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{{Era|H3}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Cleanup}}
{{References}}
The '''Cartographer Building'''<ref>''[[Halo 3: Official Strategy Guide]]'', page 72</ref> is a [[Forerunner]] installation in the [[Africa]]n Savvanah of [[Earth]], near the city of [[Voi]].
{{Megastructure infobox
{{Spoiler}}
|image=[[File:Ark portal open.jpg|300px]]
It is the Forerunner artifact revealed in the ''[[Halo 3 E3 2006 Trailer]]''. There is a tremendous "storm"<ref>''[[The Storm (Level)]]'', ''[[Halo 3]]''</ref> building over the desert near Voi, which is investigated by a [[Covenant Loyalist]] [[CCS-class Battlecruiser|''CCS''-class Battlecruiser]] during the [[Second Battle of Earth]]. The UNSC military unit [[ONI Recon 111]], that was assigned to shadow the battlecruiser, reports to [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] that the cruiser has "stopped...it's found something"<ref>''[[Tsavo Highway (Level)]]'', ''[[Halo 3]]''</ref>. The Covenant Loyalist fleet then makes a full-out assault on the structure, and at least two ''CCS''-class Battlecruisers glass the African savvanah, uncovering the Cartographer Building<ref>''[[Halo 3 E3 2007 Trailer]]''</ref>, not [[The Ark]], as it was originally believed. The [[Forerunner Dreadnaught]] lands shortly afterwards and the [[Prophet of Truth]] debarks, entering the facility as the Covenant Loyalists place a large vehicular defense force to guard the installation, including a [[Scarab]] walker, and large numbers of [[Brute Chopper]]s and [[Brute Prowler]]s. The UNSC attempts to attack the structure, with a [[Pelican Dropship]] deploying [[SPARTAN-117]], the [[Arbiter (Character)|Arbiter]], and a small force of [[Marine]]s and [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]]s that land beyond the Covenant garrison as they seek to gain entrance to the Cartographer. [[Avery J. Johnson]] leads a second Pelican in reinforcing SPARTAN-117's assault, but is diverted until SPARTAN-117 and his cohorts can clear a northern area clear for Johnson to deploy further reinforcements.  
|description=Disc with seven pairs of rising pylons
|location=[[Kenya]], [[East African Protectorate]], [[Earth]]
|type=[[Slipspace portal]] generator
|function=Generation of a [[portal]] to [[Installation 00]]
|caretaker=
|constructed= Began in [[97,445 BCE]]
|destroyed-title=Status
|destroyed=Non-operational
|diameter={{Convert|117|km|mi|sp=us}}{{Ref/Reuse|evg}}
}}
The '''Portal at Voi''',<ref name="evg">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 146''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Human Weakness", ''pages 382, 395''</ref> known to the scientific community as the '''Excession at Voi''' or simply '''the Excession'''<ref name="evo">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', ''[[From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal]]''</ref> and sometimes referred to as '''the Artifact''',<ref>[http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/701137/Reaction-Time-Bungie-Reflects-on-Halo-3-ODST.html G4TV Bungie Interview, December 8, 2009]</ref> is a massive [[Forerunner]] construction in [[Kenya]], [[Africa]] on [[Earth]]. Designed to generate a [[slipspace portal]] to [[Installation 00]], it was built across and eventually buried beneath an area that would come to encompass the town of [[Voi]] and the city of [[Mombasa]], and it was uncovered by the [[Covenant]] during the [[Battle of Earth]] in late [[2552]]. It can be activated by a specific [[keyship]], that being the Covenant's "[[Forerunner Dreadnought]]", and was so activated upon its unearthing. It was reactivated once more in March of [[2555]] with the help of [[Drifts Randomly]], a Huragok that had worked on the [[keyship|Dreadnought]].


The small strike force works its way up to the Shield Wall<ref>''[[Halo 3: Official Strategy Guide]]'', page 73</ref>, a large impregnable metal wall with a small energy shield. SPARTAN-117 and the Arbiter bypass it, moving down a downhill slope and then entering the Cartographer from the entrance floor<ref>''[[Halo 3: Official Strategy Guide]]'', page 80</ref>. While they work their way up the structure against large numbers of [[Brute Chieftain]]s, [[Brute Stalker]]s, and [[Jackal]]s, Truth activates the Cartographer, opening a large [[Slipspace]] rift above the Cartographer which leads to the ''true'' [[Ark]] structure, which is revealed to be extragalactic and outside the Milky Way galaxy. Truth and the rest of the Loyalist fleet retreat through the rift as the [[Covenant Seperatist|Seperatist]] fleet, along with the Arbiter, Miranda Keyes, and SPARTAN-117 pursues them to the Ark, leaving the Cartographer behind.
== History ==
{{Spoiler End}}
=== Ancient history ===
{{Ref}}
{{Quote|Who will use this portal? Who will live to return here? And what will they think of this machine that I’ve buried? Those I have fought for, for so long. Those who, it is clear to me now, ultimately will and must inherit the Mantle. I can only hope that they will survive and upon returning, that they will find this portal and use it to travel to the Ark—in order that they might discover their rightful place in this galaxy, and the great responsibility they have finally inherited. They are the last of my children. They must reclaim their birthright.|The [[Librarian]] thinks on the future of the portal and its use by humanity.}}
[[File:ObservingArtifact.png|Ancient humans observe the portal at some point following their species' reintroduction to Earth.|270px|thumb|left]]
Shortly before the firing of the [[Halo Array]], the [[Forerunner]] known as the [[Librarian]] ordered the construction of the portal beneath a savannah in what would later become [[Kenya]]. The Librarian knew that the portal would not be completed before the Halos were fired, and thus construction would continue for at least a century after [[Earth]] was [[Conservation Measure|reseeded]]. She had it built with the hope that humanity would one day use it to reap the benefits of the legacy the Forerunners left on the [[Installation 00|lesser Ark]]. A [[Gargantua-class transport]] sent by [[343 Guilty Spark]] at her request, along with the necessary components mined from the Earth, was used to build the portal.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 37''</ref> At least two varieties of [[sentinel]]s, [[Retriever]]s and [[Assembler Sentinel|Assembler]]s, were deployed from the transport and were also important to its construction.  


