Catherine Halsey: Difference between revisions
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Near the start of May [[John-117]] told Halsey he suspected the Covenant had created a special Spartan-hunting unit based on encounters he'd had with [[Bloodstars|well-trained warriors]] in distinctive armor during Operation: SILENT STORM.<ref name="HO4">'''[[Halo: Oblivion]]''', ''Chapter 4''</ref> In response the doctor immediately distributed a list of precautions and procedures she wanted implemented whenever her Spartans were in a combat theater. On [[2526#June|June 3]] [[Task Force Pantea]], a wolf pack of [[Battle Group X-Ray]], managed to knock out the shields and primary weapons of [[Steadfast Strike|a]] [[Covenant frigate]] and seemingly ground it on [[Netherop]]. At least a day later, it was determined that [[Blue Team]] would be deployed to the planet to aid an [[ONI]] salvage ship, the {{UNSCShip|Phyllis Wheatley}}, in an attempt to capture the enemy vessel. Halsey recorded a message for John in which she acknowledged the entire situation was likely a trap but stated she wanted the Spartans to secure the alien ship anyway. A fully functional Covenant vessel could give the UNSC the knowledge needed to develop effective countermeasures. The doctor reminded him how important the [[kelguid|starholo]] recovered on [[Seoba]] had been to SILENT STORM and emphatically made clear that the downed frigate, dubbed the "''[[Steadfast Strike|Lucky Break]]''", was a thousand times more important before wishing him safe travels.<ref name="HO4"/> Unfortunately, the [[Battle of Netherop|mission]] did not result in success for the UNSC.<ref name="HOE">''[[Halo: Oblivion]]'', ''Epilogue''</ref> Following the failed effort Catherine reported to the [[Wikipedia:Chester W. Nimitz|Chester W. Nimitz]] Secure Conference Suite aboard the ''[[UNSC Everest|Everest]]'' on June 12, then located at [[Rendezvous Point Durga]] within a deep space transitional zone of the [[Polona sector]]. She was joined by Vice Admirals [[Preston Cole|Cole]] and [[Michael Stanforth|Stanforth]], Lieutenant [[J. Stone]] and Lieutenant Commander [[B. Nett]] (both of the [[UNSC Judge Advocate General's Corps|Judge Advocate General's Corps]]), two young people who had been among those discovered living on Netherop's surface during the operation, and John, who was the last to arrive at 1010 hours. They had gathered for a Court of Inquiry meant to clarify what precisely had gone wrong and how [[prowler]] captain [[Amalea Petrov]], commander of the {{UNSCShip|Night Watch}}, had been marooned on the planet. Halsey disputed Admiral Cole's characterization of the mission as a failure, seeing as the ''Lucky Break'' seemed to have always been a trap—one perhaps meant to capture Spartans—that had not borne fruit for the Covenant. She also pointed out that they'd recovered a [[Sangheili personal energy shield|personal shield generator]] of a type unseen up to that point. Cole, for his part, was less optimisitc since it would likely be years before any useful battlefield technology resulted from that acquisition. She assured him she was moving as fast as she could with her work. The court soon turned to the matter of what ought to be done with [[Castoffs|the young people]] found surviving on Netherop, previously thought to be uninhabited. The representatives present, [[Samson]] and [[Roselle]], petitioned the UNSC brass to let them start new lives on [[Gao]], but both Halsey and Stanforth were reluctant to indulge their request. Admiral Cole and Lieuetenant Stone were more sympathetic, however, and they were ultimately permitted to relocate to the outer colony.<ref name="HOE"/> | Near the start of May [[John-117]] told Halsey he suspected the Covenant had created a special Spartan-hunting unit based on encounters he'd had with [[Bloodstars|well-trained warriors]] in distinctive armor during Operation: SILENT STORM.