Halo: Primordium

Template:New Content Template:Book Info Template:Article Quote Halo: Primordium is the second novel in The Forerunner Saga by Greg Bear and is the sequel to Halo: Cryptum. It was released on January 3, 2012, with an audio edition released simultaneously.

Plot Synopsis

"I’m having great fun working through the action and growing mysteries in Halo: Primordium, as humans engage in an epic odyssey across a damaged, war-torn Halo, facing the Flood, rogue AIs, and the stunning testament of the last Precursor..."

— Greg Bear

Set primarily on Installation 07, the "rogue" Halo ring used by Mendicant Bias during the events of Halo: Cryptum, the novel follows the journey of several humans, including Chakas and Morning Riser, former companions of Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting. After crash-landing on the Halo ring during Mendicant Bias' assault on the capital, Chakas is discovered by a local community of humans, who have been transplanted there by the Master Builder's researchers in order to conduct research on them.

Chakas, accompanied by the local humans Vinnevra and Gamelpar, begins his search for his friend Riser. As they make their way across the embattled Halo installation, they face the Flood and rogue AI constructs on the way, while the Precursors' ancient plan of vengeance against the Forerunners is revealed. During their journey, they find their way into the Palace of Pain, the lair of the ancient entity known as the Timeless One, which has unleashed the Flood on the Master Builder's researchers on the installation. Mendicant Bias also plays a major role in the story.

Frank O'Connor has mentioned that the story is "closer to the ground" than that of Cryptum, and that it will have "resonant connections" to Halo 4. Greg Bear has hinted at a connection between John-117 and one of the novel's human characters and has confirmed that the novel will explore the Precursors' plan. He has also hinted that the novel may cover events that occurred up to three million years before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, though he referred to the entire Saga, not necessarily Primordium.

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Plot

The book begins with an ONI team finding a damaged version of 343 Guilty Spark. The ONI team wants to know what Guilty Spark knows of the Didact. It is then revealed that at the end of his life, Chakas became 343 Guilty Spark. The story is then told through flashbacks Guilty Spark has. As the story is told, Guilty Spark breaches the ship's firewall several times, much to the team's dismay.

Before Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting came to Earth, Chakas worked for Riser's family kept Chakas' family alive. Riser, it is revealed, is much smarter and older than Chakas and would tell him what to do. When Bornstellar arrived, Riser had planned to trick him, however this plan changed when his and Chakas' geas told them to help him. After traveling to Charum Hakkor, the old spirit inside Chakas surfaced. This spirit was named Forthencho and was the human in charge of Charum Hakkor's defenses and had fought the Didact for years.

When Chakas, Riser, Bornstellar, and the Didact were captured by the Master Builder, Chakas was separated from the group and crash-landed on Installation 07, where he was then retrieved by Vinnevra, who had been sent to the crash site by her grandfather, Gamelpar. Gamelpar was originally from Earth and also held an old spirit within him, which had caused the other villagers to mistrust him, forcing him to live outside of the town. The villagers thought he was dead, and wouldn't touch Vinnevra in fear of his spirit coming after him.

After regaining his strength, Chakas, Vinnevra, and Gamelpar proceeded to follow Vinnevra's geas, which was actually telling her to go to the Palace of Pain, where the group witnessed the Primordial floating on a platform above the humans following their geases and walking into the building. After this, the three decided to move in the opposite direction. After crossing an ocean, the three stumbled upon a collapsing city, in which Gamelpar and Chakas saw a gravemind locked in a Forerunner cell, pleading for death and freedom.

After more traveling, the three are found by a lifeworker, several other humans, and an ape-like human. Strangely, the lifeworker and the humans cast off no smell and the bugs aren't interested in them. After being fed by the lifeworker and sent to sleep, Chakas awakens to see Riser, who warns him not to trust the lifeworker and the other humans. The lifeworker then reveals that he and the other humans aren't actually alive, but monitors. The monitor representing the lifeworker is following a command to implant all of the humans from Earth into monitors to save the old spirits they carry. The monitor wants to do this to Gamelpar, who is dying, but Gamelpar rejects him and walks into the forest with Chakas, who watches him as he dies. It is there that Gamelpar tells Chakas Vinnevra's true name and has Chakas promise to watch over her. The monitors then power down, leaving Chakas, Riser, Vinnevra, and the ape-like human, who's name is revealed to be Mara by Riser, who can communicate with her, to continue their journey.

Riser then tells his story to Chakas of how he found them. After being separated from the group, Riser and the forerunners that were holding him crashed into Installation 07. One of the forerunners was not allowed to move as the other forerunners opposed him. The group's armor then tried to kill them and successfully did so to the forerunner who couldn't move to save himself. After a while of traveling, the group was covered in flood spores, killing the forerunners but not Riser, who continued traveling until he stumbled upon Chakas.

Forthencho and Riser's spirit converse, in which it is revealed the Riser's spirit was a woman named Yprin Yprikushma, who was responsible for excavating Precursor ruins and moving the Primordial to Charum Hakkor, which Forthencho has disapproved of. The woman had also traced humanity's origins to Earth, which Forthencho did not believe due to several other worlds appearing more suitable to humanity's growth.

The group is finally found by a transport which brings them to the Palace of Pain, where they meet Mendicant Bias. Chakas, Riser, and all of the other humans from Earth are gathered and have their old spirits removed and implanted into monitors.

Characters

Forerunners

• Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting
• The Didact
• The Librarian
• Faber Template:Indirect mention

Humans

• Chakas
• Morning Riser
• Vinnevra (First appearance)
• Gamelpar (First appearance)
• Forthencho (First appearance)
• Yprin Yprikushma (First appearance)
• An ONI science team

Artificial Intelligences

• 05-032 Mendicant Bias
• 04-343 Guilty Spark

Precursors

• The Timeless One

Trivia

• A primordium is an aggregation of cells that is the first stage in the development of an organ or tissue. It is also a derivation of the term Primordial, which is a title given to the last Precursor.
• The novel's cover illustration, as well as that of Halo: Cryptum, was created as concept art for Halo 4. Both images were illustrated by Nicolas "Sparth" Bouvier.
• A preview of the novel's first chapters was released on December 28, 2011 on Tor.com and Halo Waypoint, with the first chapter released on Tor.com and the second and third chapters as well as part of the fourth chapter on Halo Waypoint.

Gallery

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  Text-free version of the novel's cover art.

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  A wallpaper version of the cover illustration.