When humans and other lifeforms were reintroduced to Earth, they emerged at the planet above the portal in Africa.<ref>'''[[Rebirth]]'''</ref> However, work on it would continue for multiple generations. Its continual construction was witnessed by humans, including an African elder named [[N'chala]], who was oblivious to its purpose and considered the sentinels to either be gods or to be under their direction.<ref name="cradle">'''[[Halo 3: The Cradle of Life]]'''</ref> The artifact eventually came to be entirely buried in the earth.


[[Category:Halo 3]]
{{clear|right}}
=== Discovery ===
{{Quote|Truth could've landed anywhere, but he committed all his forces here. East Africa. The ruins of New Mombasa. Then, they started digging.|[[Miranda Keyes]] informs [[John-117]] of the Covenant's excavation.}}


[[Category:The Forerunner]]
[[File:The coming Storm.jpg|300px|thumb|The Portal, viewed during the day, prior to its activation.]]
By at least the nineteenth century, the portal was entirely submerged beneath the land occupied by the city of Mombasa and the town of Voi. Additionally, at least a portion of the portal was covered by a man-made lake at some point between the early 21st and mid-26th centuries. At some point after the dawn of the 24th century, the UNSC's [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] discovered a small section of the portal structure located below the metropolis of [[New Mombasa]], and constructed a major facility known as the [[ONI Alpha Site (location)|ONI Alpha Site]] in the city in order to conduct covert research on the artifact.<ref name="vis">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 132''</ref> In [[2551]], toward the end of the [[Battle of Meridian]], a luminary was discovered by the Covenant on [[Meridian|the colony]]. This luminary would later be presented to the [[Prophet of Regret]] and reveal to him the location of the portal. In [[2552#October|October of 2552]], a seismic anomaly originating with the portal was discovered in a survey conducted by New Mombasa's urban infrastructure AI, the [[Superintendent]], for [[Daniel Endesha|Dr. Endesha]], revealing the location and full extent of the structure to him.<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', ''[[Sadie's Story]]''</ref>
 
Following the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s flight from the [[Sol system]] during the [[Battle for Earth]], the remaining forces of Regret's [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]] were grouped themselves at Mombasa as [[Jiralhanae]] had already swiftly taken control of the leftover of Regret's fleet from the [[Sangheili]].{{Ref/Generic|Id=FTH|Heading=[[Halo Legendary Crate]]|Subheading=[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]|Detail=[[:File:LC 002 Doc 1.jpg|First Twelve Hours]]}}{{Ref/Film|Id=Oct20|Film=Halo Waypoint|Story=Ten Twenty|StoryLinkText=Ten Twenty}} They attempted to use the data gathered by the Superintendent to pinpoint the location of the artifact, but were eventually forced to discover its location on their own. Eventually, a [[Truth's fleet|massive Covenant support fleet]] led by [[Jiralhanae]] arrived across East Africa on the next day to ensure the Forerunner artifact complex,{{Ref/Reuse|Id=coastal highway}}{{Ref/Site|Id=waypointvergil|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-vergil-reality|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Vergil Reality|D=15|M=06|Y=2021}} as the Covenant forces so far started the uncovering of the artifact by [[glassing]].{{Ref/Level|Id=coastal highway|Game=Halo 3: ODST|Level=Coastal Highway}} By [[2552#November|November 17, 2552]], the entire lake that lay over where the structure was buried had been vaporized by Covenant ships and the earth overtop of the artifact had been burned away by focused glassing to unveil it.<ref name="the storm">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Storm]]''</ref> The Prophet of Truth landed the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] on the structure, and an unusual [[Portal storm|electric storm]] formed above it. Before its activation, the prophet personally traveled to the Superintendent's data center deep underneath where New Mombasa used to be, now occupied by a number of Covenant [[Huragok]], and observed a section of the artifact visible from the facility.<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', ''Legendary ending cutscene''</ref>
 
The [[UNSC]] attempted to attack the keyship, falsely presuming the portal to be the Ark itself, but was stopped by Covenant {{Pattern|Skar'wa|Mantis}}'. A small force in the city of Voi, consisting of [[John-117]], [[Thel 'Vadam]], [[Marines]], and factory workers from a [[Traxus Industries]] facility, neutralized an anti-aircraft battery to clear a path for a [[Battle Group Victory|handful]] of [[Charon-class light frigate|frigates]] and numerous [[C712 Longsword|Longswords]]. These then made several attacks on the Dreadnought with [[MAC]] cannons and [[ASGM-10 missile]]s, but to no effect. At that moment, the gateway finally activated, opening a large [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] rift above the Portal which led to the real Ark. Truth and his fleet advanced through the rift and were pursued by the [[Fleet of Retribution]] and the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}. The activation of the portal was achieved by Truth using the shards of [[Menachite Forerunner crystal|the crystal]] that had once been used to power the [[Menachite portal complex|portal complex]] on [[Reach]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=Sacrifice|HSoR|Detail= Adjunct - [[Sacrifice]]}}
 
