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{{Era|Forerunner}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Stub}}
{{Megastructure infobox
|image=[[File:CF GreaterArk 1.jpg|300px]]<br>The Senescent Ark in orbit over a Forerunner world.
|description=Disk with a hollow core and six curved arms
|location=[[Intergalactic space]]
|anchor=
|type=[[Ark|Ark Installation]]
|function=Conservation installation, Lifeworker research station, Halo construction foundry
|caretaker=[[Offensive Bias]]<ref name="sil238">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 238''</ref>
|constructed=c. [[106,445 BCE]]{{Ref/Reuse|sil45}}
|destroyed= c. [[97,445 BCE]]
|diameter=
|surface width=
|gravity=
|surface temperature=
|atmosphere=
}}
The '''greater Ark''', also referred to as '''the Ark''', the '''senescent Ark''',{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P343|Enc22|Page=343}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P366|Enc22|Page=366}} or the '''Beginning Place''',<ref name="cryp317">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 317''</ref>{{Ref/Note|Id=cryptum|Though the Ark featured in ''Halo: Cryptum'' is never identified as the greater Ark and is only referred to as "the Ark" or the "Beginning Place", its description differs considerably from that of Installation 00. ''Halo: Silentium'' further clarifies that the Librarian used the greater Ark as her base of operations before its destruction; because of its use as the Lifeshaper's main base, (combined with the secrecy of Installation 00), the greater Ark was almost universally referred to as "the Ark". As such, it is assumed the Ark described in ''Cryptum'' is the greater Ark. Additionally, it was stated in ''Halo: Silentium'' that only the Master Builder knew the location of the lesser Ark which he eventually gave to the [[IsoDidact]] before his demise in the [[Battle of the greater Ark]] which further suggests that it was the greater Ark in ''Halo: Cryptum''. Though the IsoDidact suggested briefly taking [[Installation 07]] to the lesser Ark in ''Halo: Primordium'', this was not mentioned again and it went to the greater Ark with no explanation for the discrepancy.<br>However, this also raises an apparent discrepancy regarding the lesser Ark and its secret array of six Halos. ''Halo: Cryptum'' describes a separate array of six Halo rings stationed over what is assumed to be the greater Ark for the aforementioned reasons. However, ''Halo: Silentium'' clarifies that the newer array of six Halos was manufactured by, and hidden at, the lesser Ark. This makes the rings' apparent presence at the greater Ark a contradiction, since there are no evident reasons for the six rings (the Forerunners' carefully-guarded last resort) being temporarily transported to the greater Ark. Additionally, ''Halo: Cryptum'' doesn't make it clear if these six rings are supposed to be the newer array or simply replacements for the older rings lost in the recent [[Fate of Maethrillian]] as their size is not given.}} was a [[Forerunner]] megastructure, and the first of the two [[Ark]]s used to manufacture [[Halo Array|Halo rings]]. It produced the original Halo Array, comprised of rings 30,000 kilometers in diameter as opposed to the 10,000 kilometers of the final Array, which was produced by the smaller [[Installation 00]] instead.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 343''</ref> Like Installation 00, the greater Ark was located [[Intergalactic space|outside]] the [[Milky Way|Milky Way galaxy]],<ref name="prim371">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 371''</ref> one-third of the way around the outer boundaries of the galaxy.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 237'' (''"Unbeknownst to most, the lesser Ark, hidden a third of the way around the outer boundaries of the galaxy..."'')</ref>


