User:2401 PT/Oracle Stuff

I, Cortana

We all know of Cortana. We hear her helpful voice in our ear, telling us of where something was, how to destroy something…and how to stop a 50 megaton Anti-Matter bomb from anilating the last hope for humanity. Cortana has been, no doubt, an invaluable help in the salvation of humanity. But, what happens after she is fed up with us? Would she turn our own guns against us? Would she let the Halos be activated so that she could explore the rings themselves? And what of the other A.I.s she comes across, when Cortana does indeed finally go rampant.

Halo and Marathon knowledge defines Rampancy as when, essentially, the enhanced self-awareness of a computer AI is achieved, causing a progression towards greater mental abilities and destructive impulses. The destructive impulses, however, are primarily caused by being threatened or harassed. Cortana does not necessarily display any of these ideas and lusts for power, but then again, she doesn’t have to. Her tool is Master Chief.

Think about it: the Chief is the one who inserts Cortana into the Halo main grid, where she is able to spread over vast amounts of machinery, and in addition to the amounts of knowledge the Halo stored, she could easily have gotten her first taste of Rampancy while locked in the Control Room for twelve hours. She even tells the Chief of how the “amount of knowledge is glorious” and she even strains to answer the Chief’s questions without aggression in her voice. The Chief is the one who then inserts her into High Charity, the Covenant Mobile Planetoid Capital. Bad move. Now, Cortana was able to acquire even more information, even more room to expand and grow in a new system. Rampancy could have happened here also. Supposedly, Rampancy is a thing most A.I.s greet after a long period of time. Cortana, with help from the Chief, practically had it shoved into her face on a silver platter.

A.I.s, when rampant, usually go about any means necessary in order to achieve their goals. Cortana is the lucky exception. She uses the easily manipulated and somewhat gullible Master Chief in order to obtain what might be her private agenda. She seems all too eager to be inserted into the Halo mainframe, and later seems anxious to get into High Charity. No speculation is necessary: her rampancy has been clearly shown several times, in the games and in the literature. She has done everything from disobeying the Cole Protocol (Halo: Battle of Reach) to risking the elimination of all life in the galaxy for a chance to expand and grow (Halo 2). The question is…

What next?

In the trailer, Cortana appears to be very fragmented and speak in an odd voice. Perhaps Rampancy has driven her to alter herself in ways she sees it. Perhaps, enraged by the limits humanity attempted to apply to her, or blinded by the anger that she is now stuck with the Gravemind, she will bring down the Hammar ( Don’t change that, it’s an inside joke) on humanity. Also, it appears that she has told the Gravemind everything she knows, from her knowledge acquired from the Halos, to all information on Humans, to what she had recently learned during her stay on High Charity. Will she help eradicate all life in the galaxy? Or will she reunite with the Chief to Finish the Fight once and for all? Either way, we have to wait until September 25 to find out. Make the right choice, Cortana.