Chapter Text
Inquisitor Log 203
In the dead space of near the center regions of the galaxy, gigantic ringworlds which in size is 17 000 kilometers in diameter, were found dubbed as the Halo Installations, meticulously crafted by our ancestors of old. It is postulated by the Tech-Priest Belisarius Cawl through the many artworks within the ringworld that there exist a total of seven of these arrays in the far reaching corners of the galaxy.
Shot taken from Imperial Vessel upon finding the Halo Installation.
The Rings themselves are shielded by a multitude of constructs boast pariah grids of high potency designed primarily to ward off warp incursions from the physical or the Empyrean by releasing deadly pariah energy that proves lethal to any psyker of sufficient mastery over the foul energies of the Warp, should they dare to exert their powers to harm the ring and its inhabitants, with only those powerful enough able to withstand it being able to bypass it. It is also used as a warding tool to discourage xenos from landing upon the installation, but if it meets those it considers friendly, the pariah effect will decease upon them immediately and let them land upon the ring.
If these grids fail, the ring would deploy its immune system, their mainline defenses that guard the ring from any outsiders. Trillions upon Trillions of Sentinels, each possessing a distinct and holy machine spirit, stand vigil over the array. They resemble metallic droids, with each having a red glowing eye, surrounded by 2 metal plates, underneath them are beams that fire lasers that are able to melt nearly every compound, even the armour of most Space Marines with only a few seconds of firing. They come in many varieties such as the Guardians made to protect the ring from technology-based threats by releasing EMPs that completely disable any enemy technology with an exception of the Necrons to the Constructors to mend and repair damage done to the array.
They all operate under the dominion of the hyperintelligent entity known as the Monitor, an entity that is believed as an Abominable Intelligence, but news from the members arriving from Holy Terra itself, explain that it is a transcendent machine spirit, one of the only ones in existence, which immediately causes wide-spread reverence in the members of the Mechanicus present, although many inquisitors still cast doubt over this claim. This Monitor which calls itself "343 Guilty Spark", which has endured the span of one hundred and thirty thousand years resting in a perpetual state of vigilance over its ring, awaiting the return of our progenitors that we know so little about.
Remarkably, the Halo Rings host ecosystems of profound complexity, filled with more diversity than any other ecosystem than any that has been remembered on Imperial Records. Billions of species, both Fauna and Flora, thrive within these enigmatic biomes, each existence contributing to the multifaceted tapestry of life. Yet, beneath the slumbering mountains and veiled beneath the mantle of verdant forests, rest colossal and heavily armored titans that seem to be lifeforms biological in nature, Tech-Priests scanned and inspected their DNA to be very similar to certain clans of Orks that plague every part of the galaxy, which has drawn many eyes from the Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos. These titanic organisms, dormant but far from awoken, await the emergence of "undesirables" who might unwittingly trespass upon the sacred bounds of the Ring should every other defense mechanism fail, their awakening itself is considered cataclysmic in the words of the Monitor, and can only ever be even thought about when every other method has been exhausted.
Beneath the green and blue surface of the Halo Ring, an intricate labyrinth filled with corridors and networks unfurls, an arcane tapestry based on their culture and woven with their knowledge on the universe. It is here, in these wells that had been lost to time, that the epitome of our ancestors' mastery over technology reveals itself to even rival the Necrons, however as they were made from our predecessors, we find it much easier to understand and build upon our knowledge of these ancient works. These catacombs house machines of war and swarms of knowledge banks, intricately dissected and meticulously analyzed, each possessing the potential to usher in a new era of technological supremacy. Their secrets are now subject to relentless research and probing as our Mechanicus brethren diligently toil to unravel the intricate mechanisms within the ring which had recently made the weapons of the Imperium far more sharper and harder to fight back with.
Notably, the Monitor reveals that within the endless zones within the ring, the Flood, a dangerous and infectious parasite is kept imprisoned within the quarantine zone. In the volumes of preserved logs by our ancestors, it is elucidated that this Xenos organism, possesses the potential to grow and expand in an extremely rapid pace into a menace far graver than any other Xenos could ever dream of and eclipsing even the Dark Gods themselves as horrifying as it is unfathomable. It is because of this that multiple high-ranking inquisitors have repeatedly sought to purge the Flood from existence rather than keeping it in chains, but 343 Guilty Spark is adamant that the Flood must be retained for the purposes of study and analysis for future generations to come.
The original purpose of the Halo Rings were revealed by 343 Guilty Spark is their ghastly capability to extinguish life within a radius of ten hundred light years, indiscriminately casting nothing but death upon any life form standing within their range. The Monitor details that not even the Necrons with their metal bodies, the Aeldari's unique biology, or even the deities and daemons within the Empyrean who are able to manifest themselves in the corporeal world would be able to survive the firing of the installation, although substantial evidence for this has yet to be proven with the naked eyes.
The God-Emperor Mankind , in his divine wisdom, has dispatched a contingent of ten of his personal guard, the Adeptus Custodes, paragons of strength and martial perfection, to safeguard the installation from ever falling into the hands of the enemy. Accompanying these chosen defenders are the stalwart Imperial Fists, an entire company tasked with fortifying the Ring against the possible chances of xenos incursion or daemonic attacks and fortifying the Quarantine Zone in case of a potential outbreak.
