Real World

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx: Difference between revisions

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
 
(532 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{realworld}}
{{Title|''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''}}
{{ratings}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Era|GOO}}
{{Novel infobox
{{Nominated}}
|name=''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''
{{Book Info                 
|variant=Original
|name= ''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''
|image=[[File:Onyx cover.jpg|300px]]
|image=Onyx cover.jpg
|author=[[Eric Nylund]]
|Author= [[Eric Nylund]]
|cover artist=[[Lorraine McLees]] and [[Isaac Hannaford]]
|Publisher= [[Tor|Tor Books]]
|illustrator=
|Date Released= October 31, 2006
|editor=
|Length= 384 Pages
|audio=Jonathan Davis
|ISBN= 0765315688
|publisher=[[Tor Books]]
|ISBN-13= 978-0765315687  
|publication=October 31, 2006 (original)<br>April 9, 2019 (2019 edition)
|Availability= Paperback
|media=Print (Paperback), Audiobook
|US Price=$12.95
|length=383 pages (original)<br>432 pages (2019 edition)
|Can Price=$16.95                       
|ISBN=[[Special:BookSources/0765315688|0765315688]], [[Special:BookSources/978-0765315687|978-0765315687]], [[Special:BookSources/978-1982111670|978-1982111670]]
|UK Price=£6.59
|series=[[The Original Series]]
|Amazon=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0765315688
|preceded=''[[Halo: First Strike]]
|Product Dimensions= 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
|followed=
|Product Dimensions Metric=20.8 x 14 x 2.8 cm
|multiseries=
|Shipping Weight= 12 ounces
|notable=
|Shipping Mass= 341 g
}}
}}
'''''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''''' is the fourth novel in the Halo series. The book is written by [[Eric Nylund]] and published by [[Tor Books]]. It was officially released on [[2006|October 31, 2006]], and was released as an audiobook on [[2007 (real world)|February 6, 2007]]. The unabridged version includes 9 disks, and is narrated by Jonathan Davis.   


'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''' is the title of the fourth novel in the Halo series. The book is by [[Eric Nylund]] and published by [[Tor]]. It was officially released on October 31<sup>st</sup>, 2006.
The announcement of ''Ghosts of Onyx'' included a confirmation that two more novels would be released as part of the same contract; ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', and ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''. Chronologically, ''Ghosts of Onyx'' is followed by ''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'', the first novel in a [[Kilo-Five Trilogy|new series]] set after the conclusion of the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref name="bulletin">[http://halo.bungie.org/halobulletins/3 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Halo Bulletin Archive - The Halo Bulletin: 6/22/11'']</ref>


In addition, the announcement of the title also included a confirmation that ''Ghosts of Onyx'' is not the last planned Halo book. At least two more novels are planned to follow it as part of a contract with Tor (The first of these two books, [[Halo: Contact Harvest]], was released October 30<sup>th</sup>, 2007).
==Official summary==
{{Article quote|The [[SPARTAN-II program]] has gone public. Tales of super-soldiers fending off thousands of [[Covenant]] attacks has become the stuff of legend.<br>But just how many Spartans are left?<br>While the Master Chief defends a besieged Earth, and the myriad factions of the Covenant continue their crusade to eliminate humanity, an ultra-secret cell of the Office of Naval Intelligence known as "Section Three" devises a plan to buy the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] vital time. They're going to need hundreds of willing soldiers, though… and one more Spartan to get the job done.<br>Planet [[Onyx]] is virtually abandoned and therefore the perfect place to set this new plan in motion. When the Master Chief destroys Halo, however, something is triggered deep within Onyx. Action begins to boil and the Ancient [[Forerunner]] technology stirs. Armadas of UNSC and Covenant race to claim the Forerunner secrets in order to change the course of the Human-Covenant war.<br><br>But this reawakened and ancient force may have plans of its own…}}


==Plot==
==Plot synopsis==
{{Spoiler}}
{{Spoiler/begin}}
[[Image:Notfinal Onyx back.jpg|left|thumb|Concept art of ''Onyx''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s back cover.]]
===Prologue: Beta Company's Victory at Pegasi Delta===
The novel begins with a group of [[SPARTAN-III]]s belonging to [[Beta Company]] deploying to a [[Covenant]] fleet refueling depot on [[Pegasi Delta]]. They proceed to destroy the facility, but due to unexpectedly heavy [[Covenant]] resistance, all but two of the three hundred Spartans sent to Pegasi Delta are wiped out by the Covenant. The only survivors, [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]], are revealed to be only twelve years old, and Lucy is traumatized and rendered mute (This is assumed to be Post Traumatic Vocal disarticulation).    
The prologue begins with the 300 SPARTAN-IIIs of [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]] being deployed to the Covenant-controlled planet, [[Pegasi Delta]] in [[2545]]. Out of the 300, 291 hit the ground and proceed towards their target, a Covenant refinery. The Spartans manage to destroy the facility, but due to unexpected heavy Covenant resistance in the form of seven large [[Covenant cruiser]]s, misidentified as part of the factory by the orbiting [[Stealth Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Satellite|STARS satellite]], only two; SPARTANS [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]], survive. Tom and Lucy are revealed to be only twelve years old, and Lucy is severely traumatized and rendered mute, being diagnosed with [[post-traumatic vocal disarticulation]] after the deaths of the other Spartans and several of her companions from [[Team Foxtrot]], [[Adam-B004]] and [[Min-B174]].


The novel then cuts to a raid by the [[SPARTAN-II]] [[Blue Team]] on a rebel base at the planet [[Victoria]] to recover stolen [[FENRIS]] nuclear warheads. The team is nearly captured by a rebel ambush, but is saved by the timely, intuitive intervention of [[Kurt-051]]. Shortly afterward, the novel cuts to a meeting between [[Colonel James Ackerson]] of Section Three of the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], and the top leadership of ONI. In this meeting, they agree that the SPARTAN-II program is prohibitively expensive and that a more streamlined, "disposable" breed of Spartans must be trained for high-risk operations. This becomes the SPARTAN-III program, in which young recruits, orphaned volunteers aged 4 to 6, are gathered from worlds destroyed by the Covenant and trained by the SPARTAN-IIs' original trainer, [[Senior Chief Petty Officer Mendez]], formerly ranked as [[Chief Petty Officer Mendez]]. To assist in this endeavor, Ackerson forcibly fakes the death of and recruits Kurt-051, and promotes him to [[Lieutenant, Junior Grade]], before placing him in command of the S-III program and granting him the surname of "Ambrose." The operation is based on a secret planet named "[[Onyx]]," which is the site of a major archaeological survey also being conducted by [[ONI]].  
===Section 1: Lieutenant Ambrose===
The narrative then moves back to [[2531]] to a [[Operation: SMOKING ACES|raid]] by [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] [[Blue Team]] against [[Insurrectionist]]s on planet [[Victoria]] to recover stolen [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s. Though the team is captured by [[General]] [[Howard Graves]] and the rebels, the timely intervention of [[Kurt-051]] allows the team to complete their mission without any other serious problems, but Graves is killed during the course of events, preventing the team from learning valuable secrets the General held about the rebels' command and intelligence structure.


The first SPARTAN-III company, [[Alpha Company]], proves to be a startling success, but is wiped out when deployed to target a major Covenant shipyard in a mission codenamed [[Operation PROMETHEUS]]. Shaken by the images of the battle and massacre of his troops, Kurt proceeds to improve the training regimen for his next batch of recruits, only to watch them fall by the hundreds at Pegasi Delta during [[Operation TORPEDO]]. He then institutes an illegal medical procedure in the third group of SPARTANS-IIIs, which will harden their minds and bodies against pain and shock to better allow them to survive.
Five months later, [[James Ackerson|Colonel James Ackerson]] of Section Three of the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], meets with three ONI officers: [[Ned Rich|Rear Admiral Rich]], [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Aaron G. Gibson|Gibson]] and [[Vice Admiral]] [[Margaret Parangosky|Parangosky]]. During the meeting, Ackerson moves forward a proposal for a new SPARTAN program which retains most of the effectiveness of the SPARTAN-II program without the high costs of the previous project. This becomes the SPARTAN-III program, a more streamlined, "disposable," as well as more numerous, group of Spartans that must be trained for high-risk operations. Ackerson is given the classified, UNSC-controlled world Onyx with the purpose of training the SPARTAN-IIIs, and is promised one of the SPARTAN-II to train them.
 