<ref name="HO4">'''[[Halo: Oblivion]]''', ''Chapter 4''</ref> In response the doctor immediately distributed a list of precautions and procedures she wanted implemented whenever her Spartans were in a combat theater. On [[2526#June|June 3]] [[Task Force Pantea]], a wolf pack of [[Battle Group X-Ray]], managed to knock out the shields and primary weapons of [[Steadfast Strike|a]] [[Covenant frigate]] and seemingly ground it on [[Netherop]]. At least a day later, it was determined that [[Blue Team]] would be deployed to the planet to aid an [[ONI]] salvage ship, the {{UNSCShip|Phyllis Wheatley}}, in an attempt to capture the enemy vessel. Halsey recorded a message for John in which she acknowledged the entire situation was likely a trap but stated she wanted the Spartans to secure the alien ship anyway. A fully functional Covenant vessel could give the UNSC the knowledge needed to develop effective countermeasures. The doctor reminded him how important the [[kelguid|starholo]] recovered on [[Seoba]] had been to SILENT STORM and emphatically made clear that the downed frigate, dubbed the "''[[Steadfast Strike|Lucky Break]]''", was a thousand times more important before wishing him safe travels.<ref name="HO4"/> Unfortunately, the [[Battle of Netherop|mission]] did not result in success for the UNSC.<ref name="HOE">''[[Halo: Oblivion]]'', ''Epilogue''</ref> Following the failed effort Catherine reported to the [[Wikipedia:Chester W. Nimitz|Chester W. Nimitz]] Secure Conference Suite aboard the ''[[UNSC Everest|Everest]]'' on June 12, then located at [[Rendezvous Point Durga]] within a deep space transitional zone of the [[Polona sector]]. She was joined by Vice Admirals [[Preston Cole|Cole]] and [[Michael Stanforth|Stanforth]], Lieutenant [[J. Stone]] and Lieutenant Commander [[B. Nett]] (both of the [[UNSC Judge Advocate General's Corps|Judge Advocate General's Corps]]), two young people who had been among those discovered living on Netherop's surface during the operation, and John, who was the last to arrive at 1010 hours. They had gathered for a Court of Inquiry meant to clarify what precisely had gone wrong and how [[prowler]] captain [[Amalea Petrov]], commander of the {{UNSCShip|Night Watch}}, had been marooned on the planet. Halsey disputed Admiral Cole's characterization of the mission as a failure, seeing as the ''Lucky Break'' seemed to have always been a trap—one perhaps meant to capture Spartans—that had not borne fruit for the Covenant. She also pointed out that they'd recovered a [[Sangheili personal energy shield|personal shield generator]] of a type unseen up to that point. Cole, for his part, was less optimisitc since it would likely be years before any useful battlefield technology resulted from that acquisition. She assured him she was moving as fast as she could with her work. The court soon turned to the matter of what ought to be done with [[Castoffs|the young people]] found surviving on Netherop, previously thought to be uninhabited. The representatives present, [[Samson]] and [[Roselle]], petitioned the UNSC brass to let them start new lives on [[Gao]], but both Halsey and Stanforth were reluctant to indulge their request. Admiral Cole and Lieuetenant Stone were more sympathetic, however, and they were ultimately permitted to relocate to the outer colony.<ref name="HOE"/> | ||
At some point after her Spartans begin racking up successes, Halsey's meager budget mushroomed overnight and she was once again offered a corner office in [[Olympic Tower]].<ref name="HTFOR25"/> She declined the offer for the second time, however, as she enjoyed the fact that someone had to spend a half a day getting through various security barriers to meet with her. Her original banishment, as she saw it, had become a bureaucratic weapon for her.<ref name="HTFOR25"/> At some point in late [[2526]] Halsey caught up to [[Soren-066]] and Chief Mendez as the two were conversing while walking in a hall on Reach.<ref name="HEP6">''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', ''[[Pariah]]'', ''Chapter 6''</ref><ref name="HEP7">''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', ''[[Pariah]]'', ''Chapter 7''</ref> The Chief had been explaining why active service was no longer an option for the boy and Halsey jumped in to back him up, emphasizing that Mendez had to do what was best for the program and the others trained in it. The doctor promised he would still be able to serve in a non-combat role and regretfully apologized when he asked why she was no longer allowing him to make choices.<ref name="HEP6"/> At some point more than six months after she told Soren that hard truth, the teen helped [[Partch|a]] technician at the compound steal a [[GA-TL1 Longsword]].<ref name="HEP7"/><ref name="HEP9">''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', ''[[Pariah]]'', ''Chapter 9''</ref> They did not get far, however, and Soren was forced to crash-land the fighter.