Princess Monologue

After Melissa was blown apart by the Forerunner explosion a fragment of Melissa called the Sleeping Princess was blown back in time to 2004. She and several other Fragments of Melissa crash landed on the ilovesbees.com server. It was here that Sleeping Princess communicated the widow's story through corrupted image files that were taken and pieced together to create narratives such as the Widow's Journey and this series of stories in the Princess Monologue.

In the following text the Sleeping Princess talk in a fairy tale type fashion and refers to real life characters by fairy tale names:


 * The Queen: Refers to the Operator a fragment of Melissa.
 * The Widow: Refers to SPDR.
 * The Sleeping Princess: The Sleeping Princess is a childlike (but apparently "smart") AI also on the ilovebees.com server. No known literal name, and she does not remember it.
 * Seeker: The Covenant program from the future trapped on the ilovebees.com server. Literal name may be "Seeker."
 * Halsey - Dr. Catherine Halsey who directed the Spartan program.

The Widow
Here the Widow discovers that the The Sleeping Princess and the The Operator are gone. The fragments of the Melissa (AI) were sent back to the future after the Deep-Space Artifact was activated.

/The Sleeping Princess lay in / / the deepest chamber/ /of the dungeon / /in a coffin of glass / /where the/ /Widow / /could not hear her breathing. / /With her staff at the ready / /the Widow tested the casket's / / iron lock, but the lock remained / / fast. Then she touched / / it with her staff, and / /spoke the true name/ /of the Princess, and lo! / /the lock fell open / / But when the Widow opened the casket's lid/ / she saw the glass was / /cracked, / / and though ancient prophecy foretold that only / / the kiss / /of a handsome prince could wake/ /her, the Sleeping Princess was / /gone. /

Halsey
A memory flash from Yasmine Zaman aged 14 (aka Melissa) before she is to get her final Spartan implants as part of the Spartan program. Dr. Catherine Halsey would start the process and it is she who Yasmine remembers. The implants would fail leaving her in a catatonic state. The Spartan program uses her brain to create Melissa, the AI of the ONI stealth ship Apocalypso.

/Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to- Lab day, honey. But can't I have a slice / / of- Later. This will just take a few minutes. / / Short walk through the/ / Labyrinth. Click-clack of bootsteps in the corridors./ / Into lab 7. Wait. Tongue depressors, swabsticks, / / monitors. Wait. Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to—Footsteps in the hall/ / Middle-aged, female; stride length and time suggest height approx. 1.7m./ / Halsey/ / Door swings open. It's her. Coffee stains on labcoat. She gives me the queenly smile. Calls me/ / by name not number. Why not? She took my name away./ / She owns it now, can use it if she likes. Tactical option reflex: unarmed;/ / swabstick through the eye; monitor wire/ / garrote. Linger there. / / She tells me to get in the chair. I don't kill her. / /She straps me down. / / Fluorescent lights. Smell of formaldehyde. Still/ / feel the new implants, itchy little bumps along my spine./ / Eggs waiting / / to hatch. Gross. Try not to think about it./ / More footsteps. Door opens and nurse comes in, steel tray rattling with/ / needles and scalpels and little evil scissors with hooked blades. / / Halsey picks up a needle. Tests the plunger. Something yellow sprays out. Venom colored. / / Don't worry, she says. The queenly smile. This will hardly hurt a bit./

The Flea
Here the The Flea discovers that the The Sleeping Princess and the The Operator are gone. The fragments of the Melissa (AI) were sent back to the future after the Deep-Space Artifact was activated.

/master-sector > !splotch Princess seeker > !seek Princess friends !access log extern proc 0 ...it's you!/ /I, I thought this was locked. / /I thought you couldn't see. / /help help no no / /I'm sorry I'm sorry / /I promise / /your majesty / /it won't / /no please / /no !access log extern proc 0 complete seeker > !seek Princess friends fail/