On October 31, 2552, the top three teams of the SPARTAN-III [[Gamma Company]], Teams [[Team Saber|Saber]], [[Team Katana|Katana]], and [[Team Gladius|Gladius]], conduct a training exercise near a restricted area on the planet deemed [[Zone 67]], only to find themselves and other [[UNSC]] personnel under attack by an unidentified class of alien drone, that are later identified as [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]]. Very quickly, the few humans on the planet are either wiped out or struggling to survive against this new, unexpected threat. 
At this point, Doctor Catherine Halsey and Kelly-087 arrive to investigate the mysterious planet, but are attacked by more of the Sentinels and crash land. Once on the planet, they meet up with the human survivors of the attacks, including S-III Team Saber, Kurt, and Chief Mendez. Halsey identifies the drones as Sentinels from the information she reviewed from SPARTAN-117's logs on Halo, and proceeds to call for reinforcements, piggybacking her transmission on, ironically, another transmission made by Cortana at the end of Halo 2. On the message she calls out for caution about the danger coming from the forerunner ship that includes SPARTAN-117 and the flood, which is trying to escape from Delta Halo. 
[[Image:SpartanIII.jpg|left|thumb|100px|Kurt-051 in [[SPI Armor]].]] 
The action switches to Earth, two weeks after the First Battle of Earth, where the planet is under siege by Covenant forces. UNSC and Covenant forces battle in space and on the ground, and [[Fred-104]], [[Will-043]], and [[Linda-058]] are pulled out of the line of fire by [[Fleet Admiral Hood]], who responds to Halsey's call for reinforcements by dispatching the Spartans to Onyx. After hijacking a Covenant destroyer called ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'' and killing all Covenant on board, the Spartans head for Onyx, only to be caught in the middle of a battle between [[Brute]] and [[Elite]] ships on the way. Barely escaping, the Spartans arrive at Onyx and are shot down by more of the Sentinels. They crash land and link up with the other human survivors, and then make their way toward the Zone 67 of Onyx after shaking off Sentinel pursuit.                  


Meanwhile, a [[Grunt]] named [[Kwassass]] is aboard a Covenant Supercarrier named the ''[[Sublime Transcendence]]''. The [[Engineers]] are busy checking out what turns out to be one of [[Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb]]'s [[Nova]] bombs. Kwassass activates a box from the nuke which had been presumably detached from the nuke by the engineers, rendering the NOVA momentarily harmless. A garbled message is emitted from the box. This prompts the grunt to activate it again and again, trying to comprehend the message. Eventually the remaining power in the box dies which alerts the nearby huragok. The grunt is quickly attacked by the Engineers, who were compelled to repair damaged technology. The Engineers manage to relieve the grunt of the box, putting it back in it's former place on the NOVA which restored the activation pad to full power and a clear transmission comes forth: 
The next month, Kurt, Kelly and Fred are sent to investigate "suspicious activity" at [[Station Delphi]]. When Kurt approaches a ruptured [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] for closer inspection, his [[thruster pack]] malfunctions and sends him spinning away into deep space. Kurt awakes a month later and meets Ackerson, who informs him that the events as Station Delphi were staged in order to recruit him. Kurt is told of the SPARTAN-III project and is given orders to train the volunteers of the SPARTAN-III program. Ackerson promotes him to [[Lieutenant, Junior Grade]] and assigns him the surname Ambrose to hide his previous service as a Spartan.
''This is the prototype NOVA bomb, nine fusion warheads encased in lithium triterade armor. When detonated it compresses its fusion material to a neutron-star density, boosting the thermonuclear yield a hundredfold. I am Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb, temporarily in command of the UNSC military base Reach. To the Covenant uglies that might be listening, you have a few seconds to pray to your damned heathen gods. You all have a nice day in hell.'' 
The grunt having fully recognized the danger, tried to pull out the wires connecting the pad to the bomb at the last second. He failed, leading to the catastrophe that decimated the nearby fleet. 
While this is going on, the Sangheili leader [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] rallies the Elites together to have a meeting on the treachery of the Brutes and Prophets. Ship Master Voro 'Mantakree speaks to his fellow ship masters and suggests that they go to Onyx. He is promoted to the rank of Fleet Master and is given command of a fleet of eighteen destroyers, two cruisers and one carrier prepare to go to Onyx, and retrieve the [[Forerunner]] technology. A split-second after they jump to [[Slipspace]], the Nova bomb goes off, destroying every ship not on the dark side of the planet [[Joyous Exultation]]. A quarter of the world is scorched, [[Malhiem]] is destroyed, and the three hundred-kilometer-per-hour winds obliterate cities. 
A large Covenant fleet and a [[Battlegroup Stalingrad|UNSC reinforcement fleet]] arrive at Onyx, where they encounter one another and the stubborn Sentinel defenders of the planet, which attack anything approaching the system. In the ensuing battle, the entire UNSC fleet is destroyed save for one [[UNSC Dusk|prowler-class vessel]], which stays hidden and observes events unfolding.  


The human forces on Onyx discover an ancient Forerunner city, and are guided into a massive dome by Halsey, who determines that the entire planet is a "shield world" referred to by the Forerunners as [[The Sharpened Shield]]. 
===Section 2: SPARTAN-III===
 
At [[Camp Currahee]] on Onyx, Kurt reduces the four hundred ninety-seven volunteers for the [[SPARTAN-III program]] to three hundred trainees by ordering a nighttime high-altitude aerial drop from Pelicans, in order to assess who among the volunteers truly wants to be a Spartan. One of the volunteers, [[Shane-A112]], is frightened by the prospect of a drop and is taunted by another recruit, [[Robert-A057]]. Upon reaching the ground, Shane attacks Robert for teasing him and the two are separated by Navy personnel. They comment on the aggressiveness of the two, hoping "the rest of them are like this."
Fighting off determined Covenant pursuers, they press on into the heart of the planet to find its secrets, but not before the ONI [[AI]] communicates to Doctor Halsey the importance of shutting down a Forerunner "factory located at the "tip" of the plant that manufactures a new Sentinel every six seconds, or 600 per hour. Disabling the factory, they press on to the planet's core, where they discover a Slipspace rift that shunts those that pass through it to a miniaturized [[Dyson Sphere]] that is separated from normal space-time by advanced Forerunner Slipspace technology. Will falls fighting off the Covenant, and Kurt remains behind to ensure that the Covenant do not plunder Onyx's secrets, giving his life to prevent them from reopening the rift by waiting for the core doors to fully close and protect Dr. Halsey and the remaining Spartans, then detonating the FENRIS warheads that the team had taken with them, ending his life, along with a vast Covenant strike force, and causing the now-gutted planet of Onyx to disassemble (at least its outer layers), into the myriads of Sentinels that it is made of due to the shock waves of the detonations below.  


From outside Onyx, the surviving UNSC prowler ''Dusk'' watches on as the planet's surface rips apart, to reveal that the entire world is constructed of literally trillions of Sentinels, all connected together to provide an impenetrable defense around the Dyson Sphere at the heart of the planet. Within this sphere, which features terrain similar to that of Earth, the surviving humans discover that the planet is literally a massive bomb shelter for the Forerunner to survive the activation of the Halos, a pod that suspends the user inside a Slip-space field, the user is extruded into an alternate set of spacial co-ordinates excluded from time and nothing can harm them, because technically they are not there. 5 of the remaining Spartans, known as Team Katana, are trapped in a Slip-space field each. But in the end the remaining Spartans find themselves alone in the vast habitat.   The story ends with Kelly welcoming the new Spartan III's to the Blue Team.
Several years later, Kurt returns to the {{UNSCShip|Point of No Return}} to be briefed on [[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]]'s performance and to proceed with training for Beta Company, where he learns of the complete destruction of Alpha Company during [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]]. Devastated by the images of the battle and the loss of his soldiers, Kurt improves the training regime for [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]], and presses for upgrades to their [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor|SPI armor]] systems. Regardless, most are killed in action during [[Operation: TORPEDO]], with the exceptions of [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]], who, through Kurt's efforts, are assigned to Onyx to assist Kurt in training [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]], despite Ackerson's protests. In a further effort to reduce casualties, Kurt then institutes an illegal procedure during [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]]'s [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|augmentations]], designed to alter the Spartans' brain chemistry and make them resistant to pain and shock. The [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Deep Winter]] notices this, but unaware of the perpetrator, tells Kurt, who takes it upon himself to ensure that the files regarding the augmentations are purged.
{{Spoiler End}}


