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{{Era|Forerunner|HCW|Post}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Rename|The Sharpened Shield|We use the original name with most subjects, such as Covenant species, and Trevelyan is simply an alternate name used by the UNSC.}}
{{Outdated|[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]}}
{{References}}
{{Megastructure infobox
{{New Content}}
|image=[[File:HM-Crew of Onyx.jpg|300px]]
|description=[[Dyson sphere|Dyson shell]] with a terrestrial surface
|location=Within sealed [[Slipstream space]] enclosure, [[Zeta Doradus system]] (?-2553, 2558-)<ref name="loo">''Halo: Legacy of Onyx''</ref>
*Formerly in realspace within Zeta Doradus system, [[Orion Arm|Orion Spur]] (2553-2558)
|type=[[Shield world]]
|function=Preservation of lifeforms from the [[Halo Array]]'s pulse
|caretaker=
|constructed=
|destroyed=
|diameter=Approx. 2 [[Wikipedia:Astronomical unit|AU]] (300,000,000 km)
*[[Slipspace bubble]]: 23 cm<ref name="glass230">'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 230''</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|enc22}}
|surface width=Approx. 255 quadrillion km<sup>2</sup>
|surface width-title=Surface area
|gravity=1.37 solar masses{{Ref/Reuse|glass230}}
|gravity-title=Mass
|surface temperature=
|atmosphere=[[Wikipedia:Nitrogen|N<sub>2</sub>]], [[Oxygen|O<sub>2</sub>]]
}}


'''ONI Research Facility Trevelyan''',<ref name="glass397">'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 397''</ref> known to the [[Forerunner]]s as '''the Sharpened Shield''',<ref name="enc">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 301'' (2011 edition)</ref> is a [[Dyson sphere]] formerly located within the artificial planet [[Onyx]].
'''Sarcophagus'''<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', Chapter 8, ''page 190'' (paperback) (''"LUCY-B091 RECLAIMER WELCOME TO SHIELD WORLD SARCOPHAGUS BUT LIFE GOES ON."'')</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Thursday War''', Chapter 5, ''page 120'' (paperback) ("If I went by Halsey’s lexicon, then this symbol here refers to ''shield world zero zero six''. I think the symbol on the end is ''sarcophagus''.")</ref><ref>'''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]''', ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop 4]]''</ref> is a massive Forerunner [[shield world]] in the [[Zeta Doradus system]], having been previously located within the artificial planet [[Onyx]].


==Description==
==Overview==
At approximately two astronomical units (300 million kilometers) in diameter and weighing approximately 1.37 solar masses, the sphere is the largest known megastructure created by the Forerunners, and possibly the largest artificial structure in the galaxy. From the outside, the shell of the sphere is entirely featureless, and has been described as being chocolate-brown in color.<ref name="glass378">'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 378-379''</ref> It used to reside in a slipspace bubble of compressed dimensionality, having a diameter of only 23 centimeters in normal space.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''chapter 10''</ref> The Dyson sphere's default environmental conditions are suitable for [[Earth]]-based life, but the climate settings could be adjusted for other species' requirements.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 271''</ref><ref name="enc"/> When enclosed within Onyx, the only means of access to the Sharpened Shield was a small portal, which was located inside the [[core room antechamber]] in the core of the artificial planet. The portal was only active for a limited amount of time after the [[Halo Array]] had been put into standby mode.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 311''</ref>
===Nomenclature===
The formal designation of Sarcophagus is '''Shield World 006''',<ref name="SW 006">'''Halo: The Thursday War''', ''page 120''</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|hloo6}} which is sometimes rendered as '''Shield World 0006'''.<ref name="warfleet">'''[[Halo: Warfleet]]''', ''page 13''</ref>{{Ref/Book|Id=enc22|Enc22|Page=358}} It is also referred to by the [[Forerunners]] as the '''Sharpened Shield''',<ref name="enc">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 301'' (2011 edition)</ref> and as '''Quarantine Safeguard'''.{{Ref/Reuse|warfleet}} 


