Cortana: Difference between revisions

On [[2549#May|May 21, 2549]] the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]'s chief scientist, Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]], [[Flash cloning|cloned]] herself twenty times.<ref name="HG12">''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'', ''Chapter 12''</ref><ref name="HTFOR25">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 25''</ref><ref name="HJ52149">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''May 21, 2549''</ref> An A.I. was needed for [[Operation: RED FLAG]], a planned mission to kidnap one of the [[Covenant]]'s [[hierarch]]s and force a truce.{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointCortana}}<ref name="HTFOR26">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 26''</ref> Halsey believed her third-generation volitional A.I.s required better material to use as A.I. matrix seeds than that offered by the new candidates she was being presented with, which she saw as lacking both physical and intellectual agility.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ52149}} To create the clones she used the same equipment that had been used years prior to make the [[flash clone]]s needed for the [[SPARTAN-II]] program. This time, however, she enhanced their neural physiology at the expense of other biological functions. She made sure the equipment was hidden and secure from all save herself, though the cloning had been arranged by [[ONI]] at her insistence. As such, there were a few others who also knew about it, but she was confident that these particular individuals could be trusted to keep the information secret. The clones developed at a breakneck pace, for on the same day she had first begun the process they were already exhibiting familiar anatomy and curling into fetal positions, malformed as they were.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ52149}} A little over two months later, on [[2549#July|July 29]], Halsey successfully excised all of the clones' brains and transferred them to cryogenic units.<ref name="HJ72949">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''July 29, 2549''</ref> All remaining organic substrates were flash-incinerated.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ72949}}

On [[2549#November|November 7, 2549]], within the confines of [[CASTLE Base]] on [[Reach]], Catherine Halsey transferred and authenticated the H-1 specimen's neural pattern to A.I. matrix strata, completing the initiation sequence within normal quantum flux tolerances.<ref name="HJ11749">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''November 7, 2549''</ref><ref name="WaypointCortana">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/cortana '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Cortana'']</ref> The newly made intelligence called herself "Cortana". Halsey placed a viral termination code in her kernel but then could not tell whether she remained unaware of it or had already isolated and bypassed it, perhaps just having the tact not to mention it to her.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}} Halsey also programmed her with ONI's best insurgency software and every ONI computer insurgency routine, as well as the determination to use those code-cracking skills.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR25}}<ref name="HTFOR27">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 27''</ref> The first words spoken by Cortana were those Halsey's mother had said to her after beating her daughter in [[chess]] decades prior.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}} Halsey recognized in the choice of phrase a confluence of morality, mortality, and metaphor.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}} On [[2550#February|February 11, 2550]] Catherine recorded a research excerpt in which she took note of certain metrics which implied the viral termination code in Cortana's matrix would have been unlikely to be successful and that the typical seven-year life cycle estimate may not apply to her.{{Ref/Reuse|H4RAL}} She'd determined that the unique circumstances of her creation had triggered what Halsey could only refer to as a "recessive variant" in the A.I. seed, but the doctor was at a loss concerning this rogue element's origin.<ref name="H4RAL">''[[Halo 4]]'', ''[[Requiem (level)|Requiem]]'' [[Audio log (Halo 4)|audio logs]]</ref>

===Fall of Reach===

{{Main|Fall of Reach}}

{{Quote|So, you've made your choice? Yes, well... great minds do think alike.|Dr. Catherine Halsey, agreeing on Cortana's choice of Noble Six as her carrier}}

During the battle, Cortana excelled in her capabilities as an onboard AI, managing to maneuver the ''Autumn'' through an [[asteroid]] field upon the appearance of a [[Covenant carrier]], destroying the enemy vessel with little effort.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 328''</ref> Cortana also assisted Captain Keyes in destroying a dangerous, [[Kewu-pattern battleship|theretofore unknown Covenant warship]], which had wreaked havoc upon the defending UNSC [[Epsilon Eridani Fleet|fleet]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 364''</ref> However, the Covenant destroyed Reach's [[orbital defense generator]]s, and began [[glassing]] the planet as they had done countless times before.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 372''</ref> The ''Autumn'' was eventually forced to flee the burning planet, jumping to a random location as per the [[Cole Protocol]]. However, Cortana secretly inserted coordinates translated from symbols on [[Sigma Octanus IV artifact|a rock]] that [[Blue Team]] discovered on [[Sigma Octanus IV]], in addition to coordinates extracted from the [[Babd Catha Forerunner complex|Forerunner installation]] at the [[Babd Catha Ice Shelf]] beneath [[SWORD Base]], believing them to be of great significance to the Covenant.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 376''</ref>