<ref name="HEP9"/> Chief Mendez paid a visit to Halsey in her office after visiting the site and looking through the wreckage and let her know that no signs of Soren were present.<ref name="HEPE">''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', ''[[Pariah]]'', ''Epilogue''</ref> Only his accomplice's body was found. Halsey vowed to look into how this technician—[[Partch]]—had gotten into the position he'd held, given that his background showed all the earmarks of an [[insurrectionist]]. Mendez recommended she run another background check on everyone higher up in security. Halsey then stopped him before he could start smoking right there in her office and asked if there was anything else to discuss. The chief went on to relay further details about parts torn free of the fighter which had landed elsewhere, but despite there being no sign of Soren among them either, he thought it unlikely the boy could have survived. When Halsey asked how [[Randall Aiken|Randall-037]]—who had unsuccessfully tried to stop Partch and Soren—was doing, Franklin claimed he was fine. After being told that ground troops had been dispatched to comb the woods for a body the doctor told him to pull them back and have Soren filed as [[missing in action]]. She wagered that he was still alive, but based on her experience with him that meant he would only ever be found if he wanted to be. Mendez started to protest but she reached across her desk to touch his arm and urged him to let him go, arguing he was not a threat to them. Mendez pointed out that he had been a trained and augmented as Spartan and now had rebel sympathies, but Halsey only replied that he was no traitor; just a lost soul looking for direction.<ref name="HEPE"/> | At some point after her Spartans begin racking up successes, Halsey's meager budget mushroomed overnight and she was once again offered a corner office in [[Olympic Tower]].<ref name="HTFOR25"/> She declined the offer for the second time, however, as she enjoyed the fact that someone had to spend a half a day getting through various security barriers to meet with her. Her original banishment, as she saw it, had become a bureaucratic weapon for her.<ref name="HTFOR25"/> At some point in late [[2526]] Halsey caught up to [[Soren-066]] and Chief Mendez as the two were conversing while walking in a hall on Reach.<ref name="HEP6">''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', ''[[Pariah]]'', ''Chapter 6''</ref><ref name="HEP7">''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', ''[[Pariah]]'', ''Chapter 7''</ref> The Chief had been explaining why active service was no longer an option for the boy and Halsey jumped in to back him up, emphasizing that Mendez had to do what was best for the program and the others trained in it. The doctor promised he would still be able to serve in a non-combat role and regretfully apologized when he asked why she was no longer allowing him to make choices.<ref name="HEP6"/> At some point more than six months after she told Soren that hard truth, the teen helped [[Partch|a]] technician at the compound steal a [[GA-TL1 Longsword]].<ref name="HEP7"/><ref name="HEP9">''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', ''[[Pariah]]'', ''Chapter 9''</ref> They did not get far, however, and Soren was forced to crash-land the fighter.<ref name="HEP9"/> Chief Mendez paid a visit to Halsey in her office after visiting the site and looking through the wreckage and let her know that no signs of Soren were present.<ref name="HEPE">''[[Halo: Evolutions]]'', ''[[Pariah]]'', ''Epilogue''</ref> Only his accomplice's body was found. Halsey vowed to look into how this technician—[[Partch]]—had gotten into the position he'd held, given that his background showed all the earmarks of an [[insurrectionist]]. Mendez recommended she run another background check on everyone higher up in security. Halsey then stopped him before he could start smoking right there in her office and asked if there was anything else to discuss. The chief went on to relay further details about parts torn free of the fighter which had landed elsewhere, but despite there being no sign of Soren among them either, he thought it unlikely the boy could have survived. When Halsey asked how [[Randall Aiken|Randall-037]]—who