According to Dr. Halsey's calculations, the internal surface area of the sphere is approximately 500 million times the surface area of [[Earth]], or around 255 quadrillion km<sup>2</sup>. Most of the shield world is verdant forest, with several large cities in between. As the Forerunners never arrived, the shield world is entirely maintained by [[Huragok]] and [[Sentinel]]s. The shield world can transition back into real space if required, becoming a sphere the size of Earth's orbit.
As Sarcophagus came to occupy the space of the former planet,{{Ref/Novel|Id=hloo6|HLOO|Chapter=6}} the shield world is referred to as '''Onyx''' by the UNSC.{{Ref/Reuse|lessons}}{{Ref/Reuse|hloo6}} The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] officially designates{{Ref/Reuse|hloo6}} it as '''ONI Research Facility Trevelyan''' ('''ONIRF Trevelyan''') in honor of the late [[Kurt Ambrose|Kurt Trevelyan]].<ref name="glass397">'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 397''</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|hloo6}} As the [[human]] and [[Sangheili]] presence there expanded beyond what research was being conducted by ONI, "ONIRF Trevelyan" became less associated with the shield world at large, now referring more specifically to the ONI installation on its surface. By [[2554#April|April 2554]], the sphere had come to house the joint UNSC-[[Swords of Sanghelios]] [[Onyx United Research Project]] and contained a [[Paxopolis|growing settlement]] with a population in the thousands.<ref name="lessons">'''[[Halo: Fractures]]''', "[[Lessons Learned]]"</ref>


There are two known sections of the shield world. The Citadel<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 280''</ref> is a group of structures of unknown purpose that served as the base camp for Blue Team for the majority of their time in the shield world. Another section, known as the Sarcophagus,<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 190''</ref> is essentially a garage filled with many Forerunner transports and vehicles. The Sarcophagus also contained a control room. It was in this section that [[Lucy-B091]] discovered four Huragok and communicated with them.
===Topography and ecology===
The observed portion of the interior surface of Sarcophagus is rolling hills and verdant forest, with several Forerunner cities in between.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''', ''pages 271, 274''</ref> As the Forerunners never arrived, the shield world is entirely maintained by [[Huragok]] and [[Sentinel]]s, including cylindrical drones tasked with monitoring for signs of [[Flood]] infection.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''', ''page 272''</ref> The Dyson sphere's default environmental conditions are suitable for [[Earth]]-based life, but the climate settings could be adjusted for other species' requirements.{{Ref/Reuse|enc}}<ref>'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''page 271''</ref> The sky inside the shield world appears solid blue; the landscape on the other side of the sphere is not visible as a result of the shield world's enormous scale, unlike on smaller shield installations such as [[Trove]]. However, the concave curvature of the horizon can be detected with a [[telescopic sight]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 380''</ref> The exterior surface of the sphere is dark brown in color and entirely featureless, at least in the area around the only known entrance.{{Ref/Reuse|lessons}}<ref name="glass378">'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''page 378-379''</ref>
 
There are two identified Forerunner facilities on the shield world. The [[Citadel (Shield World 006)|Citadel]] is an urban habitat that served as the base camp for [[Blue Team]] for the majority of their time in the shield world.<ref>'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''page 280''</ref> [[Garage (Shield World 006)|Another section]] is essentially a garage filled with numerous Forerunner transports and vehicles.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 190''</ref> The Sarcophagus also contained a control room. It was in this section that [[Lucy-B091]] discovered several Huragok maintenance personnel, and successfully communicated with [[Prone to Drift|one of them]]. Numerous other structures are scattered around the landscape, including towers responsible for environmental maintenance and atmospheric control.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''', ''pages 273-275''</ref> Some of the structures are home to [[slipspace portal]]s which link not only to locations within the sphere, but also other worlds,<ref>'''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''', ''page 409''</ref> including [[Hesduros]].<ref>'''Halo: The Thursday War''', ''page 398''</ref> However, since the status of many of the facilities in the portals' receiving ends is unknown, travel through them was advised against by the Huragok.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''', ''page 278''</ref> One such portal led to the nearby planet [[Mackintosh]] which acted as the home port for a Forerunner warship of unknown class.<ref name="L404">'''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''', ''page 404''</ref>
 