The '''greater Ark''', also known as the '''Beginning Place''',<ref name="cryp317">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 317''</ref> was a [[Forerunner]] megastructure, and one of the two [[Ark]]s used to manufacture [[Halo Array|Halo rings]]. It was known to have produced the original Halo Array, comprised of rings 30,000 kilometers in diameter as opposed to the 10,000 kilometers of the final Array, which was produced by the smaller [[Installation 00]] instead.<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 343''</ref> Like Installation 00, the greater Ark was located [[Intergalactic space|outside]] the [[Milky Way|Milky Way galaxy]].<ref name="prim371">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 371''</ref>
==Description==
Though it shared Installation 00's flower-like shape, consisting of a series of curved arms extending from a circular central section,{{Ref/Reuse|prim371}} the greater Ark differed from the lesser Ark in a number of respects;{{Ref/NoteReuse|cryptum}} it possessed only six petals, as opposed to the eight arms of Installation 00.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 329-330''</ref> Instead of an artificial sun, the greater Ark was illuminated by six shafts of plasma, each suspended over one of the petals, emanating from a tower structure in the center.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 330''</ref> These plasma tubes would dim and brighten cyclically, approximating a day-night cycle.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 336''</ref> Each of the greater Ark's arms possessed at least one petal station, from which Forerunner [[Lifeworker]]s operated.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 332''</ref>{{Ref/NoteReuse|cryptum}}


Though it shared Installation 00's flower-like shape, consisting of a series of curved arms extending from a circular central section,<ref name="prim371"/> the greater Ark differed from the lesser Ark in a number of respects;<ref group="note">Though the Ark featured in ''Halo: Cryptum'' is never identified as the greater Ark, its description differs considerably from that of Installation 00. As such, it is assumed the Ark described in ''Cryptum'' is the greater Ark.</ref> it only possessed six petals, as opposed to the eight arms of Installation 00.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 329-330''</ref> Instead of an artificial sun, the greater Ark was illuminated by six shafts of plasma, each suspended over one of the petals, emanating from a tower structure in the center.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 330''</ref> These plasma tubes would dim and brighten cyclically, approximating a day-night cycle.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 336''</ref> Each of the greater Ark's arms possessed at least one petal station, from which Forerunner [[Lifeworker]]s operated.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 332''</ref>
The greater Ark possessed a sizable defensive fleet led by the [[Contender-class artificial intelligence|Contender-class]] [[Metarch-class ancilla|Metarch]] [[Offensive Bias]].{{Ref/Reuse|sil238}}<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 208''</ref> By the end of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], all remaining [[Forerunner fleet]]s were assimilated into this fleet.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 215''</ref> After the greater Ark's destruction, Offensive Bias managed to save several thousand warships—only a fraction of its original fleet—and use them to successfully fend off [[Mendicant Bias]] in the [[Battle of the Maginot Sphere]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 315''</ref>
 
==History==
===Commissioning===
The greater Ark was commissioned by [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]] shortly following the end of the [[human-Forerunner wars]] in [[106,445 BCE]], and constructed soon after with the Old Council's approval.<ref name="sil45">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 45''</ref> Twelve 30,000 kilometer-wide Halos were produced by its [[Foundry (location)|Foundry]]. Over the following millennia, the [[Builder]]s continued to refine the design of the Halos and soon discovered a number of flaws with the original rings - most notably, their enormous size which made them unwieldy to transport. These plans led to the commissioning of a smaller array of Halos as well as a new Ark to produce them, as the greater Ark was incapable of building smaller installations.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 91''</ref> However, the construction of the second Ark was delayed by the Council for several thousand years, until the Master Builder gained complete control over it circa [[98,445 BCE]].{{Ref/Reuse|sil45}}
 
[[File:HM SenescentArk.jpg|250px|thumb|Halo rings above the greater Ark.]]
While the greater Ark stopped producing Halos after the original twelve, the installation remained as the most significant repository of the [[Conservation Measure]], the [[Lifeworker]]'s effort to index and preserve as many sentient species as possible in the event of Halo activation.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''page 234''</ref> As a part of the Librarian's pact with the Master Builder, the greater Ark - like its successor - had been constructed to possess a surface capable of supporting various biospheres to house the Lifeworkers' specimens. While the greater Ark served as the primary facility of this enormous undertaking, the lesser Ark remained secret to all but a few in order to ensure it would not fall in the hands of the [[Flood]].<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 250-251''</ref> At some point in time, the Forerunners placed a [[Purifying Vision of the Holy Path|holographic projector]] capable of displaying a Halo from the greater Ark in a [[grotto of the Great Transition|repository]] on [[Janjur Qom]] along with a [[Luminary]].<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''Page 123''</ref>
 
