for [[Battle of Janjur Qom|rebelling]], the [[Builder]]s stripped Faber of his title, and a political revolution occurred. Though only a first-form, Splendid Dust and other first-form [[Councilor (Forerunner)|Councilor]]s like him were brevet appointments intended to curb the abuses of the Council that Faber controlled.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Chapter 33''</ref>

===Fate of Maethrillian===
{{Main|Fate of Maethrillian}}
After his appointment, Splendid Dust went to [[Bornstellar-Makes-Eternal-Lasting]]'s [[Bornstellar's homeworld|homeworld]] to speak with Bornstellar's [[Bornstellar's father|father]] about Faber's fall, and to retrieve the young Bornstellar, who now hosted the memories of the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]], supposedly executed by the Master Builder at [[Janjur Qom]]. During Faber's trial at [[Maethrillian]], the capital of the ecumene, Splendid Dust served as [[First Observer of the Court]] to the [[Supreme Mantle Court]]. However, the proceedings were interrupted by [[Mendicant Bias]], who had defected to the [[Flood]] and attempted to use the Halo he had been given control of, taking control of the [[metarchy]] and shutting down everyone's [[Forerunner personal armor|armor]]. When the Didact's imprint within Bornstellar managed to temporarily shut down Mendicant Bias,<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Chapter 36''</ref> a [[Warrior-Servant]] known as [[Glory-of-a-Far-Dawn]] rescued Splendid Dust and Bornstellar aboard a [[Falco-class space pod]].<ref name="c37">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Chapter 37''</ref>

As the trio escaped through the chaos of the [[Fate of Maethrillian]], Glory of a Far Dawn asked Splendid Dust for permission to subdue Bornstellar, as she was unable to direct the pod due to Bornstellar being in control. Splendid Dust harshly rebuked the Warrior-Servant for this, revealing that it was the imprint of the Didact himself - not Bornstellar - piloting the craft.{{Ref/Reuse|c37}} Thanks to the Didact's skill, the small ship successfully escaped to the [[greater Ark]] via one of the Capital's [[slipspace portal]]s. In the damaged pod over the Ark, Splendid Dust and the Bornstellar Didact discussed the attack and Mendicant Bias' defection, before falling into unconsciousness.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Chapter 39''</ref> They were eventually recovered by the installation's resident [[Lifeworker]]s and given medical care.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''Chapter 41''</ref>

Splendid Dust was among the surviving Forerunners who took shelter on [[Installation 00]], or the lesser Ark, during the [[Great Purification]]. He subsequently took part in the [[reintroduction]] phase of the [[Conservation Measure]] along with the other Forerunners.{{Ref/Reuse|ptk}}

===Return to the capital===
{{Quote|I name you the protector and guardian of the Lesser Ark. You will keep it safe for the true inheritors of the Mantle. Any thoughtlessness, or cruelty, or arrogance is washed clean from you now. Yours is not - cannot be - a happy end. And thus I name you Tragic Solitude... for you shall be alone, and your noble sacrifice shall aid the Reclaimers... but in doing so, it shall break what is left of your heart.|[[IsoDidact|Bornstellar-Makes-Eternal-Lasting]] to [[000 Tragic Solitude]] upon his creation.{{Ref/Reuse|ptk}}}}

Well over a century after the Halos' activation, Splendid-Dust-of-Ancient-Suns reluctantly agreed to accompany the IsoDidact, now going by his original name of Bornstellar-Makes-Eternal-Lasting again and a number of other Forerunners to Maethrillian on a mission to repair the [[Domain]], which had been rendered inactive by the Halos, as well as retrieve vessels and intact [[slipspace flake]]s for the Forerunners' eventual exile from the galaxy. As former First Councilor, Splendid Dust possessed knowledge of a Precursor relic housed deep within the capital's [[Mysterium]]—one that was believed to control the Domain itself. Furthermore, his councilor regalia included a device known as a [[deadbolt]] key, which could supposedly interact with the Precursor artifact.{{Ref/Reuse|ptk}}

Upon arrival at the capital, Splendid Dust and the other Forerunners were confronted by [[Abaddon]], a powerful [[Precursor]] construct that desired to bring the Forerunners to trial for their crimes. Awestruck by the majesty of the being and overwhelmed with guilt, Splendid Dust broke down before Abaddon's enormous [[Holography|holographic]] projection and waited for his sentence; [[Glory-of-a-Far-Dawn]] and [[Keeper-of-Stone-Songs]] remained with him even as the other Forerunners forced their way into the Mysterium. Both Glory and Keeper were killed by Abaddon, but before the Precursor intelligence could render judgment on Splendid Dust, [[Growth-Through-Trial-of-Change]] successfully used the deadbolt key to restore the Domain, causing Abaddon to vanish and saving Splendid Dust.{{Ref/Reuse|ptk}}

Splendid Dust subsequently returned to the lesser Ark with the other survivors of the expedition. Wishing to atone for the Forerunners' many crimes, he chose to be [[Composer|composed]], becoming the [[monitor]] of Installation 00 and intending to serve as a guide for the [[Reclaimer]]s once they arrived. He was given the name [[000 Tragic Solitude]] by Bornstellar, who was greatly saddened by Dust's fate. In time, Tragic Solitude would forget his former identity and even the circumstances of his creation.{{Ref/Reuse|ptk}} Following the [[Battle of Installation 00]] in [[2552]], Tragic Solitude sought revenge against humanity for the damage done to the installation and launched an [[invasion of Earth]]. During [[Operation: FAR STORM]], Tragic Solitude and all that remained of Splendid Dust were destroyed by [[Bobby Kodiak]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'''</ref>

==Personality and traits==
{{Expand-section}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
**''[[Promises to Keep]]''

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
[[Category:Forerunners]]
[[Category:Builders]]
[[Category:Politicians]]