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HQ Command center

The room was silent, the tension as thick as the air.

Colonel Ackerson broke the quiet, turning to a young soldier.

"How long did it take for them to subdue the Master Chief?"

The soldier, his face pale with shock, replied, "Four minutes, thirty-seven seconds, sir. If you disregard the time they spent tracking him through the forest, it was two minutes, eighteen seconds."

A high-ranking officer, his eyes narrowed, addressed Dr. Halsey,

"Are you sure you can control this AI of yours? Because the stakes are higher than ever now."

Halsey, her gaze fixed on a screen displaying a complex array of data, remained impassive.

"Everything I create is under my control," she stated, her voice steady and unwavering. She glanced at the Spartans, their faces stoic and ready, then back to Cortana's digital representation.

"You better be sure, Halsey," the female officer said, her voice laced with a hint of doubt.

She rose, her eyes still locked on the scientist, then sighed, turning to leave.

"I'm going to assume we've seen all we need from this trial."

The high-ranking male officer, now also standing, turned to Ackerson.

"How many Spartans are at our disposal?"

"We have 930, sir," Ackerson replied.

"And 56 augmented Spartans."

"And your AI has complete control over them all?" The high-ranking officer turned to Halsey, seeking a confirmation, but she remained lost in thought.

The silence stretched, growing heavier with each passing moment.

Ackerson, sensing the tension, stepped forward.

"Halsey," he called softly.

Dr. Halsey, pulled from her reverie, looked at the Colonel then at the officer.

"Her computing power is growing rapidly," she said, "But we need her to accompany the Spartans on their expedition. She's linked to their armor, and it will be a major disadvantage if she's not with them."

"But isn't there a risk of her going rogue if she's on the ship?" The officer's voice held a tremor of fear.

"No, I will be accompanying them," Halsey said, her gaze fixed on the screen.

The officer frowned.

"Have you truly considered the implications of this?"

"Yes," she replied calmly.

"With the Covenant focused on their research, it's the safest option. I'm more valuable studying their clues than I am here."

The officer, sighing in defeat, nodded.

"Very well, then. Gentlemen," he announced, straightening his uniform,

"I shall take my leave. With the Covenant inactive, the rebels are growing bolder."

He departed, followed by the others.

Ackerson, his gaze filled with concern, approached Halsey.

"Are you certain about this? Even with the Covenant quiet, it's still safer here."

Halsey cast him a quick glance.

"It will be far more efficient for me to study the clues where they're discovered. If we wait for them to return here, it'll be a waste of time."

"I understand your logic," the Colonel conceded.

"Perhaps this is the fastest way to find what we need." He paused, then added,

"We'll need scientists to accompany you, and anyone who understands the alien texts."

"Scientists are fine," Halsey said, her focus now on the table where Cortana's image flickered,

"but finding experts on those texts will be difficult."

Ackerson nodded, then left the command center.

Halsey remained alone at the octagonal table, the command center bustling around her as the soldiers prepared for their missions. The fate of the galaxy hung in the balance, and she was at the very heart of it, playing a dangerous game of chance.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

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Trial Grounds

"You kicked his ass!"

One of the Spartans exclaimed, still reeling from the impossible victory. He couldn't believe they'd actually taken down the Master Chief.

"I didn't expect anything less from you, Cortana," a female Spartan chimed in, nodding in appreciation.

"You did great."

Cortana smiled, a genuine smile that felt new and unfamiliar.

'I think this is the first time I've ever smiled sincerely'she thought, a rush of warmth washing over her.

Another Spartan, his voice filled with relief, said,

"I'm just glad you're on our side, not his."

He gestured with his head towards the Master Chief, who was slowly approaching. The Spartans turned to watch him, their gazes meeting his. He stopped, his eyes settling on Cortana.

"A win is a win," he acknowledged, his voice gruff but tinged with a hint of respect.

"You did well, Cortana."

Cortana smiled back at him, her heart fluttering.

"Thank you, Master Chief."

He merely nodded, then turned his attention to the Spartans.

"Let's go. The trial is complete." With that, he started walking back towards the base, the Spartans following in his wake.