=== Post-War period ===
{{Quote|There are more secrets locked under our feet than we dare speculate on.|Doctor [[William Iqbal]] in a letter from the Department of Xenoarchaeological Studies at [[Edinburgh University]] to security-cleared faculty and onsite graduate students.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}}}}
[[File:PortalOrbit.png|thumb|left|250px|The portal as seen from orbit immediately after it collapsed following damage done to the Ark.]]
When [[Installation 08]] was prematurely fired on December 11, 2552, it tore itself to pieces, doing an enormous amount of damage to the Ark. This sudden destruction caused the portal to collapse while the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was still traveling through it back to Earth. The ship was torn in to two large pieces at this time and only the fore half made it back to Earth, crashing into the Indian Ocean. The ''Dawn'' did not exit at the point in Earth's atmosphere where it would have had the portal remained wholly intact, but instead emerged from [[slipspace]] in Earth's orbit, just narrowly allowing [[Thel 'Vadam]] a destination to land. From that point onward, the portal remained inert and inaccessible. In March of [[2553]] following a ceremony honoring the fallen of the [[Human-Covenant War]] held near the site, the Excession was isolated from the rest of the [[East African Protectorate]] and heavily guarded. Civilian [[Xenoarchaeology|xenoarchaeologists]] were hired by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to study the artifact. While closed, it was still drawing power from an unknown source and the majority of the passageways below it were still unexplored.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}} It was suspected that the portal had additional as-of-yet undiscovered functions besides simply creating a gateway between Earth and the Ark.{{Ref/Reuse|evo}}
 
In [[2555]], scientists exploring [[Installation 07]] discovered a countdown sequence and it was determined that it was originating from the Ark. It suddenly became of paramount importance that the portal be reactivated. The UNSC reached out to the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] and a Huragok named [[Drifts Randomly]] that had worked onboard the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] was brought to Earth. After a few days, it was able to open the portal using data from the keyship it had internalized. A joint UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios team was sent through the portal to [[Operation: FAR STORM|prevent]] the activation of the [[Halo Array]]. The countdown was part of a ploy by the Ark's monitor, [[000 Tragic Solitude]], to make the humans on Earth reactivate the portal so that he could send [[Retriever Sentinel]]s to mine the [[Sol system]] for materials to repair damage done to his installation. Tragic Solitude explained to [[Olympia Vale]] that the firing of [[Installation 08]] damaged the portal and severed his ability to control it from the Ark. Though Tragic Solitude repaired the portal on the Ark end, it required activation on the Earth end to return to its previous state.<ref name="HITD266">'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''page 266''</ref> He also increased the portal's power and astrogation systems to send and receive objects much faster despite the fact that doing so was an extraordinary exertion of power and information and could well compromise many of his systems.<ref name="HITD305">'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''page 305''</ref> As a result travel through the portal was far faster than before.{{Ref/Reuse|HITD}}
 
Many Retrievers poured through the portal and the [[UNSC Home Fleet]] [[Invasion of Earth|engaged them in battle]]. However, the team on the Ark was able to force Tragic Solitude to recall the Retrievers and the rogue monitor was destroyed by [[Bobby Kodiak]]. Around a day later, a UNSC fleet traveled through the portal to the Ark to investigate the aftermath of Operation: FAR STORM and rescued the survivors.<ref name="HITD">'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'''</ref> Afterwards, the UNSC used the now-active portal to send researchers to the Ark by [[2557]] where they were able to effect repairs by directing the Retrievers to strip-mine lifeless systems.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars 2]]''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]]''</ref>
 
Following the [[Created]] [[Subjugation of Earth|takeover of Earth]], Installation 00's failsafe measures seemingly closed the portal once again, keeping the Ark safe from Cortana's iron fist.<ref name="Mythos202">'''[[Halo Mythos]]''', ''page 202''</ref> Since the portal closed without warning, the UNSC science personnel on the Ark were stranded there, with no way to contact the rest of the UNSC. A month later, the Ark was [[Attack on Installation 00|invaded]] by the mercenary group known as the [[Banished]], who massacred the UNSC personnel there. Months later, the long-lost {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} was pulled to the Ark through unknown means.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars 2]]''', campaign level ''[[The Signal]]''</ref> Professor [[Ellen Anders]] was unable to reactivate the portal from the Ark end and instead came up with the idea of launching [[Installation 09]] to send a [[distress beacon]] to human space.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars 2]]''', campaign level ''[[Hold the Line]]''</ref> Following the departure of Anders and the Halo ring, Captain [[James Cutter]] felt that the portal should remain closed until the ''Spirit of Fire'' could fully evaluate the Banished threat to it. Cutter ordered [[Isabel]] to start investigating the portal's controls in case they needed to open or close it again.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars 2]]''' - ''[[Phoenix Logs]]'' - ''Beyond the Edge''</ref> Nevertheless, the Banished sought out another portal - [[Menachite portal complex|the one]] on [[Reach]] - by retrieving the shards of the [[Menachite Forerunner crystal|crystal]] from the ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' that had allowed the [[Prophet of Truth]] to open Earth's portal.{{Ref/Reuse|Sacrifice}}
 
== Structure and function==
{{References|section}}
[[File:Excessionsatellite.png|250px|thumb|Satellite imagery of the portal being uncovered.]]
The massive structure that opens the portal—at least the portion that has been uncovered—is 117 kilometers in diameter. When the portal is inactive, it appears as nothing more than a slightly convex metal disc of a Forerunner alloy. Glyphs can be seen from high above in the metal framework of the construction. At the very center, there is one shaped like a circle pierced by four spokes, which subdivide it into eight sections. The portal is powered by its own internal source, which lies far below what can be seen of it on the surface. There are extensive passageways that stretch down into the earth all throughout it. These passageways link information systems, engines, and control stations. Immediately beneath the domed shape of the structure's exterior, one can view it from a perspective where it appears concave from a sort of observation deck paneled with glass. At the base beneath the hinge of each pylon there are numerous consoles and instrument panels covered with Forerunner runes.
 
