To: Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)
From: Cortana, UNSC Pillar of Autumn shipboard AI
Re: SPARTAN-117 and the Destruction of Halo
Sir. As the rich data-bursts attached in this transmission make clear, we have been
to hell and back. I’ll be brief.
After
Reach
fell, I followed Cole protocol, and slipped the
Pillar of Autumn
. Using
astronomical symbols SPARTAN 117 captured from a Covenant vessel, I chose an
exit-vector that would place us in an uncharted system near a late-life gas giant
planet (new classification, “Threshold”). To my considerable surprise, in orbit
around the planet was an artificial ring construct, 10,000 kilometers in diameter.
Initially, I feared the ring was a Covenant installation. It was not. But the enemy
had tracked us and was lying in wait around the ring. Rather than risk capture,
Captain Keyes ordered my upload into SPARTAN 117’s neural network. While we
abandoned ship, the Captain managed to land the
Autumn
on the ring, saving the
lives of many of the crew.
When we realized that Halo could destroy all life, SPARTAN-117 and I decided
our only choice was to destroy Halo—stop 343 Guilty Spark from completing
his assigned task, and deny the Covenant a weapon of unthinkable power. We
used the
Pillar of Autumn
’s fusion reactors to start a chain reaction that utterly
destroyed the ring. I’m sorry to report that Captain Keyes was lost to the Flood.
With respect to our ongoing fight against the Covenant, our time on Halo was
well spent. I have gathered a wealth of new information for our database of
Covenant weapons, technology, tactics, and
society. Additionally, SPARTAN-117’s proficient
use of arms, and the destruction of the ring,
resulted in a significant loss of enemy personnel
and materiel.
That being said, I fear that the Covenant will
not take kindly to our obliteration of
their holy relic. Having thus struck the
hornets’ nest, we are now heading
home with all speed.
<construct coordinates and schematics encrypted/enclosed#####>
The Covenant referred to the ring as “Halo.” It seems a prophecy
about Halo’s existence is central to our enemy’s religion, and its
discovery was cause for much celebratory chatter on the Covenant
battle-network.
During our initial operations on the surface of Halo, we encountered
an alien artificial intelligence, designation “343 Guilty Spark.”
This AI claimed its primary purpose was tactical containment of a
virulent, parasitic life form called “The Flood.”
<information on Flood parasite morph/biology encrypted/
enclosed#####>
Through a connection to Halo’s deep data cores, I ascertained
that the ring was built by an ancient race of beings (referred to
by the Covenant as “The Forerunners”) as a weapon of last resort
against the Flood. A sizable population of Flood was in stasis on
the ring, and the Covenant, either by accident or design, released
the parasite. Not their most brilliant maneuver.
<information on Forerunner artifacts, structures, symbols
encrypted/enclosed#####>
343 Guilty Spark convinced SPARTAN 117 to activate Halo’s primary
weapon system and eliminate the Flood. The AI neglected to tell
him however, that because the Flood consumes any suitable sentient
host, Halo would make no distinction between the Flood and other
life forms. In short: if Halo fired, it would destroy every thinking
being in the galaxy. Human, Covenant, everything.
<known casualties,
incurred losses,
unaccounted records
encrypted/enclosed#####>
Re: SPARTAN-117 – MASTER CHIEF
Spartan 117, the Master Chief, is a
member of the SPARTAN-II project.
He is a genetically, biologically,
and technically enhanced fighting
unit, standing seven feet tall and
weighing half a ton in his armor.
His reflexes are unmatched, his
strength and endurance quite unlike
any other human and his tenacity
molded by a lifetime of conscripted
military training. The Master
Chief is proficient in all current
ballistic weapons and tactics,
incursion, and unarmed combat,
and has extensive experience with
Covenant military tech.
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