==Characters==
===Section 3: Intruders===
*[[John-117|Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-II John-117]] (appears briefly in Chapter 1)
On October 31, 2552, the top three teams of the SPARTAN-III [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]]—Teams [[Team Saber|Saber]], [[Team Katana|Katana]], and [[Team Gladius|Gladius]]—conduct a training exercise near a restricted area on Onyx deemed [[Zone 67]], only to find themselves and other [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] personnel under attack by an unidentified class of [[Onyx Sentinel|alien drones]]. Very quickly, the few humans on the planet are either wiped out or struggling to survive against this new, unexpected threat.
*Senior Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-II [[Fred]]-104 (Presently Lieutenant, Junior Grade)
*Petty Officer Second Class SPARTAN-II [[Kelly]]-087
*Petty Officer Second Class SPARTAN-II [[Linda]]-058
*Petty Officer Second Class SPARTAN-II [[Will]]-043
*Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose (Formerly SPARTAN-II [[SPARTAN-051|Kurt]]-051)
*SPARTAN-III [[Spartan-Shane|Shane-A]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Spartan-Robert|Robert-A]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Spartan-Jane|Jane-A]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Tom-B292]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Lucy-B091]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Adam-B004]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Min-B174]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Ash-G099]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Holly-G003]]<ref>Halopedian [[User:Strongbadrunner|Strongbadrunner]] contacted Eric Nylund, and he said the notation of her as G122 was an error.</ref>
*SPARTAN-III [[Spartan-Olivia|Olivia-G]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Spartan-Mark|Mark-G]]
*SPARTAN-III [[Dante-G188]]
*General [[Howard Graves]] (Leader of the [[United Rebel Front]])
*[[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]]
*[[Chief Petty Officer Mendez|Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez]]
*[[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]
*[[Paruna Xido Konna]] [[Lekgolo]] Pair
*[[Waruna Xido Yotno]] [[Lekgolo]] Pair
*[[Kwassass]] [[Unggoy]]
*[[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] ([[Imperial Admiral]] and Regent Command of the [[Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose]]).


==Errors==
===Section 4: Dr. Catherine Halsey===
On his blog, [[Eric Nylund]] has confirmed that there will be a reprint some time in the future, fixing many errors in the book. The time for this is not yet known.<ref>http://www.ericnylund.net/2006/11/quick-fix.html</ref>
[[Catherine Halsey|Doctor Catherine Halsey]] and [[Kelly-087]] arrive in the [[Zeta Doradus system]] aboard the stolen rebel ship ''[[Beatrice]]''. As they get closer to Onyx they are attacked by the drones and crash-land. Once on the planet, they meet up with the [[human]] survivors of the attacks, including S-III Team Saber, Kurt, and Chief Mendez. Halsey identifies the drones as [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]] based on [[Cortana]]'s logs of the events of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. Halsey proceeds to call for reinforcements, piggybacking her transmission on another transmission made by Cortana after the events of ''[[Halo 2]]''. On the message she calls out for caution about the danger coming from the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] that includes SPARTAN-117, as well as the grave threat of the Flood, which was trying to escape from Delta Halo at the time.


===List of Errors===
===Section 5: Blue Team===
*On page 209 a [[Brute Shot]] is described as an RPG, or rocket-propelled grenade (see [[Wikipedia:rocket-propelled grenade|rocket-propelled grenade on Wikipedia]]). The Brute Shots are type-25 grenade launchers and do not use rockets. \
On Earth, two weeks after the [[Battle of Mombasa|New Mombasa slipspace event]], the planet remains under siege by Covenant forces. [[Frederic-104]], [[William-043]], and [[Linda-058]] are pulled out of the line of fire by [[Terrence Hood|Fleet Admiral Hood]], who responds to Halsey's call for reinforcements by dispatching the Spartans to Onyx. After hijacking a [[Covenant destroyer]] called ''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'' and killing all Covenant on board by suffocation, the Spartans head for Onyx, only to be caught in the middle of a battle between [[Jiralhanae|Brute]] and [[Sangheili|Elite]] ships on the way. The Spartans barely escape and arrive at Onyx only to be attacked by the Sentinels. They escape using a [[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|Covenant dropship]] and link up with the survivors, and then make their way toward the restricted area of Onyx after shaking Sentinel pursuit.
*On page 87, (Chapter 8), and page 224 (chapter 25), plasma bolts is misspelled as plasma blots.
 
*On pages 260 (chapter 29) and 367 (chapter 39), [[MA5B]] is misspelled as MAB5.
===Section 6: The Ghosts of Onyx===
*On pages 56-57, the dates that they looked for Spartan 051-Kurt span 4 years. The year in the beginning of the chapter is November 7 2531. In the after action report it says that they looked for Kurt and were joined on 1/13/2335 at 1105 hours, by the UNSC frigate Tannenberg.
Within this section, the story takes place on [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]], where the Covenant are in the midst of a [[Great Schism|civil war]]. The Elites intercept Halsey's message, learn of the existence of Onyx and its Forerunner artifacts then regroup at a Covenant world called [[Joyous Exultation]]. There, the Sangheili [[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] rallies the Elites together and discuss the apparent treachery of the Brutes and Prophets, and how to go about handling the situation. Ship Master [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree|Voro 'Mantakree]] speaks to his fellow ship masters and suggests that they go to Onyx, as well as be vigilant of the [[Flood]] threat. He is promoted to the rank of [[Fleet Master]] and is given command of a fleet of eighteen [[Covenant destroyer|destroyers]], two cruisers, and one [[Covenant carrier|carrier]]. They then prepare to go to Onyx to retrieve the [[Forerunner]] technology.
*On pages 51 and 314, UNSC is misspelled as USNC
 
*On page 287, Commander [[Lash]] mentions a watch given to him by his father upon graduation of OSC, but it is likely that he graduated from ''OCS'', or Officer Cadet School.
Meanwhile, on the Covenant supercarrier called ''[[Sublime Transcendence]]'', a [[Unggoy|Grunt]] named [[Kwassass]] stumbles upon the [[Huragok]] who are busy examining what is revealed to be [[Danforth Whitcomb|Admiral Whitcomb]]'s [[NOVA bomb]]. The Huragok unknowingly arm it after Kwassass messes with the arming device. Shortly after 'Mantakree's fleet departs for Onyx, the NOVA detonates, devastating the surface of the Covenant world, shattering its nearby moon, [[Malhiem]], into a billion fragments, and disintegrating the Covenant armada.
*On page 67 the date given is December 27, 2531. It states Kurt had been developing a training regime for the Spartan IIIs for 6 months. However, according to page 57, he had become involved on December 14, 2531, a mere 13 days prior. In later editions, Chapter 6 begins on December 27, 2532, a year later.
 
*On page 79 the date is listed as July 30, 2537 and states it has been 15 years since the indoctrination of the Alpha Company of Spartan IIIs, when in fact that would only be 5 years later.
===Section 7: Reclaimers===
*On page 92 Senior Chief Mendez says that Tom and Lucy are 10 years old, but in the Prologue, which takes place 4 years later, they are only 12 years old.
The Covenant fleet and a [[Patterson's battle group|UNSC battle group]] arrive at Onyx, where they encounter one another and the Sentinel defenders, which attack anything approaching the system. In the ensuing battle, the entire UNSC fleet is destroyed except the [[prowler]] ''[[UNSC Dusk|Dusk]]'', which stays hidden and observes events unfolding. The humans on Onyx head for Zone 67, where they discover an ancient Forerunner city. Pursued by the Covenant, the humans head underground, where Dr. Halsey determines that the entire planet is actually an artificial construct concealing a Forerunner "[[Shield World]]", which was constructed by the Forerunners to protect themselves from the firing of the Halo Array, which are designed to eradicate all sentient life should the [[Flood]] escape.
*On page 281 Sangheili is misspelled as Sangeili
 
*On page 371 Kurt-051 is listed as Lieutenant Commandeer, not Lieutenant Commander
Fighting off determined Covenant pursuers, they press on into the heart of the planet to find its secrets, but not before the ONI [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Endless Summer]] communicates to Dr. Halsey the importance of shutting down a Forerunner [[Sentinel manufacturing facility]] which is producing new Sentinels at a rapid rate. After disabling the factory, the group proceeds to the location of [[Team Katana]]. They find eight [[slipspace field pod]]s, five of which contain members of Katana, with the rest housing unidentified individuals. They then press on to Onyx's [[Core room antechamber|core]], where they discover a Slipspace rift supposedly leading into the "shield world". Will-043 and Holly-G003 fall fighting off the Covenant forces, Will-043 engaging several Hunters in hand-to-hand combat before meeting his demise. Halsey, Mendez, Tom, Lucy, and the other Spartans escape, while Kurt remains behind in order to stop the Covenant from following the humans into the slipspace rift. He waits for the portal to fully close and then he lists Kurt Ambrose as MIA under SPARTAN-051 along with the other Spartans, adhering to the [[ONI Directive 930|tradition]] of never listing a fallen Spartan as KIA. He ends his life responding to the Elite Fleet Master, "''Die? Didn't you know?... Spartans never die,''" he detonates the two [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s that the team had taken with them.
*In the middle of the book [[Endless Summer]] says UESC instead of UNSC.
 
