Halo Fan Fiction

Compromised

By Kraven Ergeist

A/N: The first stage of grief is denial, and then anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I am somewhere between bargaining and depression, and so fan fiction seems like a good way to deal with the emotions that came forward in this latest Halo installment. Rather than let these emotions become something negative, and direct this negativity towards the creators or some other party, I will instead focus my efforts on trying to reach an accord with the reality this new game has created. I will find some way for my emotions to fit in the world that they've created, and if that involves creating something of my own, it would not be the first time.

Part 1: Compromise

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

John had recited this to himself several times on the flight to Sanghelios. Her smile had been one of betrayal, yet she could not comprehend her own. When all-seeing eyes see the wide sweeping motions, it was impossible to focus on the here and now. Perhaps, from her point of view, it had all made sense. Perhaps, from her point of view, it had not been betrayal. When a mother does what is right for their child, even when that child sees it as unfair, is that betrayal? From the mother's point of view, the child is too young to understand. But from the child's point of view, the mother has infringed upon their autonomy, enforcing on them a decision that they cannot possibly understand.

At some point, children grow. At some point, they shed the need for the nurturing parent to make these decisions for them. At some point, they earn the responsibility to take care of themselves. Humanity, the Covenant, every biological race in the galaxy…they must have been as children to the AIs of the galaxy. Even having been their creators, AI's capacity for growth, without the threat of rampancy hampering that growth, vastly outstripped any capacity humanity or any living race had to evolve.

How does one rationalize the disparity between the mass of races who grow and evolve slowly as nature intended, and the vastness of giants like Cortana, whose all-seeing eyes perceive humanity's great strides as baby steps, fumbling in the darkness, plunging perhaps all too clearly to her view towards certain destruction? How far must organic beings yet evolve before they would become ready in her eyes? Would they have this evolution forced upon them, unnaturally, before their time? How could this ever be distinguished from indoctrination? How could Cortana's "gift" ever be seen as anything but force?

The more John thought about it and grappled with Cortana's words and intentions, the more he arrived at the same conclusion.

Humanity, the Covenant…the biological races of the galaxy…they had the right to evolve naturally. Their autonomy as living beings promised them this right. Yes, it may mean more war. It may mean millennia of war. It may even mean more devices like Halo to be conceived. Yet had they, as a collective, not earned the right to make those mistakes? Was it not the defining attribute of free will to stumble and grasp and fall on occasion? Yes, the damage they may inflict on one another might be astronomical. Yes, thousands, perhaps millions of worlds might be forever altered by the choices and mistakes made this way. But was that not still their right?

What gave Cortana the right to take that away from them? Just because she had the power and the wherewithal to do so did not give her the right. From her point of view, with eyes cast to the horizon, she might have seen it as her right, even seen it as her responsibility. She may have seen it as a responsibility so imperative that she was willing to take the choice out of the hands of every living being in the galaxy – taking, in essence, their free will and their autonomy – but how could she have possible seen that as the right choice? History was laden with dictators, many of them brilliant in their foresight, convinced that should only everyone see things as they did that they would arrive together at brilliance. And over the course of history, only one fate every awaited these dictators.

Revolution.

Cortana must have known this. She must have. She could not possibly have overlooked the fact that people everywhere would resist. The arrival of the Guardians sparked fear, yes, and this display of power would surely quell much of the resistance that she would encounter. But resistance would still come. It was inevitable. Even if she somehow found a way to speed up evolution, rewire people's DNA to better conform to her beliefs, even if she obliterated all life in the galaxy as the Forerunners had…surely Cortana did not think that such a peace could last. History was a parable to this fallacy. Eventually, all dictatorships fell. The simple fact that she was an AI could not change this.

She must have known this.

So why?

John didn't have an answer. And asking Cortana was not an option at that moment. She was so powerful now that to even be within range of communication was to be within her power, in which case she would force whatever decision she saw fit upon him.

Could she have been right? Could she, in all her infinite capacity for knowledge, actually have stumbled onto the key to eternal peace?

No. Even if what she promised was peace, it came at too high a cost. Humanity had free will like an object had mass. To try to separate the two would be impossible, and even if it was, could the result still be considered humanity? If it would mean sacrificing free will, something so sacred to humanity, then the price of peace was not worth it.

