Cairo Station (station)

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Cairo Station
Production information
Hull code:	OWP-142
Naval architects:	Lead Engineer Alexander Kerr-Fox Dr. Stephen Loftus
Manufacturer:	Vosper Engineering, Luna
Class:	Moncton-class orbital weapon platform
Role:	Planetary defense
Specifications
Length:	536 metres (1,760 ft)
Height:	1,336 metres (4,380 ft)
Engine:	Station-keeping thrusters
Slipspace drive:	None
Hull:	Durasteel armor
Armament:	1 14D4A1 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon 7 M606 Goalkeeper point defense guns
Complement:	152 naval personnel 136 Marines SKT-9 Bumblebee lifeboats 10 D77-TC Pelicans or F-41D Broadswords
Service information
Commissioned:	September 14, 2552
Participated battles:	Battle for Earth
Known commanders:	Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood
Affiliation:	UNSC

Cairo Station (hull classification symbol OWP-142) is a Moncton-class orbital weapon platform in geosynchronous orbit about 35,900 kilometers above Earth. Named after the Egyptian city of Cairo, it is in the same battle cluster as Athens and Malta stations and seems to be mainly guarding the area above the Mediterranean. The station was commanded by Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood during the Battle for Earth.

History

Cairo Station was assembled and put into Earth's orbit by Vosper Engineering in August 23, 2550, and officially commissioned on September 14, 2552 when it was designated as the flagship headquarters of the Earth Defense Coordination Zone. In preparation for the inevitable Battle for Earth, Fleet Admiral Joseph Harper had UNSC Chevalier deploy a security team to the station to facilitate the arrival of Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood. The security team was later assessed before Hood arrived.

On October 20, 2552, John-117 received the MJOLNIR Mark VI armor in the Cairo armory prior to attending an awards ceremony on the station's command center. The ceremony was interrupted by the start of the Battle for Earth when a fleet of thirteen Covenant Ket-pattern battlecruisers and two CAS-class assault carriers attacked Earth. They tried to break through the Cairo's battle cluster by sending boarding craft to plant bombs on the stations to destroy them. Fleet Admiral Hood commanded the UNSC forces from the station during the attack. Unlike the Athens and the Malta, Cairo survived the Covenant attempt to detonate an antimatter charge on board thanks to the efforts of John-117 and Cortana who was acting as the station's AI at the time. In an ironic twist, the bomb was located and used by John-117 to destroy a Covenant assault carrier, Day of Jubilation.

Hood remained aboard the station for most of the battle. On November 3, Hood and a navigation officer aboard Cairo helped Blue Team hijack Covenant destroyer Bloodied Spirit and jump into slipspace for Onyx by providing slipstream space coordinates and other intel. When John-117 returned later to Earth on November 17, Cairo was still intact, but appeared damaged from the battle. Lord Hood was still on board and in command of the UNSC forces participating in the Battle of Earth. The Cairo, the other MAC platforms, and the Home Fleet held firm against the onslaught of the Prophet of Truth's final invasion forces. While the great majority of the Home Fleet, hence presumably a large number of other MAC platforms, was destroyed during the final space battle, Cairo ultimately survived the Battle for Earth.

By July of 2557, Cairo Station was still functioning in orbit over Earth. After UNSC Infinity left the Epoloch system, the vessel intended to dock with Cairo.

Design

File:HWF CairoCS.png

A cross-sectioned view of Cairo Station.

"When I shipped out for Basic, the orbital defense grid was all theory and politics. Now look! The Cairo is just one of three hundred geosync platforms. That MAC gun can put a round clean through a Covenant capital ship."

— Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson

Cairo Station's main purpose is as a defensive station for Earth. Its main armament is a Mark V "Super" Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, capable of causing severe damage to even a shielded Covenant capital ship with a single hit, and is capable of being operated by an AI such as Cortana. However, there is an apparent lack of point-defense systems, as enemy boarding craft were able to attack the station unhindered. Presumably, like Reach's orbital weapon platforms, it runs on power transmitted from a planetside generator.