*In the report that states that Kurt is missing, it labels his armor as a Mark V. However, this is impossible, since the Mark IV armor was still being used for another twenty-one years, until [[Reach]] is destroyed.
===Epilogue: Shield World===
*On page 125, the date of the report is listed as October 22, 2511. However, it mentions Beta Company Spartans, which were not online until some 25-30 years later.
[[File:HM OnyxDestruction.jpg|thumb|200px|Onyx is ripped apart.]]
From outside Onyx, the surviving UNSC prowler ''Dusk'' watches on as the planet's surface rips apart, to reveal that the entire world is constructed of literally trillions of Sentinels, all connected together to provide an impenetrable defense around [[Trevelyan|the shield world]] at the heart of the planet. The story is concluded on the other side of the slipspace rift, which is revealed to house an immense [[Dyson sphere]], which features terrain similar to that of Earth and is separated from normal space-time inside a compressed [[slipspace bubble]]. The survivors hold a memorial service to the fallen, and Fred-104 takes command of the remaining survivors, ordering them to move out and complete their mission of finding Forerunner artifacts and searching for a method of escape. Kelly then welcomes the Spartan-IIIs to the Blue Team, stating that they are "going to make a great team."
{{Spoiler/end}}
 
==Appearances==
{{Featurelist|secondcolumn=title-5|title-1=Characters|
;Human
*[[Howard Graves]] {{1st}}
*[[Catherine Halsey]]
*[[Franklin Mendez]]
*[[Terrence Hood]]
*[[James Ackerson]]
*[[Laura Tanner]] {{1st}}
*[[Jim Higgins]] {{1st}}
*[[Richard Lash]] {{1st}}
*[[Julian Waters]] {{1st}}
*[[Xaing Cho]] {{1st}}
*[[Joe Yang]] {{1st}}
*[[Bethany Durruno]] {{1st}}
*[[Margaret Parangosky]] {{1st}}
*[[Aaron Gibson]] {{1st}}
*[[Miranda Keyes]] {{Mo}}
*[[Ned Rich]] {{1st}}
*[[Kurt Ambrose]] {{1st}}
*[[Frederic-104]]
*[[Iglesias]] {{Fm}}
*[[John-117]]
*[[Kelly-087]]
*[[Linda-058]]
*[[William-043]]
*[[Shane-A112]] {{1st}}
*[[Robert-A057]] {{1st}}
*[[Jane-A203]] {{1st}}
*[[Tom-B292]] {{1st}}
*[[Lucy-B091]] {{1st}}
*[[Adam-B004]] {{1st}}
*[[Min-B174]] {{1st}}
*[[Ash-G099]] {{1st}}
*[[Holly-G003]] {{1st}}
*[[Olivia-G291]] {{1st}}
*[[Mark-G313]] {{1st}}
*[[Dante-G188]] {{1st}}
;AI
*[[343 Guilty Spark]] {{Mo}}
*[[Cortana]] {{Mo}}
*[[Deep Winter]] {{1st}}
*[[Endless Summer]] {{1st}}
*[[Jerrod]] {{1st}}
;Covenant
*[[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]] {{1st}}
*[[Paruto Xida Konna]] {{1st}}
*[[Waruna Xida Yotno]] {{1st}}
*[[Kwassass]] {{1st}}
*[[Gargantum]] {{1st}}
*[[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] {{1st}}
*[[Uruo 'Losonaee]] {{1st}}
*[[Zasses 'Jeqkogoee]] {{1st}}
*[[Y'gar 'Pewtrunoee]] {{1st}}
*[[Tano 'Inanraree]] {{1st}}
*[[Qunu]] {{1st}}
|title-2=Species|
*[[Flood]]
*[[Forerunners]] {{Mo}}
*[[Human]]
*[[Huragok]]
*[[Jiralhanae]]
*[[Kig-Yar]]
*[[Mgalekgolo]]
*[[San'Shyuum]] {{Mo}}
*[[Sangheili]]
*[[Unggoy]]
|title-3=Organizations|
*[[Covenant]]
**[[Covenant fleet]]
***[[High Charity defense fleet|''High Charity'' defense fleet]]
***[[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]
**[[Covenant military]]
**[[Fleet Security]]
**[[Governors of Contrition]] {{1st}}
*[[Covenant remnants]]
**[[Joyous Exultation Covenant]] {{1st}}
***[[Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose]] {{1st}}
*[[Unified Earth Government]]
**[[United Nations Space Command]]
***[[UNSC Army]]
***[[UNSC Engineering Corps]] {{1st}}
***[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
****[[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]] {{Mo}}
*****[[105th Shock Troops Division]] {{Mo}}
***[[UNSC Medical Corps]] {{1st}}
***[[UNSC Navy]]
****[[Naval Special Weapons]]
*****[[SPARTAN-II program]]
******[[Blue Team]]
******[[Gray Team]] {{Mo}}
******[[Green Team]]
******[[Red Team]]
****[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]
*****[[Beta-5 Division]]
******[[SPARTAN-III program]] {{1st}}
*******[[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]] {{1st}}
*******[[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]] {{1st}}
*******[[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]] {{1st}}
*******[[SPARTAN-III Delta Company|Delta Company]] {{Fm}}
****[[Patterson's battle group]] {{1st}}
****[[Second Fleet]] {{Fm}}
****[[Seventh Fleet]] {{Fm}}
****[[Sixteenth Fleet]] {{Fm}}
****[[UNSC Home Fleet]]
***[[UNSC Prowler Corps]] {{1st}}
*[[United Rebel Front]]
|title-4=Locations|
*[[111 Tauri system]] {{1st}}
**[[Victoria]] {{1st}}
***[[Camp New Hope]] {{1st}}
***[[Road 32-B]] {{1st}}
*[[51 Pegasi system]] {{1st}}
**[[51 Pegasi B]] {{1st}}
***[[Pegasi Delta]] {{1st}}
****[[Target Area Apache]] {{1st}}
*[[85 Pegasi-194A]] {{1st}}
*[[Biko]] {{Mo}}
*[[Bonanza asteroid belt]] {{Fm}}
*[[Coelest system]]
**[[Substance]]
***[[Installation 05]]
***[[Opusculus]] {{1st}}
*[[Cote d'Azure]] {{Mo}}
*[[Eridanus system]] {{Mo}}
**[[Station Jefferson]] {{Fm}}
*[[Epsilon Eridani system]] {{Mo}}
**[[Reach]] {{Mo}}
*[[Epsilon Indi system]] {{Mo}}
**[[Harvest]] {{Mo}}
*[[Far-gone]] {{Fm}}
*[[Far Isle]] {{Fm}}
*[[Groombridge 34 system]] {{1st}}
**[[Construction Platform 966A]] {{1st}}
*[[K7-49]] {{1st}}
*[[Lambda Serpentis system]] {{Mo}}
**[[Jericho VII]] {{Mo}}
*[[Mamore]] {{Mo}}
*[[Miridem]] {{Fm}}
*[[New Constantinople]] {{Mo}}
*[[New Harmony]] {{Fm}}
*[[Salia system]] {{1st}}
**[[Joyous Exultation]] {{1st}}
***[[Malhiem]] {{1st}}
*[[Sector B-042]] {{1st}}
*[[Sector K-009]] {{1st}}
*[[Sigma Octanus system]]
**[[Sigma Octanus IV]]
*[[Soell]] system {{Mo}}
**[[Threshold]] {{Mo}}
***[[Installation 04]] {{Mo}}
*[[Sol system]]
**[[Earth]]
***[[Africa]]
****[[Kenya]] {{Mo}}
*****[[New Mombasa]] {{Mo}}
***[[Australia]] {{Mo}}
****[[Sydney]] {{Mo}}
*****[[Sydney Synthetic Intellect Institute]] {{Fm}}
***[[Mount Erebus]] {{Fm}}
***[[South America]]
****[[Wikipedia:Cuba|Cuba]] {{1st}}
*****[[Havana]] {{1st}}
******[[Centennial Orbital Elevator]] {{1st}}
*******[[Station Wayward Rest]] {{1st}}
***[[United Republic of North America]]
****[[Mexico City]] {{1st}}
*****[[Base Segundo Terra]] {{1st}}
*****[[Yucatan Peninsula]] {{1st}}
**[[Pluto]]
***''[[Democritus]]'' {{Fm}}
*[[Tala system]] {{Mo}}
**[[Balaho]] {{Mo}}
*''[[Tripoli]]'' {{1st}}
*[[YED-4]] {{1st}}
*[[Zeta Doradus system]] {{1st}}
**[[Mackintosh]] {{Im}}
**[[Onyx]] {{1st}}
***[[Camp Currahee]] {{1st}}
***[[Core room antechamber]] {{1st}}
***[[El Morro Point]] {{1st}}
***[[Gregor Canyon]] {{1st}}
***[[Tree house]] {{1st}}
***[[Trevelyan]] {{1st}}
***[[Twin Forks River]] {{1st}}
***[[XF-063 IV-1]] {{1st}}
***[[Zone 67]] {{1st}}
|title-5=Events|
*[[Great Schism]]
*[[Human-Covenant War]]
**[[Battle of Chi Ceti]] {{Mo}}
**[[Battle for Earth]]
***[[Battle of Havana]] {{1st}}
***[[Battle of Mombasa]] {{Mo}}
**[[Battle of Installation 05]]
***[[Fall of High Charity|Fall of ''High Charity'']]
**[[Battle of New Harmony]] {{Fm}}
**[[Battle of Miridem]] {{Fm}}
**[[Onyx Conflict]] {{1st}}
**[[Fall of Reach]] {{Mo}}
**[[Operation: HYPODERMIC]] {{Mo}}
**[[Operation: PROMETHEUS]] {{1st}}
**[[Operation: TORPEDO]] {{1st}}
**[[Battle of New Constantinople]] {{Mo}}
*[[Insurrection]]
