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Antimatter charge

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Antimatter charge cutout
A Chershi-pattern Void Maker antimatter charge.

"The Covenant must have brought something with them. A bomb."
— Cortana[1]

An antimatter charge, formally designated as a void maker,[2] is a Covenant antimatter weapon employed as an explosive.[3][4] Sizes and uses of antimatter charges vary,[2] with some being a counterpart to the UNSC's tactical nuclear weapons. The UNSC are known to operate at least one model of antimatter bomb—the Type 14 Magnetic/Anti-Tank Mine.

Overview

An antimatter charge's explosion destroys the Athens Station.

Design details

Covenant antimatter charges utilize the annihilation of matter and antimatter to create an explosive. They have various shapes and sizes,[2] ranging from an infantry-portable small sphere, like the Riruku-pattern void maker,[5] to a long bulbous shape with many spikes protruding from it, such as the Chershi-pattern void maker.[1] Charges typically have a smooth, heavily armored casing with an interface that displays status symbols, warning glyphs, and a countdown timer.[6] Explosions from smaller charges may be used for demolition purposes, whereas larger charges are capable of cratering entire cities or crippling capital ships.[2]

Usage

Antimatter charges are employed for a variety of destructive purposes, such as breaching enemy fortifications, sabotaging enemy ships during naval boarding, or large-scale excavation.[2] Infantry-portable versions are typically used for demolition purposes, detonated individually or collectively from a centralized detonator.[7][Note 1] Little is known of the smaller variant used by Covenant troops to breach UNSC vessels,[3][4] though a larger variant has been seen with more frequency.[1] Some warships, such as the Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette Mayhem, are armed with antimatter mines which are supposedly a specialized form of antimatter charge used as a naval mine for space combat.[8]

Known types

Operational history

Several antimatter charges were utilized by the Covenant during Operation: WARM BLANKET in 2544, with charges being placed within a number of Ket-pattern battlecruisers as decoys designed to vaporize the attacking Spartan-IIs. One of the Spartans, Solomon-069, was successfully lured onto one of the battlecruisers and subsequently killed by the antimatter charge onboard.[6] In 2552, Cortana believed Covenant boarding parties used an antimatter charge to disable the UNSC Pillar of Autumn's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon during the opening stages of the Battle of Installation 04.[4]

John-117 removes an antimatter charge from Cairo Station during the Battle for Earth.

A number of these weapons were used during the early stages of the Battle for Earth to destroy Earth's orbital defense platforms. Covenant boarding parties manually delivered the ordnance and detonated them from a safe distance, destroying both Athens and Malta stations. The bomb destined for Cairo Station was secured by John-117 and Cortana. John-117 later performed a micro-gravity maneuver to deliver the device to the Covenant Syfon-pattern assault carrier Day of Jubilation, entering a breach in the ship's hull created by a pair of Longswords. The charge was activated within the ship's reactor core, and John launched himself from the vessel shortly before its destruction.[1]

During Operation: FAR STORM, N'tho 'Sraom ordered that his Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette Mayhem deploy a collection of low-yield antimatter mines against attacking Retriever Sentinels.[8]

Production notes

  • Jason Jones of Bungie referred to the antimatter charge as a "giant Covenant space pickle".[9] This nickname is referenced in Halo Infinite, in which a Weapon Charm depicting the antimatter charge is named the "Space Pickle".
  • The antimatter charge was not originally going to be included in Halo 2. Instead there was to be a level called Covenant Ship, where the Master Chief would board the Covenant assault carrier and destroy it from within. Due to time constraints however, the level was cut and the antimatter charge was instead introduced as a means of destroying the carrier.[9]

Gallery

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Halo 2

  • The Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

    The Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

  • Alternate view of the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge .

    Alternate view of the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge .

  • John-117 removing the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge from Cairo Station.

    John-117 removing the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge from Cairo Station.

  • John-117 delivering the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge to the Day of Jubilation's fusion reactor.

    John-117 delivering the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge to the Day of Jubilation's fusion reactor.

  • John-117 arming the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

    John-117 arming the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

Halo 2: Anniversary

  • John-117 dragging the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

    John-117 dragging the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

  • John-117 delivering the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge to the Day of Jubilation's fusion reactor.

    John-117 delivering the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge to the Day of Jubilation's fusion reactor.

  • John-117 arming the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

    John-117 arming the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

  • The antimatter charge detonates, completely destroying the assault carrier.

    The antimatter charge detonates, completely destroying the assault carrier.

Halo Wars

  • An Unggoy carrying an antimatter charge.

    An Unggoy carrying an antimatter charge.

  • Three Unggoy carrying antimatter charges.

    Three Unggoy carrying antimatter charges.

  • The detonator connected to multiple charges.

    The detonator connected to multiple charges.

  • The explosion from an antimatter charge.

    The explosion from an antimatter charge.

Halo Legends

  • The countdown of an antimatter charge in The Package.

    The countdown of an antimatter charge in The Package.

  • Solomon-069 in front of an antimatter charge in The Package.

    Solomon-069 in front of an antimatter charge in The Package.

  • The arming screen of an antimatter charge in The Package.

    The arming screen of an antimatter charge in The Package.

  • The antimatter charge's arming screen, just prior to detonating in The Package.

    The antimatter charge's arming screen, just prior to detonating in The Package.

  • The antimatter charge's arming screen as it detonates in The Package.

    The antimatter charge's arming screen as it detonates in The Package.

Halo: Reach

  • The Riruku-pattern antimatter charge.

    The Riruku-pattern antimatter charge.

  • A Sangheili carrying the Riruku-pattern antimatter charge.

    A Sangheili carrying the Riruku-pattern antimatter charge.

List of appearances

Notes

  1. ^ a b Given their shared resemblance—albeit at a smaller size—the explosives charges in Halo Wars could be reasonably inferred as a similar type of antimatter charge to the Chershi-pattern antimatter charge.

Sources

  1. ^ a b c d Halo 2, campaign level Cairo Station
  2. ^ a b c d e Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 306
  3. ^ a b Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn
  4. ^ a b c Halo: The Flood, chapter 1
  5. ^ Halo: Reach, Covenant bomb in-game object
  6. ^ a b Halo Legends, episode The Package (animated short)
  7. ^ a b Halo Wars, campaign level Relic Approach
  8. ^ a b c Halo: Hunters in the Dark, chapter 7
  9. ^ a b Halo 3, Legendary Edition: Essentials, Disc Two - Halo 2 Cinematics Commentary

v • d • e
 
Ordnance in service of the Covenant and its remnants
Directed explosive weapons
Projectile weapons
Mines
Explosives
Grenades
Ammunition
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