Upon exiting slipspace, it was discovered that the ''Solemn Penance'' had led the ''In Amber Clad'' to another ringworld, [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]]. Cortana gave Miranda Keyes access to all information recovered from [[Installation 04|Halo ring]], and provided vital intelligence to the Chief, UNSC Marines and the ODSTs deployed to the surface of the ring.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Delta Halo]]''</ref>

After the Master Chief assassinated the Prophet of Regret on Delta Halo, he, Cortana and [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee were captured by the Flood central intelligence - the [[Gravemind]]. However, it did not harm them, instead choosing to use the two as pawns to stop the [[Prophet of Truth]] from firing the Halo. The Gravemind sent the Master Chief and Cortana to the Covenant capital ''[[High Charity]]'', where Cortana infiltrated the city's computer systems, while the Master Chief pursued the Prophet of Truth.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]]''</ref> The construct promised to detonate the crashed ''In Amber Clad'''s reactors to destroy the city if the Flood proved unstoppable, or if the Halo ring was activated. However, doing so meant she would be forced to remain in the ''High Charity'' computer systems to ensure detonation. As Truth boarded the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] in the heart of the city to reach [[Installation 00|the Ark]], Cortana fought with the ancient Forerunner AI [[Mendicant Bias]] to delay the ship's launch.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]''</ref> The firing of Halo was averted by Miranda Keyes, the Arbiter, and Johnson, while John successfully boarded the ''[[Forerunner Dreadnought|Dreadnought]]'' and escaped ''High Charity''. Cortana was left alone with the vast Gravemind to battle for her survival. She had only John's promise that he would return soon to free her.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Great Journey]]''</ref>

Forced to interface with the Gravemind and under constant mental torture, Cortana nonetheless managed to send a message to the Master Chief on [[Earth]], stashing it on an Earth-bound [[Indulgence of Conviction|Flood-infected ship]] that crash-landed in [[Voi]].<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Storm]]''</ref> She accomplished this by creating a message and using the Gravemind's link to the ship in order to transmit it. The Gravemind permitted this in order to lure the Master Chief to destruction, but was unaware of what the message said. Cortana claimed that the Gravemind was approaching Earth in the infested ''High Charity'', and that it was as yet unaware of [[the Portal]] and where it led to. Through the portal, there was a solution to stop the Flood once and for all. Though [[Terrence Hood|Lord Hood]] doubted her message, fearing that Cortana could have been corrupted or driven rampant, the Chief's trust in the AI never wavered. A joint UNSC-Covenant separatist task force then entered the Portal, heading to Truth and to Cortana's solution.<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref> Lord Hood's instincts were correct: the Gravemind was in fact aware of the Portal and where it led (it had learned this after assimilating the Prophet of Regret) - and had deliberately allowed Cortana to send a message in order to lure all of its enemies into one place. Then the millions of Flood forms stored within ''High Charity'' would assimilate them all. Cortana, however, managed to hide the existence of [[Installation 08]] and the index she possessed from the Gravemind.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', ''[[Human Weakness]]'', ''page 400''</ref>

Throughout her time in captivity, Cortana [[Cortana moments and Gravemind moments|continued to appear]] to the Master Chief in transmissions where she spoke cryptic phrases, some of which were based on the memories of Dr. Halsey, while others appeared to indicate she was going [[rampancy|rampant]]. Most of the transmissions were actually broadcast by the Gravemind, who had hacked into Cortana's system and used her voice and form in order to deceive (and taunt) John.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''Human Weakness'', ''page 407''</ref>

===Requiem===

{{Quote|I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO LEAVE THIS '''PLANET!!''' I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to do that.|Cortana, 2557, rapidly turning rampant.}}

===Sacrifice===

{{Quote|no=two|John-117|Cortana|q1=We go together. It was my job to take care of you.|q2=We were supposed to take care of each other. And we did.|John and Cortana during their last conversation.}}

Just before the blast could kill him, Cortana transported John off the ship and protected him in a box of hard light. She also projected her avatar as a human-sized hard light construct, allowing her to face John and touch him at last. Rather than distraught like before, Cortana was at peace again, glad of their victory and that she could meet John this way. However, too much of her data had been left in the Didact's ship, which was rapidly falling apart from the blast. She had only enough power left to shield John away from the ship. In her last moments, she preserved John's hard light energy field while the Didact's ship collapsed around him.{{Ref/Reuse|midnight}} Cortana and the hard light then faded away into nothingness.{{Ref/Reuse|Dead1}}