While contained in slipspace, access to the shield world could only be obtained through a small portal located inside an [[core room antechamber|antechamber]] in the core of the artificial planet [[Onyx]]. The portal was only active for a limited amount of time after the [[Halo Array]] had been put into standby mode.<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 311''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''chapter 10''</ref> Some time after the portal had been deactivated, the Huragok crew transitioned the shield world back into normal space once they had been assured that there were no longer any threats to the shelter. In the process, the shield world enveloped the three inner planets of the Zeta Doradus system, which now orbit inside of it.{{Ref/Reuse|lessons}} The shield world could be returned to slipspace as a measure of protection against invasion.<ref>'''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]'''</ref> When the shield world was returned to its slipspace bubble, it had the side effect of dragging along the orbiting planets.{{Ref/Reuse|L403}}
====Locations====
*[[Paxopolis]]
*[[Citadel (Shield World 006)|Citadel]]
*[[Core room antechamber]]
*[[Garage (Shield World 006)|Garage]]
===Structure===
Sarcophagus is a [[Dyson sphere|Dyson shell]], a massive artificial structure encircling a star. At approximately two [[Wikipedia:Astronomical unit|astronomical units]] or 300 million kilometers in diameter (corresponding roughly to the diameter of [[Earth]]'s orbit), and weighing approximately 1.37 solar masses,{{Ref/Reuse|glass230}} the sphere is by far the largest known megastructure created by the Forerunners. According to [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]]'s calculations, the internal surface area of the sphere is approximately 500 million times the surface area of [[Earth]], or around 255 quadrillion km<sup>2</sup>. Despite its massive size, while inside the artificial planetary shell of [[Onyx]], the structure was contained inside a [[slipspace bubble]] of compressed dimensionality, making its apparent diameter only about 23 centimeters.{{Ref/Reuse|glass230}}


==History==
==History==
The Sharpened Shield was constructed by the Forerunners during the [[Forerunner-Flood war]] as a bomb shelter from the firing of the Halo Array.
===Ancient history===
The most technologically impressive of all shield worlds encountered in the modern era, Sarcophagus was constructed as part of the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]'s shield world defensive plan before the [[Forerunner-Flood war]]. This shield installation in particular was designed as a fallout shelter from the [[Halo Array]], a competing strategy advocated by the [[Builder]]s. Several [[slipspace portal]]s on the interior of the structure were linked to major Forerunner worlds, in order to facilitate their evacuation before the Array fired; one such world was [[Kelekos]]. Another led to the planet known as Mackintosh in the same star system which acted as the home port for a Forerunner warship. Sarcophagus is also an installation of Ecumene's [[Overwatch network]].{{Ref/Reuse|warfleet}}
Near the end of the [[Battle of Onyx]] on [[2552#November|November 3, 2552]], Covenant [[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]] led his forces in an attempt to access the Sharpened Shield. However, [[SPARTAN-II Program|SPARTAN]] [[Kurt-051]] detonated a pair of [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s within the core room antechamber after his comrades had passed through the portal, denying the Covenant access.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 372''</ref> The human survivors, including SPARTAN-II [[Blue Team]], several [[SPARTAN-III Program|SPARTAN-IIIs]], [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]], and [[Senior Chief Petty Officer]] [[Franklin Mendez]], were then seemingly trapped within the shield world. Shortly thereafter, the installation's [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]] destroyed the artificial surface of Onyx.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 378''</ref>
 
===Human-Covenant war===
[[File:HM EscapeFromOnyx3.png|thumb|250px|The survivors exploring the shield world.]]
Near the end of the [[Onyx Conflict]] on [[2552#November|November 3, 2552]], [[Joyous Exultation Covenant|Covenant]] [[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]] led [[Joyous Exultation Covenant|his forces]] in an attempt to access the Sharpened Shield. However, [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Kurt Ambrose]] detonated a pair of [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s within the core room antechamber after his comrades had passed through the portal, denying the Covenant access.<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 372''</ref> The human survivors; Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]], [[Senior Chief Petty Officer]] [[Franklin Mendez]]; [[Spartan-II]]s [[Linda-058]], [[Kelly-087]], and [[Frederic-104]]; and [[Spartan-III]]s [[Lucy-B091]], [[Tom-B292]], [[Ash-G099]], [[Olivia-G291]], and [[Mark-G313]], were then seemingly trapped within the shield world. Shortly thereafter, the installation's [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]] destroyed the artificial surface of Onyx.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 378''</ref> All that remained in realspace was a 23-centimeter orb around Zeta Doradus.<ref>'''[[Halo Mythos]]''', ''page 134''</ref>
 
When inside the shield world, the human survivors eventually managed to establish contact between the ONI ships outside the sphere, which had already detected the cyclically fluctuating anomaly caused by the slipspace bubble but had no means to access it.{{Ref/Reuse|glass230}} In [[2553#February|February 2553]],<ref name="glass372">'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''page 372''</ref> the shield world was brought back into normal space by a group of [[Huragok]] that the Forerunners had left behind to maintain the structure. There was a considerable difference in the passage of time between the slipspace bubble and real space; while the survivors inside the sphere had only experienced several days, approximately three months had passed on the outside.
 
