Penelope Boren

"We must acknowledge the loss we have all, our entire species, suffered today."

- Penelope Boren, in regards of John-117's claimed death

Lieutenant Penelope Boren is a former UNSC press secretary. In 2558, she was chosen by the Office of Naval Intelligence to deliver the news of the Master Chief's death to the galaxy at large.

In a message sent to Admiral Serin Osman by Commander Michael Sullivan, it was noted that Boren was chosen above more senior personnel due to the results of projections and personality tests concluding that her message would be delivered with the appropriate amount of "extreme gravitas" and "believable sincerity." According to a letter of apology from Sullivan to Osman, Boren misspoke the date on which the Master Chief was officially declared KIA on October 27, 2560, two years after the correct and current date.

In retaliation for the mistake, Boren was immediately reassigned to the Industries Discourse Management department on BXR-730, a remote mining colony. There, she was given a non-public-facing job, and is also required to have her work reviewed on a weekly basis by a member of Sullivan's general staff.

Unbeknownst to Boren, however, the Master Chief was still very much alive, as ONI staged the announcement to fool the general public and so let Fireteam Osiris hunt him down without suspicion.

Trivia

 * Penelope Boren is played by, the voice of Ellie Landford from the Dead Space series.
 * Her surname may be an homage to Halo: Combat Evolved writer Brannon Boren, who is also the namesake of the in-universe Boren's Syndrome.

List of appearances

 * A Hero Falls
 * Hunt the Truth
 * The Hunt Begins