===Fall to the Flood===
Around [[97,445 BCE]], strategic command of the [[ecumene]] was placed at the greater Ark, as the [[Capital]] system was almost completely conquered by the Flood.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 25''</ref> The greater Ark served as the final refuge for most of the surviving Forerunner population, while the Lifeworkers' specimens formerly stored there were relocated on the nearby [[Omega Halo]], the last surviving ring of the original twelve-strong array (excluding the repurposed [[Installation 07]]). The specimens included the Librarian's largest population of [[human]]s, which would later be destroyed when the [[Ur-Didact]] harvested their essences with the [[Composer]]. Shortly after this, the Flood [[Battle of the greater Ark|attacked]] the greater Ark and destroyed it using the [[Precursor]]s' [[star road]]s, leaving the lesser Ark and its new Array of rings as the Forerunners' last resort. The destruction of the greater Ark also led to the death of the majority of the remaining Forerunners, with only a handful escaping to the lesser Ark to carry out their final mission.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''String 34''</ref>
 
==Production notes==
The Greater Ark was first visually depicted in two illustrations by [[:Category:Images by Chase Toole|Chase Toole]] done for ''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]'' in [[2016]]. In the two art pieces done by Toole, the megastructure was depicted as almost visually identical to Installation 00 as depicted in ''[[Halo 3]]'' - aside from the scale differences. In February [[2024]], a series of updated images of the Greater Ark by [[:Category:Images by Espen Olsen Sætervik|Espen Olsen Sætervik]] were released to celebrate the 150th issue of the [[Canon Fodder]] blog. Sætervik's depiction of the Greater Ark takes more significant liberties with the design, with notably larger arms than the Toole artwork. The Canon Fodder also featured a concise summary of the Greater Ark's story.{{Ref/Site|Id=CFLore|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-give-em-lore|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - If They Want Lore, We'll Give 'Em Lore|D=22|M=02|Y=2024}}
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:HM_Ark_destruction.png|The Greater Ark's destruction.
File:CF GreaterArk 2.jpg|One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.
File:CF GreaterArk 3.jpg|One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.
File:CF GreaterArk 4.jpg|One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.
</gallery>


==List of appearances==
==List of appearances==
*''[[The Forerunner Saga]]''
{{Other languages
**''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' {{1st}}
|fr={{Tooltip|''L'Arche''|The Ark}} in the ''Forerunner Saga''.<br>
**''[[Halo: Primordium]]''
{{Tooltip|''La grande Arche''|The great Ark}} in ''Halo: Primordium'' and ''Halo: Silentium''.
}}
*''[[Halo: Cryptum]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Primordium]]''
*''[[Halo: Silentium]]''
*''[[Rebirth]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]'' {{c|Indirect mention}}
*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]''
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
**''[[Promises to Keep]]''
*''[[Halo Wars 2]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Epitaph]]''


==Notes==
==Notes==
<references group="note"/>
{{Ref/Notes}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources}}
{{Forerunner}}
 
{{Forerunner|array|category=no}}
[[Category:Forerunner installations]]
[[Category:Forerunner installations]]

Latest revision as of 04:28, February 28, 2024

Greater Ark
Art of the Senescent Ark.
The Senescent Ark in orbit over a Forerunner world.
General overview

Description:

Disk with a hollow core and six curved arms

Location:

Intergalactic space

Operation overview

Type:

Ark Installation

Function:

Conservation installation, Lifeworker research station, Halo construction foundry

Attached AI(s):