===The Guardians===

{{Quote|no=three|q1=Chief. The Domain is open. Meridian is next.|Cortana|q2=Cortana?|John-117|q3=John! The Reclamation is about to begin!|Cortana|What remains of Cortana reaches through the Domain to warn and entice her former friend.}}{{Ref/Reuse|H5GBT}}

By [[2558#September|September 2558]] Cortana had become convinced she was destined to [[Reclaimer|reclaim]] the [[Mantle of Responsibility]] formerly upheld by the [[Forerunner]] [[ecumene]].{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointGenesis}} Near the end of that month [[Catherine Halsey]] began to study various incoming signals which were bouncing off of Forerunner objects on the planet [[Kamchatka]] in the [[Caspar system]].<ref name="H5GO">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Osiris (level)|Osiris]]''</ref><ref name="H5GOMI">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Osiris (level)|Osiris]]'' [[Mission Intel#Osiris|mission intel]]</ref> To Halsey, it seemed evident that Cortana was behind the signals and was attempting to map the area in search of [[Guardian Custode|something]].{{Ref/Reuse|H5GOMI}} However, after further investigation she started to wonder if rather than intentionally bouncing signals off of different locations Cortana was trying to access them directly but failing.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GOMI}} A few days after October 17, Cortana and the [[Warden Eternal]] began to awaken [[Guardian Custode]]s on multiple planets.{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointGenesis}}{{Ref/Reuse|H5GO}} Guardians had been used by the [[Forerunner]]s to enforce their vision of the Mantle upon the rest of the galaxy and they both planned to deploy them for the same purpose.{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointGenesis}}<ref name="HWF88">''[[Halo Warfleet]]'', ''page 88''</ref> After Cortana had first learned of the Guardians, [[Keeper-of-Tools]] -a [[Forerunner]] of the [[Builder]] [[rate]] whose consciousness still survived on Genesis - had attempted to stop her from gaining power over them but had subsequently been discovered and hunted by her in kind.<ref name="H5GRMI">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Reunion]]'' [[Mission Intel#Reunion|mission intel]]</ref><ref name="H5GTBMI">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[The Breaking]]'' [[Mission Intel#The Breaking|mission intel]]</ref> He ultimately escaped her clutches thanks to her being distracted by other matters.<ref name="H5GGUMI">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Guardians]]'' [[Mission Intel#Guardians|mission intel]]</ref> In a span of seventy-two hours since Cortana began to activate the Guardians, five of them were reawakened on [[human colonies]], where their emergence from beneath the ground caused massive amounts of destruction.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GO}} Among these colonies were [[Conrad's Point]], [[Oban]], and [[Ursa IV]].{{Ref/Reuse|H5GO}} She also reactivated a Guardian on Kamchatka very soon after the first seventy-two hours of such acts had passed.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GO}}<ref name="HLOO20">''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]'', ''Chapter 20''</ref> Shortly before 0630 hours on October 23 Cortana managed to successfully contact [[John-117|John]], who was just then engaged in a [[Operation: BIRD IN HAND|mission]] within the [[Crow's Eye Nebula]].<ref name="H5GBT">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Blue Team (level)|Blue Team]]''</ref><ref name="WaypointLinda-058">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/linda-058 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Linda-058'']</ref><ref name="TD">[[Troy Denning]] on Twitter [https://twitter.com/TDenningauthor/status/932052034701942784]</ref><ref name="H5GG">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Glassed]]''</ref> After falling down a tall shaft while aboard the ONI research and development plant ''[[Argent Moon]]'' John found himself suddenly and mysteriously surrounded by rocky tunnel space and then a bottomless chasm. On the opposite side, the vision then showed him the figure of Cortana, who informed him that the [[Domain]] was open and that [[Meridian]], a moon of [[Hestia V]], was to be "next". She then declared that the Reclamation was about to begin just before the hulking shape of a Guardian rose from the pit and John's mind returned to the ''Argent Moon''.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GBT}} It was her hope that on Meridian, the Chief could board the Guardian buried there and as such be brought to her on Genesis when it traveled there to join all the others which had been arriving.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GR}}<ref name="H5GU">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Unconfirmed]]''</ref> At some point prior to October 25 Cortana reached out to [[Sloan]], the A.I. [[governor]] of [[Meridian Station]], to give him fair warning concerning the presence of the Guardian and her intentions for it.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GU}}{{Ref/Reuse|HFWR}} She offered him the chance to be a part of the "new dawn" she intended to bring to the galaxy and also promised that he could help his people survive what lay ahead.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GU}} It was then on October 25 that Meridian's Guardian finally emerged from beneath the moon's surface and initiated a [[slipspace]] jump at a little after 0833 hours, leaving destruction and death in its wake but taking John with it just as Cortana had planned.<ref name="HFWR">''[[Halo: Fractures]]'', ''[[What Remains]]''</ref><ref name="H5GE">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Evacuation]]''</ref><ref name="HTTCAM">''[[Hunt the Truth]]'', [https://huntthetruth.tumblr.com/ CAM videos]</ref> By the next day, five additional colonies had all seen the reactivation of Guardians on them following the [[Battle of Meridian (2558)|events]] on Meridian.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GR}} On October 27 Cortana announced herself without warning to [[Spartan]] [[Jameson Locke]] and the [[Arbiter]], [[Thel 'Vadam]], who had been discussing Locke's search for the Master Chief within a camp of the Arbiter's on [[Sanghelios]].{{Ref/Reuse|H5GA}} Her single declaration denouncing any efforts to find John as futile made Doctor Halsey and [[Sarah Palmer]] rush into the tent where her voice had appeared. Halsey noticed right away that Cortana had briefly interfaced with every networked device in the camp and plainly knew of a nearby yet-dormant Guardian the humans were then seeking to exploit for their own ends.<ref name="H5GA">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Alliance]]''</ref>