Imperium of Man: In the grimdark universe of the 42nd millennium, fate weaved an enigmatic thread through the annals of history. An Imperial Navy vessel astray in the tides of the Empyrean, until it emerged before the colossal visage of the Halo array shining under the star of the system. The crew aboard waited for instructions for a few days until they were interrupted by Astropaths proclaiming that they are being heralded by a ridiculously large fleet of Mechanicus and Imperial Ships. At the moment the vessel discovered the ring, The God-Emperor of Mankind seized upon finding the old technology of their ancestors to dispatch visions through the ethereal realm to many Astropaths scattered across the reaches of the Sol system. He proclaimed the Ring as a sanctified holy relic, an artifact of high importance, forged by the holiest servants of the Omnissiah.
This proclamation, a clarion call echoing through the warp and the material realm, jolted the Imperium into action. Nearly half of the Mechanicus fleet and several chapters of Space Marines embarked through the Warp towards the Ring. Yet, this righteous fervor did not go unnoticed by the Ruinous Powers that festered in the abyss. Soon, an enitre armada of Chaos fleets led by Daemon primarchs, the likes of Mortarion, brought forth millions of Cultists, Thousands of Space Marines from Death Guard to Khorne Berserkers, drawn to bash against the fleets of the Imperium.
As the Imperial Fleets neared, the colossal ringworld itself awoke from its dormant state, its formidable defenses springing to life. Bursts of Gamma Rays shot out, swatting Chaos ships from the sky like pests, casting them into disarray as the navigators began to ide off from the effects of the pariah Grids. Countless Sentinels emerged and descended upon the invaders, their incinerating firepower plowed through the hulls of the ships, reducing Chaos hulks to molten wrecks as the rest of the fleets that survived were bombarded into dust by the Guardians, clearing a path for the Imperial forces to safely make landfall upon the sacred Ring.
The Mechanicus, as meticulous as ever, immediately commenced the establishment of research encampments, fervently unraveling the enigmatic structures left behind by the Forerunners. Meanwhile, Space Marines and steadfast Guardsmen begun the exploration of the Ring, seeking out any lurking threats on the ring. In time, they were 343 Guilty Spark, the guardian intelligence of the installations and was updated on the state of the galaxy. Now, the Imperium stands as guardians to the holy ring, with the Mechanicus dragging a new planet to establish a base of operations, the study of Forerunner Technology had made the Imperium more adept and efficient. Although, many still reject the ring, calling it a "Xeno Cosntruct" due to its complete alienation to the STCS and technology from the Dark Age.
Aeldari : The Aeldari Dominion had crumbled and imploded from the birth of the Prince of Pleasure, their glory reduced to the remnants of Craftworlds housing the Asuryani, scattered planets inhabited by Exodites, and scattered factions of Harley Quinns and Drukkhari of the once-majestic Webway. Suddenly, many ahve begun discovering haunting visions of the symbol encoded in the Eldar Lexicon meaning Death - a ring.
This peculiar linguistic twist invokes ancestral memories. Cegorach, the Eldar laughing God reminsices a ghostly echo from the days when the Eldar faced the Mon-Keigh in a cataclysmic conflict. Horrifying Myths and Legends whispered through the ages spoke of colossal rings, instruments of annihilation that erased trillions of Eldar lives in mere seconds on millions of their systems in the Great Schism. As more and more of the Asuryani take notice and delves deeper into these echoes of war, a disquieting realization takes shape – the ethereal halo rings wielded by the Imperium bear an uncanny resemblance, not just in style but in their gargantuan sizes, to the instruments of destruction that decimated their kin a millenia ago.
The Drukkhari and Exodites followed as well, as both have nothing to gain from invading such a engimatic construct, and the Harley Quinns actively try to sabotage it.
The Aeldari, with their small population are nowhere near the galactic superpower they once were and now regard the Halo Arrays with a profound and instinctive dread. The Eldar Lexicon of Death, etching the word for doom in the shape of a ring, serves as a chilling reminder of their history's darkest chapters. In a desperate bid to evade the specter of annihilation, the Aeldari navigate the void with meticulous care, actively avoiding the blast radius of the halo arrays they find as millions of Sentinels watched in the night.
Necrons: Trazyn the Infinite, the engimatic and humorous Necron Overlord, has cast his gaze upon the ancient Halo Rings. His ambition knows no bounds, as he endeavors to amass an awe-inspiring collection of the installations within his ever-expanding museum containing the history of the galaxy. For Trazyn, these monumental constructs are but priceless artifacts made by worthy rivals to be preserved for all eternity within his esoteric galleries.
Yet, the very nature of the Halo Rings eludes the grasp of the other Necrons. These ringworlds possess the uncanny ability to cloak themselves despite their massize size and can traverse the galaxy throguh their masisve slipspace drives in a blink of an eye, leaving nothing to elude they were even there before the Necrons can pinpoint a stable location for an invasion. Many Necrons want to traverse and find the ring simply because they find the Forerunners far to dangerous to be allowed to live. Whether if they are alive or only their constructs remain, to the Necrons, none of that matters.