The portal can only be opened in response to a specific set of data. This data was carried by [[Anodyne Spirit|the specific]] [[keyship]], which the Covenant called the Forerunner Dreadnought, that was designed to interface with the portal structure. Even without the actual keyship itself, however, the portal can be activated by a [[Huragok]] named [[Drifts Randomly]], because it has internalized the necessary information from the keyship. Before the portal fully opens, there is a not-yet-understood process which builds up to the final opening. During this process, a great [[portal storm|electrical storm]] is generated above it due to the creation of such a vast, stable slipspace rupture in atmospheric conditions. Gusts of wind inside such a storm can exceed two-hundred miles per hour. When the time finally comes for the portal to open, the fourteen pylons will rise and the center of the disc will sink further into the ground. A giant beam of energy will shoot up from the center of this disc. The portal itself, taking the shape of a sphere, will be supported by beams emitted from each of the raised pylons. It takes approximately 24 days for any ship entering the portal to arrive at the Ark. Surprisingly, Thel' Vadam aboard the front half of Forward Unto Dawn, was able to reach earth in 12 days after the firing of [[Installation 08]], half than approximate days.
 
After the firing of [[Installation 08]], the portal was damaged on the Ark end which caused its collapse. Though [[000 Tragic Solitude]] repaired the damage to the portal on the Ark, it also severed his control of the portal, requiring its activation on the Earth end to return to its previous state.{{Ref/Reuse|HITD266}} Tragic Solitude also increased the portal's power and astrogation systems to send and receive objects much faster despite the fact that doing so was an extraordinary exertion of power and information and could well compromise many of his systems.{{Ref/Reuse|HITD305}} [[Luther Mann]] subsequently expressed worry about how long the portal would be sustainable in such a state as the pylons on the Ark end were under tremendous stress, effectively compressing real space into an almost unimaginably small frame of slipspace by way of crystal-mediation, which alongside several astrogation shortcuts, made the effective travel distance between the Ark and Earth unimaginably short. However, it was something that not ever the Forerunners were comfortable doing and Luther suspected it was only conceived of being used in extreme circumstances.<ref>'''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]''', ''page 347''</ref>
 
The portal constructs have unmediated slipspace cores bound to them that generate stable, pre-computed slipspace routes between synchronised endpoints. Due to the fact that these devices have fixed endpoints, destination flexibility is sacrificed for safety, speed, and security.<ref name="WF11">''Halo: Warfleet'', p.11</ref>
 
== UNSC additions ==
{{Quote|multi=yes|q1=Where exactly are we going?|[[Usze 'Taham]]|q2=The center of the operation.|[[Spartan Operations|Spartan]] [[Frank Kodiak]]|'Taham and Kodiak before descending underground.}}
Since the portal was first uncovered and the war with the Covenant ended, the [[United Nations Space Command]], and specifically the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], has sought to further understand the structure that had been buried under their feet. Having found a way to access the artifact's many information systems, engines, and control stations,<ref>'''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''', ''page 76''</ref> ONI constructed numerous facilities around and within the artifact in order to research it, staffed by roughly two hundred and twenty-seven engineers, technicians, and security personnel.<ref>'''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''', ''page 109''</ref> One notable facility is termed [[Research Center Alpha (Earth)|Research Center Alpha]], which lies at the base of one of the portal's pylons and can only be traveled to via an elevator from the surface. Science personnel were stationed at other pylons as well, such as [[Pylon Five]].<ref>'''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''', ''page 113''</ref> Branching out across the undercarriage of the machine was an ONI-fabricated network of scaffolding and gantries, allowing access to deeper and higher sections of the underground.<ref>'''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''', ''page 77''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''', ''page 82''</ref> Before the portal was reactivated, the UNSC had to illuminate any portion of the structure explored with floodlights, but once it came to life again, this was no longer necessary.<ref>'''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''', ''page ??''</ref>
 
== Trivia ==
*Before ''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]'' established a definitive diameter for the portal, there was some confusion regarding its size. This was due to a conflict between the in-game sizes of the Forerunner Dreadnought in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', with the latter depicting the ship as being far smaller than its former incarnation. Based on the map geometry in ''Halo 3'', the Portal could be estimated to be approximately 25 kilometers in diameter.<ref>[http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=845588 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Artifact Sizing *Minor H3 Spoilers*'']</ref> However, this figure is contradicted by the geography of the Portal's surroundings; since the structure stretches from the edge of where the metropolis of [[New Mombasa]] used to be all the way to the edge of what was formerly Voi, a distance of well over 100 kilometers. The canonical size of the portal can be derived by referencing the in-game measurements of the Forerunner Dreadnought as it appears in ''Halo 2''.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 3]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'''</ref> The sizes of the portal and the Dreadnought in ''Halo 3'' were taken as a liberties resulting from game engine limitations; generating map geometry for an area over 117&nbsp;km across would have been extremely taxing, if not impossible, for the game engine.
*In the "Behind the Scenes" section of the ''Halo 2'' Collectors Edition, there is a sketch of the portal.
*The fourteen pylons of the portal structure may be a reference to the number 7, as 7+7=14. The entire structure also appears to be constructed of seven identical parts, those being seven pairs of pylons. The Portal is also 117 kilometers in diameter, which is a direct reference to [[John-117]].
*Originally, the structure that ended up being the portal had been intended to be the Ark itself. Interestingly, the UNSC assumed the portal was the Ark as it neared activation in ''Halo 3''.
*The pylons bear a striking resemblance to the monoliths around the Atmosphere Processor in the film ''[[List of References to Aliens in Halo|Aliens]]''.
*The [[Apex|portal]] encountered in the first chapter of [[Spartan Ops]] [[S1/Invasion|Episode 7]] is nearly identical in design to that of the portal at Voi; with pylons that withdraw downward when the portal is deactivated.
 
