The translocation artifact was an object located within Requiem.
Overview
The artifact is a gray-black, roughly rectangular object, vaguely resembling a table or sarcophagus. When activated, patterns of orange hard light pulse across its surface, and a glowing Forerunner symbol appears above the center. The device lacks any obvious interface, but upon physical interaction with a Reclaimer, an invisible field around the object glows orange at the point of contact.
The artifact's full capabilities and purpose are unknown, but it is known to function both as a translocation terminal and a communication device.
History
In 2558, several archeological teams of the Covenant remnant began looking for the artifact on Requiem. The Covenant determined that it was located in a region of artificial volcanic activity; after arriving there, they immediately secured the area and began looking for the artifact. Fireteam Crimson arrived later, after they discovered the artifact's location from a map found in an area known as "The Refuge". Upon eliminating Covenant and Promethean forces in the area Crimson found the artifact and moved to secure it. While awaiting extraction, Promethean reinforcements arrived, but Crimson managed to hold them off until a Pelican arrived to extract them.[1]
Shortly after being brought aboard the UNSC Infinity, the artifact unexpectedly activated, emitting an orange energy pulse and began to drain power from the ship. Commander Sarah Palmer managed to temporarily deactivate it by kicking it. Dr. Glassman, the Infinity's chief engineer, was ordered to immediately examine the artifact. While do so, Dr. Glassman inadvertently reactivated it, emitting an energy pulse which soon overtook him, disintegrating and pulling him through a portal. It translocated and reassembled him inside a Covenant-held site on Requiem, where he was captured and interrogated by Jul 'Mdama's forces.[2] Captain Lasky was almost pulled in as well trying to save the doctor.[3] Back aboard Infinity, Dr. Catherine Halsey was brought in to study the artifact. Halsey determined that it was communicating with the ship's drive engines, which were of Forerunner design, and transmitting data of the ship and its crew to an unknown location in Requiem.[2]
Later, it was revealed that the artifact was some form of communication device, and that it was transmitting information to Dr. Halsey's datapad. Through this connection, Halsey began a dialogue with an unknown entity, which claimed to know "the truth" about the Prometheans and many other things. Subsequently, it was revealed that the entity on the other end of the communication line was none other than Jul 'Mdama, who was using the artifact to spy on the doctor and Infinity.
Upon being analyzed by Dr. Halsey aboard Infinity, a Forerunner AI matrix belonging to a Promethean Knight showed images of the translocation artifact in New Phoenix, URNA, indicating that the artifact was present at New Phoenix when the Didact harvested its population using the Composer. Sometime later, Spartan Gabriel Thorne personally investigated the artifact. He came into physical contact with the artifact and, as consequence, was unexpectedly translocated to an unknown Forerunner structure on Requiem under Covenant control, where he was surrounded by several Sangheili Storm.
The artifact's teleportation abilities soon revealed themselves to be able to work in reverse, as it began teleporting Prometheans aboard the Infinity. The crew aboard fended them off, and Thomas Lasky ordered Infinity to be moved out of range, but it was soon found that the ship was unable to move. Closer examination of the space around it revealed the artifact was working as anchor, bending slipspace so as to hold the ship in place.
Gallery
The artifact aboard UNSC Infinity.
- H4-RequiemArtifact-Detail.png
The artifact inactive.
- H4-RequiemArtifact-GlowScreen.jpg
The artifact glows and pulsates as it activates.
- H4-Requiem-Artifact-Closeup.jpg
Closeup of the unidentified Requiem artifact.
The artifact on the deck of the UNSC Infinity.
Henry Glassman is pulled through the artifact.
Gabriel Thorne is translocated through the artifact's portal.
The artifact releasing an energy burst.
List of appearances
- Halo 4
- Spartan Ops (First appearance)
Sources
- ^ Spartan Ops, S1E1 Core
- ^ a b Spartan Ops, S1E3 Catherine
- ^ Spartan Ops, S1E2 Artifact
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