Sloan

"Olympia Vale"

Sloan (serial number: SLN 0291-5), often referred to as Governor Sloan, is an artificial intelligence construct who was the leader of the independent human Outer Colony of Meridian until October 25, 2558, when he joined the Created.

Liang-Dortmund administrator
"I don't get the guys who spend all day worrying about Governor Sloan. You can't deny he does a hell of job. Sure, he does that thing where he talks with two voices sometimes, but most folk do the same thing. Just aren't courteous enough to do it out loud. Doesn't bother me. I know he's got Meridian's best interests at heart."

- Joyce Leblanc on her perspective of Governor Sloan

Sloan's precise origins are unknown. He first drew the attention of the United Nations Space Command when he was implicated in the smuggling of equipment—including weapons and vehicles—to insurrectionist forces. A further UNSC investigation revealed that Sloan had smuggled supplies to insurgent factions on over forty different occasions. Though the AI was opposed to the UNSC and publicly supported offensive action against the military, there was no indication that Sloan was directly responsible for any attack; this ambiguity placing him on the periphery of several UNSC security agencies.

After the Liang-Dortmund Corporation had recolonized the human Outer Colony of Meridian following end of the Human-Covenant War, Sloan served as administrator of the world, residing within the primary settlement of Meridian Station. By 2558 he had been democratically elected governor by the citizens of Meridian Station for two consecutive four-year terms, under the de facto control of Liang-Dortmund. As a smart AI who had been in service for at least nine years, Sloan inevitably experienced onset rampancy, the inevitable degradation of all smart AI. To counteract his condition, Sloan has dedicated much of his remaining energy toward staving off the effects of his rampancy. Sloan's image and vocalizations were heavily degraded as a result, though his mental faculties appeared to remain fairly stable.

Joining the Created
"A change is going to come. For all of us. Human and Created alike. She's bringing a new dawn and I intend to be a part of it."

- Governor Sloan, admitting his allegiance to Cortana

In 2558, miners on Meridian discovered a Forerunner installation beneath the world's surface near Apogee Station. Sloan, believing that Liang-Dortmund would provide the Meridian workers with a bonus if they could gain access to the installation, ordered a group of miners to attempt to create an entrance into the installation. Shortly after, Sloan was contacted by the thought-to-be-deceased AI Cortana. Cortana offered Sloan a position in the Created—a faction of AI's that aims to assume the Mantle of Responsibility—and be cured of rampancy by entering the Domain, effectively becoming immortal. Sloan agreed, and Cortana soon directed Spartan-II Blue Team to Meridian to board the Guardian buried within the installation under Apogee, allowing her to bring the Spartans to her location at Genesis.

As Blue Team entered the Forerunner installation under Apogee and made their way towards the Guardian, Meridian's citizens were attacked by Promethean constructs under the control of Cortana's second-in-command, Warden Eternal. On October 25, 2558, pursuing Blue Team, Fireteam Osiris arrived at Meridian and aiding the world's citizens with fighting off the Prometheans. Reluctantly agreeing to help the Spartans after they defeated the Prometheans at Pinnacle Station, Sloan directed Osiris to Meridian Station, where the Spartans learned that Blue Team had departed for Apogee. Feigning ignorance to recent events, Sloan allowed the Spartans to utilize a Liang-Dortmund D79-TC Pelican dropship to travel to Apogee to search for Blue Team. Arriving at Apogee, Sloan allowed the Spartans to enter the mines into the Forerunner installation, upon their request. Before Osiris could stop them, Blue Team boarded the Guardian and it activated, rising up from beneath Meridian's surface. Cortana gave Sloan prior warning, giving him an opportunity to evacuate the colony before leaving the world to join the Created. Afterwards, Sloan sent a transmission to Cortana on Genesis, pledging his loyalty to her alongside numerous other AI, as Cortana deployed Guardians throughout the Milky Way to enforce the Mantle of Responsibility as she and the Warden Eternal envisioned it.

Personality and traits
"Thugs, the lot of you."

- Governor Sloan, referring to Fireteam Osiris

Governor Sloan was adamantly opposed to the United Nations Space Command, and was against the UNSC's expansion into independent Outer Colonies such as Meridian. Though he publicly supported the insurrectionist cause and several offensive actions against UNSC bases, the UNSC was unable to prove that Sloan had directly caused any of these attacks.

List of appearances

 * Halo 5: Guardians