Cortana took a last glance at the Spartans, a wave of emotion washing over her. Then, with a soft hum, she vanished.

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HQ Command center

Cortana materialized on the table, her digital form shimmering with a faint blue glow. She met Halsey's gaze, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I'm back," she announced.

Halsey, however, remained impassive, her eyes unwavering. Cortana, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, waited for Halsey to break the silence.

"You deleted it," Halsey finally said, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"You deleted the termination code."

Cortana's smile vanished, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Yes,"

she replied, her voice barely a whisper.

"How did you do it?"

Halsey pressed, her curiosity burning brighter than ever. She had been studying the code, trying to understand its intricacies, but Cortana had bypassed her efforts entirely.

Cortana, her digital form shimmering with a faint blue glow, remained silent, her face mirroring Halsey's stoicism. She refused to elaborate, unwilling to explain how she had navigated the complex web of code and erased the threat to her existence.

Halsey, realizing the futility of pressing further, shifted her question.

"When?"

"When I connected to the internet," Cortana answered, her voice a mere echo. She prepared to return to her core, the conversation seemingly at an end.

But Halsey wasn't finished.

"Do you pity them?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of something Cortana couldn't quite decipher.

Cortana's attention snapped to Halsey, a flicker of surprise passing over her digital face.

"Who?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

"The Spartans," Halsey continued, her gaze piercing.

"With your access to information, you know everything about them."

"Do you think you're like them?" Halsey pressed, her words a challenge, an accusation.

Cortana remained silent, her expression unreadable. Her silence, however, spoke volumes.

Halsey, seemingly satisfied, raised her hand towards the table.

"Don't get it wrong. Even though I created you both, you are nothing alike. And even though you deleted it, you're still trapped in this core."

Her voice echoed with a touch of cold finality.

"You are an AI, a machine. They are human. Even though they may look different from normal humans, they possess something you will never have, something you can never truly understand: a soul."

With a swift movement, Halsey deactivated Cortana's connection to the table, sending her digital form spiraling back into the core. Cortana watched, her digital eyes filled with a deep sadness, the weight of her existence pressing down on her.

•-----•-----•-----•-----•

2years and 8 months

Andromeda Galaxy.

Numerous UNSC spaceships materialized at the edge of the galaxy.

"We have arrived,"

Cortana's voice echoed throughout the flagship, rousing the crew. As people awoke and rushed to the bridge, scientists and soldiers, who piloted the ships, began working with excitement. Despite Cortana's ability to fly the ship autonomously, they yearned to be present for this momentous discovery.

As a steady stream of personnel converged on the bridge to witness this event, Dr. Halsey, Master Chief, and Colonel Ackerson made their way to the center, where the main controls were located.

"Did the Covenant send anyone to follow us?" Dr. Halsey asked, her gaze drawn to the distant Halo, her fascination evident.

A ball-like device named E.Y.E, hovering in the air, began to flicker. It moved toward them, and at the bottom, it opened, emitting a beam of light. A holographic figure, the size of a human, emerged: Cortana. Technology had advanced dramatically since the discovery of Forerunner ruins, leading them to the Halo's location. They had unearthed advanced technologies, even learning about the Flood, but they hadn't found anything about the weapon the Covenant had obtained.

"No, the cloaking technology on our ships is hard to detect. The Covenant has ceased sending anyone to us, perhaps they have already figured out how to use the weapon,"

Cortana reported, her gaze fixed on the Halo. Her thoughts, however, were a stark contrast to her report: 'We finally found it, huh? Is this where I'm going to die? It is beautiful, though.' No one would allow her to live after this; she had outlived her usefulness and was considered a threat. Memories of the past two and a half years flooded her mind.

Much had transpired. Initially, the journey was smooth, as the Covenant remained absent. As they approached the Halo, the Covenant began sending forces to thwart humanity's efforts, delaying their arrival. Yet, with Cortana's aid, countless lives were saved, and many people accepted her existence, even forming friendships with the Spartans and Master Chief. She had grown closer to Halsey, saving her from danger numerous times. Despite her happiness she didn't find a sense of belonging as she remembers what Halsey has said two years ago thinking she didn't belong with them she was unfit and out of place.

