For tens of thousands of years, it lay forgotten and derelict in a disused portion of space. Sedentary, save for the unrelenting pull of Basis and Threshold, Halo was a testament to its builders' technological capabilities. It was constructed to withstand innumerable millennia, and this superannuated edifice certainly shows that the Forerunner were very capable at their craft. So Halo sat, an orbital bear trap waiting for someone or something to stumble upon it and trigger its proverbial spring. And this is where Halo begins...
Upon jumping into Halo's planetary system, Cortana and Keyes discover an interesting and immediately invaluable fact about Halo: it's a habitation with an Earth-like atmosphere. Halo is roughly 10,000 kilometers in diameter, and remains in orbit at a Lagrange point between Basis, the moon, and Threshold, the gas giant. With the Pillar of Autumn immutably crippled and their defeat unavoidable, Keyes decides to abandon ship and take flight to Halo.
Halo's geography was much like they had anticipated. It was Earth-like, complete with mountains, hills, plains, seas, rivers, waterfalls, swamps, and icy canyons, with the only surprise being how multiclimatic it was, considering that Halo was artificial. At a cursory glance, it seemed to be little more than a large, artificial, and habitable ring-shaped construct. But, as they delved further into the interiors of Halo, and as they continued to monitor Covenant transmissions, they began to suspect that Halo was more than a mere living environment. The almost termitic passageways and arcane machinery of the Forerunner were intricately woven throughout the entire Halo. And although Halo outwardly appeared to be benign, it's self-contradictory purpose was soon discovered.
When Cortana uploaded herself into Halo's network, she uncovered Halo's true purpose, which the Covenant had only had mild inferences of. Halo was designed to contain and, if necessary, prevent the Flood from spreading. Therefore, it was indeed a weapon, but not one that could so accurately be used against the Covenant's foe, humanity. With a maximum range of 25,000 light years, Halo would easily destroy them both, and all other life capable of sustaining the Flood. Whether or not it would kill any life on the Halo was never revealed.
After Master Chief is made aware of Halo's true function, it is decided that this Halo should be destroyed, to prevent 343 Guilty Spark from finding someone else to activate Halo at some point in the future. By blasting the vent core of the Pillar of Autumn, Master Chief and Cortana succeed in ending the threat of this Halo. ===============================
Note From The "Webmaster" - I do not take any credit for Pictures, Text etc. Thanks to Bungie, Microsoft and other Reliable sources for making this site possible. - The Halo Chronicles.