**[[Mamore insurrections]]
**[[Operation: SMOKING ACES]] {{1st}}
*[[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM]] {{1st}}
*[[Rainforest Wars]] {{Fm}}
*[[SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures]] {{Mo}}
|title-6=Vehicles|
*{{Class|Behemoth|tug}} {{Mo}}
*{{Class|Black Cat|subprowler}} {{1st}}
*{{Class|Calypso|exfiltration craft}} {{1st}}
*{{Class|CAS|assault carrier}} {{Mo}}
**''[[Solemn Penance]]'' {{Mo}}
*{{Class|Chiroptera|subprowler}}
**''[[Beatrice]]''
*[[Class-3 Bumblebee]] {{Mo}}
*[[Covenant destroyer]]
**''[[Absolution]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Far Sight Lost]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Rapturous Arc]]'' {{1st}}
*[[Covenant escape pod]]
*[[Covenant frigate]]
**''[[Revenant (ship)|Revenant]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Tenebrous]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Twilight Compunction]]'' {{1st}}
*{{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}} {{1st}}
**''[[Bloodied Spirit]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Sublime Transcendence]]'' {{1st}}
*[[DCS light freighter]] {{Fm}}
*[[Covenant light carrier]]
**''[[Lawgiver]]'' {{1st}}
*[[D77-TC Pelican]]
*''[[High Charity]]''
*[[GA-TL1 Longsword]]
*[[M12 Chaingun Warthog]]
*[[M808B Scorpion]]
*[[MAKO drone]] {{1st}}
*{{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}
*[[Orbital defense platform]]
**''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''
*{{Class|Parabola|freighter}}
*{{Class|Paris|heavy frigate}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Paris}} {{1st}}
*[[Prowler]]
**{{UNSCShip|Circumference}}
**{{UNSCShip|Dusk}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Razor's Edge}} {{Fm}}
*[[Refit station]]
**{{UNSCShip|Cradle}} {{Mo}}
**{{UNSCShip|Hopeful}} {{1st}}
*{{Pattern|Varric|heavy cruiser}} {{1st}}
**''[[Incorruptible]]'' {{1st}}
*{{Pattern|Wik|light destroyer}}
*[[Scarab]]
*[[Drop pod]]
**[[Long range stealth orbital drop pod]] {{Mo}}
*{{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}} {{Mo}}
**{{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} {{Mo}}
*[[Tractor unit]]
*{{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}
*[[Type-26 Banshee]]
*{{Pattern|Zurdo|Wraith}}
*{{Pattern|Ruwaa|Shadow}}
*[[Seraph]]
*{{Pattern|Ru'swum|Phantom}}
*[[UNSC carrier]]
**{{UNSCShip|All Under Heaven}}
**{{UNSCShip|Magellan}} {{Mo}}
**{{UNSCShip|Stalingrad}} {{1st}}
*[[UNSC corvette]]
**{{UNSCShip|Chalons}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Coral Sea}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Pony Express}} {{1st}}
*[[UNSC destroyer]]
**''[[Origami]]'' {{Fm}}
**{{UNSCShip|Brasidas}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Bunker Hill}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Glasgow Kiss}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Iwo Jima}} {{1st}}
*[[UNSC frigate]]
**[[UNSC Agincourt (frigate)|UNSC ''Agincourt'']] {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}} {{Mo}}
**{{UNSCShip|Redoubtable}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Tannenberg}} {{1st}}
*{{Class|Point Blank|prowler}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Point of No Return}} {{1st}}
*[[Warthog armored personnel carrier]] {{1st}}
*[[Welcome Wagon]]
|title-7=Weapons|
*[[Archer missile]]
*[[Assault cannon]]
*[[Asteroidea anti-personnel mine]] {{1st}}
*[[C-12 shaped charge]]
*[[Class-2 directed energy cannon]]
*[[Combat knife]]
*[[Concussion grenade]] {{1st}}
*[[CM 300 carbine]] {{1st}}
*[[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]
*[[Four-forty]] {{Fm}}
*[[Fougasse]]
*[[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]]
*[[Heavy plasma cannon]]
*[[Lotus anti-tank mine]]
*[[M19-B surface-to-air missile launcher]] {{1st}}
*[[M202 XP machine gun]] {{1st}}
*[[M370 autocannon]]
*[[M41 rocket launcher]]
*[[M41 Vulcan]]
*[[M441 Hornet Remote Explosive System]] {{1st}}
*[[M6 series|M6 series magnum]]
*[[M7/Caseless Submachine Gun]]
*[[M9 fragmentation grenade]]
*[[MA5B assault rifle]]
*[[MA5K carbine]] {{1st}}
*[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]
*[[NOVA bomb]] {{1st}}
*[[Plasma charge]] {{1st}}
*[[Plasma mortar]]
*[[Plasma turret]]
*[[Pulse laser turret]]
*[[Sentinel beam]]
*[[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle]]
*[[Type-1 energy sword]]
*{{Pattern|Anskum|plasma grenade}}
*[[Type-25 Brute Shot]]
*[[Type-25 plasma pistol]]
*{{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}
*{{Pattern|Pez'tk|fuel rod gun}}
*[[Type-33 Needler]]
*{{Pattern|Shepsu|plasma cannon}}
|title-8=Equipment and Technology|
*[[Active camouflage]]
*[[Ancilla]]
*[[Artificial intelligence]]
**[[Avatar]]
**[[Dumb AI]]
**[[Rampancy]]
**[[Smart AI]]
*[[Antigravity pack]]
*[[Antigravity plate]] {{1st}}
*[[BLACK WIDOW communications satellite]] {{1st}}
*[[Communications satellite]]
*[[Cryonics]]
*[[Data pad]]
*[[Dyson sphere]] {{1st}}
*[[Electronic countermeasures]]
*[[Emergency lighting]]
*[[Encryption code]]
*[[Energy shielding]]
**[[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet]]
**[[Sangheili personal energy shield]]
*[[Falcon Wing aerial descent unit]] {{1st}}
*[[Faraday cage]] {{1st}}
*[[Flashbang grenade]]
*[[Fusion reactor]]
*[[Gravity lift]]
*[[Guidance lock]]
*[[Helmet recorder]]
*[[Holotank]]
*[[Long range stealth orbital drop pod]] {{1st}}
*[[Methane tank]]
*[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/V variant]] {{1st}}
*[[Motion tracker]]
*[[Neural-inhibitor collar]] {{1st}}
*[[Personal computer]]
*[[Photoreactive panel]] {{1st}}
*[[Pinch fusion reactor]]
*[[Quantum mirror]] {{1st}}
*[[Repulsor engine]]
*[[Retinal scanner]]
*[[Riemann matrix]]
*[[Robotic rover]]
*[[Rucksack]]
*[[Combat harness|Sangheili combat harness]]
*[[Sentinel]]
**[[Aggressor Sentinel]]
**[[Onyx Sentinel]] {{1st}}
*[[Sealant foam]] {{1st}}
*[[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]] {{1st}}
*[[Sentinel manufacturing facility]]
*[[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]]
*[[Shield world]] {{1st}}
*[[Slipspace bubble]] {{1st}}
*[[Slipspace COM launcher]] {{1st}}
*[[Slipspace field pod]] {{1st}}
*[[Slipspace translocation]]
*[[Space elevator]]
*[[Stationary shield generator]]
*[[Stealth ablative coating]] {{Fm}}
*[[Stealth Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Satellite]] {{1st}}
*[[Sterile field generator]]
*[[TACMAP]] {{1st}}
*[[Teleportation grid]]
*[[Texture buffer]] {{1st}}
*[[Thermal blanket]] {{1st}}
*[[VTOL]]
*[[Unggoy combat harness]]
*[[Weapon attachments]]
**[[Flashlight]]
**[[Muzzle brake]]
**[[Oracle scope|Oracle N-variant scope]] {{1st}}
**[[Telescopic sight]]
*[[X-ELF radar system]] {{1st}}
|title-9=Miscellaneous|
*[[File EHY-97]] {{1st}}
}}
 
