"Halsey's Artifact"

Community Halo Universe
1

So, the artifact that was secured by Crimson has been causing a lot of trouble lately. Let’s recap quickly on what it seems to be able to do:
-Teleport people to a specific point, which seems to be in the form of some sort of alter or container for the artifact.
-Seemingly Prometheans can teleport within a certain area around it.
-Communicate with other systems and transmit to a specific point.
-Act as a slipspace anchor, which makes it impossible for Infinity to go anywhere.

As well as a quick recap of everything else we know about it:
-It was most likely in New Phoenix before everyone there was Composed.

Credit to Onyx81 for being the first person, that I saw anyway, to spot this. I just want to spread this theory around the community.

In episode 5 of Spartan Ops, Halsey unlocks an alien AI full of Human memories, know as a Promethean Soul. Among these memories of New Phoenix is a memory of the artifact that Crimson secured in the first episode. Many, myself included, paid no attention to this as the memory seemed to be a memory from Requiem due to the similarities between this memory and the area in which Crimson found the artifact.

Upon closer inspection, and a comparison between the two areas, this is not the case. So we at least know that the artifact wasn’t always where it is for one reason or the other. The Promethean Soul seemed to only contain memories pre-Composition, whcih would suggest that this was in New Pheonix. Of course, we don’t know that for a fact, but I haven’t seen any evidence suggesting otherwise. From what I can see in the image, which isn’t much, there seem to be buildings in the background. I edited the picture a bit and was able to make the background much more defined: http://i.imgur.com/iKYSDlf.png

So, assuming that the artifact actually was in New Phoenix before the city was Composed, what was it doing there? Why did this person, or these people, see it? Is it possible that the two artifacts are separate from one another, and are only the same in design and purpose? Unfortunately we probably won’t know the artifact’s true purpose until either later in Spartan Ops or Halo 5.

EDIT: There is some other evidence that has been overlooked, which suggests that the artifact truly was in New Phoenix:

> Hmmmmmm. Perhaps this artifact does a whole lot more than just act as teleporter and disruptor?
>
> Also, in Episode 5, didn’t Thorne walk up to the artifact and say: “Why did those people see you?”. 343 seems to be implying that the artifact from Requiem and the one supposedly in New Phoenix are one in the same.

-There seem to be multiple.

> Alright, tonight I found some important news that gives us the origin of the Artifact. While playing on Midnight, when you have to rush to stop the Didact after Cortana’s Chip is destroyed, I normally jump over the edge to keep up the pace. Today though, I thought, “Hmm… Maybe 343i designed it for you to walk down the way you came.” So I turned around and headed back.
>
> I was about to jump over the edge becuase no new enemies were showing up, but I quickly turned back as something familiar caught my eye.
>
> The Artifact Container
>
> Yes, this is on the Didacts ship. I didn’t go back to check, but I can assume there is atleast a total of two. Another thing… This means that the ball thing we had to destroy at the jungle research base is also connected. When the Didact is setting up the Composer, you can see one of the orbs spinning around above him.
>
> As we uncover more, the plot thickens…

I looked around on the level Midnight and found that there are at least 3 of these altars that hold artifacts. This would imply that there are at least 3 artifacts, if not more if you take into account the alters on Requiem and what is seemingly New Phoenix.

-There’s more to it, Halsey herself theorizes that they misunderstood the artifact’s purpose.

This artifact likely has ties with the Librarian, as the Librarian and the artifact are the two main focuses of Spartan Ops thus far. But why was it in New Phoenix? What exactly does it do? Where are the rest, if there are any others that survived the explosion of the Mantle’s Approach?

2

I can agree that the artifact in the Promethean’s memory is in a different location than where Crimson picked it up. However, it still looks like a Forerunner site to me. Perhaps the artifact was in New Phoenix and transported to Requiem, but I think it’s more likely that the memory is post-New Phoenix, perhaps just after the person was made into a Knight.

3

Hmmmmmm. Perhaps this artifact does a whole lot more than just act as teleporter and disruptor?

Also, in Episode 5, didn’t Thorne walk up to the artifact and say: “Why did those people see you?”. 343 seems to be implying that the artifact from Requiem and the one supposedly in New Phoenix are one in the same.

4

> Hmmmmmm. Perhaps this artifact does a whole lot more than just act as teleporter and disruptor?
>
> Also, in Episode 5, didn’t Thorne walk up to the artifact and say: “Why did those people see you?”. 343 seems to be implying that the artifact from Requiem and the one supposedly in New Phoenix are one in the same.

Halsey does say “I suspect we have misunderstood that artifact’s true purpose.” after all.

Good catch with the Thorne thing, he has the same thoughts as I. I’ll add that to the OP, with credit where credit is due of course.

5

| I was under the impression that the artifact was part of the Composer or the Mantle’s Approach. I saw it as the focal point at which nearby Humans were teleported into the ray and then through the portal, back to Requiem to be repurposed. Perhaps after/during the destruction of the Didact’s ship, it teleported back to Requiem. Maybe it was controlled by Jul or possibly just a contingency plan.
I’m sure it will be revealed in due time. |

/Tuo Silentium Mors

/Semper Vigilans

6

Maybe it was a point of direction for the Composer? Like, the Composer could only fire in the designated area where the Artifact was. Which for some reason was in New Phoenix. Or it stopped the Composer from digitizing the whole planet by directing it’s power to one place. Which would be “for the greater good” by saving all Humans on Earth by losing the fewest possible amount to the inevitable use of the Composer. That’s a line used by the Librarian. And now I’m at the Librarian. This is me just going from thought to though, is it making any sense at all?

