295 Enduring Bias

Enduring Bias, known as the Flying Voice to some Sangheili, is a Forerunner monitor tasked with maintaining Shield World 0673.

Early service
Enduring Bias was brought to Shield World 0673 by the Forerunners sometime after it was constructed. However, the shield world's ability to dismantle itself and remain habitable had not yet be tested. Although he once was knowledgeable about the Halo Array, the information was removed by the Forerunners for security concerns. Bias was given the duty of watching over the shield world and repair any possible damages. After the firing of the Halo Array, Bias was puzzled as to why no Forerunner had returned to retrieve him and the monitor eventually determined that he was on his own. As time passed, some of Bias' processes began to fail.

Sometime before the San'Shyuum-Sangheili War, Sangheili warrior 'Crecka came across Shield World 0673 after his ship was attacked by an unidentified species. When he entered the world, he came into contact with Enduring Bias. The monitor introduced himself and scanned through 'Creck's ship's systems to learn the Sangheili language. Then, Enduring Bias told 'Crecka that he intended to use the Sangheili for studying purposes. Confused, 'Crecka fled the world and the monitor was unable to stop him due to his failing systems.

Serving with Ussa
In 851 BCE, Enduring Bias once again met with 'Creck, who had brought Ussa 'Xellus and his mate, Sooln, to the shield world. Ussa intended to use the world as a refuge for his fellow insurgents that were rebelling against the newly-formed Covenant. Bias allowed the Sangheili to stay on the world, but demanded to know their full intents. The monitor seemingly accepted Ussa's intentions, as Ussa transported the rest of his allies from Sanghelios to the shield world shortly after.

Bias showed the Sangheili around the world and informed them of its processes and capabilities. As the Sangheili insurgents began to create settlements on the shield world, Sooln would often speak with Enduring Bias about the world. During one of these conversations, Bias revealed that the shield world was not entirely completed when the Forerunners disappeared. The shield world had the ability to disassemble itself and have its disparate parts still habitable, although Bias was unsure if the feature was completely reliable. He later spoke with Ussa and Sooln and showed them a holographic demonstration of the shield world's capabilities. As Bias was replaying the holographic demonstration to himself, Tersa 'Gunok saw the holograms and became curious. He questioned Bias on the shield world's "Disassembler" process. Bias' vague explanation caused 'Gunok to begin to doubt Ussa's intentions, as Enduring Bias unintentionally implied that Ussa wished to test the Disassembler process himself—even if it lead to the deaths of all Sangheili in the colony. Bias continued to unintentionally incriminate Ussa and Sooln after a conversation he had with 'Gunok, Salus 'Crolon, and 'Dren. He informed the three that Sooln had helped reprogram some of his failing processes and that he was loyal to anyone that programmed him. After he learned that the San'Shyuum had connections to the Huragok from Sooln, Bias stated that he would accept the presence of San'Shyuum on the world, as he believed that they would bring along Huragok to fully repair Bias. 'Crolon and 'Dren came to believe that Sooln and Ussa were actually conspiring with the San'Shyuum and began plotting against him.

Later, when Ussa was putting 'Dren and 'Crolon on trial, contemplating if the two were being treasonous, Enduring Bias arrived. At Ussa's request, Bias projected footage of 'Dren and 'Crolon conspiring against Ussa. 'Crolon claimed that Bias fabricated the footage. While Bias admitted that he had the capability to do so, he claimed that he did not as it was not necessary. 'Dren was then executed when he attempted to escape and 'Crolon was imprisoned to await a public execution for treason. After the situation was settled, Ussa and Bias conversed in private.

Personality and traits
Enduring Bias was capable of incredible feats and was very intellectual, like most monitors. However, he was often very casual in conversation—no matter the topic. Ussa 'Xellus believed that the monitor lacked dignity and was unable to comprehend the seriousness of certain situations. When the Forerunners removed information from Bias' memory storage, a "gap" was left in his mind, which he found problematic. During their time on the shield world, Enduring Bias came to bond with several of the Sangheili inhabitants, particularly Ussa 'Xellus and his mate, Sooln. Sooln often engaged in long conversations with the monitor, curious to learn the information he held. She repaired some of the monitor's broken processes, causing Bias to become very loyal to Sooln and considered her one of his programmers. Enduring Bias came to respect the Sangheili and adhered to their culture and customs. He spoke with a male voice, knowing that it would gain him more respect among the Sangheili.

Similar to 343 Guilty Spark, Enduring Bias experienced loneliness on the shield world and expressed a desire for company. He admitted that having no one to talk to for numerous millennia left him over-talkative and left him unfocused. After he realized that he had been left alone on the shield world, Bias was confused as he was never given a clear-cut purpose. The monitor experienced a existential crisis of sorts when he met the Sangheili 'Crecka. Bias learned that the Librarian's Conservation Measure was a success and the shield worlds—and by extent, his own purpose and function—were ultimately unnecessary. The monitor often spoke to himself in a language that was once used by the Forerunners.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Broken Circle