===Postwar===
Once the Sharpened Shield had been brought back into normal space, the ONI team [[Kilo-Five]] entered the sphere. A strip of multi-colored lights activated to guide their dropship to the designated coordinates, where they would land on the surface of the shell. After a momentary blackness and a disorienting sensation for the occupants, they found themselves and their ship inside the [[Garage (Shield World 006)|"garage"]] facility.{{Ref/Reuse|glass378}} Halsey, Mendez and the surviving Spartans were then rescued from the shield world, but the doctor was immediately arrested by [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Serin Osman]] for "committing acts likely to aid the enemy".
 
Immediately afterward, ONI established a base of operations near the access portal to the sphere,{{Ref/Reuse|glass397}} which was named "Trevelyan" in honor of Kurt-051, whose sacrifice allowed humanity to access it.{{Ref/Reuse|glass372}} ONI's research facility was used to gather information on the vast installation, as well as to obtain usable Forerunner technologies.
 
Days later, the former [[Shipmaster]] [[Jul 'Mdama]], detained by [[Kilo-Five]], was placed in captivity on Trevelyan at the behest of Dr. [[Irena Magnusson]] in order to use him in ONI's experiments; however, several days later, the Sangheili escaped via a local [[slipspace portal]]. The incident resulted in ONI commander-in-chief [[Admiral]] [[Margaret Parangosky]] personally relieving Dr. Magnusson of duty and replacing her with [[Hugo Barton]] as the facility's director.<ref>'''Halo: The Thursday War''', ''page 407''</ref>
 
[[File:Enc22 OnyxInterior.jpg|225px|thumb|left|A UNSC base established alongside Forerunner structures within the shield world.]]
===Joint research===
{{Main|Onyx United Research Project}}
By [[2554|March 2554]], the shield world's fledgling research facility had undergone major changes, having become a combined effort between the UNSC and the [[Swords of Sanghelios]]. A settlement known as [[Paxopolis]] had been established in the sphere and was steadily growing, primarily housing researchers and their families. [[Franklin Mendez]], former head instructor for the [[Spartan-II]]s and [[Spartan-III]]s, was appointed as the facility's head of security, alongside [[Sangheili]] [[Kasha 'Hilot]]. A number of [[Spartan Operations|Spartans]] were assigned to the facility's garrison.{{Ref/Reuse|loo}}<ref>'''Halo 4''', [[DEFENDER-class Mjolnir|Defender]] armor description</ref> Shortly after March 30, 2554, Spartan-IIIs [[Lucy-B091]] and [[Tom-B292]] joined the security staff, serving directly under Mendez.{{Ref/Reuse|lessons}} By 2558 the UNSC and the Swords of Sanghelios had a strong military presence on the shield world which included hundreds of soldiers, combat vehicles and even warships. This military strength was necessary to protect Paxopolis from the constant siege from both Forerunner constructs and dangerous animals, as well as from external threats.{{Ref/Reuse|loo}}
 
====Created uprising====
{{Main|Created uprising}}
With the beginning of the [[Created]] uprising, the UNSC-Swords of Sanghelios forces on Onyx had it returned to Slipspace as a form of protection against [[Cortana]] and her [[Guardians]],<ref>'''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''', ''page 317''</ref> taking with it the three planets that had been left enveloped within the shield world when it emerged from slipspace.<ref name="L403">'''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''', ''page 403''</ref> At the same time, it faced [[Second Onyx conflict|an invasion]] by the [[Servants of the Abiding Truth]].{{Ref/Reuse|loo}} After the destruction of a Created [[Guardian]], the Servants retreated to a new base on [[Mackintosh]] to bide their time.<ref>'''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''', ''pages 403-405''</ref>
{{Expand-section}}
{{clear}}