== Gallery ==
===Production images===
<gallery>
File:PXH TTS Ark.jpg|A wireframe view of an early portal model (then-known as the ark) from around 1998.
File:HCE_Ark_Concept.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved''-era concept art for the structure that would eventually become the Ark portal.<ref>[https://twitter.com/game_fabricator/status/1088274744456159232 Marcus Lehto on Twitter].</ref>
File:H2_Ark_Concept.jpg|Concept sketch for "the Ark", as it was once conceived as, seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD.
File:H3 PortalStormConcept.jpg|''Halo 3'' concept art of the storm above the portal.
File:H3 PortalOverlookConcept.jpg|''Halo 3'' concept art of John-117 overlooking the portal.
</gallery>
 
===Screenshots===
<gallery>
File:Ark.jpg|The portal is activated in the ''Halo 3'' Announcement Trailer.
File:Halo 3 - The Artifact.jpg|An overhead view of the portal.
File:H3 VoiPortal details.jpg|A view of the details on the portal.
File:Ark2.jpg|The portal fires a beam as it activates.
File:H3_VoiPortal_Above.jpg|The portal as viewed from above, while active.
File:Portal.jpg|The portal as it appeared when activated.
File:Storm1.jpg|The keyship is piloted through the portal after having activated it, with two {{Class|Charon|light frigate}}s in the foreground.
File:PortalOrbit.png|The portal, as seen from Earth's orbit.
File:Seismic_survey.png|A seismic survey of the Great Rift Valley, with the yellow dot marking the location of the portal.
File:Portal odst.png|[[Truth's fleet]] uncovering the portal.
File:ONI Alpha Site Portal at Voi.jpeg|A portion of the portal structure that was visible underneath the [[ONI Alpha Site (location)|ONI Alpha Site]].
File:H3 VoiPortal Active.png|The artifact configuring to its active state.
File:H3 ArkPortal.png|The Slipspace portal as viewed from the Ark side.
File:H3 Anodyne Spirit emitter details.png|The ''Anodyne Spirit'' the Slipspace energy from the artifact to open to portal.
File:H3 Anodyne Spirit Emitter-Fullpower.png|The portal emitter at full power.
</gallery>
 
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Human Weakness]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Silentium]]''
*''[[Rebirth]]''
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo Wars 2]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]'' {{Im}}
*''[[Halo: Renegades]]'' {{mo}}
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Sacrifice]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Mo}}
 
==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
 
{{Forerunner|array}}
[[Category:Forerunner artifacts]]
[[Category:Forerunner technology]]
[[Category:Earth]]

Latest revision as of 08:11, March 9, 2024

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Portal at Voi
Ark portal open.jpg
General overview

Description:

Disc with seven pairs of rising pylons

Location:

Kenya, East African Protectorate, Earth

Operation overview

Type:

Slipspace portal generator

Function:

Generation of a portal to Installation 00

Date of construction:

Began in 97,445 BCE

Status:

Non-operational

Structural information

Diameter:

117 kilometers (73 mi)[1]

 

The Portal at Voi,[1][2] known to the scientific community as the Excession at Voi or simply the Excession[3] and sometimes referred to as the Artifact,[4] is a massive Forerunner construction in Kenya, Africa on Earth. Designed to generate a slipspace portal to Installation 00, it was built across and eventually buried beneath an area that would come to encompass the town of Voi and the city of Mombasa, and it was uncovered by the Covenant during the Battle of Earth in late 2552. It can be activated by a specific keyship, that being the Covenant's "Forerunner Dreadnought", and was so activated upon its unearthing. It was reactivated once more in March of 2555 with the help of Drifts Randomly, a Huragok that had worked on the Dreadnought.

History[edit]

Ancient history[edit]

"Who will use this portal? Who will live to return here? And what will they think of this machine that I’ve buried? Those I have fought for, for so long. Those who, it is clear to me now, ultimately will and must inherit the Mantle. I can only hope that they will survive and upon returning, that they will find this portal and use it to travel to the Ark—in order that they might discover their rightful place in this galaxy, and the great responsibility they have finally inherited. They are the last of my children. They must reclaim their birthright."
— The Librarian thinks on the future of the portal and its use by humanity.
Ancient humans observe the portal at some point following their species' reintroduction to Earth.

Shortly before the firing of the Halo Array, the Forerunner known as the Librarian ordered the construction of the portal beneath a savannah in what would later become Kenya. The Librarian knew that the portal would not be completed before the Halos were fired, and thus construction would continue for at least a century after Earth was reseeded. She had it built with the hope that humanity would one day use it to reap the benefits of the legacy the Forerunners left on the lesser Ark. A Gargantua-class transport sent by 343 Guilty Spark at her request, along with the necessary components mined from the Earth, was used to build the portal.[5] At least two varieties of sentinels, Retrievers and Assemblers, were deployed from the transport and were also important to its construction.

When humans and other lifeforms were reintroduced to Earth, they emerged at the planet above the portal in Africa.[6] However, work on it would continue for multiple generations. Its continual construction was witnessed by humans, including an African elder named N'chala, who was oblivious to its purpose and considered the sentinels to either be gods or to be under their direction.[7] The artifact eventually came to be entirely buried in the earth.