==Reception==
Critical reception to ''Ghosts of Onyx'' was mostly positive. IGN stated that it did some "pretty nifty things" and that it was "an interesting and very sneaky way to conclude a story without spoiling ''Halo 3''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s story".<ref>http://xbox.ign.com/articles/749/749402p1.html</ref> Arbiter's Judgment stated that it was "a grand continuation of Nylund's previous work, and if you enjoyed it then you will enjoy Ghosts of Onyx, plain and simple".<ref>http://arbitersjudgement.blogspot.com/2006/11/halo-ghosts-of-onyx-review.html</ref>
 
However, Subnova had reviews that were less than positive, stating that "it introduces a new character...well, 300 new characters, while incorporating no old ones, and it dizzies the reader with new facts and information". It also noted how the Master Chief and Cortana were "ignored", and only appeared in one section, rather than in the past books.<ref>http://www.subnova.com/books/</ref>
 
==Sequel==
{{Main|Halo: Glasslands}}
For several years, ''Ghosts of Onyx'' was one of the most popular ''Halo'' novels to have a sequel made. [[Frank O'Connor]] had hinted at the possibility of a follow-up to ''Ghosts of Onyx'', authored by Eric Nylund. The sequel was already in talks by early 2010.<ref>[http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive32.pl?read=968949 '''halo.bungie.org:''' ''Re: Frankie, Frankie, Frankie...'' #1]</ref><ref>[http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive32.pl?read=969038 '''halo.bungie.org:''' ''Re: Frankie, Frankie, Frankie...'' #2]</ref> The follow-up to the novel was announced on July 20, 2010, and despite the earlier talks with Nylund, it was confirmed to be written by [[Karen Traviss]], award-winning novelist and author of the ''[[Human Weakness]]'' short story in ''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''. The novel, titled ''Halo: Glasslands'', is a direct follow-up to the story of ''Ghosts of Onyx'', and is the first of a new series to explore the ''Halo'' universe after the events of ''[[Halo 3]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|bulletin}}<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/transmissions/article/2010-07-20-Bestselling-Author-Karen-Traviss-Set-To-Explore-The-Halo-Universe Bestselling Author Karen Traviss Set To Explore The Halo Universe]</ref> It was released on [[2011|October 25, 2011]] on hardcover, paperback and audiobook.<ref name = "Amazon">[http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Glasslands-Karen-Traviss/dp/0765323931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308338967&sr=8-1 '''Amazon.com''': ''Halo: Glasslands (hardcover)'']</ref>


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*The cover features an [[MA5B]] and two new rifles, which are revealed in the book to be MA5K carbines.
*The name ''Ghosts of Onyx'' is reminiscent of the track ''[[Ghosts of Reach]]'' from the ''[[Halo 2: Original Soundtrack]]''.
*Ghosts of Onyx is supposedly derived from the song [[Ghosts of Reach]] on the [[Halo 2]] Soundtrack.
*Before the confirmation of the book itself, the book's placeholder and showcase online name was ''"Ghosts of Coral"''. This raised much speculation about [[i love bees]]' significance to the ''Halo'' series, as [[Coral]] is a planet featured in the alternate reality game. During that stage, two chapters were cut from the novel for "pacing reasons," though Nylund expressed a desire to release them.<ref>http://www.ericnylund.net/2008/02/foul.html</ref>
*Before the confirmation of the book itself, the book's placeholder and showcase online name was "Ghosts of Coral". This raised much speculation about the [[I Love Bees]] involvement in the [[Halo]] series.
*There are two different back cover variants; one with a SPARTAN in [[Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor|SPI armor]] and another with a SPARTAN-II in [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI MJOLNIR armor]].
*The cover of the book displays the three primary armor types worn by the Spartan-IIs and [[Spartan-III]]s. The figure in the left (Presumably [[Kelly-087]], as she did not return to [[Earth]] to receive the upgraded armor as the other Spartans did) wears [[MJOLNIR|MJOLNIR Mark V]] armor. The Center figure (The book reveals this figure to be [[Fredric-104]], [[Will-043]], or [[Linda-058]]) wears the newer [[MJOLNIR Mark VI]] Armor. The figure on the right (revealed to be either [[Kurt-051]] or one of the Spartan-IIIs) wears [[SPI Mark II]] armor.
*On his blog, Eric Nylund has confirmed that there will be a reprint some time in the future, fixing many errors in the book. The time for this reprint is not yet known.<ref>http://www.ericnylund.net/2006/11/quick-fix.html</ref>
*During the stage that it was still called Ghosts of Coral, two chapters were cut from the novel for 'pacing reasons' though Nylund has expressed a desire to release these. <ref>http://www.ericnylund.net/2008/02/foul.html</ref>
*Camp Currahee is most likely a reference to the real-world [[wikipedia:Camp Toccoa|Camp Toccoa]], a training area for the [[wikipedia:101st Airborne Division|101st Airborne Division]] during World War II, which was located near Currahee Mountain in Georgia. It was popularized by the HBO miniseries [[wikipedia:Band of Brothers (TV miniseries)|''Band of Brothers'']]. Kurt-051's pseudonym, "Ambrose", is likely a reference to [[wikipedia:Steven Ambrose|Steven E. Ambrose]], the author of the book upon which the miniseries was based.
*Teleporters are used and discovered deep inside of Onyx, hinting towards the background of the teleporters in the game being traditionally Forerunner.
*This book, along with ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest]]'' and ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol|The Cole Protocol]]'' , is included in the [[Halo Boxed Set|''Halo'' Boxed Set]].
*It is theorized that a shield world like Onyx is seen in the [[Halo 3]] Legendary ending.
*The cover of the novel depicts what has since been established as the [[Eld]], the Forerunner glyph for the [[Mantle]], under the title ''Ghosts of Onyx''.
*On Page 311 it says "In one hour seventeen minutes, the core entrance will shut. Forever. One minute Seventeen seconds = 1:17 It might be a reference to [[John]] Spartan 117 or it could simply be another reference to the number [[7]].
*The book erroneously refers to the [[UNSC]] [[frigate]] ''[[In Amber Clad]]'' as a destroyer.
*Chapter 37 begins on page 343, which is 7^3
 
*Halo: Ghosts of Onyx is the 4th book in the Halo book series.
==Gallery==
*Halo: Ghosts of Onyx was the first book in the series to not center around the [[Master Chief]].
===Cover art artwork===
<gallery>
File:Ih_onyx_cover.jpg|2006 cover art of the novel.
</gallery>
 
===Edition covers===
<gallery>
File:Onyx cover.jpg|2006 edition.
File:GoO cover 2019.jpg|2019 edition.
</div>
</gallery>
 
===Other===
<gallery>
File:Notfinal Onyx back.jpg|An early version of ''Onyx''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s back cover.
File:HGOO Cover with spine.jpg|The Cover with the spine of the book.
File:GoO cover back 2019.jpg|Cover back of 2019 edition.
File:HINF - Ghost of Onyx feat MA5K.jpg|A render in ''[[Halo Infinite]]'' made by [[Halo Studios]] which echoes the cover of the novel.
</gallery>