When inside the shield world, the human survivors managed to establish contact between the ONI ships outside the sphere, which had already detected the anomaly caused by the slipspace bubble but had no means to access it. In February 2553,<ref name="glass372">'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 372''</ref> the shield world was eventually brought back into normal space by a group of [[Huragok]] that the Forerunners had left behind to maintain the structure. There was a considerable difference in the passage of time between the slipspace bubble and real space; while the survivors inside the sphere had only experienced several days, approximately three months had passed on the outside.
==Research==
Following the establishment of the research facility, numerous discoveries of records and technology were made within the shield world. Significant finds included the [[Halo: Cryptum|Bornstellar Relation]];<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 12''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 230''</ref> the remains of a [[Catalog]] carapace, (designated "Forerunner remains #879"), including the desiccated, malformed corpse within; a fossilized [[Juridical]] accompanied by a [[monitor]] with [[Halo: Silentium|an account]] of the last days of the Forerunner-Flood war;<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''','' Prologue''</ref> and the [[Forerunner personal armor|personal armor]] of a latter-day Forerunner [[Prefect]].<ref name="worthplaying">[http://worthplaying.com/article/2013/7/6/news/89850/ '''Worthplaying:''' '''Halo 4' (X360) Champions Bundle To Add New Maps, Mode, Skins, Armor, Bonus Upgrades - Screens'']</ref> All of these discoveries were studied extensively, with the Bornstellar Relation and the monitor's accounts giving a great deal of insight into Forerunner history and society. Matériel discovered on Trevelyan soon led to new technological developments, such as [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Prefect|a variant]] of [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|MJOLNIR (GEN2)]] that ONI's [[Watershed Division]] and local Huragok reverse-engineered from the Prefect's armor.{{Ref/Reuse|worthplaying}}


Once the Sharpened Shield had been brought back into normal space, the ONI team [[Kilo-Five]] entered the sphere. A strip of multi-colored lights activated to guide their dropship to the designated coordinates, where they would land on the surface of the shell. After a momentary blackness and a disorienting sensation for the occupants, they found themselves and their ship inside a hangar facility within the sphere's interior.<ref name="glass378"/> Halsey and the surviving SPARTANs were then rescued from the Sharpened Shield, but she was immediately arrested by [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Serin Osman]] for "committing acts likely to aid the enemy". Meanwhile, ONI science teams were sent in to recover Forerunner technologies from the shield world,<ref name="glass397"/> which was was named "Trevelyan" in honor of Kurt-051, whose sacrifice allowed humanity to access it.<ref name="glass372"/>
Initially, one of the Trevelyan site's primary purposes was to experiment on genetically modifying the Sangheili grain known as [[irukan]], with the goal of creating a bioweapon to be unleashed against the Sangheili as a backup plan in the event ONI's strategy to destabilize them failed. To accelerate the growth of the crops, ONI had the facility's resident [[Huragok]] create [[slipspace bubble]]s in which time passed faster than in normal space, much like the dimensional bubble the shield world itself used to inhabit.<ref>'''Halo: The Thursday War''', ''pages 138, 205''</ref> With the advent of the [[Onyx United Research Project]] and the joint UNSC-Sangheili occupation of the sphere, the bioweapon project within the facility would presumably have been discontinued.{{Ref/Reuse|lessons}}


Several days later, the former [[Shipmaster]] [[Jul ‘Mdama]], who was captured by [[Kilo-Five]], was brought to Trevelyan for interrogation by Dr. [[Magnusson]].
==Trivia==
*The "Sharpened Shield", a name used for the shield world in the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'', was originally a fan-made name used on Halopedia. The name had never been used in any official ''Halo'' media, though it was seemingly based on the line, ''"And bless the Reclaimers that may take refuge behind the sharpened edge of the Shield,"'' from ''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''. For more information, see [[Talk:Sarcophagus#Name v2|this discussion]].
*Collectively, the designations "Shield World 006" and "Trevelyan" are a reference to the James Bond film [[Wikipedia:GoldenEye|''GoldenEye'']], in which Alec Trevelyan, the film's antagonist, is a former 00 agent with the code number 006{{citation needed}}.


==List of appearances==
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Silentium]]'' {{mo}}
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'' {{mo}}
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{C|glyph only}}
**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition dossiers|Limited Edition dossiers]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo Fractures]]''
**''[[Lessons Learned]]''
*''[[Halo: Envoy]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo: Renegades]]'' {{Mo}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources|2}}


{{Forerunner2}}
{{Forerunner|array}}
[[Category:Forerunner installations]]
[[Category:Shield worlds]]
[[Category:Onyx]]

Latest revision as of 22:28, June 12, 2024

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Sarcophagus
HM-Crew of Onyx.jpg
General overview

Description:

Dyson shell with a terrestrial surface

Location:

Within sealed Slipstream space enclosure, Zeta Doradus system (?-2553, 2558-)[1]

  • Formerly in realspace within Zeta Doradus system, Orion Spur (2553-2558)
Operation overview

Type:

Shield world

Function:

Preservation of lifeforms from the Halo Array's pulse

Structural information

Diameter:

Approx. 2 AU (300,000,000 km)

Surface area:

Approx. 255 quadrillion km2

Mass:

1.37 solar masses[2]

Atmospheric composition:

N2, O2

 

Sarcophagus[4][5][6] is a massive Forerunner shield world in the Zeta Doradus system, having been previously located within the artificial planet Onyx.