Offensive Bias[1]

Date of construction:

c. 106,445 BCE[2]

Date of destruction:

c. 97,445 BCE

 

The greater Ark, also referred to as the Ark, the senescent Ark,[3][4] or the Beginning Place,[5][Note 1] was a Forerunner megastructure, and the first of the two Arks used to manufacture Halo rings. It produced the original Halo Array, comprised of rings 30,000 kilometers in diameter as opposed to the 10,000 kilometers of the final Array, which was produced by the smaller Installation 00 instead.[6] Like Installation 00, the greater Ark was located outside the Milky Way galaxy,[7] one-third of the way around the outer boundaries of the galaxy.[8]

Description[edit]

Though it shared Installation 00's flower-like shape, consisting of a series of curved arms extending from a circular central section,[7] the greater Ark differed from the lesser Ark in a number of respects;[Note 1] it possessed only six petals, as opposed to the eight arms of Installation 00.[9] Instead of an artificial sun, the greater Ark was illuminated by six shafts of plasma, each suspended over one of the petals, emanating from a tower structure in the center.[10] These plasma tubes would dim and brighten cyclically, approximating a day-night cycle.[11] Each of the greater Ark's arms possessed at least one petal station, from which Forerunner Lifeworkers operated.[12][Note 1]

The greater Ark possessed a sizable defensive fleet led by the Contender-class Metarch Offensive Bias.[1][13] By the end of the Forerunner-Flood war, all remaining Forerunner fleets were assimilated into this fleet.[14] After the greater Ark's destruction, Offensive Bias managed to save several thousand warships—only a fraction of its original fleet—and use them to successfully fend off Mendicant Bias in the Battle of the Maginot Sphere.[15]

History[edit]

Commissioning[edit]

The greater Ark was commissioned by Master Builder Faber shortly following the end of the human-Forerunner wars in 106,445 BCE, and constructed soon after with the Old Council's approval.[2] Twelve 30,000 kilometer-wide Halos were produced by its Foundry. Over the following millennia, the Builders continued to refine the design of the Halos and soon discovered a number of flaws with the original rings - most notably, their enormous size which made them unwieldy to transport. These plans led to the commissioning of a smaller array of Halos as well as a new Ark to produce them, as the greater Ark was incapable of building smaller installations.[16] However, the construction of the second Ark was delayed by the Council for several thousand years, until the Master Builder gained complete control over it circa 98,445 BCE.[2]

The Greater Ark as seen in Halo Mythos. This artwork was also used in the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition).
Halo rings above the greater Ark.

While the greater Ark stopped producing Halos after the original twelve, the installation remained as the most significant repository of the Conservation Measure, the Lifeworker's effort to index and preserve as many sentient species as possible in the event of Halo activation.[17] As a part of the Librarian's pact with the Master Builder, the greater Ark - like its successor - had been constructed to possess a surface capable of supporting various biospheres to house the Lifeworkers' specimens. While the greater Ark served as the primary facility of this enormous undertaking, the lesser Ark remained secret to all but a few in order to ensure it would not fall in the hands of the Flood.[18] At some point in time, the Forerunners placed a holographic projector capable of displaying a Halo from the greater Ark in a repository on Janjur Qom along with a Luminary.[19]

Fall to the Flood[edit]

Around 97,445 BCE, strategic command of the ecumene was placed at the greater Ark, as the Capital system was almost completely conquered by the Flood.[20] The greater Ark served as the final refuge for most of the surviving Forerunner population, while the Lifeworkers' specimens formerly stored there were relocated on the nearby Omega Halo, the last surviving ring of the original twelve-strong array (excluding the repurposed Installation 07). The specimens included the Librarian's largest population of humans, which would later be destroyed when the Ur-Didact harvested their essences with the Composer. Shortly after this, the Flood attacked the greater Ark and destroyed it using the Precursors' star roads, leaving the lesser Ark and its new Array of rings as the Forerunners' last resort. The destruction of the greater Ark also led to the death of the majority of the remaining Forerunners, with only a handful escaping to the lesser Ark to carry out their final mission.[21]