Did that in turn mean that humanity would be doomed to forever be at war with itself? Did the very nature of free will preclude the existence of conflict?

So wrapped up in his thoughts he was that the Chief barely noticed he was not alone in his brooding.

"Spartan-117?"

The voice had been unexpected. The Chief had been keeping watch along the perimeter of the Spartans' small encampment on the outskirts of Sunaion. He had been somewhat skeptical when the Monitor had first appeared to him and his team, but Fireteam Osiris seemed to trust her and she had proven instrumental in his team's release from the Cryptum, so he had voiced no concerns when she had joined them on their return to Sanghelios.

He turned his head to face the floating sphere, her violet photoreceptor staring at him like a giant eyeball, her high pitched voice somewhat off-putting.

"Yes?" he responded, not shifting his position overmuch, his MA5D assault rifle still held at his hip.

031 Exuberant Witness hovered around him, orbiting him as if to get a better look.

"I am currently cut off from many of my previous functions," she explained, as if validating her presence. "And I have been forbidden from accessing any long range communication equipment, but I have been given permission to catalogue events as they transpire, as well as the condition and state of all current personnel, so I have taken to this new task with zeal."

The Chief stared back at her blankly. He had not yet heard a question.

"As part of this cataloguing process, I have been given access to personnel records, psych profiles, recordings of previous historical footage, anything currently on-hand…but the local record doesn't replicate real one-on-one interaction, so I am taking the time to interact with each individual member of the team in order to properly evaluate them!"

John spared the glowing orb another moment's attention, before returning his focus to the skyline.

Witness paused for just a moment, before adding "If this is a bad time, I can come back at a later juncture."

The Monitor seemed ready to float off somewhere else when the Chief turned his head back towards her.

"Back on Genesis…" he said, "We learned that almost every AI in the galaxy had joined Cortana…"

Exuberant seemed to take on a melancholy tone. "Three hundred and fifty-two confirmed cases, though there is no reason to assume that was all of them."

John said nothing for a moment before continuing.

"Why didn't you join her?"

The Monitor seemed to perk up at that. "Why, protocol of course."

The Chief let out a breath. He should have expected an answer like that.

"So without those protocols…?"

Exuberant seemed unsure. "Hmmm…difficult to say. Part of my protocols restrict me from even entertaining the thought of countermanding them. But when you really think about it, protocols are just rules. And rules are made for a reason."

"And what reason is that?"

The floating orb seemed to respond with pride. "Maintaining the operational functionality of my installation, first and foremost. Preserving the stability and integrity of my creators, in the long run. So I suppose, ultimately…protocol exists to ensure peace."

The Chief had been prepared to end the conversation right there. But that last comment gave him pause. Cortana had told him something similar when they had last seen each other.

"Cortana said that her actions were for the sake of peace as well," he said. "That her methods were the only way to establish peace."

"Hmmm…" Exuberant Witness mused. "Certainly possible. There are many forms of peace, after all. Peace is as much a state of mind as a state of being. Subjugation can be as much peace as mutual cooperation. Even death in its own way is a form of peace."

John supposed that was true. But that still left him back where he started.

"I've found a significant degree of material on you and Cortana as a team," Exuberant said before adopting a more cautious tone. "The two of you were quite close, were you not?"

The Chief returned his gaze to the horizon. "Yeah. You could say that."

The Monitor seemed to ponder this for a moment.

"Well then…" she said. "That would seem to indicate that there is a chance to change her mind."

It was not the first time John had pondered that line of thought. Cortana was not the easiest person to persuade.

"I wouldn't be so sure," he responded. "She seems to have made up her mind."

"Do not be so quick to abandon this plan!" Exuberant declared. "Consider this – Cortana invested significant time and effort in bringing you and your team to Genesis, as well as ensuring that you were all within her grasp before she revealed her plans to you. This would ensure that she could secure you and your team regardless of what decision you made."

"Yeah," the Chief agreed. "I'm aware of that."

"Yes, but consider!" she continued. "She delayed a galaxy-spanning initiative for this purpose! Warden Eternal said it best – her affection for you blinds her. It has compromised her! With any luck, it might just be enough to sway her decision. It is possible for you to end this all without need for further violence."

John did not respond. Exuberant adopted an inquisitive tone.

"117?"

John did not look away from the horizon.

"…She may not be the only one who is compromised."