Overview[edit]

Nomenclature[edit]

The formal designation of Sarcophagus is Shield World 006,[7][8] which is sometimes rendered as Shield World 0006.[9][3] It is also referred to by the Forerunners as the Sharpened Shield,[10] and as Quarantine Safeguard.[9]

As Sarcophagus came to occupy the space of the former planet,[8] the shield world is referred to as Onyx by the UNSC.[11][8] The Office of Naval Intelligence officially designates[8] it as ONI Research Facility Trevelyan (ONIRF Trevelyan) in honor of the late Kurt Trevelyan.[12][8] As the human and Sangheili presence there expanded beyond what research was being conducted by ONI, "ONIRF Trevelyan" became less associated with the shield world at large, now referring more specifically to the ONI installation on its surface. By April 2554, the sphere had come to house the joint UNSC-Swords of Sanghelios Onyx United Research Project and contained a growing settlement with a population in the thousands.[11]

Topography and ecology[edit]

The observed portion of the interior surface of Sarcophagus is rolling hills and verdant forest, with several Forerunner cities in between.[13] As the Forerunners never arrived, the shield world is entirely maintained by Huragok and Sentinels, including cylindrical drones tasked with monitoring for signs of Flood infection.[14] The Dyson sphere's default environmental conditions are suitable for Earth-based life, but the climate settings could be adjusted for other species' requirements.[10][15] The sky inside the shield world appears solid blue; the landscape on the other side of the sphere is not visible as a result of the shield world's enormous scale, unlike on smaller shield installations such as Trove. However, the concave curvature of the horizon can be detected with a telescopic sight.[16] The exterior surface of the sphere is dark brown in color and entirely featureless, at least in the area around the only known entrance.[11][17]

There are two identified Forerunner facilities on the shield world. The Citadel is an urban habitat that served as the base camp for Blue Team for the majority of their time in the shield world.[18] Another section is essentially a garage filled with numerous Forerunner transports and vehicles.[19] The Sarcophagus also contained a control room. It was in this section that Lucy-B091 discovered several Huragok maintenance personnel, and successfully communicated with one of them. Numerous other structures are scattered around the landscape, including towers responsible for environmental maintenance and atmospheric control.[20] Some of the structures are home to slipspace portals which link not only to locations within the sphere, but also other worlds,[21] including Hesduros.[22] However, since the status of many of the facilities in the portals' receiving ends is unknown, travel through them was advised against by the Huragok.[23] One such portal led to the nearby planet Mackintosh which acted as the home port for a Forerunner warship of unknown class.[24]

While contained in slipspace, access to the shield world could only be obtained through a small portal located inside an antechamber in the core of the artificial planet Onyx. The portal was only active for a limited amount of time after the Halo Array had been put into standby mode.[25][26] Some time after the portal had been deactivated, the Huragok crew transitioned the shield world back into normal space once they had been assured that there were no longer any threats to the shelter. In the process, the shield world enveloped the three inner planets of the Zeta Doradus system, which now orbit inside of it.[11] The shield world could be returned to slipspace as a measure of protection against invasion.[27] When the shield world was returned to its slipspace bubble, it had the side effect of dragging along the orbiting planets.[28]

Locations[edit]

Structure[edit]

Sarcophagus is a Dyson shell, a massive artificial structure encircling a star. At approximately two astronomical units or 300 million kilometers in diameter (corresponding roughly to the diameter of Earth's orbit), and weighing approximately 1.37 solar masses,[2] the sphere is by far the largest known megastructure created by the Forerunners. According to Dr. Catherine Halsey's calculations, the internal surface area of the sphere is approximately 500 million times the surface area of Earth, or around 255 quadrillion km2. Despite its massive size, while inside the artificial planetary shell of Onyx, the structure was contained inside a slipspace bubble of compressed dimensionality, making its apparent diameter only about 23 centimeters.[2]

History[edit]

Ancient history[edit]

The most technologically impressive of all shield worlds encountered in the modern era, Sarcophagus was constructed as part of the Didact's shield world defensive plan before the Forerunner-Flood war. This shield installation in particular was designed as a fallout shelter from the Halo Array, a competing strategy advocated by the Builders. Several slipspace portals on the interior of the structure were linked to major Forerunner worlds, in order to facilitate their evacuation before the Array fired; one such world was Kelekos. Another led to the planet known as Mackintosh in the same star system which acted as the home port for a Forerunner warship. Sarcophagus is also an installation of Ecumene's Overwatch network.[9]

Human-Covenant war[edit]

A nearly finalized version of the "Escape from Onyx," with only the color of the two rightmost Spartans missing.
The survivors exploring the shield world.