Discovery[edit]

"Truth could've landed anywhere, but he committed all his forces here. East Africa. The ruins of New Mombasa. Then, they started digging."
— Miranda Keyes informs John-117 of the Covenant's excavation.
The Portal at Voi as seen in the Halo 3 level Tsavo Highway.
The Portal, viewed during the day, prior to its activation.

By at least the nineteenth century, the portal was entirely submerged beneath the land occupied by the city of Mombasa and the town of Voi. Additionally, at least a portion of the portal was covered by a man-made lake at some point between the early 21st and mid-26th centuries. At some point after the dawn of the 24th century, the UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence discovered a small section of the portal structure located below the metropolis of New Mombasa, and constructed a major facility known as the ONI Alpha Site in the city in order to conduct covert research on the artifact.[8] In 2551, toward the end of the Battle of Meridian, a luminary was discovered by the Covenant on the colony. This luminary would later be presented to the Prophet of Regret and reveal to him the location of the portal. In October of 2552, a seismic anomaly originating with the portal was discovered in a survey conducted by New Mombasa's urban infrastructure AI, the Superintendent, for Dr. Endesha, revealing the location and full extent of the structure to him.[9]

Following the Prophet of Regret's flight from the Sol system during the Battle for Earth, the remaining forces of Regret's Fleet of Sacred Consecration were grouped themselves at Mombasa as Jiralhanae had already swiftly taken control of the leftover of Regret's fleet from the Sangheili.[10][11] They attempted to use the data gathered by the Superintendent to pinpoint the location of the artifact, but were eventually forced to discover its location on their own. Eventually, a massive Covenant support fleet led by Jiralhanae arrived across East Africa on the next day to ensure the Forerunner artifact complex,[12][13] as the Covenant forces so far started the uncovering of the artifact by glassing.[12] By November 17, 2552, the entire lake that lay over where the structure was buried had been vaporized by Covenant ships and the earth overtop of the artifact had been burned away by focused glassing to unveil it.[14] The Prophet of Truth landed the Forerunner Dreadnought on the structure, and an unusual electric storm formed above it. Before its activation, the prophet personally traveled to the Superintendent's data center deep underneath where New Mombasa used to be, now occupied by a number of Covenant Huragok, and observed a section of the artifact visible from the facility.[15]

The UNSC attempted to attack the keyship, falsely presuming the portal to be the Ark itself, but was stopped by Covenant Skar'wa-pattern Mantis'. A small force in the city of Voi, consisting of John-117, Thel 'Vadam, Marines, and factory workers from a Traxus Industries facility, neutralized an anti-aircraft battery to clear a path for a handful of frigates and numerous Longswords. These then made several attacks on the Dreadnought with MAC cannons and ASGM-10 missiles, but to no effect. At that moment, the gateway finally activated, opening a large slipspace rift above the Portal which led to the real Ark. Truth and his fleet advanced through the rift and were pursued by the Fleet of Retribution and the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. The activation of the portal was achieved by Truth using the shards of the crystal that had once been used to power the portal complex on Reach.[16]

Post-War period[edit]

"There are more secrets locked under our feet than we dare speculate on."
— Doctor William Iqbal in a letter from the Department of Xenoarchaeological Studies at Edinburgh University to security-cleared faculty and onsite graduate students.[3]
The portal as seen from orbit immediately after it collapsed following damage done to the Ark.

When Installation 08 was prematurely fired on December 11, 2552, it tore itself to pieces, doing an enormous amount of damage to the Ark. This sudden destruction caused the portal to collapse while the Forward Unto Dawn was still traveling through it back to Earth. The ship was torn in to two large pieces at this time and only the fore half made it back to Earth, crashing into the Indian Ocean. The Dawn did not exit at the point in Earth's atmosphere where it would have had the portal remained wholly intact, but instead emerged from slipspace in Earth's orbit, just narrowly allowing Thel 'Vadam a destination to land. From that point onward, the portal remained inert and inaccessible. In March of 2553 following a ceremony honoring the fallen of the Human-Covenant War held near the site, the Excession was isolated from the rest of the East African Protectorate and heavily guarded. Civilian xenoarchaeologists were hired by the Office of Naval Intelligence to study the artifact. While closed, it was still drawing power from an unknown source and the majority of the passageways below it were still unexplored.[3] It was suspected that the portal had additional as-of-yet undiscovered functions besides simply creating a gateway between Earth and the Ark.[3]

In 2555, scientists exploring Installation 07 discovered a countdown sequence and it was determined that it was originating from the Ark. It suddenly became of paramount importance that the portal be reactivated. The UNSC reached out to the Swords of Sanghelios and a Huragok named Drifts Randomly that had worked onboard the Forerunner Dreadnought was brought to Earth. After a few days, it was able to open the portal using data from the keyship it had internalized. A joint UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios team was sent through the portal to prevent the activation of the Halo Array. The countdown was part of a ploy by the Ark's monitor, 000 Tragic Solitude, to make the humans on Earth reactivate the portal so that he could send Retriever Sentinels to mine the Sol system for materials to repair damage done to his installation. Tragic Solitude explained to Olympia Vale that the firing of Installation 08 damaged the portal and severed his ability to control it from the Ark. Though Tragic Solitude repaired the portal on the Ark end, it required activation on the Earth end to return to its previous state.[17] He also increased the portal's power and astrogation systems to send and receive objects much faster despite the fact that doing so was an extraordinary exertion of power and information and could well compromise many of his systems.[18] As a result travel through the portal was far faster than before.[19]