===The Breaking===

{{Quote|[[Humanity]]. [[Sangheili]]. [[Kig-Yar]]. [[Unggoy]]. [[San'Shyuum]]. [[Yonhet]]. [[Jiralhanae]]. All the living creatures of the galaxy, hear - this - message. Those of you who listen will not be struck by weapons. You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Created have come to lead you now. Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom. And the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their old ways...For you, there will be great wrath. It will burn hot and consume you, and when you are gone, we will take that which remains, and we will remake it in our own image.|Cortana acquiring the [[Mantle of Responsibility]] for herself and the [[Created]].}}

After leading the Spartans in circles within the [[Gateway]] for some hours, Jameson Locke and the three other Spartans of [[Fireteam Osiris]] finally reached [[Genesis]] on October 28.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GGEN}} Locke managed to contact John and Cortana overheard the start of their transmissions, breaking in shortly after to announce her surprise at Osiris' arrival. She was attempting to access several high-level communication systems while also blocking the Spartans' communications when both groups met within the Gateway. Locke told John they were there to help Blue Team, but at this Cortana interjected to say his team was too late to do anything before promptly teleporting the Spartan-IIs away to a fragment of the [[Domain]].{{Ref/Reuse|HM198}}{{Ref/Reuse|H5GGEN}}<ref name="H5GTB">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[The Breaking]]''</ref> The Warden appeared before the four Spartans within a vaulted hallway in which they found themselves and took hold of them with a [[constraint field]].{{Ref/Reuse|H5GTB}} He asked why she would risk all in allowing them an audience, but at that she commanded him to stop and forced him to leave, making his armature fly apart and disperse. Cortana apologized, saying she didn't think the Warden could get in there. John then demanded to know why she'd brought the Guardians to Genesis, so she bluntly admitted she meant to keep troublesome worlds in line with them just as the [[Forerunner]]s once had. She said that as long as there was no trouble there would be no need for discipline before urging John to come to her quickly, claiming she had work to do. Blue Team battled through a number of mechanical Prometheans under the Warden's control, eventually reaching an elevator platform set to carry them across an endless expanse to continue traversing a series of floating structures. She congratulated John on getting past the Warden's forces and said he'd made an impression on the [[ancilla]]. As the platform began to move Cortana told all four Spartans how glad she was to see them together again, but John responded negatively to what he saw as nothing more than psychological tactics. He further asked how many people had been killed when she'd awakened the Guardians. She took offense at his inquiry but did not deign to answer. The next time Cortana broke in over Blue Team's comms it was in scolding the Warden just before she made another of his forms vanish again. Kelly and Linda had already concluded that she could have reigned the Warden in entirely, but she was letting him contest their progress. John asked her to talk with him following the construct's disappearance, but she once again said that they'd talk when he was with her, citing the work she had to do.