There’s gotta be some reason why New Phoenix was the only place composed. The Composer should have been able to do that to all of Earth… or maybe I’m making an assumption that doesn’t make sense.

7

I was under the assumption that the Composer “composed” the humans of New Phoenix and prepared them to become Knights. Halsey in Ep 5 was just looking at human memories from humans of New Phoenix.

8

> There’s gotta be some reason why New Phoenix was the only place composed. The Composer should have been able to do that to all of Earth… or maybe I’m making an assumption that doesn’t make sense.

It was just the place 343I chose to have attacked. The halo rings don’t obliterate the entire universe because it’s effect can’t reach that far. The composed didn’t have any type of amplification to increase it’s range. Nothing deep to it

9

my personal opinion on what it is, is that it:

  1. Has to do with the Composer
  2. Is some kind of advanced probe.

It can be used to produce a 3D scan of a surrounding area, it can teleport large objects by dissassembling them (Extremely advanced Slipspace method), and has the ability to travel great distances. (cleaved slipspace shard perhaps?)

So, it is obviously going to be connected with the librarian, as of right now, Spartan Ops is completely focused on her.

Another thought crossed my mind. Perhaps it is some kind of advanced recon force object? Seeing as it can teleport Knights over thousands of Miles, and within, presumebly, a minimum of a 3.5 Mile radius from the Artifact.

10

Alright, tonight I found some important news that gives us the origin of the Artifact. While playing on Midnight, when you have to rush to stop the Didact after Cortana’s Chip is destroyed, I normally jump over the edge to keep up the pace. Today though, I thought, “Hmm… Maybe 343i designed it for you to walk down the way you came.” So I turned around and headed back.

I was about to jump over the edge becuase no new enemies were showing up, but I quickly turned back as something familiar caught my eye.

The Artifact Container

Yes, this is on the Didacts ship. I didn’t go back to check, but I can assume there is atleast a total of two. Another thing… This means that the ball thing we had to destroy at the jungle research base is also connected. When the Didact is setting up the Composer, you can see one of the orbs spinning around above him.

As we uncover more, the plot thickens…

11

> Alright, tonight I found some important news that gives us the origin of the Artifact. While playing on Midnight, when you have to rush to stop the Didact after Cortana’s Chip is destroyed, I normally jump over the edge to keep up the pace. Today though, I thought, “Hmm… Maybe 343i designed it for you to walk down the way you came.” So I turned around and headed back.
>
> I was about to jump over the edge becuase no new enemies were showing up, but I quickly turned back as something familiar caught my eye.
>
> The Artifact Container
>
> Yes, this is on the Didacts ship. I didn’t go back to check, but I can assume there is atleast a total of two. Another thing… This means that the ball thing we had to destroy at the jungle research base is also connected. When the Didact is setting up the Composer, you can see one of the orbs spinning around above him.
>
> As we uncover more, the plot thickens…

great find!

We need to go deeper.

12

Well, guess we can add acting as a slipspace anchor to the list of things it can do. This seems to be the Swiss army knife of Forerunner artifacts.

13

Yup. Makes perfect sense a Forerunner Warship would be outfitted with multiple Artifacts.

14

> Yup. Makes perfect sense a Forerunner Warship would be outfitted with multiple Artifacts.

I’m wondering what a warship would use them for. I’m assuming they have another purpose, what we’ve currently seen it do wouldn’t be too useful in a combat situation, at least nothing that a tractor beam and some teleporters couldn’t do.

I’d assume they can be teleported to another location within a certain range. Perhaps they’re purpose aboard Mantle’s Approach is related to the presence of one in New Phoenix.

15

> > Yup. Makes perfect sense a Forerunner Warship would be outfitted with multiple Artifacts.
>
> I’m wondering what a warship would use them for. I’m assuming they have another purpose, what we’ve currently seen it do wouldn’t be too useful in a combat situation, at least nothing that a tractor beam and some teleporters couldn’t do.
>
> I’d assume they can be teleported to another location within a certain range. Perhaps they’re purpose aboard Mantle’s Approach is related to the presence of one in New Phoenix.

This is creepy as -Yoink- isn’t it? And it’s unclear why the artifact was needed down at New Phoenix when the Composer only needs to use its beam to blast us. Maybe if we can find the artifact on the level “Composer” we can confirm that it directly affects the composition process (although I played through the level like four times in legendary and didn’t see a thing).

16

My money is on the artifact being a big ‘hard drive’ that stores all of the newly composed souls in an area until they can be transferred into a knight or monitor housing.

17

> This is creepy as Yoink! isn’t it? And it’s unclear why the artifact was needed down at New Phoenix when the Composer only needs to use its beam to blast us. Maybe if we can find the artifact on the level “Composer” we can confirm that it directly affects the composition process (although I played through the level like four times in legendary and didn’t see a thing).

I haven’t looked on Composer yet, but I did rewatch the terminal where the Didact Composes the humans on Installation 07. I didn’t see the artifact anywhere.

18

> My money is on the artifact being a big ‘hard drive’ that stores all of the newly composed souls in an area until they can be transferred into a knight or monitor housing.

I called that also as it seems to be alive.

19

> I called that also as it seems to be alive.

If not alive then someone seems to be controlling it. Jul and the other Sangheili refer to it as if it has a mind of its own.