Cairo Station (Platform)
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Cairo Station, ODA142, is a Super Magnetic Accelerator Cannon orbital platform.
Details
Located above the city Cairo on Earth, it is one of some 300 Orbital Super MAC Cannons in geosynchronus orbit around Earth. It is part of a cluster that includes the Malta Station and Athens Station. It is commanded by Lord Hood. This station may also be the command station of all the 300 MACs orbiting Earth, as Lord Hood's rank is : Fleet Admiral Lord Sir Terrence Hood, in which Fleet Admiral is the highest rank in FLEETCOM.
Layout
The Cairo Station has a group of UNSC Marines and ODSTs for defence against boarding parties. Cairo is fitted with several "gun shelves" throughout the Station for protection, mostly composed of Battle Rifles. The station has several "court yards" for the crew and a monorail system for travelling. The station also has a system of air locks for getting cargo to other areas in the station quickly. The platform is also equipped with two shipping docks, portside shipping and starboard shipping. These docks can hold various types of cargo ships and also two UNSC Frigates, such as the UNSC In Amber Clad, which was docked at the Cairo during Master Chief’s visit.
History
The 300 super MAC guns were newly created as of The First Battle of Earth. They were not even operational during The Battle of Reach. Cairo was probably built over several years, but it was not functional until September 2552. It appears that the Cairo was constructed by COBB Industries.
Its usefullness paid off immediately. In October 2552, Lord Hood was partaking in a publicity ceremony with the Master Chief, Sergeant Major Johnson, and Commander Miranda Keyes when the Covenant attacked. Cairo was assailed with boarding parties of Elites and Grunts, as well as Rangers. The crew was sucessful in holding the Covenant forces back, but unbeknownst to the crew, the Covenant had planted an Anti-Matter Bomb on board, and intended to blow the station up.
Their ploy was partially sucessful, similar bombs on Malta and Athens stations destroyed them completely. However, the Master Chief managed to get the bomb off the station and plant it on one of the Assault Carriers instead, which destroyed that vessel.
Cairo Station survived the First Battle of Earth, and was still intact, though heavily damaged, when the Master Chief and the High Prophet of Truth came to Earth in the Forerunner Ship during The Second Battle of Earth.