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


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Halo-Ghosts-Onyx-Tor/dp/0765315688/sr=1-2/qid=1161280357/ref=sr_1_2/202-4426755-9654208?ie=UTF8&s=books/ Amazon.co.uk Halo Ghosts of Onyx]
*[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Halo-Ghosts-Onyx-Tor/dp/0765315688/sr=1-2/qid=1161280357/ref=sr_1_2/202-4426755-9654208?ie=UTF8&s=books/ Amazon.co.uk Halo Ghosts of Onyx]
*[http://astore.amazon.ca/gp/detail.html?tag=cuteseller-20&linkCode=sb1&asin=0765315688 Read an excerpt]
*[http://astore.amazon.ca/gp/detail.html?tag=cuteseller-20&linkCode=sb1&asin=0765315688 Read an excerpt]
*[[wikipedia:Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Ghosts of Onyx on Wikipedia]]
*[[wikipedia:Halo: Ghosts of Onyx|Wikipedia's article on Ghosts of Onyx]]


{{Books}}
{{Navbox/Media/Novels}}
 
[[Category:Novels|Ghosts of Onyx]]
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Canon|Ghosts]]
[[Category:Canon|Ghosts]]
[[it:Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]
[[ja:Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]

Latest revision as of 17:04, October 31, 2024

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
Onyx cover.jpg
Attribution information

Author(s):

Eric Nylund

Cover artist(s):

Lorraine McLees and Isaac Hannaford

Audio book narrator(s):

Jonathan Davis

Publication information

Publisher:

Tor Books

Publication date:

October 31, 2006 (original)
April 9, 2019 (2019 edition)

Media type:

Print (Paperback), Audiobook

Pages:

383 pages (original)
432 pages (2019 edition)

ISBN:

0765315688, 978-0765315687, 978-1982111670

Series information

Series:

The Original Series

Halo: First Strike

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx

 

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx is the fourth novel in the Halo series. The book is written by Eric Nylund and published by Tor Books. It was officially released on October 31, 2006, and was released as an audiobook on February 6, 2007. The unabridged version includes 9 disks, and is narrated by Jonathan Davis.

The announcement of Ghosts of Onyx included a confirmation that two more novels would be released as part of the same contract; Halo: Contact Harvest, and Halo: The Cole Protocol. Chronologically, Ghosts of Onyx is followed by Halo: Glasslands, the first novel in a new series set after the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War.[1]

Official summary[edit]

“ The SPARTAN-II program has gone public. Tales of super-soldiers fending off thousands of Covenant attacks has become the stuff of legend.
But just how many Spartans are left?
While the Master Chief defends a besieged Earth, and the myriad factions of the Covenant continue their crusade to eliminate humanity, an ultra-secret cell of the Office of Naval Intelligence known as "Section Three" devises a plan to buy the UNSC vital time. They're going to need hundreds of willing soldiers, though… and one more Spartan to get the job done.
Planet Onyx is virtually abandoned and therefore the perfect place to set this new plan in motion. When the Master Chief destroys Halo, however, something is triggered deep within Onyx. Action begins to boil and the Ancient Forerunner technology stirs. Armadas of UNSC and Covenant race to claim the Forerunner secrets in order to change the course of the Human-Covenant war.

But this reawakened and ancient force may have plans of its own… 		”

Plot synopsis[edit]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Prologue: Beta Company's Victory at Pegasi Delta[edit]

The prologue begins with the 300 SPARTAN-IIIs of Beta Company being deployed to the Covenant-controlled planet, Pegasi Delta in 2545. Out of the 300, 291 hit the ground and proceed towards their target, a Covenant refinery. The Spartans manage to destroy the facility, but due to unexpected heavy Covenant resistance in the form of seven large Covenant cruisers, misidentified as part of the factory by the orbiting STARS satellite, only two; SPARTANS Tom-B292 and Lucy-B091, survive. Tom and Lucy are revealed to be only twelve years old, and Lucy is severely traumatized and rendered mute, being diagnosed with post-traumatic vocal disarticulation after the deaths of the other Spartans and several of her companions from Team Foxtrot, Adam-B004 and Min-B174.

Section 1: Lieutenant Ambrose[edit]

The narrative then moves back to 2531 to a raid by SPARTAN-II Blue Team against Insurrectionists on planet Victoria to recover stolen FENRIS nuclear warheads. Though the team is captured by General Howard Graves and the rebels, the timely intervention of Kurt-051 allows the team to complete their mission without any other serious problems, but Graves is killed during the course of events, preventing the team from learning valuable secrets the General held about the rebels' command and intelligence structure.

Five months later, Colonel James Ackerson of Section Three of the Office of Naval Intelligence, meets with three ONI officers: Rear Admiral Rich, Captain Gibson and Vice Admiral Parangosky. During the meeting, Ackerson moves forward a proposal for a new SPARTAN program which retains most of the effectiveness of the SPARTAN-II program without the high costs of the previous project. This becomes the SPARTAN-III program, a more streamlined, "disposable," as well as more numerous, group of Spartans that must be trained for high-risk operations. Ackerson is given the classified, UNSC-controlled world Onyx with the purpose of training the SPARTAN-IIIs, and is promised one of the SPARTAN-II to train them.

The next month, Kurt, Kelly and Fred are sent to investigate "suspicious activity" at Station Delphi. When Kurt approaches a ruptured Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine for closer inspection, his thruster pack malfunctions and sends him spinning away into deep space. Kurt awakes a month later and meets Ackerson, who informs him that the events as Station Delphi were staged in order to recruit him. Kurt is told of the SPARTAN-III project and is given orders to train the volunteers of the SPARTAN-III program. Ackerson promotes him to Lieutenant, Junior Grade and assigns him the surname Ambrose to hide his previous service as a Spartan.

Section 2: SPARTAN-III[edit]

At Camp Currahee on Onyx, Kurt reduces the four hundred ninety-seven volunteers for the SPARTAN-III program to three hundred trainees by ordering a nighttime high-altitude aerial drop from Pelicans, in order to assess who among the volunteers truly wants to be a Spartan. One of the volunteers, Shane-A112, is frightened by the prospect of a drop and is taunted by another recruit, Robert-A057. Upon reaching the ground, Shane attacks Robert for teasing him and the two are separated by Navy personnel. They comment on the aggressiveness of the two, hoping "the rest of them are like this."

Several years later, Kurt returns to the UNSC Point of No Return to be briefed on Alpha Company's performance and to proceed with training for Beta Company, where he learns of the complete destruction of Alpha Company during Operation: PROMETHEUS. Devastated by the images of the battle and the loss of his soldiers, Kurt improves the training regime for Beta Company, and presses for upgrades to their SPI armor systems. Regardless, most are killed in action during Operation: TORPEDO, with the exceptions of Tom-B292 and Lucy-B091, who, through Kurt's efforts, are assigned to Onyx to assist Kurt in training Gamma Company, despite Ackerson's protests. In a further effort to reduce casualties, Kurt then institutes an illegal procedure during Gamma Company's augmentations, designed to alter the Spartans' brain chemistry and make them resistant to pain and shock. The AI Deep Winter notices this, but unaware of the perpetrator, tells Kurt, who takes it upon himself to ensure that the files regarding the augmentations are purged.

Section 3: Intruders[edit]

On October 31, 2552, the top three teams of the SPARTAN-III Gamma Company—Teams Saber, Katana, and Gladius—conduct a training exercise near a restricted area on Onyx deemed Zone 67, only to find themselves and other UNSC personnel under attack by an unidentified class of alien drones. Very quickly, the few humans on the planet are either wiped out or struggling to survive against this new, unexpected threat.

Section 4: Dr. Catherine Halsey[edit]

Doctor Catherine Halsey and Kelly-087 arrive in the Zeta Doradus system aboard the stolen rebel ship Beatrice. As they get closer to Onyx they are attacked by the drones and crash-land. Once on the planet, they meet up with the human survivors of the attacks, including S-III Team Saber, Kurt, and Chief Mendez. Halsey identifies the drones as Sentinels based on Cortana's logs of the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. Halsey proceeds to call for reinforcements, piggybacking her transmission on another transmission made by Cortana after the events of Halo 2. On the message she calls out for caution about the danger coming from the Forerunner Dreadnought that includes SPARTAN-117, as well as the grave threat of the Flood, which was trying to escape from Delta Halo at the time.

Section 5: Blue Team[edit]

On Earth, two weeks after the New Mombasa slipspace event, the planet remains under siege by Covenant forces. Frederic-104, William-043, and Linda-058 are pulled out of the line of fire by Fleet Admiral Hood, who responds to Halsey's call for reinforcements by dispatching the Spartans to Onyx. After hijacking a Covenant destroyer called Bloodied Spirit and killing all Covenant on board by suffocation, the Spartans head for Onyx, only to be caught in the middle of a battle between Brute and Elite ships on the way. The Spartans barely escape and arrive at Onyx only to be attacked by the Sentinels. They escape using a Covenant dropship and link up with the survivors, and then make their way toward the restricted area of Onyx after shaking Sentinel pursuit.

