Editing William Iqbal

{{Status|Canon}}
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{{Quote|This may be the greatest archaeological boon we have ever received as scholars, but it is certainly the most perilous. Be careful.|Doctor William Iqbal{{Ref/Reuse|evolutions}}}}

Doctor '''William Arthur Iqbal''' is a [[human]] scientist and one of the handful of experts in the field of [[xenoarchaeology]]. Iqbal oversaw the study at the [[Department of Xenoarchaeological Studies]] at the [[University of Edinburgh]].{{Ref/Reuse|evolutions}} In [[2553]], after the end of the [[Human-Covenant War]], Iqbal was employed by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] for his extensive knowledge in xenoarchaeology.{{Ref/Novel|Id=hitd2|HiTD|Chapter=2}}

==Biography==
===Excession at Voi===
In [[2553|January 31, 2553]], Iqbal sent a message to his fellow security-cleared colleagues in which he addressed the classified nature of their research and informed that they now worked for the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] as per [[ONI Emergency Order 1416-2]], regardless of their original post and designation. In the letter, he also discussed the post-war situation and the relations with former [[Covenant]] races, suspecting humanity would continue to compete with them for information about [[Forerunner]] relics. Iqbal also discussed some details concerning their research of Forerunner artifacts, especially the [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] [[Portal at Voi|portal generator]] in [[Africa]] which he referred to as the "Excession at Voi". He announced that the investigation of the [[Ross-Ziegler Blip]] would be re-opened due to its connection with the mass extinction event that coincided with the activation of the [[Halo Array]].{{Ref/Reuse|evolutions}}

That month, he published a peer-reviewed paper based off his research conducted on the Portal at Voi, in which he regarded the portal as perhaps the greatest boon in [[xenoarchaeology]], but also issued caution for the dangers it may pose.{{Ref/Reuse|hitd2}} The need for research at the portal bought Iqbal's department resources to investigate alongside [[University of Calcutta|Calcutta University]]'s [[Department of Xenobiology]]. He also called for the review of the research on the Forerunners gathered on [[Coral]], [[Heian]], [[Reach]], and other worlds.{{Ref/Reuse|evolutions}}

Through later research of the Ross-Ziegler Blip at Voi, Iqbal and his team discovered the remains of what was thought to be the [[Librarian]]'s [[Catalog]] seven meters down.{{Ref/Novel|HRen|Chapter=23}}

===Work for ONI===
In [[2555|March 2555]], Iqbal was present for a meeting by the Office of Naval Intelligence in [[Sydney]]'s [[HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6|HIGHCOM Facility]]. He was joined by [[Commander-in-Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence|CINCONI]] [[Serin Osman]], several military representatives, and Doctor [[Bob Casper]]. Iqbal informed them of the countdown [[Luther Mann]] and [[Henry Lamb]] had discovered on [[Installation 07]], which they correctly suspected was a countdown to the activation of the [[Halo Array]]; Iqbal and Casper concurred with their findings. Iqbal suggested that the only way to stop the activation process was at [[Installation 00]], however doubted their ability to reach the Ark and considered the Portal at Voi inoperable. The group decided to reach out to the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] for assistance, and ultimately succeeded in disabling the activation process.{{Ref/Reuse|hitd2}}

In [[2557|June 2557]], Iqbal served as the head of xenoarchaeology for [[Project BOOKWORM|Project: BOOKWORM]], an initiative led by [[Annabelle Richards]] to locate and interrogate [[343 Guilty Spark]]. Upon hearing word that Guilty Spark may be on [[Geranos-a]], the [[Eclipse-class prowler|prowler]] [[UNSC Bad Moon Rising|''Bad Moon Rising'']] was dispatched to investigate. While Iqbal was confident that they would be able to hold Guilty Spark once he was on [[Earth]], Richards was less certain.{{Ref/Reuse|renegades13}} After an exchange between ONI and the [[salvaging]] crew of ''[[Ace of Spades]]'' on [[Binterall]], Richards believed they had obtained Guilty Spark and brought the datacore back to their facility in Voi, where Iqbal was preparing to place the datacore in a containment facility. However, Guilty Spark had only placed a small fragment within the datacore and had remained with the crew of ''Ace of Spades''. Once ''Ace of Spades'' arrived in Kenya, Guilty Spark used his fragment to shut down the facility.<ref>''Halo: Renegades'', Chapter 44</ref> Iqbal later identified a [[Lifeworker]] pod under [[Mount Kilimanjaro]] that Guilty Spark had used to converse with an imprint of the Librarian. He further discovered that Guilty Spark and the crew of ''Ace of Spades'' had fled using a portal that led to the top of Kilimanjaro.{{Ref/Novel|HRen|Chapter=52}}

==Personality and traits==
William Iqbal has extensive knowledge of all subjects related to [[xenoarchaeology]], a study that he oversees at the [[University of Edinburgh]]. However, [[Serin Osman]] considers him a self-satisfied prude, though she tolerated him for his expertise in xenoarchaeology. Despite Osman's reservations, Iqbal placed great trust and held utter confidence in Doctor [[Luther Mann]], a fellow xenoarchaeologist who Iqbal considered to be the preeminent expert in [[Forerunner]] culture.{{Ref/Reuse|hitd2}}

Iqbal wore thick glasses, which he did not need with modern advances. However, like many scholars, he wore them as a sign of respect for old traditions.{{Ref/Reuse|renegades13}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''
*''[[Halo: Renegades]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iqbal. William}}
[[Category:Human characters]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Office of Naval Intelligence personnel]]