Orks: In the turbulent epoch known as the War of the Beast, the Imperium found itself beset by an unexpected foe — the Prime Orks led by the towering figures known as the Beasts. These cunning and intelligent Warlords already were on the path to become Krorks, believed himself to be the Prophet of the Mantle of Responsibility. Convinced that the Deformed Forerunners had strayed from the path laid out by the ancient Old Ones, the Beasts sought to reclaim the Mantle from the unworthy hands of humanity.
In his fervor, the Beast envisioned that once the Imperium of Man has fallen, he will enact reeducation among the surviving humans, a resurrection of the fallen Forerunners into the powerhouse civilizations they once were. Embracing the primal deities Gork and Mork that were of Ork origin after their fall form grace, he reveled in the WAAAGGHH, a psychic phenomenon that slowly engulfed him like a ravenous plague into a violent and angry Ork. As the Beast delved deeper into the esoteric Ork mental psyche while growing into a Krork, one of the Beasts were able to enter the Krork Mental Plane which had remained empty after some time, the power of the WAAAGGHH surged forth. This unleashed psychic upheaval resonated across the halo arrays, stirring the dormant Green Giants under the mountains from their slumber. The colossal beings, ancient guardians of the arrays, were aggravated by the disruptive psychic energies caused by the WAAAGGHH. In an explosive cascade from this event as well as with the help of the Sisters of Silence, many Beasts succumbed to the psychic backlash, their heads detonating in a violent display of the consequences of tampering with the ancient Krorks' mental defenses.
Until the 42nd millenium, the Orks, infused with the WAAAGGHH, launched numerous invasions on the arrays scattered throughout the galaxy. Yet, despite their ferocious tenacity, the formidable defense protocols woven into remnants of Forerunner technology were able to thwart every attempt the onslaughts of the Orks through rapid deployment and superior technology.
Tyranids: In the vast cosmic void, the insatiable hunger of Tyranid Hive Fleets prowls the galaxy relentlessly, seeking sustenance as they charge throughout the galaxy. Among the myriad of celestial objects that tempt their appetites, the Halo Installations that were found by Genestealer infiltrations stand as particularly tantalizing prizes. The unique and copious ecosystems of biological life that lie within these colossal constructs beckon the Tyranids, to be used as the food source of a lifetime to be used to make new monstrosities that would end the galaxy. However, the architects of the Halo Arrays were designed in a way that it was able to easily cloak itself from any invader and also hidden in remote areas of the galaxy, with one even being located in the region of the Ghoul Stars, ensuring that not a single Halo Array has been discovered by the ravenous swarms of the Hivemind.
Chaos: In the shadowed recesses of the Immaterium, the Dark Gods stir, their attention drawn like moths to the flame by the discovery of the Halo Rings. As the forces of Chaos attempt to encroach upon the enigmatic constructs, the defenses of ancient Forerunner technology were able to drive them back without much trouble. The malevolent forces find that breaching the defenses of the Rings proves more challenging than conquering most of the Tombworlds.
Khorne, the Blood God, a deity whose essence thrives on the carnage of battle, issues a decree to destroy the ring immediately. The prospect of their unfathomable power to destroy so many mortals being wielded without the spilling of blood infuriates Khorne, as it denies him the essence of his worship – the crimson rivers of conflict. It doesn't help that none of his most successful Champions or most formidable Greater Daemons can even land on the ring without being cut down by the Aggressor Sentinels.
Tzeentch, the Architect of Fate was always aware of the Halo Rings and the massacres it had wrought during the Great Schism and he has perceived the potential of the Halo Arrays as a threat to the precarious balance that allows Chaos to thrive. The galaxy, in its downtrodden state, has been a fertile ground for the machinations of Chaos. The potential of Forerunner technology revitalizing the galaxy to heights unseen since the Dark Age could pose a serious threat to even them. This unsettles the Lord of Change, and he begins weaving threads of fate in an attempt to sabotage it, or he doesn't do any of that and just stays in his library, you never know with the God of Change.
Nurgle, the Plaguefather is drawn to the Halo Arrays by the allure of their diverse flora and fauna on their surface begin able to even rival his own grotesque garden sectors. The promise of acquiring these exotic and numerous life forms fuels his curoisty, and so Death Guard and numerous cultists attempt to venture onto the Rings which usually doesn't succeed as Pariah Grids blocking them out and caterizing many of Nurgle's worst diseases, leaving their forces weakened and easily picked off.
Slaanesh, the Prince of Pleasure, exhibits the least amount of interest in the Halo Arrays in comparison to the other Chaos Gods. Born after the Great Schism, the youngest of the Dark Gods finds allure in the unknown and joins his brothers, due to the obvious threat the rings could pose to their wellbeing in the future.
Effectiveness in invading a Halo Ring
Necrons < Tyranids << Imperium < Orks << Aeldari < Chaos