Many Retrievers poured through the portal and the UNSC Home Fleet engaged them in battle. However, the team on the Ark was able to force Tragic Solitude to recall the Retrievers and the rogue monitor was destroyed by Bobby Kodiak. Around a day later, a UNSC fleet traveled through the portal to the Ark to investigate the aftermath of Operation: FAR STORM and rescued the survivors.[19] Afterwards, the UNSC used the now-active portal to send researchers to the Ark by 2557 where they were able to effect repairs by directing the Retrievers to strip-mine lifeless systems.[20]

Following the Created takeover of Earth, Installation 00's failsafe measures seemingly closed the portal once again, keeping the Ark safe from Cortana's iron fist.[21] Since the portal closed without warning, the UNSC science personnel on the Ark were stranded there, with no way to contact the rest of the UNSC. A month later, the Ark was invaded by the mercenary group known as the Banished, who massacred the UNSC personnel there. Months later, the long-lost UNSC Spirit of Fire was pulled to the Ark through unknown means.[22] Professor Ellen Anders was unable to reactivate the portal from the Ark end and instead came up with the idea of launching Installation 09 to send a distress beacon to human space.[23] Following the departure of Anders and the Halo ring, Captain James Cutter felt that the portal should remain closed until the Spirit of Fire could fully evaluate the Banished threat to it. Cutter ordered Isabel to start investigating the portal's controls in case they needed to open or close it again.[24] Nevertheless, the Banished sought out another portal - the one on Reach - by retrieving the shards of the crystal from the Anodyne Spirit that had allowed the Prophet of Truth to open Earth's portal.[16]

Structure and function[edit]

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Satellite imagery of the portal being uncovered.

The massive structure that opens the portal—at least the portion that has been uncovered—is 117 kilometers in diameter. When the portal is inactive, it appears as nothing more than a slightly convex metal disc of a Forerunner alloy. Glyphs can be seen from high above in the metal framework of the construction. At the very center, there is one shaped like a circle pierced by four spokes, which subdivide it into eight sections. The portal is powered by its own internal source, which lies far below what can be seen of it on the surface. There are extensive passageways that stretch down into the earth all throughout it. These passageways link information systems, engines, and control stations. Immediately beneath the domed shape of the structure's exterior, one can view it from a perspective where it appears concave from a sort of observation deck paneled with glass. At the base beneath the hinge of each pylon there are numerous consoles and instrument panels covered with Forerunner runes.

The portal can only be opened in response to a specific set of data. This data was carried by the specific keyship, which the Covenant called the Forerunner Dreadnought, that was designed to interface with the portal structure. Even without the actual keyship itself, however, the portal can be activated by a Huragok named Drifts Randomly, because it has internalized the necessary information from the keyship. Before the portal fully opens, there is a not-yet-understood process which builds up to the final opening. During this process, a great electrical storm is generated above it due to the creation of such a vast, stable slipspace rupture in atmospheric conditions. Gusts of wind inside such a storm can exceed two-hundred miles per hour. When the time finally comes for the portal to open, the fourteen pylons will rise and the center of the disc will sink further into the ground. A giant beam of energy will shoot up from the center of this disc. The portal itself, taking the shape of a sphere, will be supported by beams emitted from each of the raised pylons. It takes approximately 24 days for any ship entering the portal to arrive at the Ark. Surprisingly, Thel' Vadam aboard the front half of Forward Unto Dawn, was able to reach earth in 12 days after the firing of Installation 08, half than approximate days.

After the firing of Installation 08, the portal was damaged on the Ark end which caused its collapse. Though 000 Tragic Solitude repaired the damage to the portal on the Ark, it also severed his control of the portal, requiring its activation on the Earth end to return to its previous state.[17] Tragic Solitude also increased the portal's power and astrogation systems to send and receive objects much faster despite the fact that doing so was an extraordinary exertion of power and information and could well compromise many of his systems.[18] Luther Mann subsequently expressed worry about how long the portal would be sustainable in such a state as the pylons on the Ark end were under tremendous stress, effectively compressing real space into an almost unimaginably small frame of slipspace by way of crystal-mediation, which alongside several astrogation shortcuts, made the effective travel distance between the Ark and Earth unimaginably short. However, it was something that not ever the Forerunners were comfortable doing and Luther suspected it was only conceived of being used in extreme circumstances.[25]

The portal constructs have unmediated slipspace cores bound to them that generate stable, pre-computed slipspace routes between synchronised endpoints. Due to the fact that these devices have fixed endpoints, destination flexibility is sacrificed for safety, speed, and security.[26]

UNSC additions[edit]

Usze 'Taham: "Where exactly are we going?"
Spartan Frank Kodiak: "The center of the operation."
— 'Taham and Kodiak before descending underground.

Since the portal was first uncovered and the war with the Covenant ended, the United Nations Space Command, and specifically the Office of Naval Intelligence, has sought to further understand the structure that had been buried under their feet. Having found a way to access the artifact's many information systems, engines, and control stations,[27] ONI constructed numerous facilities around and within the artifact in order to research it, staffed by roughly two hundred and twenty-seven engineers, technicians, and security personnel.[28] One notable facility is termed Research Center Alpha, which lies at the base of one of the portal's pylons and can only be traveled to via an elevator from the surface. Science personnel were stationed at other pylons as well, such as Pylon Five.[29] Branching out across the undercarriage of the machine was an ONI-fabricated network of scaffolding and gantries, allowing access to deeper and higher sections of the underground.[30][31] Before the portal was reactivated, the UNSC had to illuminate any portion of the structure explored with floodlights, but once it came to life again, this was no longer necessary.[32]

Trivia[edit]