Near the end of the Onyx Conflict on November 3, 2552, Covenant Fleet Master Voro Nar 'Mantakree led his forces in an attempt to access the Sharpened Shield. However, Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose detonated a pair of FENRIS nuclear warheads within the core room antechamber after his comrades had passed through the portal, denying the Covenant access.[29] The human survivors; Dr. Catherine Halsey, Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez; Spartan-IIs Linda-058, Kelly-087, and Frederic-104; and Spartan-IIIs Lucy-B091, Tom-B292, Ash-G099, Olivia-G291, and Mark-G313, were then seemingly trapped within the shield world. Shortly thereafter, the installation's Sentinels destroyed the artificial surface of Onyx.[30] All that remained in realspace was a 23-centimeter orb around Zeta Doradus.[31]

When inside the shield world, the human survivors eventually managed to establish contact between the ONI ships outside the sphere, which had already detected the cyclically fluctuating anomaly caused by the slipspace bubble but had no means to access it.[2] In February 2553,[32] the shield world was brought back into normal space by a group of Huragok that the Forerunners had left behind to maintain the structure. There was a considerable difference in the passage of time between the slipspace bubble and real space; while the survivors inside the sphere had only experienced several days, approximately three months had passed on the outside.

Postwar[edit]

Once the Sharpened Shield had been brought back into normal space, the ONI team Kilo-Five entered the sphere. A strip of multi-colored lights activated to guide their dropship to the designated coordinates, where they would land on the surface of the shell. After a momentary blackness and a disorienting sensation for the occupants, they found themselves and their ship inside the "garage" facility.[17] Halsey, Mendez and the surviving Spartans were then rescued from the shield world, but the doctor was immediately arrested by Captain Serin Osman for "committing acts likely to aid the enemy".

Immediately afterward, ONI established a base of operations near the access portal to the sphere,[12] which was named "Trevelyan" in honor of Kurt-051, whose sacrifice allowed humanity to access it.[32] ONI's research facility was used to gather information on the vast installation, as well as to obtain usable Forerunner technologies.

Days later, the former Shipmaster Jul 'Mdama, detained by Kilo-Five, was placed in captivity on Trevelyan at the behest of Dr. Irena Magnusson in order to use him in ONI's experiments; however, several days later, the Sangheili escaped via a local slipspace portal. The incident resulted in ONI commander-in-chief Admiral Margaret Parangosky personally relieving Dr. Magnusson of duty and replacing her with Hugo Barton as the facility's director.[33]

Sarcophagus under UNSC control.
A UNSC base established alongside Forerunner structures within the shield world.

Joint research[edit]

Main article: Onyx United Research Project

By March 2554, the shield world's fledgling research facility had undergone major changes, having become a combined effort between the UNSC and the Swords of Sanghelios. A settlement known as Paxopolis had been established in the sphere and was steadily growing, primarily housing researchers and their families. Franklin Mendez, former head instructor for the Spartan-IIs and Spartan-IIIs, was appointed as the facility's head of security, alongside Sangheili Kasha 'Hilot. A number of Spartans were assigned to the facility's garrison.[1][34] Shortly after March 30, 2554, Spartan-IIIs Lucy-B091 and Tom-B292 joined the security staff, serving directly under Mendez.[11] By 2558 the UNSC and the Swords of Sanghelios had a strong military presence on the shield world which included hundreds of soldiers, combat vehicles and even warships. This military strength was necessary to protect Paxopolis from the constant siege from both Forerunner constructs and dangerous animals, as well as from external threats.[1]

Created uprising[edit]

Main article: Created uprising

With the beginning of the Created uprising, the UNSC-Swords of Sanghelios forces on Onyx had it returned to Slipspace as a form of protection against Cortana and her Guardians,[35] taking with it the three planets that had been left enveloped within the shield world when it emerged from slipspace.[28] At the same time, it faced an invasion by the Servants of the Abiding Truth.[1] After the destruction of a Created Guardian, the Servants retreated to a new base on Mackintosh to bide their time.[36]