had unsuccessfully tried to stop Partch and Soren—was doing, Franklin claimed he was fine. After being told that ground troops had been dispatched to comb the woods for a body the doctor told him to pull them back and have Soren filed as [[missing in action]]. She wagered that he was still alive, but based on her experience with him that meant he would only ever be found if he wanted to be. Mendez started to protest but she reached across her desk to touch his arm and urged him to let him go, arguing he was not a threat to them. Mendez pointed out that he had been a trained and augmented as Spartan and now had rebel sympathies, but Halsey only replied that he was no traitor; just a lost soul looking for direction.<ref name="HEPE"/>[[File:DevilDrawing.PNG|left|200px|thumb|Doctor Halsey sketched this image based on her observations of [[Araqiel|the A.I.]] [[Section Three]] employed to spy on her.<ref name="HJ71231"/>]] | ||
On [[2529#December|December 11, 2529]] Halsey recorded that she'd had limited success using the [[Illegal Entry Protocols|illegal entry protocols]] to access a nonessential subroutine in a recovered [[Kig-Yar]] [[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet|point defense gauntlet]].<ref name="HJ121129"/> The details of her success were published as part of the work of another researcher, Doctor [[Hardy]], who had been studying the gauntlet. Unfortunately, it was demonstrated that using the protocols in this way accelerated the terminal cross-linkage effect of her A.I.s. [[Jerrod]], a [[Artificial intelligence#"Micro" AI|micro-A.I.]] in her employ, believed he had a solution to this predicament.<ref name="HJ121129"/><ref name="HGOO16">''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', ''Chapter 16''</ref> Halsey was skeptical, but agreed to proceed according to his advice with caution.<ref name="HJ121129">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''December 11, 2529''</ref> On [[2530#April|April 9, 2530]] the doctor made note that Chief [[Franklin Mendez|Mendez]] was incommunicado and that nobody seemed to know his whereabouts.<ref name="HJ4930">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''April 9, 2530''</ref> She decided to continue monitoring this development, as she felt something must be wrong to have pulled him off her radar like this.<ref name="HJ4930"/> At some point prior to [[2531]] Halsey took on at least one student, [[Ellen Anders]].<ref name="HWPOM">''[[Halo Wars]]'' ''[[Planetary Operations Manual]]''</ref> The two had a mutual hate for one another according to Anders' later recollection.<ref name="HWPOM"/> On [[2531#July|July 12, 2531]], Halsey noted that Section Three had begun to use [[Araqiel|a]] new-generation A.I. of its own to conduct surveillance and protect its assets.<ref name="HJ71231"/> She had noticed that her network codes, keystroke style, and even her voiceprint all triggered its counter-intrusion measures. Though she could devote time to clandestinely pursuing this to sate her curiosity, she knew she'd be detected. As such, she was left to just wonder [[SPARTAN-III program|what]] ONI was hiding from her. It was by this date as well that [[Jacob Keyes]] had agreed to take in [[Miranda Keyes|Miranda]], which her mother figured would be for the best.<ref name="HJ71231">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''July 12, 2531''</ref> By the end of October that year, Halsey had recently purchased upgrades for her Spartans' microfusion plants.<ref name="HGOO2">''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', ''Chapter 2''</ref> On [[2532#January|January 18, 2532]], Halsey recorded her thoughts upon learning that several of the chemical precursors used in [[Project ASTER|Project: ASTER]] had been routed to Section Three laboratories on [[Algolis]], [[Meridian]], and [[Ariel]].<ref name="HJ11832">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''January 18, 2532''</ref> She was enraged at the possibility that the Spartan-II program might be being [[Spartan-III program|replicated]] without her guidance and couldn't fathom what the implications of that might be. She made sure to track all those who had "washed out" during the augmentation procedures in [[2525]] but as far as she could tell, none of them had been repurposed. Those that had been rehabilitated were on track to be recommitted soon and whatever was going on, she reasoned, must not involve them. The doctor noted the peril at which she was maneuvering outside of Stanforth's protection and the terms of her charter. She figured her enemies must think the threat of being charged with espionage or with the violation of any particular military regulation would keep her from pursuing leads in order to preserve her position, but she judged that to be an underestimation of her.<ref name="HJ11832"/> | |||