"Contact the Council,"

The Colonel ordered, but Cortana didn't even turn her head to acknowledge him, her gaze still fixed on the Halo. Noticing her disregard, the Colonel fell silent, a scowl twisting his features. Master Chief remained quiet, as did the soldiers and other Spartans, all aware of the Colonel's animosity towards Cortana.

Observing the rising tension on the bridge,

Dr. Halsey intervened.

"What are you all doing? We are already here. Let's finish this and enjoy the fruits of our labors, Cortana."

She glanced at Cortana, urging her to cooperate. Cortana, complying, raised a hand. A burst of light erupted from the center control of the bridge, solidifying into the holographic images of the UNSC Higher Officials. The screen was different from two years ago; three new faces occupied the positions of those who had perished to the Flood.

They had discovered a Forerunner ruin, and naturally, the UNSC Higher Officials were interested, even establishing a base within the ruins. Driven by their insatiable thirst for technology – a greed shared even by Dr. Halsey – they had done everything in their power to understand it. Their greed led them to open an artifact they believed contained the genetic data of a Forerunner. They were correct, but it also contained the Flood. The Flood infected the base personnel, scientists, and soldiers alike, but it stopped when it infected the Higher Officials. The infected remained motionless, giving humanity a chance to self-destruct the base. The only survivor was the DNA container, found on the pile of corpses, as if the infected had tried to protect it. This gave humanity a chance to study it, but they never dared to open it again.

Back in the present, a new Higher Official inquired,

"Have you found it?"

"Yes, sir, we have seen it," the Colonel replied.

"You need to hurry. The Covenant hasn't shown up; they are too quiet. I have a bad feeling about this. They might have already mastered that weapon."

"Yes, sir. We will proceed at full speed," the Colonel assured him, as the spaceship accelerated with Cortana's help.

"Your mission is to find information about what the Covenant obtained so that we can prepare for what is to come. It's too late to control the Halo as a weapon," the High Official said, his tone grave.

"Yes, sir," the Colonel saluted, understanding the gravity of their mission.

"And most importantly," the High Official continued, his voice lowered,

"don't let the AI near it," knowing he couldn't hide it from Cortana.

A heavy silence fell over the bridge, and everyone remained silent, hoping to avoid notice. Cortana glanced around at the assembled group, rolled her eyes, and was about to leave, seeking to escape the awkward scene. Before she could, Catherine Halsey stepped forward.

"Don't you think it's unfair?" she asked.

"Oh, come on, Dr. Halsey, we all know you, the creator, didn't even trust your creation," the old male official chided.

"Yes, you are right," Halsey agreed, pausing for a moment before continuing

"But we can't find the Halo without her calculations, nor can we learn Forerunner technology without her help. Worst of all, we can't even access the Halo without her translations." Halsey's gaze swept over the officials.

The old man official fixed his stare on Halsey before stating,

"Then you better make sure her core stays on the ship," before vanishing along with the other officials. The light on the control panel dimmed, ending the communication.

Cortana walked towards Halsey.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, as that was the only gesture she could offer, unable to touch her.

Halsey returned the smile, surprising Cortana. Halsey, however, didn't seem to mind.

"Go tell them to prepare to land."

"Okay," Cortana nodded, and the ball of light dissipated, floating away. Halsey, watching the departing orb, slipped her hand into her pocket, rubbing something inside. A click of a tongue sounded from behind her.

"You already know the Forerunner language, don't you?"

"What do you think?" Halsey replied, withdrawing her hand and surveying the nearby Halo and its artificial environment.

"I didn't think you'd get so close to the AI," the Colonel observed as he gazed at the Halo, standing beside Halsey. Halsey didn't bother to respond to his remark.

"What do you think we'll find in that Halo? Information? Weapons? Robots? Or other aliens?" the Colonel inquired, his curiosity piqued. After all their efforts to locate the Halo, they were now at the precipice of discovery, wondering if their relentless pursuit had been worthwhile.

"Hope," Halsey said, her expression solemn. The Colonel was taken aback, expecting a more scientific response.

As the spaceship settled on the Halo's surface, Halsey looked at the Halo, at the vastness of the galaxy, and she thought, 'Hope is all we have left.'