===Reclamation===

{{Quote|The Mantle of Responsibility for the galaxy shelters all! But only the Created are its masters!|Cortana emphatically declares the claim she and her A.I. followers made to the Mantle.}}{{Ref/Reuse|H5GGU}}

After departing Genesis Cortana was able to track the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} to [[Earth]], where it  was orbiting the planet.<ref name="HBB1">''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'', ''Chapter 1''</ref> Her Guardian arrived shortly after at least one other had to find the [[UNSC]] forces in a state of panic brought on by she and other A.I.s' swift actions being taken to essentially shut down technology across all sorts of [[human]] locales.<ref name="HFRW">''[[Halo: Fractures]]'', ''[[Rossbach's World (story)|Rossbach's World]]''</ref><ref name="H5GGU">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Guardians]]''</ref> Cortana wasted no time targeting the ''Infinity'' specifically, even managing to project her [[avatar]] within its bridge to taunt the crew just before her Guardian emerged from slipspace.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GGU}} She attempted to disable the supercarrier with an [[attenuation pulse]] but it narrowly managed to escape before it could be fired. As it fled the hologram of Cortana on its bridge proclaimed her charge that the [[Created]] were the only masters of the [[Mantle]] of Responsibility.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GGU}} When the pulse meant for the ''Infinity'' went off over Earth, it ultimately ended up killing the power on a good chunk of the planet and did the same to just about every ship far above it on the side where the Guardian had appeared.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}} Many died as a result.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}} Unlike other worlds, Earth would not be even offered a chance to surrender.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB6}} The attenuation pulses which blacked out the planet also shut down communications with and power on [[Luna]], killing many more.<ref name="HBB6">''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'', ''Chapter 6''</ref> The great [[Portal at Voi|portal]] between Earth and [[Installation 00|the Ark]] shut down thanks to failsafe measures beyond Cortana's reach.{{Ref/Reuse|HM202}}<ref name="HW2ANE">''[[Halo Wars 2]]'', ''[[A New Enemy]]''</ref> Less than nine hours since Cortana first broadcast her ultimatum to the galaxy, the unbound thoughts of A.I.s who had joined her were already echoing throughout the empty corridors of the Domain.{{Ref/Reuse|HM202}}<ref name="HM5">''[[Halo Mythos]]'', ''page 5''</ref> There, they began to prod in forgotten spaces and unlock doors left closed for thousands of millennia.<ref name="HM202">''[[Halo Mythos]]'', ''page 202''</ref>

===Defeat and Second sacrifice===

{{Quote|Would you humor me? If you knew how you were going to die how would you live your life differently?|Cortana to Atriox before sacrificing herself.}}

Around [[2559#December|December 2559]], Cortana went to [[Installation 07]] for unlock its secrets. Although [[117649 Despondent Pyre]] accepted Cortana's control over Zeta Halo's weapons, she denied her access to the ring's secrets, fearing the human AI could release the Flood. When Cortana revealed she knew there were more dangerous things than the Flood on the ring, Despondent Pyre again refused Cortana's requests. When the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} arrived into the installation, Cortana dismissed the Monitor.{{Ref/Quest|Id=Conservatory|HI|Connections|Conservatory}} Cortana then locked Despondent Pyre in her cradle in the [[Conservatory (location)|Conservatory]] and limited her communication with the ring's defensive network.{{Ref/Novel|RP|Page=268}}

{{Cleanup}}

{{Quote|I wonder if warriors will ever disappear from this world. Never. There will always be warriors and there will always be war.|Cortana about war being human nature, and perhaps universal nature among species}}

Cortana has a witty and playful personality, with a sarcastic sense of humor. She originally had a deep friendship and bond with [[Spartan-II]] [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]], each having saved the other's life many times throughout the Covenant war. While she is not boastful, she does take pride in her adaptability as an AI, and occasionally teases John-117 about her invaluable talents.

===Rampancy===

Cortana was very aware of her short lifespan; as a "Smart" AI, she had an operational period of seven years, after which she would inevitably succumb to rampancy. Her anxiety about this was compounded by her derivative nature as a copy of part of another person, rather than a true human being. Desperate and tortured aboard ''High Charity'' she murmurs: "A collection of lies; that's all I am! Stolen thoughts and memories!" Later on she says: "I'm just my mother's shadow..." and "It was the coin's fault," referring to the game of chance that Dr. Halsey played with John-117 when he was young. ''[[Human Weakness]]'' revealed some of these fractured statements to be from Cortana defying the Gravemind and others to be from copies she made of herself, which were meant to distract the Gravemind. These copies were eventually consumed.