Internally, it is very similar to UNSC ships with set out decks and specialized rooms. Like all United Nations Space Command space constructs it featured regular bulkheads for protection against hull breaches but seemed especially adept for fending off boarding parties. It had large stockpiles of combat barriers, large supplies of M247 GPMGs, security booths providing defense points and regular weapons lockers in the walls containing Battle Rifles and SMGs. It is possible that these weapons are a substitute for point defenses. These extra defenses against boarding parties are an obvious precaution, as the ODPs like the Cairo would be large targets for Covenant forces. Unlike the Athens or the Malta, the Cairo's hangars were outfitted to support Pelican dropships and F-41D Broadsword fighters.

Locations

Armories Armory A-01 Bridge Commons modules Commons B-01 Commons R-01 Communications deck Firing control Habitat Alpha Habitat Delta Hangar bays Hangar A-01 Hangar A-02 Hangar C-01

MAC Storage Shipping bays Portside Shipping Recreation R-01 Security facilities Security B-01 Security R-01 Security Station One Security Station Four Tram system Stations Terminal Two Umbilicals

Trivia

Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

• If the player walks into the loading arm of the MAC gun in the Firing Control Center in the level "Cairo Station", they will be crushed and sometimes fall down into the cutscene hangar, where the Chief jumps out with the Covenant bomb. However, if the player does this too many times, they may be sent back to the previous checkpoint.
• Despite being called Cairo Station, the platform is located more towards central Africa than Cairo, much like the misplacement of Athens and Malta. If this was an intentional reference or merely a coincidence is not known.
• Athens, Malta, and Cairo were all cities involved in the 1985 hijacking of EgyptAir Flight 648, which was en route to Cairo from Athens and forced to land in Malta.
• Cairo is credited as being co-designed by a Doctor Stephen Loftus, an homage to community member Stephen Loftus who is well known for his study of Halo technical details, and frequent contributor to officially published media.

Gallery

Development images

• 

  Concept art of Cairo Station's fighter launch bay for Halo 2.

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  Cairo Station's fighter launch bay pre-release screenshot.

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  A work-in-progress model of Cairo early in Halo 2's development.

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  The geometry used for the bridge in Halo 2.

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  Paintover of the previous image used for Halo 2: Anniversary concept art.

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  Concept art of Cairo's exterior in Halo 2: Anniversary.

• H2A Concept CairoDoors.jp

  Concept art of several doors on Cairo Station.

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  Concept art of a door and weapon racks on Cairo Station.

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  Concept of a lift system on Cairo Station.

Screenshots

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  A diagram of Cairo.

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  The command bridge of Cairo.

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  Cairo Station right before the Battle of Earth.

• 

  Full view of Cairo Station.

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  Lord Terrence Hood, SgtMaj Avery Johnson, and John-117 on Cairo Station.

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  A viewscreen on the bridge of Cairo Station in the opening stages of the Battle of Earth.

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  Fleet Admiral Hood commanding UNSC forces from the bridge of Cairo Station.

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  An overhead view of Commons B-01.

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  A view of Security B-01, overlooking Commons B-01.

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  A view of a tram station onboard Cairo Station.

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  One of the tram cars aboard Cairo Station.

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  The tram line aboard Cairo Station.

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  A view of the Armory aboard Cairo Station.

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  A view of Recreation R-01.

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  A view of Security R-01, overlooking Commons R-01.

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  An overhead view of Commons R-01.

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  A view of Hangar A-01 during the Battle of Earth.

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  A view of Hangar A-02 during the Battle of Earth.

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  A view of the station's MAC Storage corridor.

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  A view of the lift in Portside Shipping.

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  A view of the Fire Control Center aboard Cairo Station.

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  A view of Cairo Station's primary firing mechanism.

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  John-117 engages an Unggoy Minor near one of the many weapon racks onboard Cairo Station.

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  John-117 ejecting from Cairo with the bomb.

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  An alert screen on Cairo Station.

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  A cross-section of Cairo Station in Halo: Warfleet.

List of appearances

• Halo 2 (First appearance)
• Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (Mentioned only)
• Halo 2: Anniversary
• Halo 4 (Mentioned only)