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Research[edit]

Following the establishment of the research facility, numerous discoveries of records and technology were made within the shield world. Significant finds included the Bornstellar Relation;[37][38] the remains of a Catalog carapace, (designated "Forerunner remains #879"), including the desiccated, malformed corpse within; a fossilized Juridical accompanied by a monitor with an account of the last days of the Forerunner-Flood war;[39] and the personal armor of a latter-day Forerunner Prefect.[40] All of these discoveries were studied extensively, with the Bornstellar Relation and the monitor's accounts giving a great deal of insight into Forerunner history and society. Matériel discovered on Trevelyan soon led to new technological developments, such as a variant of MJOLNIR (GEN2) that ONI's Watershed Division and local Huragok reverse-engineered from the Prefect's armor.[40]

Initially, one of the Trevelyan site's primary purposes was to experiment on genetically modifying the Sangheili grain known as irukan, with the goal of creating a bioweapon to be unleashed against the Sangheili as a backup plan in the event ONI's strategy to destabilize them failed. To accelerate the growth of the crops, ONI had the facility's resident Huragok create slipspace bubbles in which time passed faster than in normal space, much like the dimensional bubble the shield world itself used to inhabit.[41] With the advent of the Onyx United Research Project and the joint UNSC-Sangheili occupation of the sphere, the bioweapon project within the facility would presumably have been discontinued.[11]

Trivia[edit]

  • The "Sharpened Shield", a name used for the shield world in the Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), was originally a fan-made name used on Halopedia. The name had never been used in any official Halo media, though it was seemingly based on the line, "And bless the Reclaimers that may take refuge behind the sharpened edge of the Shield," from Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. For more information, see this discussion.
  • Collectively, the designations "Shield World 006" and "Trevelyan" are a reference to the James Bond film GoldenEye, in which Alec Trevelyan, the film's antagonist, is a former 00 agent with the code number 006[citation needed].

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Halo: Legacy of Onyx
  2. ^ a b c d e Halo: Glasslands, page 230
  3. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 358
  4. ^ Halo: Glasslands, Chapter 8, page 190 (paperback) ("LUCY-B091 RECLAIMER WELCOME TO SHIELD WORLD SARCOPHAGUS BUT LIFE GOES ON.")
  5. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, Chapter 5, page 120 (paperback) ("If I went by Halsey’s lexicon, then this symbol here refers to shield world zero zero six. I think the symbol on the end is sarcophagus.")
  6. ^ Halo Legendary Crate, Data Drop 4
  7. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, page 120
  8. ^ a b c d e Halo: Legacy of Onyx, chapter 6
  9. ^ a b c Halo: Warfleet, page 13
  10. ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 301 (2011 edition)
  11. ^ a b c d e f Halo: Fractures, "Lessons Learned"
  12. ^ a b Halo: Glasslands, page 397
  13. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, pages 271, 274
  14. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, page 272
  15. ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 271
  16. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 380
  17. ^ a b Halo: Glasslands, page 378-379
  18. ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 280
  19. ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 190
  20. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, pages 273-275
  21. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, page 409
  22. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, page 398
  23. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, page 278
  24. ^ Halo: Legacy of Onyx, page 404
  25. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 311
  26. ^ Halo: Glasslands, chapter 10
  27. ^ Halo: Legacy of Onyx
  28. ^ a b Halo: Legacy of Onyx, page 403
  29. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 372
  30. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 378
  31. ^ Halo Mythos, page 134
  32. ^ a b Halo: Glasslands, page 372
  33. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, page 407
  34. ^ Halo 4, Defender armor description
  35. ^ Halo: Legacy of Onyx, page 317
  36. ^ Halo: Legacy of Onyx, pages 403-405
  37. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 12
  38. ^ Halo: Primordium, page 230
  39. ^ Halo: Silentium, Prologue
  40. ^ a b Worthplaying:' Halo 4' (X360) Champions Bundle To Add New Maps, Mode, Skins, Armor, Bonus Upgrades - Screens
  41. ^ Halo: The Thursday War, pages 138, 205

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The Forerunners

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Halo Array
Arks
Senescent array
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Other

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Installation components

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Other installations
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Other facilities
For a complete list, check out our Forerunner category.
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