  • Before Halo: The Essential Visual Guide established a definitive diameter for the portal, there was some confusion regarding its size. This was due to a conflict between the in-game sizes of the Forerunner Dreadnought in Halo 2 and Halo 3, with the latter depicting the ship as being far smaller than its former incarnation. Based on the map geometry in Halo 3, the Portal could be estimated to be approximately 25 kilometers in diameter.[33] However, this figure is contradicted by the geography of the Portal's surroundings; since the structure stretches from the edge of where the metropolis of New Mombasa used to be all the way to the edge of what was formerly Voi, a distance of well over 100 kilometers. The canonical size of the portal can be derived by referencing the in-game measurements of the Forerunner Dreadnought as it appears in Halo 2.[34][35][36] The sizes of the portal and the Dreadnought in Halo 3 were taken as a liberties resulting from game engine limitations; generating map geometry for an area over 117 km across would have been extremely taxing, if not impossible, for the game engine.
  • In the "Behind the Scenes" section of the Halo 2 Collectors Edition, there is a sketch of the portal.
  • The fourteen pylons of the portal structure may be a reference to the number 7, as 7+7=14. The entire structure also appears to be constructed of seven identical parts, those being seven pairs of pylons. The Portal is also 117 kilometers in diameter, which is a direct reference to John-117.
  • Originally, the structure that ended up being the portal had been intended to be the Ark itself. Interestingly, the UNSC assumed the portal was the Ark as it neared activation in Halo 3.
  • The pylons bear a striking resemblance to the monoliths around the Atmosphere Processor in the film Aliens.
  • The portal encountered in the first chapter of Spartan Ops Episode 7 is nearly identical in design to that of the portal at Voi; with pylons that withdraw downward when the portal is deactivated.

Gallery[edit]

Production images[edit]

  • A wireframe view of an early portal model (then-known as the ark) from around 1998.

    A wireframe view of an early portal model (then-known as the ark) from around 1998.

  • Halo: Combat Evolved-era concept art for the structure that would eventually become the Ark portal.[37]

    Halo: Combat Evolved-era concept art for the structure that would eventually become the Ark portal.[37]

  • Concept sketch for "the Ark", as it was once conceived as, seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition DVD.

    Concept sketch for "the Ark", as it was once conceived as, seen in the Halo 2 Collector's Edition DVD.

  • Halo 3 concept art of the storm above the portal.

    Halo 3 concept art of the storm above the portal.

  • Halo 3 concept art of John-117 overlooking the portal.

    Halo 3 concept art of John-117 overlooking the portal.

Screenshots[edit]

  • The portal is activated in the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer.

    The portal is activated in the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer.

  • An overhead view of the portal.

    An overhead view of the portal.

  • A view of the details on the portal.

    A view of the details on the portal.

  • The portal fires a beam as it activates.

    The portal fires a beam as it activates.

  • The portal as viewed from above, while active.

    The portal as viewed from above, while active.

  • The portal as it appeared when activated.

    The portal as it appeared when activated.

  • The keyship is piloted through the portal after having activated it, with two Charon-class light frigates in the foreground.

    The keyship is piloted through the portal after having activated it, with two Charon-class light frigates in the foreground.

  • The portal, as seen from Earth's orbit.

    The portal, as seen from Earth's orbit.

  • A seismic survey of the Great Rift Valley, with the yellow dot marking the location of the portal.

    A seismic survey of the Great Rift Valley, with the yellow dot marking the location of the portal.

  • Truth's fleet uncovering the portal.

    Truth's fleet uncovering the portal.

  • A portion of the portal structure that was visible underneath the ONI Alpha Site.

    A portion of the portal structure that was visible underneath the ONI Alpha Site.

  • The artifact configuring to its active state.

    The artifact configuring to its active state.

  • The Slipspace portal as viewed from the Ark side.

    The Slipspace portal as viewed from the Ark side.

  • The Anodyne Spirit the Slipspace energy from the artifact to open to portal.

    The Anodyne Spirit the Slipspace energy from the artifact to open to portal.

  • The portal emitter at full power.

    The portal emitter at full power.

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 146
  2. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Human Weakness", pages 382, 395
  3. ^ a b c d Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal
  4. ^ G4TV Bungie Interview, December 8, 2009
  5. ^ Halo: Silentium, String 37
  6. ^ Rebirth
  7. ^ Halo 3: The Cradle of Life
  8. ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 132
  9. ^ Halo 3: ODST, Sadie's Story
  10. ^ Halo Legendary Crate - Data Drop #2: First Twelve Hours
  11. ^ Halo Waypoint - Ten Twenty
  12. ^ a b Halo 3: ODST, campaign level Coastal Highway
  13. ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Vergil Reality (Retrieved on Jun 15, 2021) [archive]
  14. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Storm
  15. ^ Halo 3: ODST, Legendary ending cutscene
  16. ^ a b Halo: Shadows of Reach: Adjunct - Sacrifice
  17. ^ a b Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 266
  18. ^ a b Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 305
  19. ^ a b Halo: Hunters in the Dark
  20. ^ Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs
  21. ^ Halo Mythos, page 202
  22. ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level The Signal
  23. ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level Hold the Line
  24. ^ Halo Wars 2 - Phoenix Logs - Beyond the Edge
  25. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 347
  26. ^ Halo: Warfleet, p.11
  27. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 76
  28. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 109
  29. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 113
  30. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 77
  31. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page 82
  32. ^ Halo: Hunters in the Dark, page ??
  33. ^ halo.bungie.org: Artifact Sizing *Minor H3 Spoilers*
  34. ^ Halo 2
  35. ^ Halo 3
  36. ^ Halo 3: ODST
  37. ^ Marcus Lehto on Twitter.

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The Forerunners

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Halo Array
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Installation components

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