Site 17 was the Office of Naval Intelligence's designation for a Forerunner complex located within a planetesimal in the Oort cloud of the Epsilon Eridani system. Teller Station, a xenoarchaeology research station and laboratory, was constructed atop it.
The Office of Naval Intelligence was involved in the excavation and study of several Forerunner artifact sites throughout the Epsilon Eridani system, but Site 17 was considered to be one of the most promising. As such, a research laboratory, Teller Station, was constructed over the site, with a team of several scientists, including Dr. Daniels, stationed there to unlock its secrets. By 2552, they had been working on Site 17 for several years, carefully unearthing the complex and bypassing its defenses.
In August of 2552, the Covenant discovered the Epsilon Eridani system and WINTER CONTINGENCY was declared on Reach. As a result of this, it was decided that Teller Station was to be evacuated and Site 17 abandoned to the Covenant after the completion of one final dig. This excavation, an extensive retrieval operation, had long been planned, but was forced to be condensed into the space of less than a fortnight. The haste with which the operation was executed accidentally activated dormant Forerunner systems within the complex, but was ultimately successful in extracting a Forerunner object from the site.
The activation of the complex, however, unfortunately alerted the Covenant to the location of Site 17. This perceived desecration of a Forerunner reliquary enraged Supreme Commander Rho 'Barutamee of the Fleet of Valiant Prudence, who detached a significant portion of his fleet to annihilate the human forces at Site 17 and retrieve the object that had been removed from the complex. Fortunately, a UNSC Battle Group was able to intercept the Covenant squadron, allowing Teller Station's crew and the Forerunner object to be successfully evacuated to Turul. After this, Site 17 was abandoned to the Covenant.
List of appearances
- Halo: Fleet Battles (First appearance)
- Halo: Fleet Battles SCENARIO THREE: EVACUATE
- Halo: Fleet Battles SCENARIO FOUR: RUN!
- Halo: Fleet Battles SCENARIO FIVE: INTO THE FIRE