Section 6: The Ghosts of Onyx[edit]

Within this section, the story takes place on Delta Halo, where the Covenant are in the midst of a civil war. The Elites intercept Halsey's message, learn of the existence of Onyx and its Forerunner artifacts then regroup at a Covenant world called Joyous Exultation. There, the Sangheili Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree rallies the Elites together and discuss the apparent treachery of the Brutes and Prophets, and how to go about handling the situation. Ship Master Voro 'Mantakree speaks to his fellow ship masters and suggests that they go to Onyx, as well as be vigilant of the Flood threat. He is promoted to the rank of Fleet Master and is given command of a fleet of eighteen destroyers, two cruisers, and one carrier. They then prepare to go to Onyx to retrieve the Forerunner technology.

Meanwhile, on the Covenant supercarrier called Sublime Transcendence, a Grunt named Kwassass stumbles upon the Huragok who are busy examining what is revealed to be Admiral Whitcomb's NOVA bomb. The Huragok unknowingly arm it after Kwassass messes with the arming device. Shortly after 'Mantakree's fleet departs for Onyx, the NOVA detonates, devastating the surface of the Covenant world, shattering its nearby moon, Malhiem, into a billion fragments, and disintegrating the Covenant armada.

Section 7: Reclaimers[edit]

The Covenant fleet and a UNSC battle group arrive at Onyx, where they encounter one another and the Sentinel defenders, which attack anything approaching the system. In the ensuing battle, the entire UNSC fleet is destroyed except the prowler Dusk, which stays hidden and observes events unfolding. The humans on Onyx head for Zone 67, where they discover an ancient Forerunner city. Pursued by the Covenant, the humans head underground, where Dr. Halsey determines that the entire planet is actually an artificial construct concealing a Forerunner "Shield World", which was constructed by the Forerunners to protect themselves from the firing of the Halo Array, which are designed to eradicate all sentient life should the Flood escape.

Fighting off determined Covenant pursuers, they press on into the heart of the planet to find its secrets, but not before the ONI AI Endless Summer communicates to Dr. Halsey the importance of shutting down a Forerunner Sentinel manufacturing facility which is producing new Sentinels at a rapid rate. After disabling the factory, the group proceeds to the location of Team Katana. They find eight slipspace field pods, five of which contain members of Katana, with the rest housing unidentified individuals. They then press on to Onyx's core, where they discover a Slipspace rift supposedly leading into the "shield world". Will-043 and Holly-G003 fall fighting off the Covenant forces, Will-043 engaging several Hunters in hand-to-hand combat before meeting his demise. Halsey, Mendez, Tom, Lucy, and the other Spartans escape, while Kurt remains behind in order to stop the Covenant from following the humans into the slipspace rift. He waits for the portal to fully close and then he lists Kurt Ambrose as MIA under SPARTAN-051 along with the other Spartans, adhering to the tradition of never listing a fallen Spartan as KIA. He ends his life responding to the Elite Fleet Master, "Die? Didn't you know?... Spartans never die," he detonates the two FENRIS nuclear warheads that the team had taken with them.

Epilogue: Shield World[edit]

Onyx is destroyed.
Onyx is ripped apart.

From outside Onyx, the surviving UNSC prowler Dusk watches on as the planet's surface rips apart, to reveal that the entire world is constructed of literally trillions of Sentinels, all connected together to provide an impenetrable defense around the shield world at the heart of the planet. The story is concluded on the other side of the slipspace rift, which is revealed to house an immense Dyson sphere, which features terrain similar to that of Earth and is separated from normal space-time inside a compressed slipspace bubble. The survivors hold a memorial service to the fallen, and Fred-104 takes command of the remaining survivors, ordering them to move out and complete their mission of finding Forerunner artifacts and searching for a method of escape. Kelly then welcomes the Spartan-IIIs to the Blue Team, stating that they are "going to make a great team."

Spoilers end here.

Appearances[edit]

Characters

Human
AI
Covenant

Species

Organizations

Locations

Events

Vehicles

Weapons

Equipment and Technology

Miscellaneous


Reception[edit]

Critical reception to Ghosts of Onyx was mostly positive. IGN stated that it did some "pretty nifty things" and that it was "an interesting and very sneaky way to conclude a story without spoiling Halo 3's story".[2] Arbiter's Judgment stated that it was "a grand continuation of Nylund's previous work, and if you enjoyed it then you will enjoy Ghosts of Onyx, plain and simple".[3]

However, Subnova had reviews that were less than positive, stating that "it introduces a new character...well, 300 new characters, while incorporating no old ones, and it dizzies the reader with new facts and information". It also noted how the Master Chief and Cortana were "ignored", and only appeared in one section, rather than in the past books.[4]

Sequel[edit]

Main article: Halo: Glasslands

For several years, Ghosts of Onyx was one of the most popular Halo novels to have a sequel made. Frank O'Connor had hinted at the possibility of a follow-up to Ghosts of Onyx, authored by Eric Nylund. The sequel was already in talks by early 2010.[5][6] The follow-up to the novel was announced on July 20, 2010, and despite the earlier talks with Nylund, it was confirmed to be written by Karen Traviss, award-winning novelist and author of the Human Weakness short story in Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe. The novel, titled Halo: Glasslands, is a direct follow-up to the story of Ghosts of Onyx, and is the first of a new series to explore the Halo universe after the events of Halo 3.[1][7] It was released on October 25, 2011 on hardcover, paperback and audiobook.[8]

Trivia[edit]

  • The name Ghosts of Onyx is reminiscent of the track Ghosts of Reach from the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack.
  • Before the confirmation of the book itself, the book's placeholder and showcase online name was "Ghosts of Coral". This raised much speculation about i love bees' significance to the Halo series, as Coral is a planet featured in the alternate reality game. During that stage, two chapters were cut from the novel for "pacing reasons," though Nylund expressed a desire to release them.[9]
  • There are two different back cover variants; one with a SPARTAN in SPI armor and another with a SPARTAN-II in Mark VI MJOLNIR armor.
  • On his blog, Eric Nylund has confirmed that there will be a reprint some time in the future, fixing many errors in the book. The time for this reprint is not yet known.[10]
  • Camp Currahee is most likely a reference to the real-world Camp Toccoa, a training area for the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, which was located near Currahee Mountain in Georgia. It was popularized by the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. Kurt-051's pseudonym, "Ambrose", is likely a reference to Steven E. Ambrose, the author of the book upon which the miniseries was based.
  • This book, along with Contact Harvest and The Cole Protocol , is included in the Halo Boxed Set.
  • The cover of the novel depicts what has since been established as the Eld, the Forerunner glyph for the Mantle, under the title Ghosts of Onyx.
  • The book erroneously refers to the UNSC frigate In Amber Clad as a destroyer.

Gallery[edit]

Cover art artwork[edit]

  • 2006 cover art of the novel.

    2006 cover art of the novel.

Edition covers[edit]

  • 2006 edition.

    2006 edition.

  • 2019 edition.

    2019 edition.

Other[edit]

  • An early version of Onyx's back cover.

    An early version of Onyx's back cover.

  • The Cover with the spine of the book.

    The Cover with the spine of the book.

  • Cover back of 2019 edition.

    Cover back of 2019 edition.

  • A render in Halo Infinite made by Halo Studios which echoes the cover of the novel.

    A render in Halo Infinite made by Halo Studios which echoes the cover of the novel.

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b halo.bungie.org: Halo Bulletin Archive - The Halo Bulletin: 6/22/11
  2. ^ http://xbox.ign.com/articles/749/749402p1.html
  3. ^ http://arbitersjudgement.blogspot.com/2006/11/halo-ghosts-of-onyx-review.html
  4. ^ http://www.subnova.com/books/
  5. ^ halo.bungie.org: Re: Frankie, Frankie, Frankie... #1
  6. ^ halo.bungie.org: Re: Frankie, Frankie, Frankie... #2
  7. ^ Bestselling Author Karen Traviss Set To Explore The Halo Universe
  8. ^ Amazon.com: Halo: Glasslands (hardcover)
  9. ^ http://www.ericnylund.net/2008/02/foul.html
  10. ^ http://www.ericnylund.net/2006/11/quick-fix.html

External links[edit]

v • d • e
 
Halo novels
Individual novels
Compilations
Other
Italics indicate items yet to be released.
Retrieved from "https://www.halopedia.org/index.php?title=Halo:_Ghosts_of_Onyx&oldid=1646583"