On [[2529#December|December 11, 2529]] Halsey recorded that she'd had limited success using the [[Illegal Entry Protocols|illegal entry protocols]] to access a nonessential subroutine in a recovered [[Kig-Yar]] [[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet|point defense gauntlet]].<ref name="HJ121129"/> The details of her success were published as part of the work of another researcher, Doctor [[Hardy]], who had been studying the gauntlet. Unfortunately, it was demonstrated that using the protocols in this way accelerated the terminal cross-linkage effect of her A.I.s. [[Jerrod]], a [[Artificial intelligence#"Micro" AI|micro-A.I.]] in her employ, believed he had a solution to this predicament.<ref name="HJ121129"/><ref name="HGOO16">''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', ''Chapter 16''</ref> Halsey was skeptical, but agreed to proceed according to his advice with caution.<ref name="HJ121129">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''December 11, 2529''</ref> On [[2530#April|April 9, 2530]] the doctor made note that Chief [[Franklin Mendez|Mendez]] was incommunicado and that nobody seemed to know his whereabouts.<ref name="HJ4930">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''April 9, 2530''</ref> She decided to continue monitoring this development, as she felt something must be wrong to have pulled him off her radar like this.<ref name="HJ4930"/> At some point prior to [[2531]] Halsey took on at least one student, [[Ellen Anders]].<ref name="HWPOM">''[[Halo Wars]]'' ''[[Planetary Operations Manual]]''</ref> The two had a mutual hate for one another according to Anders' later recollection.<ref name="HWPOM"/> On [[2531#July|July 12, 2531]], Halsey noted that Section Three had begun to use a new-generation A.I. of its own to conduct surveillance and protect its assets. She had noticed that her network codes, keystroke style, and even her voiceprint all triggered its counter-intrusion measures. Though she could devote time to clandestinely pursuing this to sate her curiosity, she knew she'd be detected. As such, she was left to just wonder [[SPARTAN-III program|what]] ONI was hiding from her. It was by this date as well that [[Jacob Keyes]] had agreed to take in [[Miranda Keyes|Miranda]], which her mother figured would be for the best.<ref name="HJ71231">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''July 12, 2531''</ref> By the end of October that year, Halsey had recently purchased upgrades for her Spartans' microfusion plants.<ref name="HGOO2">''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', ''Chapter 2''</ref> On [[2532#January|January 18, 2532]], Halsey recorded her thoughts upon learning that several of the chemical precursors used in [[Project ASTER|Project: ASTER]] had been routed to Section Three laboratories on [[Algolis]], [[Meridian]], and [[Ariel]].<ref name="HJ11832">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''January 18, 2532''</ref> She was enraged at the possibility that the Spartan-II program might be being [[Spartan-III program|replicated]] without her guidance and couldn't fathom what the implications of that might be. She made sure to track all those who had "washed out" during the augmentation procedures in [[2525]] but as far as she could tell, none of them had been repurposed. Those that had been rehabilitated were on track to be recommitted soon and whatever was going on, she reasoned, must not involve them. The doctor noted the peril at which she was maneuvering outside of Stanforth's protection and the terms of her charter. She figured her enemies must think the threat of being charged with espionage or with the violation of any particular military regulation would keep her from pursuing leads in order to preserve her position, but she judged that to be an underestimation of her.<ref name="HJ11832"/> | |||
===Research Advancements=== | ===Research Advancements=== | ||
