User:BaconShelf/Sandbox8

The Gateway, a Lithos situated on Genesis.

The Lithos on Boundary.

The Lithos is a series of Forerunner access nodes situated across the Milky Way galaxy, designed to allow for access to the Domain. They are present on numerous worlds and megastructures both natural and artificial.

Worlds containing Lithos sites

• Amasa
• Boundary
• Genesis (The Gateway)
• Kamchatka
• Juvedai

History

Genesis gateway

The Forerunners constructed Lithos gateways across the galaxy prior to the firing of the Halo Array at the end of the Forerunner-Flood war. One such installation was hidden on the shield world of Genesis, nicknamed the Gateway. The Lithos on Genesis was hidden in the planet's coral highlands and rarely used, with the hope that the bioreadings in the region would hide its signature. This installation was used by Cortana to secure control of the Domain following her "death" aboard Mantle's Approach during the New Phoenix Incident in July 2557. During the process of taking control of the Domain, Cortana began to awaken Guardian Custodes across the galaxy and summon them to Genesis. She also began to awaken Lithos sites like the one on Kamchatka, which in turn drew the attention of both Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and the UNSC - culminating in a large battle there. Eventually, SPARTAN-II Blue Team were summoned to Genesis by Cortana and encouraged to enter the Gateway, with Cortana hoping to trap them in a Cryptum to keep them safe during her conquest of the galaxy. Covenant forces deployed on Genesis during the conflict there retrieved information about this gateway during their occupation of the site, and ultimately fed it back to High Lord Dovo Nesto of the Order of Restoration, who in turn began to plot about how he could use the Lithos to attain effective immortality in the Domain. Shortly after, Genesis was moved into slipspace by Cortana, making its Lithos gateway inaccessible.

Nesto manipulated both War Chief Severan of the Banished and Sali 'Nyon, a remnant warlord who had recently rebelled against Jul 'Mdama, into assisting him with this plan, promising both the position of his right-hand once his godhood was attained. Thanks to information recovered from Reach, Nesto knew that the Domain could only be accessed by an individual with an identical neural pattern to Cortana. Knowing of the existence of Chloe Hall, he counted on the UNSC's determination to stop him that would result in them bringing her to the Lithos site.

Information about the Lithos was first made available to the United Nations Space Command in 2559, thanks to the research team operating on Zeta Halo. Some time following Cortana's re-emergence on Zeta Halo, the research team were able to report back to UNSC command noting their knowledge of the Lithos as a series of domain access nodes spread across the galaxy, similar in nature to the Kamchatka site. However, the team went silent shortly after, with the UNSC unable to ascertain if this information was discovered naturally on the ringworld or after the Created assumed command of the installation. This information was cross-referenced with a number of other Forerunner sites discovered by the Office of Naval Intelligence, though the locations of further Lithos access nodes remained unknown. However, with this information in hand, the UNSC began to look into ways of neutralising the Domain to ensure that once Cortana was defeated, another individual would not simply assume her mantle as a galactic dictator. This research concluded that the Lithos' were only accessible by an individual with Cortana's neural pattern - something which was available thanks to Chloe Hall. BB->Graham Alban->Halsey clone etc etc

It was through 'Nyon's Covenant by which the Swords of Sanghelios came to learn of the Lithos, having attached a relay mite to a battlecruiser in 'Nyon's service and eavesdropped on their communications. The information they uncovered did not inform the Swords what a Lithos was, but was enough to alert them of the threat and cause them to seek assistance from the UNSC. As such, Shadow of Intent deployed to Venezia alongside a UNSC superheavy cruiser UNSC Victory of Samothrace with the intent of capturing Nesto to interrogate him and find the Lithos' whereabouts. Unfortunately, an intervention by Severan and the Banished meant that this attempt was unsuccessful, though the allied task force succeeded in capturing a Sangheili guard who gave up the Lithos' location on Boundary during his interrogation by Jai-006 and Tul 'Juran.

Swords of Sanghelios recover info from a relay mite attached to a Sali Nyon CCS which claims the info about Chloe to have come from Reach. This was fed to the Order of Restoration, who began to plot for Nesto to access the Lithos on an unknown human world and attain godhood. The Swords (still unaware of what a Lithos was) joined up with Victory of Samothrace to capture Nesto on Venezia. Nesto knew of where the Lithos was and of Chloe's requirement. Nesto believes that using the Lithos will destroy his body. HE knew it was on Boundary.

UNSC/Swords find out the location after interrogating a 'Nyon Sangheili prisoner captured in the raid on Venezia. He gives up the location in interrogation. After news reached earth, Jilan al-Cygni went to Boundary with Akkadian to scan for the Lithos there. Victory of Samothrace was given command of Battle Group Omega with the goal of doing anything they could to either control, or deny, the Lithos to the enemy. As such, when the Banished fleet retreated from the assault on Earth on December 12, Victory moved to follow, arriving at Boundary on December 14. In reality, this was a ploy by Nesto, who needed Chloe Hall to gain access to

List of appearances

• Halo: Empty Throne (First appearance)