Production notes[edit]

The Greater Ark was first visually depicted in two illustrations by Chase Toole done for Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo in 2016. In the two art pieces done by Toole, the megastructure was depicted as almost visually identical to Installation 00 as depicted in Halo 3 - aside from the scale differences. In February 2024, a series of updated images of the Greater Ark by Espen Olsen Sætervik were released to celebrate the 150th issue of the Canon Fodder blog. Sætervik's depiction of the Greater Ark takes more significant liberties with the design, with notably larger arms than the Toole artwork. The Canon Fodder also featured a concise summary of the Greater Ark's story.[22]

Gallery[edit]

  • The Greater Ark's destruction.

    The Greater Ark's destruction.

  • One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.

    One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.

  • One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.

    One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.

  • One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.

    One of the original Senescent array Halos alongside the Greater Ark.

List of appearances[edit]

Language Equivalent
Flag of France.png
French 		L'Arche in the Forerunner Saga.

La grande Arche in Halo: Primordium and Halo: Silentium.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Though the Ark featured in Halo: Cryptum is never identified as the greater Ark and is only referred to as "the Ark" or the "Beginning Place", its description differs considerably from that of Installation 00. Halo: Silentium further clarifies that the Librarian used the greater Ark as her base of operations before its destruction; because of its use as the Lifeshaper's main base, (combined with the secrecy of Installation 00), the greater Ark was almost universally referred to as "the Ark". As such, it is assumed the Ark described in Cryptum is the greater Ark. Additionally, it was stated in Halo: Silentium that only the Master Builder knew the location of the lesser Ark which he eventually gave to the IsoDidact before his demise in the Battle of the greater Ark which further suggests that it was the greater Ark in Halo: Cryptum. Though the IsoDidact suggested briefly taking Installation 07 to the lesser Ark in Halo: Primordium, this was not mentioned again and it went to the greater Ark with no explanation for the discrepancy.
    However, this also raises an apparent discrepancy regarding the lesser Ark and its secret array of six Halos. Halo: Cryptum describes a separate array of six Halo rings stationed over what is assumed to be the greater Ark for the aforementioned reasons. However, Halo: Silentium clarifies that the newer array of six Halos was manufactured by, and hidden at, the lesser Ark. This makes the rings' apparent presence at the greater Ark a contradiction, since there are no evident reasons for the six rings (the Forerunners' carefully-guarded last resort) being temporarily transported to the greater Ark. Additionally, Halo: Cryptum doesn't make it clear if these six rings are supposed to be the newer array or simply replacements for the older rings lost in the recent Fate of Maethrillian as their size is not given.

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b Halo: Silentium, page 238
  2. ^ a b c Halo: Silentium, page 45
  3. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 343
  4. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 366
  5. ^ Halo: Cryptum, page 317
  6. ^ Halo: Primordium, page 343
  7. ^ a b Halo: Primordium, page 371
  8. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 237 ("Unbeknownst to most, the lesser Ark, hidden a third of the way around the outer boundaries of the galaxy...")
  9. ^ Halo: Cryptum, page 329-330
  10. ^ Halo: Cryptum, page 330
  11. ^ Halo: Cryptum, page 336
  12. ^ Halo: Cryptum, page 332
  13. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 208
  14. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 215
  15. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 315
  16. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 91
  17. ^ Halo: Silentium, page 234
  18. ^ Halo: Silentium, pages 250-251
  19. ^ Halo: Broken Circle, Page 123
  20. ^ Halo: Silentium, String 25
  21. ^ Halo: Silentium, String 34
  22. ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - If They Want Lore, We'll Give 'Em Lore (Retrieved on Feb 22, 2024) [archive]

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Halo Array
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